Design your character!

[Heartless Wanderer]

If you think it deserves a topic of its own then by all means go ahead and make one. Maybe someone who knows what they're talking about will even clarify the issue.

[FoxtrotZero]

Arriving at Yamaku during the late winter, he was placed into class 3-3.

You might want to rethink this.

Winter months in Japan are December, January, and February. The school year ends in March.

Yes, yes, yes, please account for the difference in schoolyear structure. Mind you, I'm only even aware of it myself because of Persona 3 and Persona 4...

When I originally wrote my character, I think I specified how old he was when he moved to Japan, but I later realised this is a mistake. The idea was that he went to Yamaku at the start of high-school, but I failed to account for the fact that high school in Japan is apparantley only three years (which, after playing the game, I ought to have picked up on). I instinctively used the American four-year-senior-high system (which is itself not ubiquitous in the U.S., but I'll stop before I start complaining about the federal/state system) and I have no clue how things work in the U.K., where he's supposed to be from.

I think people are most interested in putting their character into 3-3 because that's where Hisao is. It's the class people are most familiar with. Half of the heroines are in that class, and unless you're making a character with major visual impairment, Lilly's class is somewhat out of the question. I haven't played Emi or Rin's story arcs, so they faded so completely into the background that the question of what class they go to didn't even occur to me.

Having supposedly been in Yamako since the start of high school (again, I should look up how it runs in the UK), I guess my character would start in 1-3. I actually decided over the weekend to change the story of how Fox ended up with his injury (replace "tumbled down a flight of stairs" with "15-foot deadfall onto a train platform"), which also allowed for an additional... I don't want to call it a disability as much as a situation, (broken ribs -> punctured lung -> chest tightness when overexerted; perhaps I should make sure this stuff is medically backed) which, lets face it, I originally concieved of to give him a scar somewhere (Hanako has officially usurped Lilly as my favourite).

I think I've said this all somewhere before. Realism is all well and good, but I think "plausibility" is a bit more accurate; they're fictional characters in a fictional setting, and the art style has already made realistic eye and hair colours out of the question (Misha's pink is so outlandish that they had to specify she dyed it, and that still cracks me up).

[Zykes]

Yes, yes, yes, please account for the difference in schoolyear structure. Mind you, I'm only even aware of it myself because of Persona 3 and Persona 4...

Considering how long ago I made this compared to when and what I started to write, I will be just revising this here.

Also, every new character seems to go to 3-3. It's overdone. Why not 3-4 with Emi and Rin instead? Or maybe set things a year earlier and have him be in 2-3. That way he still ends up in class with Misha and Shizune and whoever for a month or so, before they move on to the next grade and he still has his final school year ahead of him. (If you planned on having him be in 3-3 several years before or after Hisao and the gang get there, ignore this little rant.)

Why not class 3-1? I never see 3-1 ever get so much as a mention in anything. Yet it must exist, why else would there be a 3-2?

That having been said, putting students into Hisao's class really just comes off to me as a cheap way to get them into the spotlight quickly without having to think about a different classroom environment or a way to get them to meet up with whoever it is you want them to become acquainted with. It's the path of least resistance and because of that, it's overused. It's not necessarily a bad route to take, but nor is it the most interesting one.

To be honest, if I was just making a character for the sake of making it, I probably would have picked 3-1 or 3-4 or another class, however I am also writing a fanfic with this character, and I did not want to have to create a large number of characters just to find a way to connect directly into KS.

Also, the deal with his eyes seems to exist just to make him more cool and special. You could just say he has abnormally light colored eyes rather than "illuminated" ones, although things like that often are tied to visual problems as well, which just adds another disability (or potential one).

I'd also like to add that abnormally-colored eyes tend to pop up in a lot of Gary Stu/Mary Sue characters, so it's something to be careful about. Mind you, I can see abnormally bright eyes being unsettling for some, but not necessarily "abnormally bright violet eyes," which some people might consider cool rather than unsettling.

I picked "Illuminated" because it fit the idea of what I was describing at the time, and yes I do agree with it having potentially.

As for the comment about Gary Stu/Mary Sue. My design for Hiroshi is a person who has problems, maybe not always directly related to his condition. You are right about some people seeing it as cool, but take into consideration that he was picked on a lot about it when he was younger, so he sees this completely as a problem, but of course not everyone is going to look at it as something unsettling.

[pandaphil]

Guess if I hadn't been lazy last night, I've had searched and found this thread. ^_^;

So anyway here's mine, as featured in my Profile pic. Shes a modified version of a character I play in Second Life.

Teresa "Tetrae" Tsukino

Birthday: October 27th
Height: 5'1
Weight: 104
Eyes: Violet
Hair: Black, with red stripe
Condition: Hemophilia, Hypocalcemia
Gender: Female
Sexual Preference: Lesbian
Age: 16
Quote: "Please let me help."


Bio: Born and raised on Oahu, Teresa (she prefers Tetrae or Tet) is the daughter of older couple, a native Hawaiian mother and Japanese father who became rich working on the islands (Tetrae's mother ran a pet store when she was a child and gave her daughter her nickname). Her parents separated amicably when she was eleven.
Tetrae endured severe bullying when she started high school because she tended to be introverted and was a bit of a teachers pet. It got even worse when stories of her sexual preference leaked out after she came out to a female friend.
During her sophomore year, she finally got fed up with the teasing, and slapped one of her tormentors, a particularly vicious female student who was a member of a local gang. As revenge, she was attacked after after school, stabbed in the chest as a 'lesson' and left in an alley. For the second time in her life she nearly bled to death before she could find help.
Despite the perpetrator being expelled, her father decided to transfer her to a private school. But that only lasted a week when she got into yet another fight trying to defend a victim of bullying.
Her father grew up in the small town near Yamaku Academy, and thinking that his home in Japan might be a safer environment for his increasingly withdrawn and troublesome daughter, he decided to relocate both of them there and enroll her at Yamaku.

Disability: When she was thirteen an accident aboard her fathers boat resulted in a fall and a near-fatal neck injury. Surgery revealed a previously undiagnosed genetic defect in her Parathyroid glands which were further damaged by throat surgery, leaving her body unable to regulate calcium levels. Her Hypocalcemia can be controlled with extra calcium in her diet and daily medication, and her Hemophilia by regular injections. She has to be careful of injuries since her body is very susceptible to internal bleeding. As it is, she still suffers from random bruises, joint pains, and unexpected nosebleeds.

Personality: Tet was taught be her parents to always be polite, especially to her elders. However she tends to be overly sullen and serious, leading to the secret joke among her classmates that her disability is she was born without a sense of humor. She's frequently depressed and misses Hawaii and the beaches very much. Subconsciously she believes that every bad thing that's happened to her in her short life is somehow her fault. She tries to balance to scales by an almost obsessive need to be helpful to her classmates and teachers. She tends to be "Miss Reliable", often putting others happiness and needs before her own. She does tend to draw a lot of attention because of her exotic appearance, so she's ended up with a number of unexpected friends and even a couple of admirers despite her off putting behavior.

She has an aggressive dislike of bullies, and is hypersensitive to teasing, even from her friends. Thankfully actual bullies are fairly rare at Yamaku. She has an interest in nature, and is fairly bright and well read. She carefully avoids any discussion of dating or sex around others, for fear that her "secret" might slip out. Like any girl her age though, such things are never far from her thoughts, and she dreams of finding a romantic partner someday.

Skills: Tet lives up to her name by being an outstanding swimmer and diver, doing laps at the schools pool every afternoon after classes, often helping out the instructors and other students undergoing physical therapy. She keeps a large aquarium in her dorm room, with many small fish, and a pet angelfish named Louis (after a character in an Anne Rice book). Her hope is to be a marine scientist one day, although her teachers have commented more than once that if she could learn to be more outgoing she'd make an excellent teacher or therapist.
She enjoys music, particularly K-pop and techno. If you're careful, you might even catch her practicing a few dance moves when nobodies around. She's active in the schools Nature club, and regularly helps her class Rep. Unfortunately all this doesn't leave her much time for socializing outside of class. But at least it keeps her mind off her troubles. Seeing so many other students dealing with their own disabilities is gradually helping her attitude towards her own ailments. And shes slowly becoming a happier person.

Appearance: Petite, with a very dark complexion, and shoulder length hair. There's a dark red stripe dyed into her hair, her one act of youthful rebellion. She wears glasses for her nearsightedness, and has a faded three inch scar on her throat, and another smaller scar just above her left breast. She often has small bruises on her arms and legs, though these aren't overly obvious due to her dark complexion.

[Silentcook]

Merged from page two.

[Sgt_Frog]

Guess if I hadn't been lazy last night, I've had searched and found this thread. ^_^;

So anyway here's mine, as featured in my Profile pic. Shes a modified version of a character I play in Second Life.

Tetrae Takashita

Birthday: October 27th
Height: 5'1
Weight: 104
Eyes: Violet
Hair: Black, with red stripe
Conditions: Severe Peanut Allergy
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Lesbian
Age: 17

Erm, is a peanut allergy really bad enough to warrant the high cost of a specialized school like Yamaku?

[pandaphil]

Erm, is a peanut allergy really bad enough to warrant the high cost of a specialized school like Yamaku?

Possibly, I'm really not sure, but its all I could think of atm. Tet is a character that already existed, I'm just adapting her for the KS world. Coming up with a disability that's serious, hasn't been done already, is not easily cured, doesn't involve missing parts, yet allows her reasonable mobility has been pretty hard.

Originally she had haemophilia, but it turns out thats so rare in women that its pretty unlikely.

I thought about anemia, but that didn't seem to match well with her dark complexion.

In the end, I decided to make her mute, which seemed pretty general.

[TehLandshark]

The question is: if you could add one character in katawa shoujo, who would they be? What would they look like? What would be their disability? What would be their backstory? Make sure to add stuff like height, weight, birthday, hair color, etc.

I feel like anyone I create without an intense level of thought will basically be a Hanako clone, but here I go.

Their name would be Nagisa (named after Clannad's main heroine, mostly because I don't know any Japanese names ). She would have epilepsy as a disability. She would have hair the color of Rin but the style of Hanako. Her height would be 167 cm. (between Lilly and Hanako), and her weight 51 kg. Birthday December 12th.
Her parents are divorced and have fought for custody for 10 years, but she can now only escape her messed-up home life by living on her own at Yamaku. She has some trust issues as a result, but she isn't quite as anti-social as Hanako or as stubborn as Emi. She can be overly-conscious of her disability, mostly due to an embarrassing incident as a freshman when she had an attack and her friends took it as a joke. At her core she is a genuinely nice person, but without getting to know her she can seem strange.

[pandaphil]

I feel like anyone I create without an intense level of thought will basically be a Hanako clone, but here I go.

I suppose with the broadness of the personality types in KS, we're all going to fall a bit into that trap. I mean, Tet has Shizunes looks, Hanako's insecurity, Misha's sexual preference, Emi's temper, and Lilly's helpful attitude.

We just have to work harder to make our characters unique.

[Sgt_Frog]

The question is: if you could add one character in katawa shoujo, who would they be? What would they look like? What would be their disability? What would be their backstory? Make sure to add stuff like height, weight, birthday, hair color, etc.

I feel like anyone I create without an intense level of thought will basically be a Hanako clone, but here I go.

Funny story about my OC, Ayame (link to her bio/measurements/etc here: http://useraccount.deviantart.com/art/K ... -159109453)

You know how Hanako hates how she looks? Ayame hates how she sounds. Due to contracting larnyngeal cancer, her larynx had to be removed, so now she's mute. However, unlike Shizune (who, being deaf from birth never learned spoken language, but could still make basic vocalizations such as grunts and shouts), Ayame is completely mute. She knows a fair amount of sign-language, and has a TruTone "prosthetic" larynx, and it sounds okay (here's a video: but it still sounds rather "off".

[Helbereth]

Just a little advice for anyone posting in this thread about creating OCs: don't base them on other people's characters. The temptation to simply generate a reflection of that character with a different name and physical description should be resisted; there are better ways.

If you're already thinking that your character is going to be a clone of Hanako, or Lilly, or some other character from another work of fiction, just stop. Go back to the beginning and start over with someone in mind who hasn't come from something you've read, watched or played.

You've probably met hundreds of people by age fifteen, and, if you were paying attention, you know they're all different. With that in mind, you should realize that pasting the personality and traits from one person onto another is literary suicide. If your new character, Okanah, possesses the same timid, reclusive personality as Hanako, you're just going to end up writing the same story we've already read with a few minor differences. Nobody wants to read that. Hanako would write a scathing review and cite your lack of creativity as the story's downfall, if she existed.

Instead, think of those hundreds of people you've met. You probably know twenty or thirty of them pretty well. There's probably ten or so whom you know every detail about; their likes, dislikes, temperament, political views, family history, etc.. Use them. Harness the observations you've made about them and craft a character based on those experiences.

If you can't think of anything specific, start with some more general ideas. Think of someone you met only briefly--a waitress, a bank teller, or a shop clerk--and think about them.

Did they smile and nod or roll their eyes and smirk? Were they courteous or cranky? Did they talk loudly and assertively, or shyly and start wringing their hands together? Did they smell funny? What were they wearing, and how did they carry themselves? Were they walking with a limp, slouching and groaning, or was there an energetic spring in their step? What color were their eyes? How long was their hair? Did they seem nice?

Now, take all those little observations and start making inferences. If they were smiling a lot, talking with confidence and walked with a spring in their step, ask yourself why. Maybe they just got a promotion, or they heard some good news. Maybe they just got engaged, or were invited to a swanky party. Consider their clothes and ponder whether they shop at a department store, a more upscale establishment, or at the goodwill store. Perhaps they went to college, or are attending art school, or they're working here to pay their way through medical school. Start writing their life path in reverse based on the observations you've made. Are their parents alive still? Do they have any siblings? Are they married? Do they have kids? Where are they from originally? Where did they go to school?

Pretty soon you've got someone's life story written out, complete with reasons behind their personality traits, political views and other assorted aspects of their outlook. Sure it took longer than just reusing another writer's character, but it's entirely your own creation. You can decide to change parts of their story to fit your tale, and nobody can argue with the decision because it's your character--you decide what they are, who they were, and where they're going.

Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

[Zykes]

Just a little advice for anyone posting in this thread about creating OCs: don't base them on other people's characters.

I can agree with this in general, though when designing in the case of KS. It can be a bit more difficult to stay "original" after some many are created.

As for "conditions" of course you can say that not only one person at Yamaku will have a specific condition, so the same can be said with OCs. But as you said, when you develop the story behind the character, how they act, how they respond to problems and so on, it has to stand out (even more so if the OC shares a condition with an existing character).

Hanako for example is very closed off from a lot of people around her, considering her scars, that is an understandable trait. So any OCs that have something like Scars, or other physical injuries and condition(s) could have that common trait, or have the opposite trait. Which would say the person doesn't allow their scars or looks to affect their interactions with others.

My OC has a heart condition, similar (but not the same) to Hisao, but I gave him some personality traits that would have the two stand apart.

[pandaphil]

I'm slowly making tweeks and changes to my character to try and make her distinct. The hard part now is trying to make a slightly insecure girl who's become a workaholic to hide her feelings seem interesting.

Just a little advice for anyone posting in this thread about creating OCs: don't base them on other people's characters.

I can agree with this in general, though when designing in the case of KS. It can be a bit more difficult to stay "original" after some many are created.

As for "conditions" of course you can say that not only one person at Yamaku will have a specific condition, so the same can be said with OCs. But as you said, when you develop the story behind the character, how they act, how they respond to problems and so on, it has to stand out (even more so if the OC shares a condition with an existing character).

Hanako for example is very closed off from a lot of people around her, considering her scars, that is an understandable trait. So any OCs that have something like Scars, or other physical injuries and condition(s) could have that common trait, or have the opposite trait. Which would say the person doesn't allow their scars or looks to affect their interactions with others.

My OC has a heart condition, similar (but not the same) to Hisao, but I gave him some personality traits that would have the two stand apart.

That's so true.. There are so many ways a persone with scars can behave. They can feel self-concious and withdrawn, like Hanako. They can be bitter and withdrawn, a quiet loner, or angry at the world for doing this to them and tend to be hard to get close to. Or they could even be an outgoing person who needs close friends and a support system to lean on.

[Helbereth]

Just a little advice for anyone posting in this thread about creating OCs: don't base them on other people's characters.

I can agree with this in general, though when designing in the case of KS. It can be a bit more difficult to stay "original" after some many are created.

As for "conditions" of course you can say that not only one person at Yamaku will have a specific condition, so the same can be said with OCs. But as you said, when you develop the story behind the character, how they act, how they respond to problems and so on, it has to stand out (even more so if the OC shares a condition with an existing character).

Hanako for example is very closed off from a lot of people around her, considering her scars, that is an understandable trait. So any OCs that have something like Scars, or other physical injuries and condition(s) could have that common trait, or have the opposite trait. Which would say the person doesn't allow their scars or looks to affect their interactions with others.

My OC has a heart condition, similar (but not the same) to Hisao, but I gave him some personality traits that would have the two stand apart.

Never try to define a character by their inequities. Hanako's scars probably influence her behavior, but the trauma of losing her parents in such a horrific way likely has more to do with her behavior than the scars themselves. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that every person would become reclusive and anxious around people as a result, nor does it mean there aren't other factors.

Consider Emi's tragic past, which is comparatively similar to what Hanako endured. An accident occurred in which she losther fatherand her legs. Every day she's reminded of that event, and her missing legs are no less obvious than the scars, but she's much different in both her outlook and personality. There are other influences in both cases, but if you only based the projection on the injury and loss, you could conclude both girls would end up being similar.

No single influential event, no matter how terrible, can determine a character's personality, or you risk them being one-dimensional, predictable, and wholly boring.

[FoxtrotZero]

Wow. Really glad I can return to this thread without the prospect of being the only one participating. First, I guess I'll comment on some old posts;

Originally she had haemophilia, but it turns out thats so rare in women that its pretty unlikely.

Haemophilia is rare in the general population of females, yes, but Yamaku isn't a regular sample. I guarantee you that if you picked a really rare disease, the chances of finding someone with it at Yamaku go up a hundredfold. Particularly given that we're creating fictional characters and can thus stretch the boundaries of practicality, unless it's something that's only been documented a few times or something, I don't think "that's a rare condition" is a valid reason. Even if it's rare, that means someone is afflicted with it.

Just a little advice for anyone posting in this thread about creating OCs

This is great advice. Generally speaking, though, I figure OCs are (or at least should?) represent the person making them. I know mine does. And I've toyed with ideas for other characters that, of course, I then can't base off myself, but unless you're trying to completely reinvent yourself, a personality shouldn't be too hard to come up with.

Right, so, in the past I've posted on my OC, but I've had a lot of time to think about it and nail a character that I think it fairly realistic. I've also changed a slight bit of bio information - for example, the blood type reflects that I've since discovered my actual blood type. There's also some things that I look at and I think "gee, I wonder if that's a bit too convenient" but they're actually based on actual parts of my life. I actually used the birthday Jan. 15 because my actual birthday - Jan. 11, or 1/11 - almost seems cliche with the aliteration. Anyway, here goes.

Name: Tyler Hayato Fox
Hometown: Dover, United Kingdom
Birthday: January 15th
Zodiac: Capricorn
Blood Type: O+
Height: 179cm (5'10.5")
Weight: 94kg (207lbs)
Hair: Medium Brown
Eyes: Grey-Blue

Tyler Hayato Fox was born in Dover, United Kingdom, though mostly lived in London. His father was from Dover, and his mother from Sendai. An only child, his parents' relationship didn't have what it took to last, and they eventually decided to seperate amicably. Struggling with mild depression and a poor relationship with his father, Tyler took the opportunity to move to Japan with his mother. They moved a few months before the start of High School, and having had a working knowledge of Japanese his entire life, getting his language skills to a fluent level was not too difficult.

After a week of unexplained dull pain throughout the right leg, and returning home from visiting relatives, Tyler was walking the bridge of a train station when a sudden flare of pain caused him to collapse - over the handrail, falling fifteen feet to the rails below. The incident broke several ribs, one of which punctured his right lung, leaving the scar to prove it. But the root cause was a sudden inability to supply the muscles in the right leg with adequate oxygen, causing atrophy and removing the ability to support his full weight.

While doctors were at first unsure if he would ever regain the ability to walk or if the condition would spread, he gets around relatively normally, but not unassisted, carrying a cane or wearing a purpose-built leg brace at all times. He takes a couple pills daily to help counter the atrophy in his leg, and for the most part it holds steady. On a roughly monthly basis the pain might flare, bad enough to require a prescribed painkiller and a day in bed. He accepted the doctor's reccomendation to Yamaku, not wishing to be the foreign crippled kid at a public high school.

Tyler is a large individual, particularly compared to those around him, and occasionally forgets his size. He rarely uses his size to his advantage, however, insisting that he not present himself as intimidating. Indeed, those close to him consider him like a human teddy-bear. When a certain energetic girl had difficulty pronouncing his name, the nickname "Kitsune" came into use (being a direct translation of Fox) and remains so among a few close friends. Said girl immediately started referring to him as "Kitsuchan".

Tyler's interests include math and science, and he aspires to be an engineer. He is interested in technology in general, and has a computer that is, followed by his electric kettle, the most engaging item in his dorm. He greatly enjoys the piano, acquiring use of the one in the music room as often as he can manage. As a proper englishman, tea is often his beverage of choice. He's likely to get along well with Lilly and Hanako, or even Shizune or Miki. Tyler has had a bitter feud with Kenji Setou since an incident that started with a bottle of cranberry juice, and escalated to intervention by Yamaku's staff after an incident involving homemade flashbang grenades.