Character Creation Guide

New to the group, or just introducing a new character? This is the page for you! Here we have a step-by-step guide to creating a new character as perfectly as possible to avoid having to make too many edits during the review process, and saving you and the admins some time and mitigating as much stress as possible!

This guide will be split into several parts: 1. Creating a Character Concept; 2. Writing a Bio; 3. Designing a Character; 4. Drawing an Application; 5. Submitting Your Character!

Let's get into it!

[Creating a Character Concept]

The most important part of creating a character is having a concept, and to have a concept, you'll need to know what all is available to you! The first step to this is familiarizing yourself with the world of Corondryx, where the Tribe cats reside. Understanding the group's history and the different Tribes, branches, and ranks is crucial!

Of course, if you're new, or not yet familiar with every aspect of the group, don't worry about memorizing every little thing- the best thing you can do is read about the different Tribes, powers, and ranks, and see what speaks to you! It's also useful to consider what hobbies your character might have or pick up- whether they're a Fire-Tribe blacksmith who's a really good swimmer, or a super-competitive Shadow-Tribe tracer who's racing to find as many items as possible! The possibilities are pretty endless.

Now you've got a basic idea in your head- where is your character coming from? If you're adopting a kitten from someone, that's pretty easy, but if you're bringing in someone who's apprentice-aged or older, there's quite a few options! Havensake characters have numerous different backgrounds, with some coming from kingdom royalty tens of miles north of Corondryx and journeying to the Tribes for a change of pace, others living more normal and relaxed lives with close family before stumbling upon the Tribes by accident, and others even coming from Nandryx, the world of our predecessor group. 

If you're new and not as familiar with the group, it's probably best to go with something a little easier- born and raised to their parents in a small litter, having a relatively normal kithood, journeying away from their family to find their destiny, and running smack dab into a totem while running away from a fox... you know, keeping it simple! But that is absolutely not a requirement, and we are always more than happy to help you out when you've submitted your character.

We'll touch more on histories in the "Writing a Bio" section- speaking of which, now that we have our basic concept, let's get writing!

[Writing a Bio]

If you've looked through the existing character applications, and poked around some bios, you might be a little intimidated, so let's get this out of the way- you are by no means required to write more than what is required in your character bios! If you want to upload the super basic form filled out in its entirety in the Artist's Comments of your deviation, absolutely go for it! Creating a doc or sheets or carrd or whatever bio is not a requirement of this group. All we ask is you complete the information below, which we'll go over together!

[Character Bio Form]

True Name: (True Name here!)

Kit Name: (Kit Name here!)

Age: (Age here! If moons, please go by 3s (3, 6, 9, 12, etc); if years, go by quarters (1.25, 1.5, 1.75, etc)!)

Gender: (Gender of your character!)

Pronouns: (Pronouns of your character!)

Height: (Height of your character!)

Tribe: (Tribe here!)

Rank: (Rank here!)

Skills: (Skills here!)

Hobbies: (Hobby here!)

Stats: (Stats here!)

Personality: (More detail the better! At least three negative traits and at least three positive traits required. 200 word minimum!)

History: (Also, the more detailed the better. Your character can either be from Corondryx already or from the dying world of Nandryx and as taken here through The Door. 200 word minimum! (Kittens excluded))

Family and Relationships: (In any way that you please.)

Roleplay Example: (A sample of your writing.)

That's not so bad, right? Just some pretty basic information! You are always welcome to add more if you want to, and put it on whatever accessible site your heart desires, as long as it's legible and relevant! Keep in mind when creating a unique site/format for your character information that several members are dyslexic and/or have color sensitivities and limitations, so we might not be able to read your bio if it's too over-the-top!

Now, let's go through this together!

TRUE NAME

This is touched on in the Tribe Life Journal, but, essentially, a cat's True name is the one tied to their soul. These names are revealed to Tribe-born kittens during the Ceremony of Light, or to other cats upon receiving their tattoo at a totem, by their Tribe's Spirit. No two cats will have the same True name. If your character is coming in as a kitten or a loner, they won't have one of these yet- but you can still reserve it for them in their submission note or at a later date if you have one in mind!

Because no two cats have the same True name, it's important to check out the Masterlist of Names to make sure the True name you want isn't taken! In the event of same pronunciations with different spellings, or names that are a letter or two off from another's, we ask that you get permission from the member with the other name before committing to the one you have in mind (ie. Air vs. Ayr, Fire vs. Firre).

True names don't have to have any particular meaning or origin- we have cats with Norse, Greek, or even Japanese names! All we ask is that you be respectful about whatever name you choose. If you're stuck on choosing a True name, it might be beneficial to save it for later, after writing your character's personality or feeling them out a little more- for example, giving a spunky character the True name "Spark," or someone who's dark and broody something like "Poe."

When it comes to both True and kit names, keep in mind that Warrior cat names are not permitted! This includes things like Blueclaw, Firetail, etc. If you need an exception, please reach out to staff!

Additionally, it is worth mentioning that a character's True name being the same as their kitname or another name they were given beforehand is extremely rare- with this in mind, we only permit every member to have one case of the True name and kitname being the same!

KIT NAME

A kitname is the name your character is given at birth- some characters might even have multiple kitnames! These names are usually more simple and might be nature-based, depending on what knowledge your character's parents or guardians have of their surroundings. Of course, this isn't always the case- kittens can be named after relatives or family friends, and some parents even make up completely random names! 

While kitnames are commonly repeated, we recommend taking a look around to make sure your character's name isn't already being used a lot, especially in the Tribe they'll be going to- it gets confusing pretty quickly when you have three "Nova"s in one Tribe! The admins do our best to regulate this as much as possible, so don't sweat it too much if you're unsure.

On top of kitnames, characters may have nicknames, chosen names, etc- but we really only need and recommend having one for this part! If your character is coming in as a kit or loner, this is the name that will appear on their Character Card, until they get their True name.

AGE

Age in Havensake is pretty simple- we calculate age based on a "moons" (months) system, with 3 moons per season, and, of course, 4 seasons per year- so, basically, 12 moons = 1 year. Your character's age will determine what rank they are!

0-6 moons = Kitten (no tattoo)

6-12 moons = Apprentice (White tattoo)

12-18 moons = Adolescent (White/Color tattoo)

18-144 moons = Adult (Color tattoo)

144+ moons = Elder (Color tattoo)

It's a good idea to figure out what rank/age you want your character to be and how long you want them to be in that range- every character ages 3 moons every season (2 IRL months), so if you bring in a 15-moon-old character, they'll be an adult the following season. If you want your character to be an apprentice for longer than that, maybe consider making a 9-moon-old cat instead!

GENDER / PRONOUNS

Self-explanatory- your character's gender is a big part of their identity! Havensake does not discriminate against any gender identities, and actively encourages the creation of characters of any identity or pronouns (yes, neopronouns are just fine!). As long as you're being respectful, go for whatever you'd like! This can fluctuate during rp, too, and we love to see characters develop in this way if that's what you want to play.

HEIGHT

Characters in Havensake generally range between 8"-16" tall, with 12" being the average height- however, some breeds or mutations may make a character bigger or smaller than these numbers. A character's adult height (the thing that must be listed on your bio- we don't count kitten heights, we just need to know how tall they'll be as an adult!) can be no shorter than 6" and no larger than 18". 6" is normally reserved for munchkins and singapuras, while 18" will be for chausies, savannahs, etc! We have a handy dandy Breed Height Guide if you're curious what breeds typically grow to x height, but it is by no means a strict list.

TRIBE

You've probably got an idea on this by now, right? Which Tribe will you pick? If you're submitting a kitten, this will be the Tribe they're born into, up until they actually become an apprentice. If you're a loner, just put N/A! Take another glance at the Tribe Life Journal and various Culture docs if you still need to think on it!

If you're a new member, your first character must be in a Tribe- they cannot join as a loner, wanderer, etc.

Make sure to check out the Census before submitting a character, to make sure the rank you want is open!

RANK

If you've been doing your reading, you'll know that every Tribe has five ranks, with a few extra age-specific ones. Here's a refresher- though you can read more about the available ranks in your Tribe's Culture doc! Make sure to check out the Census before submitting a character, to make sure the rank you want is open!

AIR: Artisans, Tempests, Cartographers, Soldiers, Healers

EARTH: Excavators, Rangers, Architects, Soldiers, Healers

FIRE: Blacksmiths, Firewatch, Archaeologists, Soldiers, Healers

LIGHT: Alchemists, Clerics, Mages, Soldiers, Healers

SHADOW: Morticians, Tracers, Mediums, Soldiers, Healers

VOID: Chroniclers, Detectives, Oracles, Soldiers, Healers

WATER: Jewelers, Aquatists, Voyagers, Soldiers, Healers

OUTLAWS: Scouts, Brawlers (*note, no character can join the group as a Null unless they were previously in the group)

OUTSIDERS: Loners, Wanderers, Exiles (*note, no character can join the group as a Wanderer/Exile unless they were previously in the group)

AGE-SPECIFIC: Kittens, Apprentices (will still need to pick a rank, ie. Ranger Apprentice), Elders

HEAD RANKS: Tribe-Specific (must be given to you by an admin)

HIGH-RANKS: Deputies, Leaders (only usable by admins/mods)

SKILLS

Here, you'll list the skills your character currently has, as well as what branch they are! It can be as simple as "Primary Fire 1-4," or more in depth if you'd like! Some people choose to copy+paste the entire list of skills and just make note of which ones their characters have, on top of what mastery they are (if you're new, don't worry about masteries yet!).

Your character's starting skills will depend on their age, Tribe, and branch! For example, a Primary-Light apprentice would start with 2 skills on the Primary Light tree, whereas a Secondary-Earth adult would start with 4 skills on the Secondary Earth tree. Please check TRIBE HUBS(?) for information on what skills your character can have based on their Tribe/branch!

As far as ages go, here's a rough guide:

Kits: 0 skills

Apprentices: 2 skills (#1 on their skill tree, +1 more from skills 1-5 on their skill tree)

Adolescents: 3 skills (#1 on their skill tree, +1 more from skills 1-5 on their skill tree, +1 more from skills 1-10 on their skill tree)

Adults/Elders: 4 skills (#1 on their skill tree, +1 more from skills 1-5 on their skill tree, +2 more from skills 1-10 on their skill tree)

Please check out the Skill Tiers Guide for information on how unlocking skills works!

HOBBIES

The good news- technically, your character can have as many flavor text hobbies as they want! The better news- some of those hobbies qualify for stat rewards!

Every character will begin with one novice-level hobby. Some people may choose to base these off of their characters' interests and nothing more, while others may choose to select them strategically for stat purposes later on. The available hobbies are split into stat-based categories, meaning one hobby might boost your character's speed, while another will boost their charisma. This can seem a little overwhelming to new members, so we recommend just picking one that best fits your character and not worrying about it just yet! You can always change it later with an item from the EXP shop!

The list of hobbies (by stat affected) is as follows:

Strength: Collecting, Swimming, Wrestling

Intelligence: Gardening, Tracking, Writing

Stealth: Mischief, Sneaking, Spelunking

Charisma: Music, Painting, Performing

Speed: Acrobatics, Racing, Hunting

Arcane: Cooking, Crafting, Reading

Toughness: Building, Climbing, Tinkering

STATS

You've heard us talk about em- now here they are! Your character's stats are used OOC to determine IC outcomes during things like combat and dungeons, and sometimes during events or festivals. Some people choose to use them for RP decisions, too! We won't get super into stats, as the entire concept can be overwhelming to new members, but you can learn more about them in the Mechanics journal!

Your characters have 7 stat categories total: Strength (STR); Intelligence (INT); Stealth (STH); Charisma (CHR); Speed (SPD); Arcane (ARC); and Toughness (TGH). The first five are self-explanatory, but Arcane is what your character uses to cast their skills, and Toughness is essentially how much health your character has. In combat, when ARC hits 0, your character can no longer cast skills; likewise, when their TGH hits 0, they faint!

Depending on your character's age, they will be given a base of 5-20 stats for you to disperse freely between the first five stat categories, and they will be assigned a certain number of points to ARC/TGH as well. For your first character, you can min/max, balance, or just go based off of what you think they'd be best at- like hobbies, stats can be reset by purchasing an item from the EXP shop, so there's no worries if you want to change them when you have a better understanding of how they work!

Stats have external factors that will boost them as well, but we won't worry about those, as you don't need them for your character application right off the bat.

As previously mentioned, you get a certain number of points to allocate to whichever stats you'd like upon creating your character, starting with 5 for kits, and earning +5 every time they age up, until they are adults. You must have at least 1 stat in every category (minus ARC/TGH, which are predetermined based on age), but the rest is up to you!

The stat allocations per age are:

Kits: 5 stats, 0 ARC, 5 TGH

Apprentices: 10 stats, 5 ARC, 10 TGH

Adolescents: 15 stats, 10 ARC, 20 TGH

Adults/Elders: 20 stats, 20 ARC, 30 TGH

We'll do an example form at the end of this journal, so if you're lost, please just refer to that!

PERSONALITY

Finally, the easy part... right? Writing a personality can be difficult for some- we recommend coming up with 3 each of positive, neutral, and negative traits to better understand and navigate writing your character's personality. It doesn't have to be perfect, as long as it follows our Copy of Rules, makes sense, and meets the requirements (below):

First Two Characters: A member's first two characters' personalities must be at least 200 words long. They cannot be bulleted.

Third+ Characters: After you've had your first two characters approved, you can begin writing shorter (100 word minimum) personalities, and they are allowed to be bulleted.

If you're having trouble coming up with flavor text for your character's personality, or figuring out how to give examples, think about how they interact with Tribemates and strangers vs how they might interact with family and close friends. What are their fears, interests, and goals? What do they excel in? Are they a good friend, and super loyal- or maybe shy and quiet, and a slow learner?

HISTORY

Everyone's favorite part- character histories! As mentioned before, there are a lot of ways to write a Havensake character's history. First, let's start with the requirements:

First Two Characters: A member's first two characters' histories must be at least 200 words long. They cannot be bulleted.

Third+ Characters: After you've had your first two characters approved, you can begin writing shorter (100 word minimum) histories, and they are allowed to be bulleted.

The exception to these rules are kittens- if you're bringing in a kitten your character had, you were given, or you won in a tryout, then your history can be shorter! It cannot be nonexistent, however. This does not matter if it is your first character or your tenth.

Now, as far as bringing in a new character from beyond Corondryx, you have hundreds of options, really- will you create an extensive world beyond Corondryx, maybe with an oligarchy or overrun by caimans (TGB flashbacks), or will you give your cat a more simple life, sheltered by their parents until they broke out on their own? We do recommend keeping it simple for your first character, until you get a better understanding- but let's break this down into segments, as well as dos/do-nots! Remember, some of these rules may not apply if your character has been in the group before and is returning!

Basics: Where was your character born? Who were their parents? Did they have littermates, or maybe extended relatives? Were they born in a forest, or perhaps a mystical series of caves? Maybe their parents taught them how to fight and hunt at a young age. You could go the tragic backstory route (as long as it's realistic), and make everyone sad by writing off their entire family, or you could be super nice to them and keep them alive... yay!

Magic: Cats outside of the Tribes do not have powers of any kind. They also are not referred to as "Tribes" or "Clans" in backstories, as this can be confusing! Cats outside of Corondryx may be aware of magic or other magic-wielding creatures (dragons, kitsune, etc), but they cannot have made or possessed their own.

Spirits: Cats have lived in this world for as long as anyone knows, long before the Tribe cats portaled into Corondryx... odds are, unless you're bringing someone in from a family descended from Tribe cats, they have no idea who the Tribe Spirits are! As long as it isn't a mockery of or disrespectful towards any real-world religion, your cat is free to have believed in whatever they liked before joining the Tribes.

Nandryx: It's been touched on, briefly, unless you read other journals before this- Nandryx is the world the cats came from in Summer of 106. Before that time, no one around Corondryx knew what the Tribes, Spirits, etc. were. Cats descended from the Tribes could not have existed in Corondryx before Summer 106, when the first cats came through the Door. We really recommend avoiding this sort of history for your first character (unless you're a returning member)- but if you make one, just make sure to keep this timeline in mind!

Corondryx: Though they used to exist in Corondryx long ago, before the Tribes came through the Door, cats had not lived in Corondryx for hundreds of years. Part of the allure for wandering cats just now finding their way to the Tribes is hearing that cats have begun inhabiting these old lands once again. No one seems to know why the cats stopped living here in the first place, though...

Corondryx and the Totems: When writing your history, unless your character is a kitten, it is essential that they did not enter Corondryx until, approximately, the same day they entered the group (whether this is joining the group as a loner character and therefor ignoring the totems entirely, or wandering to the Meadow of Serenity, getting their tattoo and True name, and joining their Tribe). NPCs should not be in Corondryx at any point except to accompany their kin to the totems- after that, they would leave Corondryx entirely to go back to the world beyond. They cannot live in the neutral lands on the map, nor can they travel to/from Tribe territory. A character cannot have lived in the neutral lands on the map for months before officially being brought into the group.

Ceremony of Light: Unless your character is Tribe-born (only applicable to incoming kittens), they will not officially attend the Ceremony of Light. Your character would touch a totem in the Meadow of Serenity, receive their tattoo and True name simultaneously from their Spirit, and then head off to their Tribe.

Tribe Ancestors: Unless you were in the group previously or have adopted a family member from someone else in the group, odds are, your character doesn't have a Tribe ancestor! We do not allow former-Tribe NPCs, as our group's history now spans 10+ OOC years, and 10+ IC years. It would be confusing to allow new NPCs to have had Tribe history when a lot of members and even some characters would've been around during that time and don't remember those cats!

I've Been Here Before: If you had a character previously in the group or its predecessor, you're free to bring them back, so long as they're still alive! Just make sure to fill out any gaps in their history. If your character died in TGB and you'd like to explore your options regarding retconning their death or reincarnation, please ask staff!

My Aunt, Ant: Listen- Havensake is a fantasy group with dragons and stuff. We get it. It's pretty enticing to say your character was raised by a manticore or something. However, please note that only one in five of your characters may have been raised by any non-cat creature, as this is a rare occurrence... most of these things wanna eat cats or are eaten by them, you know?

Humans, Dragons, and Unicorns, Oh My: Humans? They don't exist in Havensake. Dogs? Also don't exist. Horses? Never seen them. There's also, like, one (1) unicorn left in the universe. Dragons won't interact with your cats unless they're Naga, and that's definitely not going to be included in your history, so, uh, don't worry about it. Basically, avoid all of these things.

Sensitive Topics: While some things are completely forbidden within roleplays and submissions to Havensake, mostly due to IC rules and laws, there are some things we allow to be in your characters' histories, as long as they are handled tastefully and are properly tagged.
PLEASE refer to the Personal Plot Guide before implementing any of the allowed topics into your roleplays, rumors, etc. Additionally, please provide adequate content warnings if your character's personality or history involve any of the following!
• Allowed in-Group:  Murder; Cannibalism;  Abuse (non-sexual); Infanticide; Self-Harm; Suicidal Ideation
• Allowed in Backstories ONLY: Queerphobia
• NOT Allowed in Backstories OR Group: Slavery, Racism (they're literally cats bro), Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Necrophilia

FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS

Listen... if your cat doesn't have relatives in the group, this doesn't matter too much. List their parents. List their littermates. Give them weird names. It's fun.

If your character is related to in-group characters? Good luck. (But also just ask whomever you're adopting from or creating a character with- odds are you can easily collab this together).

There's no set format for this. Just have fun!

ROLEPLAY EXAMPLE

We're here! The final one! This does not have to be extravagant or even Havensake-related at all- we just need an example of how you roleplay! We do have a moderate literacy standard, so please don't only provide examples of scripts or something like that. Two or three paragraphs is totally fine.

...and that's it! This may seem overwhelming at first, but, if you follow these tips, and have read the introductory journals, odds are, you'll be fine! Let's move on to designing our character and filling out their application!

[Designing a Character]

Alas, what is an ARPG without the A? Well, just an RPG. Which is subjectively less fun- fortunately, we've got you covered! Even if you cannot draw your character, there are a bunch of people in the group who are normally willing to help others with their applications, either as a commission or a trade, or sometimes for free! Remember that Havensake does not allow line arts, bases, or art from character creation/dress-up games for application art!

Do you have a design in mind already? If not, don't worry! Sometimes the best inspiration comes from real-life photos of cats, or even from Pinterest boards, fandoms, etc. You're probably wondering what the limitations are when it comes to character designs in Havensake- and we've got you covered!

Below is a visual guide- and below that is a more in-depth explanation of everything on it!

[Hair]

• We essentially have no limitations on hair! It can be as long or short as you want. Make sure to be realistic if your character's hair covers their eyes, though!
• Unless your character has used body paint, their hair should be a naturally occurring color of their pelt.

[Eyes]

• Any iris color is acceptable! This includes purple, red, pink, white, etc.
• Any pupil color is acceptable! It should look at least semi-natural, but we allow white pupils with or without the implication that the character is blind.
• Scleras can be black, white, or off-yellow!
• Heterochromia is acceptable!
• While the shape of the pupil can vary somewhat, it should not be any obvious geometrical shape- hearts, triangles, squares, crosses, etc. are not allowed.

[Colors]

• Havensake accepts a wide variety of colors when it comes to character pelts. While red, yellow, and orange are the only colors that can be extremely saturated, we do allow very pale or diluted variations of other colors, too- like pink, purple, and sometimes even green!
•  Blues may be more saturated than other colors, but not as saturated as red permits. This is considered on a case-by-case basis.
• As a rule of thumb, for non-red/orange/yellow characters, the saturation level of their pelt colors shouldn't exceed 15!
• The line is very fine between what is and isn't allowed, so please ask if you're unsure!

[Markings]

• Almost any kind of marking is permitted, provided it's not geometrical! The exception to this is small nondescript hearts, but they cannot be the entire coat pattern.
• Chimerism is also acceptable and unlimited!
• Minor "eyeshadow" and "eyeliner" markings are fine.

[Body Paint]

• Body paint is more traditionally used for minor markings. Examples being makeup, war paint, accents, etc.
• It can be used to mirror an asymmetrical tattoo, however please keep in mind the paint will not "activate" with the rest of an active tattoo, and will remain stagnant. It also cannot be used to paint a silver or gold tattoo.
• Body paint should not cover more than 10% of a cat's body- it cannot be used all over!

[Mutations]

• All mutations should be thoroughly researched before being implemented as part of a character design, in case there are any health concerns with a condition.
• Dwarfism and gigantism are both accepted! Dwarfism will permit a cat to be as little as 6", while gigantism will allow a cat to be as tall as 18".
• Albinism and melanism are both accepted!
• Overbites and underbites, as well as teeth that give a "sabertooth" appearance, are accepted!
• Ears can be curled, floppy, straight, small, large, tufted, rounded, etc.
• "Double" ears are permitted.
• Hairlessness (either complete or partial) is fine!
• Minor polycaudalism (split tail) is fine! The tail can only be split at the tip, not completely to where it functions as two different tails. Think Espeon, not Kirara!
• Polydactylism (multiple toes) is fine!
• Tails can be short, missing, long, curled, kinked, lion, etc. Demon-point tails are not permitted.
• Cyclopia is not permitted. Having more than two eyes is also not permitted.
• Diprosopus (two heads) is not permitted.

[Height]

• As mentioned in the prior section, heights can range from 6-18"! We ask that you try to be realistic with what breeds your character has in them as compared to their pelt design and height, but, hey, things happen. We're not too strict!

[Inspiration]

• If your character is fandom-inspired, please don't make them a carbon copy of the character(s) that inspired them! The design should still be unique and not a replica of something you've seen in media or somewhere online.

[Tattoos]

• Make sure to check out the Tattoo Guide when creating your character's tattoo- everything you need to know is there!

[Scars, Disabilities, etc]

• All sorts of scars and missing limbs are fine, as long as they're semi-realistic! A scar may cover part of your character's tattoo, but not all of it; it should still be visible! This will have no impact on your character's ability to use their powers, unless a leader has specifically exiled them.
• Cats may be blind, deaf, mute, etc! We do not cap or police these things, so long as they're done respectfully.
• Prosthetic limbs are available when a character joins the group! Characters may have prosthetics commissioned (usually made by Fire-Tribe's blacksmiths), and a Light-Triber can "animate" the limb to give it full functionality.

[Accessories]

• Characters may come in with small, natural cosmetics (such as flowers, leaves, simple necklaces, etc) that they can have found outside of the Tribes. Accessories that require weaving, leatherwork, or things such as very basic weapons may also come from outside of the Tribes.
• Characters may also come in with more complex accessories (earrings, metal necklaces, etc), however, it should be implied that these items were crafted, purchased, or found upon joining the Tribes, and not outside of Corondryx, as normal cats would have no means of making things that require metalwork or things of that nature.
• Equipment of all kinds can be crafted in-character, regardless of whether or not you've actually crafted it out-of-character. You only need to craft it OOC if you plan on using it to boost stats!

And that about does it for designing! You're always welcome to ask for help with designs in the Discord- our member base is very friendly and loves offering advice for things like this!
If you have questions or concerns about a design, please always feel free to reach out to staff for assistance!

Keep this in mind: You can always redesign your character and/or their tattoo whenever you want if you don't like them or want a little change! We have options for this to take place IC or just OOC/retconning. Please note the group if you want to change your character's appearance in any way and we'll be happy to help!

[Drawing an Application]

We're finally here, it's the home stretch! Now that you've got your character designed, let's make sure they're on the correct application, and everything is filled out correctly!

Before slapping your character into the group, make sure to pick out the right application for them from the gallery! There are 9 applications in total, all depending on your character's current Tribe (or lack thereof), so pay attention!

The applications can be found in the Featured gallery of the deviantART page. There are PSD versions available!

Now that we've downloaded our application, let's fill it out!

TRUE NAME

Pretty straightforward- write your character's True name here! If they don't have one yet, you can leave it blank.

GOES BY

What does your character most commonly go by? You can usually fit 2-3 names/nicknames in this spot, but it just depends on your character! This spot should not be left empty.

AGE

How old is your character at the time of submission? That's what you should put here! This can be as detailed as you want (ie. 1.75 years / 21 moons) or just their age group (ie. "Adult"). This spot should not be left empty.

RANK

The rank your character holds in their Tribe (or out of it, if they aren't a Tribe cat). This will be something like "kit," "loner," "soldier," etc. This spot should not be left empty.

GENDER

Easy peasy- what is your character's gender? This can be detailed or vague, from "cis female" to "male" to "¯\_(ツ)_/¯," etc. You're also free to just write your character's pronouns here! This spot should not be left empty.

PALETTE

Please refer to the drawn examples below! This spot should not be left empty.

ABILITY

Is your character primary or secondary? Let us know here! This spot should not be left empty unless your character is a kitten or loner.

TATTOO

Please refer to the drawn examples below! This spot should not be left empty unless your character is a kitten or loner.

FURTHER...

[Additional Help]

• Make sure your character's name (either True name or their most commonly-known name) is in the Deviation title! (ie. "[HS] Haunt/Neku"). This makes it easier for everyone to find your character! This is a requirement!
• Application art should be as clear as possible! The file should be full resolution with no watermark and the character art on the application must be posed adequately for referencing. The pelt reference must be clearly visible and easy to read without edits that cover parts of the design or too many edits. The application should be as easy to follow as possible since it serves as a guide for your character's overall appearance. You may have wild posing, shading, painting, etc. as long as you link to a clear version in the description!

If you are having issues uploading the full resolution of your ref, please refer to the tutorial below!

And that's it! Don't forget, if you're confused, you can always check out the gallery for more examples!

[Submitting Your Character!]

Have you finished everything above, and feel like you're ready to bring your character into the group? Great! All you need to do is fill out the form below and send it to the group via note (if you're already a member or are a new member who's been approved for a kitten). If you've just finished your first character and are waiting for admin approval via voucher, make sure the member whose ticket you're using gets you approved before filling out and submitting the form!

BEFORE YOU SUBMIT...

Hello! Existing members and members-to-be alike, please read this section before continuing!

Before you submit your character note, please make sure...:

1) You are 18 years of age or older (for new members).

2) Your application is entirely complete!

3) Your existing characters' stats are up-to-date for their age.

4) You have enough EXP to purchase the slot and/or cooldown for this character (if applicable).

5) Your existing characters' applications are up-to-date for their age.

All good? Cool! Let's fill out the form, then!

THE FORM

Character Name: (True name here!)

Tribe: (Tribe here!)

Age: (age group and age in months- ie. Kitten, 0 moons; Adult, 24 moons)

Power: (Primary or Secondary)

Profession: (Rank here!)

Stats: (How your stats were allocated, for our ease of access! Be sure to fill them out in order- STR, INT, STH, CHR, SPD, ARC, TGH!)

Skills: (Which skills has your character gained access to? Skill numbers are enough!)

Hobby: (Which hobby does your character start out with? For our ease of access)

Character Slot Number: (Only applicable if you hold several character slots)

Reference: (A link to their filled reference, on the correct tribe application sheet, with a completed biography.)

18+?: (confirmation you are 18 years of age, only for new members)

And that's all there is to it! We hope this guide helped you in your character creation journey! Please make sure to reach out to staff if you have any questions or concerns, and we'll be happy to help!