***Cinders General Bio Guide

[cinder]

CINDERS GUIDE TO BIOs

Firstly, lets come up with a character. John Doe, alright? I’m going to show you how to describe John Doe, a happy-go-lucky boy. You can then take the questions I ask during the bio, and apply them to any new characters. Substitute, why is John Doe nice, with why is Katarina Williams spiteful and there you go! A guide to all things bio-related

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Name: John James Doe
question:: Do you want your name to have meaning? Going to a baby name site often helps. There are some really cool, unique names out there—naming a girl who is really strong something that means strong is always fun. Also last names are fun to fiddle with. Also middle names are great if your character needs an alias at some point.

Age: 15
question:: Do you know what if feels like to be a 15 year old? Or a 40 year old for that matter? Age of course is a matter of preference, but making your character younger or older than you have before is fun, if not a little bit hard to RP for the first time. I mean, if you’re a carefree teenager, playing a stressed out mother of three can be challenging. RL inspirations may help age. I like to think of what certain adults in my life would do when RPing somebody +10 years older.

Gender: Male
question:: Have you ever role played somebody of the opposite gender? Play it safe and create a character of your gender, or create one of the opposite gender, really RPing guys and girls isn’t that different.

District/Area: District Six
question:: This question is specific to this site. If your character is a spoiled sissy, going with the Capitol or a high-up District makes sense, if they are an illegal hunter go with one of the lower Districts. Where your character lives does impact who they are, if you are unsure of where you want them to be from, skip this and come back to it after filling out the rest of the form. Narrow it down to a few Districts and choose where your charry belongs, and if you want to be a super-cool member choose a less active District in order to make it more active.

Appearance: Dark skin, golden-brown eyes, military-style hair, tall, built for speed over strength.
questions:: Face Claims can be helpful, so if you have a person in mind go off of what they look like, but if not, just write what you see in your mind then ask around the site for advice on a Play-By, although they are not required so you’re fine without. Some of the greatest RPers on this site do not use Play-Bys. Wolf Tears for example ^^

I like to describe every inch of my character. Here is a chart from feet to hair

Feet- describe size, color, are they rough from time spent outdoors with no shoes on? Does your charry get a weekly pedicure because they live in the Capitol? You can relate personality to any part of your body.

Legs- Skinny, fat, muscular? Metaphors work for bodies too. Saying, ‘John Doe has skinny twig-legs that even a child could snap in half if he tried to, except for the slight curves of muscle that elude to his running around a lot and reserves the task of snapping his legs in half to such fearsome creatures as Careers and not children.’ Here I said that his legs are like twigs. There we go! Skin-color, freckles, shaved legs or not, scars, birthmarks and other blemishes can be added in to give character you would see in RL.

Torso- I ask the question once more, skinny, fat, muscular? In John Doe’s case he is in between skinny and fat, a perfect average of the two. In Panem, describing the fact that your charry has six-pack abs after years of training as a Career, or you can count his/her ribs after years of not receiving enough food are common enough descriptions. Mentioning skin marks and color once again fills up space. Also mention your characters opinion on their torso, are they proud of how fit they look? Do they wish they were skinnier? Girls of course should say something about their curves, or lack of curves. Mentioning a characters opinion on his/her body and what people around them see is a good way of introducing your characters personality. A perfectionist Career will never think they look strong enough, or tough enough so you can touch on how hard your charry works to maintain their body. Adding personality to looks gives an appearance section spice and flavor. Would you prefer to be told the cold, hard facts of the Holocaust, or read Anne Franks diary which uses language, your senses, and feelings to make the event more personal. Blending facts and opinions balances what you tell the reader, and what you expect they will take away from your biography using their own senses. You might write about your charries struggles to be the best they can be, and a reader will come away thinking that s/he’s a drama queen. Point of View is VERY important, so let other people come to their own conclusions on some points.

Arms- My usual ‘skinny, fat, muscular?’ question applies as well as markings. In such a horrifying place as Panem, mentioning that your charry is a cutter is always fun. If not, just describing the skin tone is fun. Would you say your charry has arms white enough to reflect sunlight and blind people around them (This is a useful exaggeration of the truth. Exaggerations are fun too ) Are they dark, would you say the color resembles that of the oak tree outside their house? Mentioning race is also fine at any point in a bio. Saying, ‘John Doe certainly isn’t as white-arsed as his name would suggest. His skin is just a few shades under what people would consider true black. His crooked teeth and the white of his eyes stand out against the boys dark skin and usually dark clothing.’

Neck/Head- Neck, is it long and lean, does your character usually tuck their chin in because somebody tried to strangle him/her and now exposing the neck scares the heck out of him/her? Be imaginative and turn straw into gold when describing the shape of ones head and simple facts about their neck.

Face- Eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, teeth, ears (okay ears aren’t really a part of the face but bear with me) Colors, textures, scars, the tendency for cheeks to turn red when embarrassed. A cracking, stuttering voice that does not match the cruel glint in your charrys eyes. The face could easily fill up a whole page, but keep it below that and over a paragraph. Does your charry have a face like a cute, fluffy kittens with wide, saucer-eyes and parted lips, or a lop-sided grin and sparkling eyes that put together with goody ears and flaring nostrils makes one think of a dog. I like to relate my charrys to animals. The face and the expressions commonly found on the face are easily described. The eyes are the windows to the souls; parted lips could mean your charry is a slack-jawed, dazed & confused type. Sharp eyes and cheekbones could mean they’re tough. A too big nose could be the absolute worst part of your charry—they hate it and wish they had enough money to have it fixed up like they do in the Capitol. Faces are personal. Describing the face is like a summary of all the looks put together, as well as the basics of ones inner-self.

Hair- Color, texture, length, do they take good care of it? Do they like it or not? Does it shimmer in certain lightings and compliment your charry, or fall into their face all the time and annoy the heckerdoodles out of him/her. So much to talk about! Details are great in bios

Clothes- Does your character care? Do they wear baggy, unflattering clothes or do they go for tight pants and colorful t-shirts. Describing your characters economic situation while describing what they wear works too. A Capitolite would wear fine clothes whereas Katniss of District Twelve might wear hand-me-down t-shirts and washed-too-many-times pants with too small sneakers that are falling apart. I could go on for ours about clothes. Describe your characters ‘uniform’ What do you find them in most days?

Personality: A nice, lucky guy who has a good sense of humor and a thingyy attitude at some points in time. None too intelligent.

On the Outside- What do OTHER people think of your charry, or at least what would you think of them if you had a two minute conversation with them. Are they friendly? Do hand-shakes not cut it for your loving, hugging character. Do they seem hostile and brooding because they’re emo and haven’t gotten over the fact that their life sucks, or do they embrace the inner nerd in them and say dorky things like, ‘Nice to meet your acquaintance, sir!’ Here’s where you talk about a first-impression from your point of view, but keep in mind that not everybody will see your charry like you see them at first. Their personality and their character’s personality will play a part in what they think of the person. A particularly dim-witted young woman might fall for the fake bravado and charm of a scheming, mustache-twirling man who just wants to get some from a pretty girl. An intelligent, serious young woman might tell said mustache-man to go to hell. It all depends!

Friends- How about friends? Do they have any. If the answer is no, then that says a lot about who they are! If the answer is yes, go into depth and describe the changes from stranger to friend. At first, John Doe seems like a normal guy, but once you get to know him you realize he is a tender, optimist in a land of pessimists. Describe a little bit about what kind of people they attract as friends, significant others and enemies.

The Whys?- Why is your character an eternal optimist? Use some of their history here. For example, John Doe is a really happy guy because he knows there is no point in mourning the past: He learned this after his mother died, and he went through a brief rebellious period as child. What have they learned throughout their life? Why is your character who they are. Cite examples and short stories in order to prove the point of how amazing and simple his/her life is, or how complicated and frustrating it is to be, him/her.

Memories/The Future- How does your charries memories impact them now. Does watching the death of a friend at the hand of Peacekeepers still haunt their nightmares? Are they serious and emo because of that one time they saw a little girl being beaten up? How do they feel about their future. Is John Doe a determined young boy because he wants to grow up to be a leader of District Six, and lead his people out of bondage. How they feel about the past, present, and future will help to describe your charry.

The Simple Good Things- The simple things like how nice they are, or generous should go here, or anywhere else. The order of the previously described and what comes next is allowed to be mixed up according to the Role Players taste.

The Simple Bad Things- Avoid perfection by mentioning a temper, tendency to be sarcastic, brutal honesty, or bad luck.

All Together Now- Here is a brief summary of your character now that you know them so well. Try not to mention much new, but cram everything into a short paragraph that has a tone. Hopeful for a kind, good-hearted type and sarcastic for the lonely, life-sucks type. Personalize it; tailor it to your needs.

History: John Doe was born to a happily married couple who are still together, although they have gained three more children since the birth of their first born, John James Doe.

Before Life- Who are your charries parents? Describe when/how/why they met. Was it a forbidden teenage romance that has stayed alive for more than twenty years, or a one night stand between a Peacekeeper and a beggar? Describe who they were then, so the reader will be able to see how the birth of a child impacted the parents as people. John Doe’s father was struggling to keep a job when his wife was pregnant, but now he leads a whole squad of people on the job and has put away money to sponsor his child as a future leader of the District.

Early Years- The early years. If your charry is an orphan or even if they aren’t, you can get some drama. Maybe their birth-parents skipped out and left them with a drunk aunt and hard-arse uncle, or maybe they grew up peacefully.

Childhood- You know what to describe. Tell stories of old friends and siblings. Stories make a childhood more personal and innocent-like. Describe how they as people have changed, their opinions on the world and future/past/present at the time. Were they outgoing back then, but stopped talking after the death of a family-friend? Details! Provide tons and tons of details.

Teen Years- Were they/are they angsty and confused or the perfect model of a child your parents would rather have.

Continue going on with early years/childhood/teen years/ early adult life until you get to the age your charry is now. Briefly describe what they will probably do with their life in the future, and then relate personality to history. Histories are easy. Just add tons of drama, short stories, and the like.

Codeword: Read the rules, get the codeword.

Comments/Other: I like to say what my charries color and face claim is here. Relationship status and other details worked out beforehand should also go here. If you don’t have anything useful to say though, do not say it at all. Simple!

LOOK HOW EASY A BIO CAN BE! MY RANT WAS LONGER/AS LONG AS AN ACCEPTABLE ONE! if you have any specific questions left, just ask me. I'm happy to help.