Post by Pichu on Jun 28, 2010 2:39:23 GMT -5
Yes!! Pichu's going to teach y'all the basic steps to creating a cat!!!
LAYING THE FOUNDATION
So usually when you have an epiphany to create a cat, you have a vague picture of what do you want it to be, right?
Right. So, to better cement the structure for your cat, my award-winning (Not really, but still!) advice is to search for a picture of said cat.
How does this help? Well, let's just say you want a silver tabby, right? You can go to Google, or a photo-sharing website, and type in 'Silver tabby' and POOF! Lots of pictures of a silver tabby pop up!! Doing so, you will have lots of things to add into your description of your cat if you have a picture to refer to.
Here's an example:
I want...a brown cat. Specifically, a brown and white cat. Even more specifically, a brown and white tabby cat.
So here's how you can do it. I search for a picture of the cat that I want...
And here's how the description of the appearance would look like:
Small in stature, Example has the appearance of a few-moons-old kit. Even his fur is soft and downy in the likeness of one. His pelt is a harmonious mix of milk-chocolate and coffee-coloured tabby stripes, covering his moderately muscled frame. The only parts of his body that aren't covered by his distinct colouring are his chest - which is covered by pure-white fur that extends up to his muzzle - and his four paws - which are covered with the same white as his chest and muzzle are. His eyes are a dull yellow colour - so dull, it is almost as if it is brown.
See! Easy! More than four sentences!!
Points for a description of the appearance: Body type, size, fur-length, pelt colour, eye colour and any other distinct traits.
And there you have it! You have now successfully created the shell of your cat!
BUILDING THE STRUCTURE
Okay, my favourite way to make my cats' personalities is to base them on people I know in real-life, or characters from a favourite show or book. Like, say, I have a cat named Impthunder, who is based on a character from a show I used to watch!
Of course, don't copy-and-paste the personality. Just pick out the traits or characteristics you want the kitty to have. Then lay it in the middle of your mental mind-map, and start branching out the possible behavior your cat will have!
If you don't know a lot of people AND don't watch TV AND don't read books, you can always depend on stereotype! There's nothing wrong with basing your cat on a stereotype. Lots of living, breathing humans I know are very definitions of stereotypes!
Let's say, I want to base the cat on...Lord Voldemort! Yeah!! Everyone knows who Lord Voldemort is, right?
Here's how it will turn out:
Example is a shell of conflicting emotions. He doesn't have anyone who understands him. He claims to not care, but deep down, he's just as lonely as any other friendless cat. He hates bigger cats, for they look down on him. He chooses the side of darkness, believing that the power of the dark can triumph anything. He's cold and ruthless; his lust for total domination can never be sated. For him, it's to submit and obey or die.
Didn't turn out too bad, now did it?
Next, we have the cat's history. Here's the catch: If you base a cat on a fictional character, the history will be as easy and simple (Not in that necessary order) as pie for you!!
What if you base the cat on a human? Well, I can only help you a little bit there. You'll have to mostly depend on your creative juices. But here are some pointers:
You can describe how it was for the cat during childhood. His parents? Anything significant happen? Then, apprenticeship. How was it for him? Was his mentor nice? Evil? Strict? Finally, warriorship. A memorable ceremony? Anything important? If your cat's an elder, you can describe how his warrior life was like, too!
A loner's history can probably be about his parents, of course. Any family? A friend, perhaps? How did he end up as a loner? Was he born as one, or was he an ex-Clan/Tribe member or kittypet? If so, how did he learn to survive on his own?
For kittypets, you can describe the grandeur of its family history. Its breed; whether his parents were show cats; whether the cat itself is a show cat. Does he like his life as a kittypet? Did anything significant happen in his early years? Does he wish he could break free and live in the wild?
So, basically, a history could look like this:
Example used to be a kittypet. He had a loving mother and father, although he doesn't even remember how they looked like now. But, he hated his old life. So much, that he had escaped as soon as a route could be used. He learnt to survive in the wild without anyone's help, thanks to his hardy personality. The daily territorial fights didn't do any good for the cat, though, as it only served to work as a catalyst to increase his lust for power.
But, you could always base the personality on something and then come up with your own history! Or the other way round!! Mix 'n Match, I say!!
FINAL TOUCHES - DECOR AND FURNISHING
Now, for a memorable cat, it must have a reaaaaally cool name, right? Or a name that you can easily remember. So if you're thinking, "I CAN'T COME UP WITH ANY NAMES!! ALL THE ONES I LIKE ARE TAKEN!!!" Never fear!! Here are a few tips on how to come up with a name!!
So as you all probably know, Clan names usually have two words to make one name. The names that matter the most are warrior names, as they are your cat's permanent name.
The name has to be made up to two words from the English language, so you pretty much have many choices! The basic choices for names are usually based on the cat's appearance. Like how so?
Tigerclaw
Dustpelt
Spiderleg
Ashfoot
Tawnypelt
Leafpool
Graystripe
Bluefur
Feathertail
See the similarity in the names? It could be Tigerclaw because of its unusually long claws, or Spiderleg for its really long legs, or Leafpool, for its green eyes.
Or, if you think it's too boring, you could always use other words. Words that describe your cat's personality, maybe? Or words that have significance to the cat?
Riddleheart
Puzzledmind
Stormwind
Lovedove
Evilmoon
Riddleheart could be a name for a cat who thinks she loves a lot of cats, and can't decide which tom to choose. Or, Stormwind could be a cat that's as fierce as the storm and is quick as the wind to defend his Clan. Lovedove could be a name for a cat who loves love, and dove is the symbol of everlasting love, right? Evilmoon could be a name for a cat who's evil, and well, moon's just decorative.
OR!! You could just pick out words from a hobby of yours. Like, say, I like to read, so I'll pick out a few names that are related to the literature world.
Poetictalent
Inkedpelt
Pennedthoughts
Lovestory
Adventuretale
Ficklemuse
And now for the Tribe names. Tribe cats are named after whatever the kit-mother sees after their birth, but I suppose it could be cooler. Like say, you want a name with 'Snow' in it. It could be...
Snow that Falls During Leaf-Bare
Snow that Blankets the Ground
Snow that Shimmers in the Air
The names basically describe something. Here are some other names:
Grass that Grows on the Field
Heron that Stands in the Stream
Eagle That Soars Through the Sky
Mountains Where Birds Gather
Stream Where Small Fish Swim
Just think nature!!
There! See? Or, if all else fails, and you want to name your loner or kittypet, you can always depend on your favourite character from a book, game or show.
Next, if it's your first time creating a bio, you need an RP sample, right? It doesn't need to be the best you can do. It's just a formality, really.
So, if you don't have any idea for an RP sample, you can always choose the safest option: Hunting.
I mean, everyone has to learn how to roleplay hunting while playing this site, right? Right, so here's how a basic hunting RP sample should look like:
Example sniffed the air. He could smell a rabbit. It wasn't too far away, but the tabby wouldn't take any chances. Immediately, he raced across the clearing; silently and swiftly. Before the rabbit could even turn around, Example had already pounced on it, swiftly ending its life.
See? That wasn't too bad, now was it?
Now all that's left is the alliance, gender and age. Which is actually up to you, right?
So, go on!! All of you!! FORWARDS TO CREATE YOUR CAT!!
Results may vary, and therefore, Pichu will not be held responsible for any mishaps that may occur.
©Pichu
LAYING THE FOUNDATION
So usually when you have an epiphany to create a cat, you have a vague picture of what do you want it to be, right?
Right. So, to better cement the structure for your cat, my award-winning (Not really, but still!) advice is to search for a picture of said cat.
How does this help? Well, let's just say you want a silver tabby, right? You can go to Google, or a photo-sharing website, and type in 'Silver tabby' and POOF! Lots of pictures of a silver tabby pop up!! Doing so, you will have lots of things to add into your description of your cat if you have a picture to refer to.
Here's an example:
I want...a brown cat. Specifically, a brown and white cat. Even more specifically, a brown and white tabby cat.
So here's how you can do it. I search for a picture of the cat that I want...
And here's how the description of the appearance would look like:
Small in stature, Example has the appearance of a few-moons-old kit. Even his fur is soft and downy in the likeness of one. His pelt is a harmonious mix of milk-chocolate and coffee-coloured tabby stripes, covering his moderately muscled frame. The only parts of his body that aren't covered by his distinct colouring are his chest - which is covered by pure-white fur that extends up to his muzzle - and his four paws - which are covered with the same white as his chest and muzzle are. His eyes are a dull yellow colour - so dull, it is almost as if it is brown.
See! Easy! More than four sentences!!
Points for a description of the appearance: Body type, size, fur-length, pelt colour, eye colour and any other distinct traits.
And there you have it! You have now successfully created the shell of your cat!
BUILDING THE STRUCTURE
Okay, my favourite way to make my cats' personalities is to base them on people I know in real-life, or characters from a favourite show or book. Like, say, I have a cat named Impthunder, who is based on a character from a show I used to watch!
Of course, don't copy-and-paste the personality. Just pick out the traits or characteristics you want the kitty to have. Then lay it in the middle of your mental mind-map, and start branching out the possible behavior your cat will have!
If you don't know a lot of people AND don't watch TV AND don't read books, you can always depend on stereotype! There's nothing wrong with basing your cat on a stereotype. Lots of living, breathing humans I know are very definitions of stereotypes!
Let's say, I want to base the cat on...Lord Voldemort! Yeah!! Everyone knows who Lord Voldemort is, right?
Here's how it will turn out:
Example is a shell of conflicting emotions. He doesn't have anyone who understands him. He claims to not care, but deep down, he's just as lonely as any other friendless cat. He hates bigger cats, for they look down on him. He chooses the side of darkness, believing that the power of the dark can triumph anything. He's cold and ruthless; his lust for total domination can never be sated. For him, it's to submit and obey or die.
Didn't turn out too bad, now did it?
Next, we have the cat's history. Here's the catch: If you base a cat on a fictional character, the history will be as easy and simple (Not in that necessary order) as pie for you!!
What if you base the cat on a human? Well, I can only help you a little bit there. You'll have to mostly depend on your creative juices. But here are some pointers:
You can describe how it was for the cat during childhood. His parents? Anything significant happen? Then, apprenticeship. How was it for him? Was his mentor nice? Evil? Strict? Finally, warriorship. A memorable ceremony? Anything important? If your cat's an elder, you can describe how his warrior life was like, too!
A loner's history can probably be about his parents, of course. Any family? A friend, perhaps? How did he end up as a loner? Was he born as one, or was he an ex-Clan/Tribe member or kittypet? If so, how did he learn to survive on his own?
For kittypets, you can describe the grandeur of its family history. Its breed; whether his parents were show cats; whether the cat itself is a show cat. Does he like his life as a kittypet? Did anything significant happen in his early years? Does he wish he could break free and live in the wild?
So, basically, a history could look like this:
Example used to be a kittypet. He had a loving mother and father, although he doesn't even remember how they looked like now. But, he hated his old life. So much, that he had escaped as soon as a route could be used. He learnt to survive in the wild without anyone's help, thanks to his hardy personality. The daily territorial fights didn't do any good for the cat, though, as it only served to work as a catalyst to increase his lust for power.
But, you could always base the personality on something and then come up with your own history! Or the other way round!! Mix 'n Match, I say!!
FINAL TOUCHES - DECOR AND FURNISHING
Now, for a memorable cat, it must have a reaaaaally cool name, right? Or a name that you can easily remember. So if you're thinking, "I CAN'T COME UP WITH ANY NAMES!! ALL THE ONES I LIKE ARE TAKEN!!!" Never fear!! Here are a few tips on how to come up with a name!!
So as you all probably know, Clan names usually have two words to make one name. The names that matter the most are warrior names, as they are your cat's permanent name.
The name has to be made up to two words from the English language, so you pretty much have many choices! The basic choices for names are usually based on the cat's appearance. Like how so?
Tigerclaw
Dustpelt
Spiderleg
Ashfoot
Tawnypelt
Leafpool
Graystripe
Bluefur
Feathertail
See the similarity in the names? It could be Tigerclaw because of its unusually long claws, or Spiderleg for its really long legs, or Leafpool, for its green eyes.
Or, if you think it's too boring, you could always use other words. Words that describe your cat's personality, maybe? Or words that have significance to the cat?
Riddleheart
Puzzledmind
Stormwind
Lovedove
Evilmoon
Riddleheart could be a name for a cat who thinks she loves a lot of cats, and can't decide which tom to choose. Or, Stormwind could be a cat that's as fierce as the storm and is quick as the wind to defend his Clan. Lovedove could be a name for a cat who loves love, and dove is the symbol of everlasting love, right? Evilmoon could be a name for a cat who's evil, and well, moon's just decorative.
OR!! You could just pick out words from a hobby of yours. Like, say, I like to read, so I'll pick out a few names that are related to the literature world.
Poetictalent
Inkedpelt
Pennedthoughts
Lovestory
Adventuretale
Ficklemuse
And now for the Tribe names. Tribe cats are named after whatever the kit-mother sees after their birth, but I suppose it could be cooler. Like say, you want a name with 'Snow' in it. It could be...
Snow that Falls During Leaf-Bare
Snow that Blankets the Ground
Snow that Shimmers in the Air
The names basically describe something. Here are some other names:
Grass that Grows on the Field
Heron that Stands in the Stream
Eagle That Soars Through the Sky
Mountains Where Birds Gather
Stream Where Small Fish Swim
Just think nature!!
There! See? Or, if all else fails, and you want to name your loner or kittypet, you can always depend on your favourite character from a book, game or show.
Next, if it's your first time creating a bio, you need an RP sample, right? It doesn't need to be the best you can do. It's just a formality, really.
So, if you don't have any idea for an RP sample, you can always choose the safest option: Hunting.
I mean, everyone has to learn how to roleplay hunting while playing this site, right? Right, so here's how a basic hunting RP sample should look like:
Example sniffed the air. He could smell a rabbit. It wasn't too far away, but the tabby wouldn't take any chances. Immediately, he raced across the clearing; silently and swiftly. Before the rabbit could even turn around, Example had already pounced on it, swiftly ending its life.
See? That wasn't too bad, now was it?
Now all that's left is the alliance, gender and age. Which is actually up to you, right?
So, go on!! All of you!! FORWARDS TO CREATE YOUR CAT!!
Results may vary, and therefore, Pichu will not be held responsible for any mishaps that may occur.
©Pichu