CHARACTER SUBMISSIONS

The following helpful hints to guide you in the character creation process.

With very few exceptions, it is unlikely that staff will use your character’s direct backstory in any plots — stories or adventures that your character may (or may not) pursue throughout the game. As a generalizing rule, most staff-run plots focus on the actions taken and skills learned by characters during their time at Starfall Academy. This is not to say your character’s backstory is not important; How your character responds to staff-run plots — the actions they take, the ideas they form, the emotions they express — should be dramatically shaped by your character’s backstory.

This is the start of a brand new book in your character’s life. Whatever else they have encountered in the past pales in comparison to what unknowns lie ahead. Your character just got accepted to train as a GUARDIAN, one of the greatest warriors the galaxy has ever seen. They don’t need to have been amazing in the past (and we actively discourage it) because your character’s future is immeasurably bright.

On a very related note, remember that you’re essentially building what equates to a first-level character. Your character is a college freshman that just stumbled onto campus sight unseen outside of promotional materials. They were handed the most dangerous weapon in the galaxy, a class schedule, and a dream. Your backstory should reflect this.

Some of you have years of impressive martial arts training — sometimes with sabers. If you can, work this into your character’s overall story. While your character has never held a real crystal saber before, maybe life has opened a door for them to undertake melee training in some other way. Your Bellati and Vindori trainers will still treat you the same way as others in class, as a common saber foundation is required and necessary for safety reasons, you can always show off your skills outside the classroom.

Creating a character can be difficult, so when in doubt take parts from yourself. You do have to play a character  who is distinctly not your everyday self, but if you’re naturally a shy person and think that might affect how you interact with other students, make your character shy, too! If you’re a veteran veterinarian with years of study in animal physiology, give your character a reason for that enthusiasm you show your Ouiori master in “Zoology.” Conversely, you can always try to play against yourself by giving your character a personality that harshly contrasts with your own. While this can be more challenging, some players find this immensely rewarding.

There’s no such thing as a perfect backstory. Your own personal backstory as a person is messy; So is ours, Everyone’s is. Characters are the same way. Give them contradictory opinions of similar ideas. Give them past events that just don’t make sense. Give them gaps in their memories. Give them bad habits. There’s beauty — and, perhaps more importantly for us here, realism — in those personal imperfections. They help to make a character that’s much more relatable, too.

What is your character’s full  name? Different species have different naming conventions ( listed at the end of each species article) which must be adhered to. Be sure that your character’s name contains personal names, surnames, tribal names, etc. when appropriate.

While most pronunciations may seem obvious, some of your characters’ names will be a bit more challenging. Using  guides like these, write out your character’s FULL name phonetically. This will be a tremendous help to staff, especially during moments like the Initiation Ceremony, where we’d rather not butcher your character’s most defining feature.

Most of the time, your character won’t want to be addressed by their entire name — What do they prefer to be called? Do they have an abbreviated name? A nickname? Yes, this preferred name can also be their full name, especially for species with shorter names.

Every Starfall Academy character must be a member of one of the nine  established in-game species, available from the drop-down list.

What pronouns does your character use? If you’re interested in a non-complete list of possible pronouns, check out this independent resource.

Where was your character born? While all Starfall species have a home planet, originating from the homeworld is not required. As long as members of your species exist on a specific planet —  check the population percentages of each planet description to be sure — your character could have originated from that world. Note that all characters must be from the Imperial Regions or Lomali. Select your planet from the drop down menu. Note that this is your planet of birth; A character could certainly have moved elsewhere since then, but those details will be provided later in your form.

Unless otherwise stated in their species article, most species in the Starfall Universe age and mature at the same rate as Earthly humans. Select a number that represents the age you wish to portray. Even with longer-lived species like Khi’Hinn and Shumi, keep your age below 200.  Remember that the older you are, the more History you’ll have to remember from a first-person perspective!

The rest of this form involves larger text boxes which ask you to provide more detailed information. While we’ve given you a good deal of room, you’ll find that the amount of information we’ll accept will be capped at the end of the textbox. As much as you may want to provide us with copious detail, please remember to be clear and concise… and most of all, please read and edit your work!

What were your early years like? Who were your parents, and what did they do? What lessons did you learn at a young age?

 Once reaching maturity, how did your life change? What career did you have (if any) before being called to the Light? What historical moments impacted you?

For Radiants, a “spark” is a moment that awakens them to their powers in The Light. Describe yours here, and feel free to reference the appropriate section in  this article. Remember that your spark was likely the last major life event you experienced before being accepted to Starfall Academy.

 What personality traits and general characteristics make you… you? Are you brave? Timid? Excited to join the Guardians? Terrified? Flesh out your character’s personality.

 What does your character want out of life? To help others? To gain wealth? Notoriety? Power? Friendship? Redemption? A quiet life? Establishing smaller, obtainable goals (as well as larger ones) can give our story teams some options for how to best assist you as a player in your experience at Starfall.

Everybody has flaws, your character’s do too. Recognizing what your character doesn’t do so well is important for creating a realistic, believable character. Flaws don’t need to be anything major, but understand your character’s limits.

Everybody has Secrets and regrets. They add a tremendous depth to a character. Again, the information helps our story team as we look for opportunities to assist your character in confronting their past, and looking towards a new and exciting future.

There is a place for optional text description and design notes as well a a place to insert images.