Guide 12
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Contents |
Introduction
ABOUT: This isn't so much a tutorial on how to create a character, persay, as it is a series of questions to ask yourself while brainstorming about your character's appearance, past, etc. It presents you with questions you might've forgotten to ask yourself in the hopes of helping you to create more vivid and detailed characters.
Version 1.0 - Incomplete.
Facial Features
Hairstyle:
- How does your character wear his or her hair? Do they pull it up in a ponytail? Braids? Maybe even a mohawk? Is their hair color natural, or has it been dyed?
- Does your character have highlights in his or her hair? Maybe they are natural or maybe they are assisted.
- How long is your character's hair? Short, shoulder-length, waist-length? Maybe they have no hair at all.
- What kind of texture does your character's hair have? Is it curly? Straight? Frizzy?
Eyebrows:
- What do your character's eyebrows look like? Are they thick or thin? Are they arched or straight? Do they match your character's hair, or are they a different color?
Eyes:
- What shape are your character's eyes? They could be round or almond shaped. They could be straight or slanted.
- What size are your character's eyes? Are they large or small? Are they wide or squinty?
- What color are your character's eyes? Blue, brown, hazel, green? Maybe they are two different colors? Are they an odd color, like teal or aqua? Maybe mocha?
- Does your character wear glasses? Do they have contacts? Should they have glasses or contacts?
Nose:
- Is there anything distinctive about your character's nose? Maybe it is crooked from being previously broken. Is it abnormally large? Maybe it is small and button-like. Is it wide or narrow? Is it hooked?
Facial Hair:
- Does your character have any facial hair? A goatee? A beard? A mustache? Can your character grow facial hair? Are they rugged or clean-shaven? If your character is a female and has facial hair, please let us know!
Mouth:
- What shape are your character's lips? Are they full or thin? Are they heart-shaped or oval? Are they wide or narrow?
- What do your character's teeth look like? Are they white or yellow, clean or tartar-stained? Are your character's teeth straight or crooked? Does your character wear braces or a retainer? Do they have all of their teeth, or are some missing?
Makeup:
- Does your character wear makeup? This doesn't just apply to girls, I've seen guys wear makeup too. Why do they wear makeup? Do they do it to look "pretty", cover acne, cover a skin disorder?
- If your character does wear makeup, what does it look like? Do they wear it thick or light? Does your character look like she just stepped out of a whore house, or does she prefer a more natural look?
- If your character is a guy and wears makeup, why does he? Does it have anything to do with sexual orientation? Do they wear dark eyeliner because they want to be "gothic"?
Facial Structure:
- Be as detailed as you can about your character's facial structure. This is one of the characteristics that separates your character from others.
- What does your character's face look like? Is it well-defined and mature? Is it round and childlike? Does your character have dimples? Do they have any scars? Do they have a cleft chin? Freckles? Is there anything about your character's face that particularly defines them?
- Does your character have any bruises on their face? If so, what are they? Why are they there? If your character has a black eye, what caused it?
Piercings and Jewelry:
- Does your character have any piercings? Examples include earrings, nose piercings, lip piercings, eyebrow rings, body piercings such as belly button rings.
- Does your character have any unusual piercings that most people do not have?
- Does your character wear any jewelry? Do they wear it because they like it or does it have some sentimental value (e.g. watch that belonged to a grandparent)?
Body
Skin Tone:
- What color is your character's skin? Pale or tan, white or black?
- Why is your character tan? Why are they pale? Do they spend a lot of time outside or do they stay locked up in their room. Is their skin olive because they have Italian heritage?
Physique/Figure and Weight:
- Describe your character's body in detail.
- Guys: How is your character built? Is he muscular or scrawny? Is he fat or thin? Is he ripped? Is he husky? Is he so hairy that he looks like a werewolf? Does he shave his chest? Does he have lovehandles?
- Ladies: What sort of figure does your character have? Does she have an hourglass figure? Is she flat-chested or well-endowed? Is she round in the middle or does she have a tiny waist? Is her posterior unusually large or flat? Is she fat or thin? Is she so skinny that she looks sickly? Is her body toned or is she out of shape?
- Does your character have any physical handicaps or broken bones? Are they currently on crutches or in a wheelchair? If so, why?
Height:
- Is your character tall? Does it run in their family?
- Is your character short? Why? Have they yet to hit their growth spurt or are they simply cursed with shortness?
- Is your character of average height or are they extraordinarily short or tall?
Clothing and Accessories:
- How does your character dress?
- If your character dresses casually, what kind of t-shirts do they wear? Do they wear baby tees? T-shirts with band names on them?
- Does your character wear name-brand clothing or generic clothing? Are their clothes new or are they hand-me-downs?
- Does your character wear a belt?
- What kind of pants/skirts do they wear?
- What kind of shoes do they wear? Why do they wear that kind of shoes?
Personality
Posture:
- How does your character stand? One's posture can tell a lot about their personality.
- Do they slouch everywhere they go? Does it cause them to appear to be shorter than they really are?
- Do they walk with their nose in the air? Are they very uppity? Do they act snooty?
Demeanor:
- How does your character act?
- How does your character present themselves?
- What do others think about your character?
- Is your character perceived differently than they'd like to be?
Social Status:
- Is your character popular?
- Are they a social recluse?
- If your character is popular, why are they so likeable? Does your character just think they are popular?
- If your character doesn't like others, why don't they? Does it stem from something in their past, or are they just odd?
Athletic Level:
- Is your character an athlete?
- Do they play school sports? What sports do they play? Do they excel at those sports or are they benchwarmers?
- Are they in shape?
- Is your character a complete couch potato?
- Does your character have any physical attributes that could prove useful (e.g. fast runner, high jumper, strong)?
Strength:
- How strong is your character?
- If your character is very thin and they are strong, do you have a specific reason behind that (e.g. they work out every day)?
- Is your character frail and weak?
Intelligence:
- Is your character smart? Why? Do they study hard, or are they just naturally smart?
- Is your character average?
- Is your character below average?
- Do they have a learning deficiency (ADD, ADHD, dyslexia)?
- Is your character street smart? Why?
Speech:
- How does your character speak? Do they use a lot of slang terms?
- Do they have an accent? Why?
- Are they foreign? Do they speak broken English? Do they speak no English?
- Does your character suffer from a speech impediment? Do they have a lisp? Do they have problems pronouncing certain words? Do they get made fun of because of their condition?
Illnesses and Irregularities:
- Does your character suffer from some sort of disease or illness?
- Is it something that would seriously hinder their ability (e.g. narcolepsy or asthma)?
- Do they have to take medication for it? What happens if they run out of medication?
- Does your character have an eating disorder (e.g. anorexia or bulemia)?
- Is your character plagued by a chronic illness? Have they been in and out of the hospital because of it?
- Has your character ever had to have surgery? If so, why? Did they, for example, have a knee injury a long time ago that still hurts when the weather cools down?
History
Past:
- Where is your character from? If they aren't from here originally, where did they come from? Why did they come here?
- Does your character have a unique or interesting past?
- Who does your character live with? Do they have any brothers or sisters? Are they an only child?
Heritage and Ethnicity:
- Where does your character come from?
- Are they black, hispanic, asian, causacian?
- What ethnic background are they from? Were their grandparents Italian, Persian, Japanese? Can you tell said character is a member of that ethnicity?
- Does your character practice his or her heritage? Does he or she follow certain traditions?
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Hobbies and Interests
Likes:
- What are some of your character's hobbies? Does s/he like video games? Sports? Racing? Dancing? Television? Dungeons and Dragons?
- Does your character collect anything interesting like bottle caps or Yu-Gi-Oh cards?
- What does your character like to do in his/her spare time?
Dislikes:
- What are some of the things your character doesn't enjoy? Is s/he scared of dogs or afraid of swimming?
- Why does your character dislike these things? An example would be that s/he was bitten by a dog when s/he was a child and is therefore terrified of them.
- Does your character have any pet peeves?
Aspirations and Fears:
- What does your character aspire to be in life? How does s/he go about doing this?
- What are some things that your character is afraid of?
