Advice on fursona descriptions

[Symphony]

I just thought it might be helpful to have a thread for people to post some general advice on how to create interesting fursona descriptions.

I know it's going to be very individual what kind of advice people give, but that's quite alright, as we're probably all different in our opinions on what makes a fursona interesting to read and learn more about.

It can be some advice on how to get started, or it could be advice focused on one or more of the sections commonly used in fursona descriptions.
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Constance Mayflower's bio

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[Shadow_Twisted]

Well, I suppose one of the first bits of advice I'd offer is to take a peek at what others have done. This can serve several purposes, be it a simple familiarization with the format most commonly used to whether or not an "original" idea is actually that original or not.

Next I would offer the old saying, "patience is a virtue". Do you have to have an avatar as soon as you join? No! People may say they look forward to seeing your avatar description, but that doesn't mean you have to have it that instant.

Your fursona is about: YOU This means you shouldn't write it for everyone else, write it for you, who you want to be, to do what you want to do. If someone offers advice, you can choose to consider it if you like it, but you should never feel that you have to change anything. The only exception being to violations of the rules, i.e. mythical creatures or impossible crossbreeds.

Also, it doesn't have to be perfect the first time around. If you don't feel happy with it, revise it. These aren't set in stone, though some are in pen and ink in the Four Aces Suite. Remember, though, that there's a 6-month minimum to qualify for the custom avatar and even then there's a list. You have a lot of time to get the details, and if you need advice, feel free to ask. Many of us are more than happy to chime in some ideas.

[Symphony]

I think that a good idea is to first think of what your plan for your fursona is. If it's purely for roleplaying purposes, then there really are no limits to what you might come up with, as long as it's accepted by the other roleplayers.

If you want it to be drawn by Vanessa and possible have a cameo in the comic, then you will of course need to follow the rules set forth for those avatars. Another good idea is to consider how much you'd like your fursona to blend in with the other characters of the comic. Take the occupation, for example. The military types are very popular, but keep in mind that PBB isn't a violent comic, so there probably won't be much need to show your fursona's occupation. The same goes for the many weapons of these military type of fursonas. I believe that there are some restrictions on such in Bon Bon, so you may find that your fursona will have to appear without them. If none of that bothers you, then you won't need to worry about your occupation much, of couse.

Another piece of advice I'd give is to supply some visual references. Not only will they help others picture your fursona before it's drawn, they'll also help Vanessa in the creation. I personally found pictures to show my fursona's bodytype and hair, her dress and jewelry, as well as her tail. There were some sections I wasn't sure if I was describing properly, so the pictures were very useful to me.
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[Shadow_Twisted]

[Symphony]

I don't mind. I think it's different from person to person what they'd find useful for something like this. Personally I'm more into googling for pictures of things I like. An example of this can be found here:
http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6277



Aside from providing bits of advice, this thread can also be used for people they tell what they find interesting in fursona description. I notice that some fursonas are getting more attention than others, so it could be interesting to find out why that is, and it might be helpful to those looking for some more comments on their fursona.
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[Tadelesh]

I always find that adding at least a sentence about personality attracts my attention. You could have the most interesting and original looks for a character, but if they have the personality of a wooden plank, I'm not going to take notice after first glance.
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Wow, sarcasm! That's original.

[Symphony]

Indeed. Personality is such an important part of a fursona, though it's often neglected. Having a couple of sentences describing the personality is really something I think makes a character more interesting. I especially like it when someone adds additional sections where the characters personality is clearly an influence.
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