Guidelines for "Original" Characters

[[Shoe, baby! ♥~];;]

Original Characters__________
creative. surprising. backbone.

First of all, I'd like to get rid of any confusion one may have while reading this section. On "Of Gods and Men" we call made-up characters 'originals.' We do this because we think of the word original and think 'new,' or 'creative,' which is what we want your originals to be. We will refer to them as such throughout the rest of... whenever we type. (x

Moving on, I hope you've already read the basic guidelines on applications, because I won't go over them again. Instead, this is just a guide on how to make an original character, some tips that I'd like to see in an application, a step-by-step guide to the template, and the template itself.
Also, a few rules:

♫ Under NO circumstance may you make a character that is in the Taskforce, SPK, or such (this include the Wammy's House). Okay, I lied. You 'could,' in theory, get permission from both

[/b] me and L (you have to ask us both separately), or buy the right for one of your characters in the shops (when I set those up). Otherwise, a moderator acting as NPC Deputy Director Michael, or one taking control of Near for a brief moment can promote your character amongst the ranks. This is only if every single one of the people on the Task Force and L agree that you're up to the task. We will not let just any character on these spots, period.

♫ If you state that your character is a better detective than L, a manipulator possessing more charm than Light, a better action man than Mello, a better hacker than Matt, a person possessing better deductive abilities than Near, or anything or the ilk - and there is no due cause, then I will simply delete the character. I won't even bother to grade it. If you're even hinting that your character is better, and it's in an unoriginal manner that makes me angry (most cases), I will get rid of it. Call me mean, call me harsh. One of the reasons why I despise original characters in the Death Note series is either A), They're unusually accomplished, even more so than the main characters, B) They want to fuck one of the main characters, or C) They influence two male characters to fuck each other.
I seriously can't stand it. If I see one of those categories, I will go fucking ballistic.
Seriously.
[L:] Honesly. We don't want to see a Beyond Birthday re-make here. Even if in the fanfic section. A rivalry similar to Mello and Near's, such as "Beyond Birthday" to L isn't to well thought out. Be creative, and think long and hard on these things. We'd like to see your creativity painted on our screens. c:

♫ Characters may not know about the Death Note. Unless you PM L or myself beforehand, I'd prefer them not to know unless it's vital for their personality and history (i.e.; a mafia man obsessed with getting the Death Note so he can destroy all who oppose him, and it's the only thing he cares about anymore). Ask. Us. First.

---

With that all out of the way, I'd like to give you guys a guideline. And who better to use than one of my favorites - a girl named Alice. This profile probably would not be accepted, due to lack of detail, but you'll get the idea. c:
I'll write in notes as well, in the brackets. c:

[[picture always, always, goes up top. you can have more, but no more than three, please.

Alice Walsh [[most obviously, this is your character's full name. nothing ridiculous, like... Ayra D'suliv-yelou Yheial. it looks like your cat just walked on the keyboard, honestly.]]
- Nicknames: Basket-case, Freddie, Kitty, and anything anyone decides to call her. She's impartial. [[any and all nicknames your character has acquired. please explain them in the history or personality if they're really odd (like Freddie for a girl named Alice). also, nothing stupid, like "SECRET MEEEENZ" or "Agent 10937," unless you have a damned good (or hilarious) reason.]]
- Age: Twenty-three. [[be sure to write it out in full English - I will not tolerate numbers. also, no characters under the age of eighteen will be accepted. it's an automatic rejection, so take it seriously]]
- Sex: Female. [[do I honestly need to explain?]]
- Birthday: October ninth. [[any format you deem fit - it's just a bit of fun. c:]]
- Birthplace:* A cozy house on the east side of Ireland. [[make sure it makes sense with their ethnicity, and correlates with the history. I honestly do not care where they come from, unless it's stupid (like space, or the Shinigami Realm or something).]]
- Sexuality: Polygamous homosexual. [[here on "Of Gods and Men," we welcome and tolerate all sexualities, whether the person is a gay, straight, or whatever. as long as it's not bestiality. if you can't deal with gay boys, gay girls, cheaters, and polyfidelics, do not join. period. I will not deal with blatant homophobes on this site.]]
- Family/other significant relationships: Mother; Junia Reil-Walsh, age fifty-six. Father; Robert Walsh, deceased. [[when it comes to family, I don't mind mostly anything, whether they be an only child, middle child in a family of twenty, or what. just explain it. oh, and any friends you put down must be either made up and never going to be seen, or taken with the consent of the other's roleplayer.]]
- Ethnicity:* Irish-German. [[nothing to say here - kinda obvious. oh, and all Japanese characters must have last-name, first-name format. any other and I will be docking points. >(]]
Language(s): English. [[what languages your character is fluent in. if it's any more than one, you'd better explain it in the history. I will not accept characters that know ten languages plus Animaliese and Latin for no reason at all... and I'd be hard pressed to accept a character that knew ten languages in the first place.]]
- Ambition: She really would adore to be an artist someday, or perhaps a forensics scientist. Alice is really very uncertain - not like she cares, she's not old yet. [[this is another free-for-all. you want a detective? a lawyer? a pornstar? you got it. go for it - just remember, this is the world of Death Note, so keep it reasonable. ALSO: if you want to join sides and fight with other characters for the plot, there are two teams open at this time - the "New World Organization" AKA Sakura - which holds the followers of Kira, and the "Criminals for Blood" AKA the Skyders, which is a criminal organization for... criminals against Kira. These two groups despise each other, just so you know, and there are rankings and trials you must go through to be accepted into them - but they both have their own sections and you will see them later.]]

{Note: What I just showed you is not my favorite way of displaying character's information. In fact, I'd prefer it to be first person, so any one who's reading will get an inkling of personality from it. For example, though, for Alice's name, if she was telling it, this is what you'd get:

....
....
....
........................you seem trustworthy enough.
Don't make me need to rejudge you.

I'm... Freddie. Though I hope you forget my name. Do so. Right now. Please? Only because I'm pretty sure most people forget, as if they ever know in the first place. So keep the track record straight.
....
....
You forgot, didn't you? Good. Because I lied. Alice. It's Alice. Walsh. You can remember that one.

See? You get more of her personality from that portion - one can tell that she's non-trusting, and adores lying, as opposed to just her name. Though, I'll leave it up to you - that way does take a little more effort and a deeper understanding of your own characters, though, and gives you brownie points.}

-Appearance;;

{There are many, many ways to do an appearance; and I won't go over more than two - the two I see the most. First, there's the big chunk of text; or the appearance that explains everything in one huge section. Second, there's the appearance that separates all the main points, and explains the character in that manner. I will be opting for the second one in this guide, since it's easier for me, but feel free to make a character with the first one. c:}

Eyes -;;
There is absolutely nothing special about Alice's eyes, and she'll be the first one to say it. People hardly even seem to notice them, instead marveling at the rest of her bungled up body. They're big, though, wide with wonder and amazement. Or perhaps simply to trick people. Who can really be sure with Alice? In certain circumstances it may seem like she's not even watching, but most of the time she catches everything that goes on around her. Being extremely observant, thanks to her introverted, girl-on-the-run style of life, she had to learn how to take every cue. Her gigantic brown eyes, dewy and doe-like, often blink with a stupid or blank stare, hiding the basket case beyond. Alice has surprisingly thick eyelashes, completing the Bambi look. Compared to the rest of her body, however, no matter how pleasing the overall effect of her eyes may be (though she doesn't know it), it's just the rest of her body. It cancels out the overall facial expression, and everyone is much too wrapped up in her odd little mannerisms to take notice.

However, if you were to stare at her equally and capture her wide-eyes, you'd find something almost pleasant to gaze at. You know, if you could get past the entire 'Bambi-in-the-headlights' effect.

Hair -;;
Alice's eyes may be an easily forgotten feature, but her hair certainly isn't. First, the feature is a jet black in color that clings to her face. Curled at the bottom, it reaches and touches her face in a sort of loving way, if such a manner can be used to describe hair. Alice doesn't much fancy combing through it, though her mother would have loved it if she devoted at least a minute a day to her hair. Not to say that the girl completely neglects it, and she does pay a special amount of attention to make sure it's at least half-clean of dirt. Since she never brushes it, however, it's usually littered with twigs and other such items.

Alice can often be seen hiding her eyes behind her bangs, however, that shaggily shake down her forehead and touch her eyebrows casually. The entire effect could be related to that of a modern day 'emo' child, but it all honesty... she doesn't see it that way. Alice isn't too fond of people as a whole, and the easiest way to hide from them is to make sure they can't see her 'identity.' Coupled with her uneasy, cat-like smile, and the half-hidden eyes themselves, she gives the impression of a messy, almost adorable, however odd, girl.

Complexion -;;
While Alice is always outside, hanging in the trees with a cigarette or the sort hanging from her mouth, or drinking something that makes her insides churn like fire, but it doesn't really show. There is no tan on her body, which is pale, much like she holes up inside, never seeing the sun. You would have thought that she would be tanned, scarred, and other such things that come with the life based on the great outdoors. Oddly enough, Alice is pale, with nothing that looks extraordinarily earthen about her. This could be lighted to the fact that the girl hangs out the most in random nooks and crannies, shielding her body from the sun's rays and the scratching branches of the trees. Its shade isn't much to write home about, though rather creamy, like a molten golden pearl covering. If you were to ever pet any part of her body, you would find that the young woman is very soft to the touch, unhindered by the cuts and scrapes that should appear.

One last note, Alice, while not caring much about her insides, takes great care of her outer body. Even when she gets a small cut or weed burn, it is completely cleaned out and bandaged. For this reason, she's warm and very pleasant to the touch, if not laced with the scent of smoke.

Build -;;
While you would never see it upon first glance, Alice is extremely beautiful... not that she flaunts it outside of her regular skin. She seems almost like the perfect woman, with perfect... well, everythings. Those big fawn eyes, while normally startled and wide-open in a state of odd amazement, when lowered and lustful, are quite entrancing. Her teeth aren't something people seem to notice, because you're not going to find fault with them. Lips are plump, sweet, and almost inviting... if they weren't tied together like how she keeps them.

Alice's body is delightful, with lightly muscled arms and a curvy hourglass, and noticeable breasts, which are even evident with her appalling sense of fashion. Dainty hands hold things with a certain talent, hardened enough to let her to pull herself up a tree with ease, though gentle enough to stroke with a sullen tenderness. When she's holding anything, however, it's in an odd, inquisitive manner, as she feels her way to the knowledge. The more she feels an item, the more Alice ends up understanding it. The way she creates things brings about some sort of artistic feel, oddly abstract, as she utilizes all her collected information on the thing she is creating with. Alice can't help but treat every thing like this, and she's at fault to stop. It's a tick, and she's not giving it up.

The woman's legs are shapely, falling akin to the rest of her body... not like she notices. Besides the obvious 'sex' factor, her legs are extremely adept at running through the forests, jumping and skipping over logs and such. Her sense of balance is extremely well developed, and there is rarely a time where she'll fall for anything. Unlike other 'attractive' girls, Alice doesn't find anything cute or adorable in clumsiness, and definitely nothing practical. The legs are well-muscled, built for running across, well, anything. Not like she exercises this often, that is. In the manner of a druggie, she'd rather experiment and cool off under a tree, smoking a something and appreciating the visions... as awful as they are.

Clothes -;;
Though, while Alice has a beautiful body, and could easily flaunt it like a sensual scoundrel, she prefers to... hide it. With a long shaggy fur coat, and slightly ruffled edges. It's extremely warm, and even through the summer time the woman can't be seen without it on. As for the rest, it varies, honestly, on a day to day basis. Oftentimes it's a simple wool-made tank-top, though you wouldn't get to see her belly, thanks to that coat of hers. Baggy, long pants grace all the way down, covering those legs indifferently. It's debatable on what it's made of, but the common assumption is simply wool. Alice doesn't bother with shoes, as they make her feel less connected with the earth she experiments with, and besides, what's the fun of leaving her toes without the dirt? It also helps her run, gripping the ground with what nature gave her, and climbing trees in the most effective manner.


{{Appearance should, of course, also show a little of the character's personality. What you saw from how Alice dressed and looked shows how she looks at certain things, like her body. One note; I copy-pasted all of this from my application of her (I can show you it in full form if you think I'm cheating or something), and it was a natural roleplay. She lived amongst... hippies. In the honest sense.
Also, I don't think I really need to say this but I will anyway to make myself feel comfortable - I don't want to see a skinny little skank with H-cups running around the site. Got it? Stress the skinny. Keep bust size (and, on that note, penis size) within imaginable, realistic boundaries - unless you okay it with one of the Task Force or L.}}

Personality[/i]__
{{This is, in all honesty what I consider the "dessert" of an application. The rest can be utter shit (besides your history, but I'll get to that), and as long as this astounds me, I'll give you a go. Wanna know why? Because if you can show me that you can make a believable in personality character that will be interesting to roleplay with, I'll probably wave you in, trusting you. Entrance me - make me think that your character actually exists somewhere.
I won't give you the entirety of Alice's personality, because I take these seriously and it's way too long. I will, however, give you three traits. You should have more than that on your application, but for simplicity's sake, I'll leave it at that.
You can use my format, or the "bunch of unorganized mushed up paragraphs" one that I'm sure you're used to.}}

Quiet.
Of course, one of the features most evident in Alice is her... odd silence. As a rule, the woman hardly talks to people she doesn't trust, even just a passing 'hi' or a question. She doesn't mean to be rude, and if she even noticed it, she wouldn't change her behavior. For this reason she hasn't spoken to her mother or siblings in years, upholding unbroken silence. However, it isn't exactly a feat to marvel at if you get Alice to speak to you, as she may just decide that your face is pretty and throw out a kind word here and there. When she does talk in these instances, however, her words are thrown out in little sharp bursts, maybe one word at a time. As she grows to like you, however, Alice is as open as they get... well, as open as Alice could ever get. Her silence leads to people never knowing her name, so many nicknames have attached themselves to her, not like she cares. Many like Silent Pat and other such mocks.

There are quite a few people that she would just never speak to, however, involving authority figures and parents. They tend to screw up people's lives, and she could never bring herself to trust them. A cold stare is all that the parties would meet, and blank, tight lips. Alice just isn't a very open person, and even when she allows someone near her... it's doubtful that you'd want to be near at all.

Hoarder.
Alice oftentimes carries around a large bag with her, underneath her arm and lodged in comfortably. What is in this bag you ask? Who knows? She's constantly lugging it to and fro everywhere, snitching items off of people as they try and convince her to some point of view, or finding some kind of shell that she reveres. It all goes in the bag. Alice is a nasty little thief, and with her sticky little fingers, she can snatch up just about anything, right under your nose. She doesn't care for what it is - if she likes it, it's hers. The woman never throws anything out anymore, and she believes that she may find a use for anything. If anyone other than her was to lift her bag, they'd be insanely surprised with the weight.

Impulsive Liar.
It's not like she can help it, but it's just insanely fun to give others a hard time. For this reason she lies whenever possible, because the truth is simply boring. If she was to tell why she really was late to a meeting, do you really want to hear about how she stumbled and had to bandage herself? Wouldn't you rather be enthralled about her rendition of the yarn, on how her mother started to take a nice whacking to her, threw her to be lectured by Savant, and Savant got turned on by her lewd inner-workings and tried to pin her down. So she was boned by him, and it felt so good that she turned hetero 'cos of her love of the dicking.

No one takes her seriously, of course - you learn not to. But oftentimes its wondered if she just wants to play the boy who cried wolf. It gets to the point where you'd never be able to decipher the truth, even if she was telling it. Which is, of course, the most fun of all.

{{This was just a quick example, and you can tell from this that it's not enough to give her a real personality yet - but you get the idea, nein?}}

History-:
{{This is, in all honesty, my favorite part of an application. A superb personality can be brought up beautifully with a stunning history - explaining why a character acts in such-and-such a way. I want to read a story - show me inside a character's life. Please. Don't just take the easy way out and write two paragraphs on whatever with lazy sentences. I hate to ask, but give me a god damned novel. Make me come to the computer with a nice cup of hot chocolate, waiting for it to unfold. Let it flow like story - I'll thank you dearly for it.
You can write a history in two ways. One is a first person "diary" or telling of it. Meaning: pretend you're your character, and tell the history like they would. I prefer this method, because it, once again, shows a character's thought process and shows how much you know about them. Also, it's the easiest, in my opinion. The second way is a third person method I'm sure you know how to use. Either way is fine.

I will not give an example, because Alice's history is too long and I don't want to bore you. But we get it, right?
If not, PM me, and I'll find you an example. c:}}

Other-:
{{This is any information that you find important that you haven't gone through before. Should be pretty anal, and stuff only you know. I'll give you some examples.}}
♰ Favorite band? The Beatles. She just can't get enough of that old time rock 'n roll - though she does despise Elvis.
♰ Alice has a soft spot for cats, being crazy and lonely and all that. She finds it hilarious, actually, and will often joke about it.
♰ The girl is a master of aphrodisiacs, and can get your horny due to some scent or another faster than you can blink... or, um, run out and get her a pizza. It takes a while to get the right ingredients sometimes.
♰ Alice doesn't like reading much, but when she does, she has to wear glasses.
♰ Adores sweets - but they make her sick.

Roleplay sample.
{{You ONLY need to do this for your first character. This is just so I know your level. It does not need to be related to the character you're applying with; it doesn't even need to be Death Note related. It's for the Task Force's and L's information only, so that we know where you stand. Make sure it's the kind of work you pump out normally.
D'aww, do you guys want one from me? How cute. Once again, would make this way too long. Sorry. c:}}[/ul]

---

Well, that ends with that.
Please feel free to alter the c-sheet however you like. I'll give the template at the end. c:
Anything that is not asterisked must be there. Period.

Some tips to have ensure that I'm entertained by your character, and therefore more likely to read it quickly and accept it. c:

[/i] to, though - let the character flow.

♰ Get to know your characters. Ask yourself, how would Elias react to this? Would he jump into it, instinct charged, or wait it out? What's their favorite color? Favorite movie? Who were their best childhood friends? Do they read comics? What kind of superheroes to they like? If you can't answer these, you need to get more anal with your characters. Eventually it should get to the point where you can just type up their bit painlessly, just because you already know how they react tom situations. Treat them like real people - they have to be consistent.

♰ Give your character a definite, but creative backstory and personality. I don't want to see the same fucking sob story time in and time out. It gets boring to read. I'm not[/b] telling you to stay away from cliches, because they can be executed well with the right hands - but I am telling you to make it believably entertaining. A child that grows up with parents who get killed by Kira and seeks revenge in some way is believable and has a a potential to be great if told in a fresh and intriguing way. A darling vixen of a woman who is infatuated with Light, finds him, and fucks his brains out is not creative, nor interesting, and cannot be possibly told in a way that would make it better. Learn the difference.

♰ Don't strain yourself with your characters. If you can't think of something, talk to someone about it. Write down outlines, and figure out things. If you can't think of anything more to add - don't, and move on to the next topic on the sheet.

♰ Make your sheets colorful and eye-catching. I, myself, tend to do this a lot; with a picture on top, html characters like this "♥," titles, colored and bolded text, and song lyrics every freaking where. Make it catching and pleasing. c:

♰ Ask me if you need help. Seriously. I've been around the bend now and again and I'm sure I'm one you can turn to. Don't be afraid of me for whatever reason - I'm really a nice girl (when I want to be). If you're wondering if something will fit, or if something seems off, just ask.
You can reach me by PM, or, for a more personal, lengthy, interactive response, AIM me at any time under the name "Shoefall."
Who knows? Maybe I can help work something out with you. c:[/ul][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]


Template:

Picture goes here, if any*

- Name:
- Nicknames:
- Age:
- Sex:
- Birthday:
- Birthplace:*
- Sexuality:
- Family/other significant relationships:
- Ethnicity:*
- Language(s) Capable of Speaking:
- Ambition:

Appearance:

Personality:

History:

Other:

Roleplay sample

See? Easy as pie. c:
Keep an eye out for my official characters guide list, and my Shinigami one as well! c:

[/sub]