Fiixl's guide to detailed characters [[W.I.P]]

[TheApplePie]

Hello!
Welcome to my guide on how to make both simple and complex characters. It covers most of the needed points and  information on how to make a certain character and give them everything they need from the point on their nose to the tip of the tail.


Character names

Names are a very important part of putting a character together. They can represent what they look like, what the act like, what they feel like, ect. Name meanings are also important. You can have a totally random name without a meaning - E.g Ashley / Bob. but You can also have a name with a meaning - E.g Maria ; Wise / Chusi ; Snake flower.

If we take our dear Chusi (snake flower) we can already picture the personality of this character. Since it means 'snake flower', the character would be quite pretty, cunning and snappy. It's what first pops up in your mind that matters. Not every character needs a name meaning though. You can make up your own or not have one at all.

Here I have founds some great websites for names. They also have the meanings if you want to include one.
http://www.20000-names.com/index.htm
http://fantasynamegenerators.com/
http://www.fantasynamegen.com/
http://donjon.bin.sh/fantasy/name/#common

Character species/Breeds

These come in more handy when your character is an animal. Cause you see, no one really likes when their character is just a 'dog'. What breed? What's so special about the type of dog they are? It lets us build their image in our heads much easier. Feralheart cannot just make you a model looking exactly how you imagine your character in the first place.

http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/profiles Dog breeds
http://www.catchannel.com/breeds/all_landing.aspx Domestic cat breeds
http://www.pawnation.com/2014/02/26/wild-dogs-of-the-world/1  Wild dog breeds
http://bigcatswildcats.com/list-of-big-cats/ Big cat breeds
http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-breeds/all_landing.aspx Horse breeds
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science/rodent-types-rodents.html Rodent breeds
http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-species/ Bird breeds

There are also many more websites you can look on for an interesting species/breed/type of animal. I just listed the most popular species in feralheart at the time.

Character age

Age matters a lot in characters. You see, people tend to do things like 'my 2 months old cat killed a wolf' or something similar. Knowing that it cannot be done is a good point to start. If you're using a specific character species you should probably do some research on them and find out how long they live. If they live 10 years, 2 years+ would be like 18+ in human years. If they only live 2 years like a rodent can, 3+ months would be their 18+ point. The list is endless. I just advise that you guys look things up and check before you add it to fit your character!

Character design/appearance

This is the most important part of a character. No one else has the exact same character as you once you get your mind settled on what you want to do. Here are some tips and points I want to share with you about designs:

- Don't make them common! (Pitch black wolves with bright red eyes. That's the first example. They just aren't original
- Maybe your character got their name from how they look? (For example ; Bolt. Bolt got his name from the lightning bolt on his side.
-Maybe your character got their personality engaged with their design? (If your character is an unhappy cat, a variety of duller colours and shades would be great. If they're a happy go lucky character like Gringo (<-- NOT SORRY) they could have some brighter colours and softer shades. It all matters about how the character behaves, what their name is, ect.
- Scars! Scars look great on some characters. Some of them. Not all. If your character has been to war or has been in fights, a scar or two here and there would look good. But if your character is a selfish king that sits in his bedroom all day he probably won't have any scars. He's too lazy to fight!

But one thing that you should never forget is that you should make your character the way you like them.
If you like purple, hell, go make that purple wolf! Even if it's unrealistic, go for it. If you like white wolves with grey markings, go for it! Make him the way you want him to be! Nothing is stopping you from anything. Just keep it original and don't steal/use other people's designs!

Character personality

This is the one I personally love the most. Character personalities show how the character acts around others, what they do, what they like/dislike, ect. If your character has been to war they probably won't be a happy lass jumping up and down after it. If they are a selfish king like our example Chusi they will probably be lazy, cocky and flirty. It's just the way you imagine them to be. Remember to fit things in with their back story, design and name!

Character back story/Bio/Plot

This is my second favorite thing to do. This is the part when you make up your character's past (back story), plot (future) or just their whole life story in general (bio).

-Make sure it's original!
-Make sure it fits your character's personality/species!
-Make sure it's realistic! Even if your character doesn't look like a real life fish doesn't mean that it can kill a shark. Just because the kitten has really sharp claws and a snappy personality doesn't mean it can kill a pack of street dogs. Keep it realistic!
- Connect it up with other characters! How cool is it when your friend's character is your character's brother? It's quite exciting! Just remember, if the characters spent their life together they should have a similar bio! c:
- Add small things; Scared of water, remembers how they were called cute by a guy that fell over, ect. It just adds more tiny but amazing details to your character. That's how the best ones are shaped!

More coming soooooon!

[Jackkdaw]

Ohoho dat Gringo cameo ;3

I, absolutely love this little layout you've got goin' here.
I know that personally I found this very informative, as I'm sure many others have.
Those little links are super helpful, too!
You've worded everything so well in regards to everything, this is a great resource for those who are stuck when creating a new character.

Thanks for sharin', bby <3

[xXHoodiXx]

I like how you laid this all out. Very nice.