[Lawtan]

Another query: where (besides Wiki and Youtube) would I find more information for my characters (not just Kadia - been making characters/stories/words for a long while but never roleplayed them/got to know what they know.)

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Depends on what sort of information you are looking for. There are plenty of specialist websites out there if you care to look, though wiki and youtube are great places to start. One thing to try is looking up the sources and references attached to Wikipedia articles. That would lead you to more material.

[Gallagher]

A big part of being able to research characters well is being able to break up the different parts so you know what you're looking for.

I'm going to use Kadia as an example and go back to the discussion on eyes and such we were having.

One thing you would want to look to do is justify any abnormalities in their appearance. Hers being the eye. There are a few things that can cause differently colored eyes. Fewer that would cause such a drastic difference. Since you've been specific about the albinism, you'd want to look into the different types there are to get a proper feel for what you should do, and what is just stereotyping. You could start looking into Wiki for information, but really your end goal should be to find articles made for people dealing with the topic at hand, and not just research purposes.

My character with the same idea, as I've said before, is a tetragametic chimera (link) so obviously my research for him went quite a bit into that, as well as the subjects you should be covering.

Articles detailing the vision problems faced by many albino people (such as this one) could be very useful to you, but a drawback with what you're going for is the complexity. It would only apply to the one eye, so further research should be done into the effects of diminished sight on one side. I went over some of the basic things before, but it would be worth poking around articles and maybe forums for more information.

Start with overviews for whatever it is you're researching, but by the end, you should be looking at articles/forums made for the people that deal with it (whenever possible), and NOT pages for awareness or for general lessons.

Realistically, she shouldn't have a pink eye at all, and the closer you get to that, the worse her problems with it should be. But. Artistic licence with characters is fine, so long as you can find a way to justify anything that has a purely aesthetic purpose.

[Lawtan]

^Is one - genetics/biology/anatomy of people and animals
Another would be weapons/weapon design (Rennaisance, Dark Age, prehistory, classical, Native American, 17th century, 18th century, modern, and future to name a few)
Another would be technology in general (Same eras)

[Quiet Man Cometh]

I definitely agree with Galla on justifying the physical traits of your characters. It adds a level of depth and realism that you don't get with pure aesthetics, even if the character is a fantasy one. While in fantasy or speculative genres in general you can *technically* get away with anything, I think adding some realism improves things as it allows for greater understanding on the part of the reader.

Suze might be able to help you in the weapons research department. I believe there's a society that focuses on medieval weaponry and fighting styles, and possibly more, but I can't recall the name of it.

[Gallagher]

Right, people underestimate the exaggerations shown in things like action movies. A little research on things like basic anatomy can go a long way, even if you think you know things because it's your own species or language or you 'took a class once'. No. Do your research and actually remember it because it matters.

Always do time period checks. Always make sure you have a grasp of the setting and the rules for tech/magic. They differ between different universes. A lot.

It's easy to say you have a character with elemental powers, but think in depth. What are the limits? How would it work in _____ type of universe? Would it work in that universe?

Good characters aren't good because they're super-awesome-amazing. They're good because love went into making them believable in the universe they're playing in.

Get the biology right. It's important. Figure out where they come from, what the social and political systems were like, how the world worked around them. Figure out their history, their family, their friends — not just that they had a mother, what kind was she, free or strict or religious or distant — and what happened to them. Traumatic history? Research PTSD and other issues the character might have suffered, or is still suffering. If you want a good, believable character, it all matters. Even things you think you already knew.

[Suzerain of Sheol]

Originally Posted by Lawtan

Another would be weapons/weapon design (Rennaisance, Dark Age, prehistory, classical, Native American, 17th century, 18th century, modern, and future to name a few)

This is a good place to start for all things to do with armed combat. http://www.thearma.org/essays.htm

Alternatively, you can ask me. :P

[Lawtan]

So, this will be good practice for the books I want to write. (have plots but lack knowledge)
Also, thanks for the link.

[Suzerain of Sheol]

Originally Posted by Lawtan

So, this will be good practice for the books I want to write. (have plots but lack knowledge)
Also, thanks for the link.

I can help with plots, too. Is sort of my thing. :P

[Espy]

I can also help you either over Tris or FB as to character creation and traits and such, seeing as how you had a bit of trouble with Calliope, but in-game tends to be harder to manage than OCs that started as OCs.

[Lawtan]

Umm...run that by me again, in Koine Greek, please?
(OC's that started as OC's vs in-game bit)

(Didn't really think I had trouble with Calliope as a character)

As to books/plots...I may setup a thing here where I work on the rough drafts piece by piece.

*Largely frusterated as have lost the parts I already wrote for one of them >.<

[Espy]

I'm just gonna look at you funny.

[littl3chocobo]

listen to gall, she is right on the money

[Firkash]

Originally Posted by Espy

I'm just gonna look at you funny.

This made me laugh..

But good luck with what you do Law.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Not having any idea of the situation or who Calliope is, I'm going to say that I think Espy means that starting out with an original character is easier than playing one that has already been in existence for a while?

In role play and online gaming in general it's not unusual for someone to ask for a person to take over a character who's original player has had to leave for whatever reason, especially if the character has become entrenched in the story.