How to make the perfect form (for closed species adoptables)

[Arthur Morgan]

Hi there!
I'm currently going up for an adoptable and I'm struggling a little bit for things to put on my form to make it stand out and to make it interesting. So I've decided to make a little post of hints and tips on how to make the best form. Feel free to mark this thread for later use ^^ Also, let me know if you think of anything else that can be added to forms to make them better.


Things you can add to your form
What should you add to every form?
- Name
- Name meaning and origin (and pronunciation if it's unusual)
- Gender
- Pronouns
- Orientation
- Personality
As well as the skeleton form given to you! Also, look at the first post carefully and make sure that you're allowed to add extras because if they aren't in the skeleton form, these will count as extras.

What can you add to a form to make it better?
- Birthday
- Zodiac
- Backstory
- Likes and dislikes
- Fears
- Quirks
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Favourite things
- Relationships
- Hobbies
- Skills
- Talents
- Disorder (these always make your form more interesting and the character more realistic, but don't pile it on to every character. Also, make sure you do your research and understand exactly what the disorder - mental or physical - is)
- Playlist
- A section of character development questions which are answered by the character
- Art. Make it as expressive as possible. Maybe have the character doing a hobby or with their best friend.
- Comics
- Short stories
- Journal entries
- Random facts
- Interview
- Occupation
- Theme song
- Pictures to help the judge visualise what you're talking about


Tips
- Read the first post carefully. Has the judge specified that extras and prettying up is allowed? If it's not clear, ask! If you add stuff and you're not supposed to, you could be completely ignored or accused of cheating. Or, if you don't add stuff when you're allowed to, it'll look like you didn't put in any effort and your form will stand way below the others.
- Remember, judges are looking for quality, not quantity. Don't ramble on about things that aren't really relevant.
- Check who's judging the contest and look back at other contests which they judged. See what the winning forms had in common. Maybe the judge likes a certain style of writing or for a specific section to be added. Maybe they do like big long forms that are lacking in quality. Who knows?
- Make sure that what you're writing is relevant and that you're not contradicting yourself. If you give the character an excitable personality, keep it that way all the way through your form. If you've made them nerdy, give them suitable interests.
- Look at the rules for the species in advance. Can two males/females breed? If not, you might not want to make the character homosexual. Are they able to have magical abilities? If not, don't add them. What is their anatomy like? This can actually be really important if you decide to write short stories.
- Be careful not to be illiterate. This can be a huge deciding factor for the judge.
- Don't go onto fan club threads or put notes on the bottom of your form talking about how "your form's so bad and you'll never win" or how you'll "never try out for another character of this species if you win this one". It can be a little annoying for the judge and unfair to other contestants.
- If you write a short story, write in detail. Describe what the character is seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, tasting. Try to make the image in the readers head as vivid as possible. If a story is really well written, it can be the factor that puts your form above all others.
- Pretty up your form (unless the judge has specified not to). It doesn't have to be anything major, just make it stand out above the others.
- If you have some spare pets/points/items/C$/etc. lying around, ask people in the fan club for help with art and coding.
- If you really want to win, go to all extents. If there are limits meet those limits to the best of your ability. It doesn't guarantee the win, but it surely helps and shows that you really want them.
- Don't add too many characters to your form. Unless they have specified otherwise, the judge wants to learn about your new character and not others that you and friends own. Only write down bits and pieces that are relevant to the character you're going up for, e.g. how they met, what they like to do together, how they behave around each other, etc.
- If a form says "extras/prettying/art is optional", do it. Do as much as you're allowed to do.
- If there is a word limit, keep to it. Get as close to it as you can (without rambling or going over it). If you've got a limited number of extras but a large word limit, really expand upon what you are allowed to add. Explain why the characters favourite hobby is crafting. How long have they been doing it for? What got them into it? Have they ever considered selling what they make or do they give them to others as unique presents? Explain in full detail without rambling on. Don't spend most of the paragraph talking about what got them into it. Divide it as evenly as you can.
- Make sure your form is structured. People don't think this is important, but it is. It makes it easier for the judge to read your form, so it will leave a better impression. Make sure the sections are easy to tell apart. Use paragraphs instead of just a wall of text. Use proper puntuation!


Examples
- Viscet #705
- Viscet #705 2
- Kennedy Re-Adoption
- My boy, Gabe
- Viscet #496
- Viscet Batch #144
- Sima #494
- Sima NB #235


Good sites to use
- Character development questions
- Skills generator
- Interest generator
- Flaws and weaknesses generator
- Quirks generator
- Motivation generator
- Personality generator
- Superpower generator
- Backstory idea generator
- Secret generator
- Family relationships generator
- Speech feature generator

- Character design resources masterpost


I hope that this post has been helpful to you. As I said, feel free to mark this and let me know if you think I've missed anything ^^

[mal du pays]

this looks nice so far oDo

my only issue with it is the disorders thing - as someone with clinically diagnosed disorders/mental illnesses (anxiety and depression) it's offputting for users to use disorders/mental illnesses to make a character "interesting" or to seem "cool". if the person writing the character actually HAS the disorder/mental illness and has had experience with it, then all power to them, but it's iffy to someone like myself who has a mental illness/disorder to see it in a form for the sole purpose of making a character "more interesting". im really sorry if that comes off as rude oTL im actually really tired and was gonna try to fall asleep again gh

[Arthur Morgan]

this looks nice so far oDo

my only issue with it is the disorders thing - as someone with clinically diagnosed disorders/mental illnesses (anxiety and depression) it's offputting for users to use disorders/mental illnesses to make a character "interesting" or to seem "cool". if the person writing the character actually HAS the disorder/mental illness and has had experience with it, then all power to them, but it's iffy to someone like me who has a mental illness/disorder to see it in a form for the sole purpose of making a character "more interesting". im really sorry if that comes off as rude oTL I'm actually really tired and was gonna try to fall asleep again gh

As someone else who suffers from anxiety, panic attacks, and depression, I can say that it really isn't that big a problem. If a character has a condition/disorder such as "depersonalisation-derealisation disorder", that makes your form stand out and it does make it more interesting.
This is not saying that disorders are a good thing, but you cannot say that no one can give their character a disorder because it's rude to you. If someone is writing about a disorder and giving false information then fair enough, but saying that you can't give a character a disorder no matter what is like saying you can't make a character homosexual because someone may get upset. You don't own the copyright on the disorder.
It also means you're not creating an all perfect character.
I appreciate what you're saying, but I disagree. I recently gave a character ADHD and a friend who has ADHD thought it was really cool. People can't leave something out of their form because a couple of people might get offended. The only person deciding to be offended is you.
And I don't think you're being rude ^^ I hope I'm not coming across as rude either.

[worshipthesquid]

(can't really weigh in on the mental illness front, but thanks for making this! I have a really big weakness for well-compiled masterposts and random generators so : D here's a big list of character development resources that's kind of relevant, & I think I have some but not all of the generators you mentioned on there? so I'd better get on that.)

[Arthur Morgan]

(can't really weigh in on the mental illness front, but thanks for making this! I have a really big weakness for well-compiled masterposts and random generators so : D here's a big list of character development resources that's kind of relevant, & I think I have some but not all of the generators you mentioned on there? so I'd better get on that.)

I've added your post to the bottom of mine. Is that alright? ^^

[Lukina]

Thank you so much for putting this up Gaz. I can see this helping so many, including myself.
I struggle a bit when it comes to putting extra things in my forms, and this will surely help me in my next form for an adoption. ^_^

[worshipthesquid]

@Gazoonia - absolutely! : D

[Arthur Morgan]

Thank you so much for putting this up Gaz. I can see this helping so many, including myself.
I struggle a bit when it comes to putting extra things in my forms, and this will surely help me in my next form for an adoption. ^_^

No problem! I'm glad you like it x)

@Gazoonia - absolutely! : D

Thanks!! ^^

[Fox,]

marking for sure! this is such a nice forum. just some other things I thought to add would be these:
- word limits and how to reach them without seeming rambling and such
- add comics onto the expanding part
- try to draw expressive art! [maybe of them doing a hobby and such]
- got some pets you dont need/want? ask the fanclub for help with art and coding!
- and I'm not sure where this would fit, but if you really want to win, go to all extents. If there are limits meet those limits to the best of your ability. it doesn't guarentee the win, but it surely helps and shows that you really want them.
- don't use too many characters in your form. unless its a specific competition, the judge wants to learn about your new character and not created ones already.

[Arthur Morgan]

marking for sure! this is such a nice forum. just some other things I thought to add would be these:
- word limits and how to reach them without seeming rambling and such
- add comics onto the expanding part
- try to draw expressive art! [maybe of them doing a hobby and such]
- got some pets you dont need/want? ask the fanclub for help with art and coding!
- and I'm not sure where this would fit, but if you really want to win, go to all extents. If there are limits meet those limits to the best of your ability. it doesn't guarentee the win, but it surely helps and shows that you really want them.
- don't use too many characters in your form. unless its a specific competition, the judge wants to learn about your new character and not created ones already.

Ah, good ideas! I'll add them in! ^^