In general, when creating non-human fantasy characters, stick to taking inspiration from beings of folklore and mythology. Talking animals/animalfolk are also included. Since this is a fantasy world with faery creatures and other strange things running around however, you can definitely get creative with designs. Do not submit characters that already exist in other media, they must be of your own creation.
Characters should not be of a species with known creators or from a franchise (eg: pokemon, gelflings, klingons, closed or open species created by internet users, etc.). I encourage creativity and don't want to hold anyone back, but I would rather people engage with this world as it is and build it into something of its own, rather than trying to cross it over with other things and established universes. You can base your own character on characters and species in existing media, but make it different enough to be your own. Consider making them an odd faery creature, a dream made manifest by strange circumstance, or even the result of a magical experiment?
Aesthetic of The Rest Stop is generally down to earth - I won't say an absolute no to a character having some colour on them, but try to keep it looking naturalistic and fitting for the type of creature. Anthropomorphic animals are fine, but try to keep them looking more on the animalistic side (think Humblewood, Mouse Guard, or Zootopia style rather than Bojack Horseman). Size-wise, you can have them be the size of the regular animals or go by Narnian Talking Beasts rules and have them be somewhat closer to humanoid size (e.g. a small-child-sized mouse person, or a very tall elk person)
This is a fantasy world, but since all fantasy cultures have their basis somewhere in one or more real-world cultures - or someone's idea of them - please be mindful and respectful of that, especially if you are basing a character's background around a culture that is not your own.
Magic use is acceptable and welcome, but think of magic in small, everyday terms rather than world shattering power. Perhaps your character is a smith that uses beast magic to keep horses calm while they shoe them, or a florist that uses plant magic to keep their arrangements fresh and blooming. Or maybe your character is a retired spellslinger that now has to learn to adjust to civilian life and more practical uses for their gifts! I leave it up to your discretion, but try to think of magic as a unique character trait rather than an overpowered fix-everything solution to any problem.
If something isn't already clarified, make it up! Ultimately I love collaborative art and would like people to be able to have fun and play and add their own ideas to the mix too. If you're introducing a new character, feel free to detail their culture, hometown, landscape, etc. and it can become part of The Rest Stop's world. I plan on compiling everything established by users into a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], which can be referenced (or not, there's no pressure) by everyone. So go forth, and dream up what you will!
Characters should not be of a species with known creators or from a franchise (eg: pokemon, gelflings, klingons, closed or open species created by internet users, etc.). I encourage creativity and don't want to hold anyone back, but I would rather people engage with this world as it is and build it into something of its own, rather than trying to cross it over with other things and established universes. You can base your own character on characters and species in existing media, but make it different enough to be your own. Consider making them an odd faery creature, a dream made manifest by strange circumstance, or even the result of a magical experiment?
Aesthetic of The Rest Stop is generally down to earth - I won't say an absolute no to a character having some colour on them, but try to keep it looking naturalistic and fitting for the type of creature. Anthropomorphic animals are fine, but try to keep them looking more on the animalistic side (think Humblewood, Mouse Guard, or Zootopia style rather than Bojack Horseman). Size-wise, you can have them be the size of the regular animals or go by Narnian Talking Beasts rules and have them be somewhat closer to humanoid size (e.g. a small-child-sized mouse person, or a very tall elk person)
This is a fantasy world, but since all fantasy cultures have their basis somewhere in one or more real-world cultures - or someone's idea of them - please be mindful and respectful of that, especially if you are basing a character's background around a culture that is not your own.
Magic use is acceptable and welcome, but think of magic in small, everyday terms rather than world shattering power. Perhaps your character is a smith that uses beast magic to keep horses calm while they shoe them, or a florist that uses plant magic to keep their arrangements fresh and blooming. Or maybe your character is a retired spellslinger that now has to learn to adjust to civilian life and more practical uses for their gifts! I leave it up to your discretion, but try to think of magic as a unique character trait rather than an overpowered fix-everything solution to any problem.
If something isn't already clarified, make it up! Ultimately I love collaborative art and would like people to be able to have fun and play and add their own ideas to the mix too. If you're introducing a new character, feel free to detail their culture, hometown, landscape, etc. and it can become part of The Rest Stop's world. I plan on compiling everything established by users into a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], which can be referenced (or not, there's no pressure) by everyone. So go forth, and dream up what you will!
