Post by DON'T USE THIS ACCOUNT'S NAME on Jul 14, 2013 21:00:11 GMT -6
Character Guide
Alright so, I'm not an Iceclan Queen but pretend I am for a moment. I was recently looking over all the nurseries and sudden had an epiphany about them. Specifically, I was making a new account to join a Clan, but noticed that they really didn't actually help the new people as much as they should. That's why I decided to write a guide.
First of all: basic stuff we all know.
Names. Names are hard on VWW, because most of the good/simple ones have already been used multiple times. I'd recommend trying this name generator until you find a prefix you like, and if it's already in usage here, just go with it. Remember - warrior names have two parts. The first part isn't exclusive to anybody, nor is the second, only the exact combination is specific to a character. Multiple people with the same name running around as kits is fine. It's to be expected. Don't worry.
Gender. Remember, regardless of what your gender in real life is, your character's gender does not need to reflect that. They're not actually you.
Appearance. Remember to be realistic. Some acceptable eye colors are orange, yellow, green, blue, brown, and grey. I might've missed one or two, but just remember that colors like red or purple are not something you'd actually see in cats, so they are not allowed. Also, calico/tortiseshell males can very rarely exist (1 in 1000 calicos are male, and maybe a third of that survive kithood) but are always sterile and so cannot have kits. Orange tabbies have a similar issue, though less drastic, in that 3 out of 4 orange tabbies will be male. Female orange tabbies are not sterile and are still far more common than male calicos. However, this isn't that important. All other colors are equally represented in males and females. As long as you're not trying to get your cat's pelt color to be something unnatural like crimson, green, blue, violet, etc… you should be fine. Search Google for images of cats if you need ideas.
Personality. Certainly you should make up your own personality, but you should be aware of originality. Characters with no issues are boring, as are characters that have no redeeming traits. A mixture that creates an internal conflict is the best way to fix things. Instead of either an ambitious but loyal cat or a cat that throws away loyalty for ambition immediately, try a cat that is struggling to stay loyal while also having ambitions to one day become a powerful figure. It's a lot more interesting to RP as/with, and it gives you more to post about in general. Remember, a character should be interesting. Perfect characters with no flaws may be objectively superior to other characters, but they're less interesting to roleplay with because there is no conflict. Roleplay is a form of story writing, not a competitive game. You do not want to be the best, you want to be the most interesting. The two are different.
Disabilities. Disabilities are a very interesting trait - WHEN DONE CORRECTLY. A perfect but blind cat that is fully able to operate as if they can see is even more boring than a normal perfect cat because it shows potential for interesting things that was wasted. Do not have a disability unless you are actually willing to have it be a disability, instead of just a random character trait.
Description. Description. Description. Being descriptive is both a good thing and a bad thing. When written properly, such as when describing feelings or how something looks, it is a key part of roleplaying. When done solely to add more to the word count, it can often ruin the entire appeal of a post. Again, roleplaying is a type of story writing and not a competition. You don't want the most words. You want the most interesting words. If you can say something in a few words but add deep meaning to it, or say it in a lot of words but repeat yourself a bit, just say a few words. It's easier to read, looks better and doesn't look like you're trying to hard. Quality over quantity.
More Resources
VWW Rules
Guide To Roleplay
Profile Help
Ranks & Post Counts
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions?
Post in the help board and we'll answer!
VWW Rules
Guide To Roleplay
Profile Help
Ranks & Post Counts
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions?
Post in the help board and we'll answer!