~Achilles~

Starter(left) vs Junior (right)

At the 1st stage of locs, coils intertwine forming the starter locs (or the closest thing freeforms have to them.) They are weightless, very soft and will continue to form indefinitely wherever breakage happens

When the loc begins to mature it will become more condensed, heavier, and will begin to hang down instead of standing up. The speed this happens in depends on the hair type

Personality

As the locs grow, some may "marry" or become the same loc. This will cause a thick loc at the base with "fringes" on the end. These fringes will eventually break off of a thick loc and leave a more uniformly shaped loc. This can take up to a decade.

A smaller loc may marry a larger loc because it is too thin and fragile, especially if it has a thicker end. In that case the thinner loc may disappear completely into it's neighbor and the thick part will remain separate, creating a "lobster claw" or a tiny loc sticking out of the side of a larger one. With freeforms, this is common and can appear anywhere down the shaft of the loc rather than just near the ends (as is the case with manicured locs.)

A lot of people have a favorite loc. Sometimes they grab, feel or squeeze the loc so much that they change the shape of the loc. Some people create thumbprints, like the loc above on the right , a flat squished area created by rubbing up and down the loc. Others make thin spots in the loc but rubbing left and right.

Flat locs

Are dense in the center and have a thick round base just before they reach unlocd newgrowth.

They're caused by styling wearing ponytails and headbands while freeforming. Once they're flat, they'll grow out that way on their own.

If you can draw a ribbon, you can draw a flat loc. They are just a bit stiffer though.

The ends can either be rounded or flat

Flat ends:

Usually happen when fringes break off. This sometimes leaves a coil, or a few coils where the tips broke off