Welcome to my character creation guide. This is intended to be a useful tool for new and old members alike. If you follow this guide you're guaranteed to get at least a 4-1 rank or higher...Unless English isn't your first language, then you may struggle to get 4-1 due to grammatical errors. For folks in that boat, sorry D:all I can do for you is recommend you use online grammar/spell checks.

In today's example, we'll be using a shinigami template, however references to other races will be made were applicable. But there are some steps we should take before jumping right into an app!

Step 1. Setting The Mood

Time - This may seem silly, but it is very useful! Set aside time where you're planned to work on the character. Depending on your schedule that may only be 30 minute, or it might be 2 hours. The point is to just have a scheduled time that you don't let any thing else distract you.

Music - Youtube playlists are my weapon of choice, but you should pick whatever music inspires you. My suggestion is to try out anime soundtrack music. It's made to set the mood for anime after all.

Focus - Really try to minimize your distractions. Don't play music you love so much that you doing karaoke instead of working on the app. Just make a real attempt to dedicate yourself into it. You'd be surprised how much work you can get done if you put your mind to it.

Step 2. Pre-Planning

Ask yourself the following questions:

What king of RP experience do I want to have?

Do I want to fight a lot? Find romance? Just be social? A combination of these? Perhaps something different entirely. But figure out what kind of role play you're interested in.

What kind of character do I want to be?

If you watch anime then try to identify characters that you'd like to have similarities with. For example, I may want a character with an air of mysteriousness about them like Urahara from bleach, but perhaps I'd prefer his usual attitude be more like Future Trunks from Dragon Ball Z. Much more serious all the time and clearly burdened by the weight of loss. By identifying something similar to what you're going for it will be easier to define what you are creating.

What do I want my reader to feel?

This is important to consider, but few people seem to ever do. Your character is going to be read by someone. That person is going to grade it if they are staff and if it is a normal member they might decide whether or not they wish to rp with you based on what they read. So if you read something that you've written and YOU think it's boring, what makes you think anyone else will think differently? Have fun with what you're writing and don't be afraid to get a little poetic. I could just say, "Duquin has green eyes." but that doesn't make people feel or visualize anything. "Duquin's eyes are like a pair of rare gemstones due to his brilliant jade green irises. They often have a gentle and calm expression behind them and make his gaze one that is easily met." This is what we call "fluff" which is good in moderation but shouldn't be overused. If you spend 10 paragraphs just talking about your character's eyes, you are kind of just wasting peoples time. No pair of eyes are THAT important.

What kind of powers do I want to have?

This actually leads to a great many other questions. I'll be making a power creation guide and will add a link to it once it is done. But until I finish that, for now I'll just say that deciding on some archetypes for your powers before hand as well as a theme can really help with brainstorming. Close range? Long range? Do I want to be aggressive or do I want to lay traps? How long do I want my character to last in terms of endurance? Things like this. Just keep asking yourself questions, you'll find your answer eventually.

Step 3. Getting Down To Business

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Name: Generally any kind of name is acceptable. But there are some things to consider. This is how your character will be known. Something like "Bob the shinigami" would be kind of inappropriate. There are many languages out there and many names with meanings behind them. Do some research and find a name that has a meaning fitting to your character.
Alias: This is like a nickname for your character. You could put N/A if you don't want one, or state "Will earn IC" to imply you want someone to give you an alias. These also might be awarded during special events.
Age: Depending on your race this will differ. Generally spiritual beings such as shinigami/hollow/bounto races will be over 100 years of age and could be as old as over 1000 years old. Humans, Fullbringers, and Quincy will have more normal "human" ages.
Age of Appearance: This is kind of a vague area, there are a lot of factors that could determine your visual age. Because of that you can put just about anything you want here, but try to be reasonable. If you're 800 years old you shouldn't like like you're 12.
Gender: Male? Female? Both? Neither? It's up to you.
Race/Species: This should be pretty self explanatory as well. If you want to be an anthro(humanoid version of an animal) you're welcome to be one. But you should probably explain that in your history somehow if you do decide to go that route.
Character Alignment: Decide whether you want to be a good guy, a bad guy, or something in between. It's possible to write an Evil character that loves flowers and is generally friendly to people, but this should still make sense with your characters personality. Said flower loving, friendly, character should also be capable of slaughtering countless innocents to accomplish their goals if you've declared them to be pure evil here.

Appearance:
A good way to ensure you get 4-1 here is to have a solid 3 paragraphs. The information in your style/clothing and tattoo/scars section count. So this should be pretty easy! My advice is to split things up into sections and use a couple sentences to describe each one. Remember the fluff mentioned earlier? This is where to use it! I've made an example of how you can separate things to ensure you're describing enough details to meet 3 paragraphs.

Hair - Give a few sentences talking about your hair. What color is it? How long is it? What style is it set in? Is it dirty or messy? Are there any accessories in it like beads or a feather perhaps?

Eyes - Talk a bit about your eyes. Not just the color, but the emotions they generally convey. Are they wild eyes filled with burning passion? Or are the cold as ice and make you seem hard to approach? Perhaps they are seemingly friendly but hide a darker side of you?

Face - Here you could get all nitty gritty and talk about the shape of your nose, lips, cheek bones, etc. But you can make it easy on yourself and just give a racial archetype such as "asian features". Instead, try talking about the expressions your character makes. Do they usually look like they are in a blissful ignorance of the world around them? Or are they more like a constantly upset stick in the mud? And don't just describe their typical expression. What face to they make when they are sad? Do the ball their eyes out? Or do they hide behind an empty smile? What about when they are fighting? When they are surprised?

Build - What kind of body does your character have? Tall? Short? Skinny? Muscled? Fat even? Use those fluffing skills and give a description of your body. Make comparisons such as, "the muscles of a swimmer" or "long and skinny fingers one might expect of an artist or a musician".

Style/Clothing:
Uniform - Talk about what you usually wear. Your every day clothing. Make it your own and unique by adding accessories such as a scarf or bracers. Make it something that will fit with your character. Perhaps you're a close range fighter and have longer sleeves to hide your movements. Or maybe your character is a diva and wears lots of jewelry.

Casual - What does your character wear when they are relaxing or in disguise to visit the human world? Get creative and establish a style that reflects the type of person your character is.

Formal - Lets say your character is asked to attend an important event. Give them some formal wear that is a bit nicer than their uniform. Just like real suits, you might never have an occasion to wear them. But they are good to have if one arises.

Tattoo's/Scars/Etc:
The best way to elaborate here is to describe any tattoo's or scars you have, but to also mention how and why your character got them. Every scar has a story and many tattoos have meanings. Even if you're just going for a visual appearance, these can be given meaning which in turn improves the depth of the character. For example, perhaps you want your character covered in scars. A story for each would be unreasonable. But! You could mention that there are no scars on their back as a testament to their resolve to never retreat. There are tons of ways you can spin things so feel free to get creative. Even if you don't have any tattoo's or scars, if you followed the guide for previous sections you should have more than enough paragraphs to hit 4-1

Personality:
Many new rpers/writers find the prospect of hitting three paragraphs for your personality to be a bit daunting, but don't worry! It becomes much easier when you break things into sections like with appearance.

Demeanor - Here you should put information about how your character usually acts. Are they kind and light hearted? Or more solemn and serious? Explain how this changes depending on circumstances such as:

-When with friends/allies
-When meeting new people
-When facing an enemy
-When faced with despair
-When at parties or celabrations
-When in the middle of a fight
-When loved ones are in danger

Ask yourself how your character would act in each of these situations and then write 2-3 sentences for each one. If you do that, you should get a good grasp on how your character acts.

For the likes/dislikes/ambitions/etc. the template already gives a good suggestion. Write 1-3 sentences for each thing and you should be good to go. If you're having trouble thinking of these, just think of your own likes/dislikes.

NOTE: The strengths/weaknesses section is asking about personality strengths and weakness, NOT combat related strengths and weaknesses. A proper weakness would be, "Has trouble trusting others." but a good strength that would reflect is, "Is suspicious of others and thus is more likely to see through lies and deceit." BAD examples of what to but there are, "Isn't very strong" or "Is very fast in a fight" as those have nothing to do with your personality.

(For Likes, Dislikes, Ambitions, etc, go for 1-3 sentences per point, more if you wish.)

Likes:



• What
  
• Does
  
• Your
  
• Character
  
• Like?
  
• -minimum of 5 things
  


Dislikes:



• What
  
• Does
  
• Your
  
• Character
  
• Dislike/Hate?
  
• -minimum of 5 things
  

Ambitions/Dreams/Goals:



• What
  
• Are
  
• Your
  
• Character's
  
• Ambitions/Goals/Dream's?
  
• -minimum of 3 things
  


Strengths:



• What
  
• Are
  
• Your
  
• Character's
  
• Strengths?
  
• -minimum of 5 things, these could be mentally, physically, socially, in combat, etc.
  


Fears & Weaknesses:



• What
  
• Are
  
• Your
  
• Character's
  
• Fears? Weaknesses?
  
• -minimum of 5 things
  


Gosh, the hard part is over right? You got your three paragraphs for appearance and personality and now you can slack off till the history right? WRONG! Quality of the entire app plays a bit role in getting higher tiers. If you want to be approved for anything higher than 4-1 you're gonna have to keep on producing quality work through the entire app. But don't worry, I'll help you get through it!



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Battle Specs



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List of 'Known' Skills:


Fighting Style:
For your fighting style a good effort is 2-5 paragraphs. Like with most things, it becomes easier to hit that if you break things up into sections. Your character likely doesn't always fight the same way. Depending on the situation their approach might change drastically. Use those fluffing skills and really make this part of the app shine.

Martial Skills - Does your character possess training in any martial arts? It's kind of pointless to put anything here unless you yourself have some martial arts knowledge, so do some research. If your character know's Muay Thai, look up some Muay Thai videos and read up on its teachings. Combat styles don't just consist of techniques, but also have philosophies behind them as well. If you've received training, you should have those philosophies ingrained in you as well. Try to reflect that in the characters fighting style.

Training - How does your character fight while sparring? Do they take things less seriously? Or do they fight all the harder living by the saying, "Sweat in training so you don't bleed in war."? Get in depth with this. Are they willing to break bones? Or will they hold back their attacks for fear of injuring a comrade?

Even Ground - How do they fight against an opponent the same strength as them? Will they go all out and try to win with skill? Or will you try to play it safe and lay traps until you've gained an edge before feeling safe with taking them head on?

Dominance - How do they fight when they have the upper hand? Do they toy with the opponent? Do they try to end things quickly?

Underdog - How do they fight when facing opponents stronger than themselves? Do they burn brightly in an attempt to do what damage they can? Or do they focus on running to live another day?

Personal Abilities:


(Shinigami may not start with more than ONE personal ability. Personal abilities are special powers unique to your character. They are obtained at birth or through freak occurrences. These cannot be things you would able to teach others or simply obtain through hard work along.)


Name: Naming your ability shouldn't be too much trouble.
Effect: Getting a good effect on the other hand...Remember that abilities should be unique powers. If it is something that another character could copy and do on their own, then it isn't a proper ability. You can use this to specialize your character, for example stating that you have naturally large reiatsu. OR you could use it like a utility, so something along the lines of being able to speak to animals or having a sense of hearing that is sensitive enough to navigate using echolocation.


General Techniques:

(Shinigami may NOT start with more than four general techniques. Techniques are not extra abilities, but rather, skills which use your abilities in more extreme forms beyond their basic use. For example... let's say I can shoot fire from my fingers. A technique might be gathering a whole bunch of fire for a few minutes and then shooting a fire-laser from my fingers, doing much more damage than what my ability normally would on it's own. Other special or basic techniques using your normal control over your spiritual energy can also be added here, like adding reiatsu to your punches to inflict more damage, and things like that. Think of abilities as special powers - and think of techniques as moves which use the powers you already have. These are moves your character was taught or trained and developed on their own. They are things anyone would be able to learn and perform unless they are dependent on your unique race or abilities. Examples are custom shunpo variations, hakuda/zanjutsu techniques, and using your reiatsu on an object to simulate telekinesis.)
These are not used for extra shikai or bankai techniques, elemental techniques, extra abilities and powers. Limit 4.



Technique Name: Naming your techniques shouldn't be too much trouble.
Technique Description:Techniques are the opposite of abilities. Unless they use the power of an ability, anyone else should be able to theoretically copy and learn the same technique. For general techniques, you cannot use your elements unless you have an ability that lets you do so. So typically general techniques will make use of reiatsu in unique ways or to enhance your characters attributes for an attack.

Technique Effect Chart:

*The effect chart is for damage, durability, or any other after effect of a technique. The damage/effect/etc will be based off of tiers.*

Opponent is Two+ Tiers Lower:
Opponent is One Tier Lower:
Opponent is Equal Tier:
Opponent is One Tier Higher:
Opponent is Two+ Tiers Higher:




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Shinigami's Partner



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Zanpakuto Name: You zan name should probably have something to do with a theme. Themes are useful for tying powers together and making them really well written. A simple theme could be your element such as "fire" but you can also have themes like, "Self Sacrifice"
Zanpakuto Element: What element do you want your zanpakutou to be focused on? Don't confuse this with a theme and don't think it just has to mean "elements" such as earth, fire, wind, and water. This is what your powers are based off of. This could be "melee/reiatsu" or "kido and wires" so don't feel trapped into picking "elemental" powers.
Sealed Weapon Appearance:For a shinigami, this will typically be a japanese style blade. But if you're an arrancar your sealed weapon could be almost any kind of weapon. Either way, be creative here. Personalize your blade a bit. Maybe have a charm hanging from the hilt. Perhaps there is an engraving etched into the blade.

Spirit Appearance:
Your spirit can be just about anything from a person to a talking bell. It is the reflection of your soul so look at your character personality and try to make something that will personify your characters powers.
Spirit Personality:
Just because it's a reflection of your soul doesn't mean your zanpakutou is a carbon copy of your character. It was originally an Asauchi after all, a nameless blade that only took on the form of your souls reflection after you mastered it. Your zan could be just like your character, or a total opposite. Think about how you want your relationship with the zanpakutou to be. Are they a mentor that helps you gain strength? Or are they burdens that your character must shoulder, constantly at conflict with themselves?
Inner World:
Just like your spirit appearance, this is a reflection of your soul. Thus, as your emotions change so does the state of this world. In Ichigo's case, despair made it rain endlessly. Perhaps there are a bunch of fake "people" walking around a city and stress makes them panic and get noisy. Or maybe your world is normally a serene forest but as your character experiences pain, the forest withers and dies. Once again, get creative!

Shikai Release Phrase:
Your release phrase should have something to do with what your zan powers are.
Shikai Appearance:
What does your weapon look like when released? Using images here can help, but try to give some solid text description.
Shikai Abilities:

(Shinigami may start with ONE shikai ability; you may have two shikai abilities only if you can get the tier of 3-3 or stronger. If you have two anyway and fail to get that tier, you will simply have to lock one of the abilities so you can't use them until you hit the appropriate rank. Shikai abilities are only usable in Shikai - they do not apply in bankai or your sealed form.)




Name: Same as with normal abilities
Effect:


Shikai Techniques: (Shinigami are allowed to start with no more than SIX shikai techniques)



Technique Name: Same as with normal techniques, only now you have the "elements" of you released state available.
Technique Description:(Include any cool-down or charge times needed. Times are based on posts.)

Technique Effect Chart:

*The effect chart is for damage, durability, or any other after effect of a technique. The damage/effect/etc will be based off of tiers.*

Opponent is Two+ Tiers Lower:
Opponent is One Tier Lower:
Opponent is Equal Tier:
Opponent is One Tier Higher:
Opponent is Two+ Tiers Higher:




Kidou

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(You may posses up to 10 hadou and 10 bakudo. You may give up some of one for the other for example, a character with 5 hadou and 15 bakudou. Custom Kidou also go here. Spells do not have tier comparison charts as their power varies greatly depending on the caster. YOU MAY ONLY START WITH 1 CUSTOM KIDO. The exception is if you are starting as a kidou corp member. Then you may start with 3 custom spells.)

Spell Name: (Name of the Spell)
Spell Type: (Hadou, Bakudo, or Custom)
Spell Number: (If custom, give an approximation such as "Equal to a #60 spell")
Spell Incantation: (To bigger and better the spell, the more lines the incantation should have.)
Spell Effect: (Write out the effects of the spell in your own words. No copying the wiki! Try to be as detailed as possible.)



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Tell me your story...



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History:
Can you guess what we are going to do here? Break it up into sections!

Birth/Origins - Every character has to start somewhere. A paragraph describing the circumstances of your birth doesn't hurt. How was the weather and what were your parents like? Then go on to describe your childhood. If you're a spiritual race you could abridge a lot of this and skip to your characters death. But if you are a human race such as fullbringer or quincy you'll need to explain more of your living years such as the following:

-Childhood
-Adolescence
-Late Teens
-Young Adulthood

Awakening - Unless you want to awaken your character to the spiritual realm IC then this should be the next aspect of your history touched on.(Unless you're a human, then this should go somewhere in between the aforementioned parts of your history) This is when you become aware of the spiritual world such as ghosts, hollows and shinigami. Did you always see ghosts? Or is this when your character dies and becomes a soul?

Apotheosis - This is your characters "becoming a god" moment so to speak. That doesn't mean you get to become a real god. It just means when you attain your powers. If you want to do this IC that is fine, but if not it is a good way to expand your history. What event made you awaken your powers? Did your fullbring awaken during a hollow attack? Or did you become a shinigami and spend a few decades meditating with your zanpakutou before meeting it in your inner world and learning its name? It's best to think of an event that you gain your powers through. Don't just say, "after a few years bob the shinigami learned shikai" that is boring and no one wants to read it.

Present Day and Future Goals - A good note to end history on is where your character is currently at and what they are working towards in life. Are they training hard to become a captain one day? Or are you a hollow that viciously hunts souls trying to evolve to a vasto lorde?

RP Sample:

This is the only part I'm not helping on. It's your rp sample so give us a sample of your rp talents! If you are struggling, ask someone to do an OOC rp with you in the feedback section of the forum. That way you can get some rp practice in and then use the thread as your rp sample!

This has been moved to the character creation area and stickied to help new members. If staff sees something here that they feel they can improve or update feel free to do so, however, please post an update message noting what changes you made!