#fuckyeahtrollhelp

 This is one of my favorite parts! :D Ancestors are simple, because they don’t need to be fleshed out as a character as much as their descendants. What does your character want to do with themselves? Do they have dreams of being a Ruffiannihilator? Or a Legislacerator? Maybe their ancestor is out doing those things! The more your character knows about their ancestor should reflect what kind of things the ancestor did. Did they keep a journal that your character found? It would make more sense if the descendant knew more about an ancestor who wrote about themselves than one who didn’t, right?

 Ancestors often look like their descendants, with subtle or slight differences. (The length of their hair, their body type) Or course this isn’t a RULE, but it often makes designs easier. If your troll has a theme, their ancestor should follow that theme.

 Dancestors are a little harder and a little more fun. Your dancestor should also follow your original troll’s theme, while being a completely different character. Different hobbies, skills, and a different personality! Dancestors can be very similar, or they can be polar opposites. (Nepeta and Meulin are very similar in personality, whereas Meenah and Feferi aren’t very similar at all!) 

 Some people say that dancestors are supposed to have very stereotypical, or joke-like personalities but I personally don’t like that idea. I mean they COULD, if you wanted them to, but it tends to make their characters a little bit more dull and uninteresting. (If you’ve seen one nerd girl, you’ve seen them all.) So why do that, when you can make their characters a lot more interesting!

 A troll is NOT the same person as their post or pre-scratch self, and though they may be similar in personality, they may not be! Just remember not to make three (or four!) versions of the exact same person, and keep them different! Think of them as brothers and sisters rather than clones.

Hi there! The first thing I’d recommend, is to practice drawing your character elsewhere first! Get used to the way their hair falls, or how their eyes are shaped. A really nice sprite will show some distinction of the characters features, as well as their personalities! (Are they scowling? Grinning? Apathetic?) Picking a good color scheme (or lackthereof!) will tell people a lot about your troll. A character with a more colorful outfit might be a lot more cheerful or freespirited than one who wears duller colors, or solely black and gray. Remember that highbloods can wear more colors than lowbloods! Using another sprite as a base for proportioning isn’t unheard of or a bad idea, as long as you edit well, and turn it into YOUR design, and don’t just like…throw some pigtails on Sollux and call it a new character. Try to redesign as MUCH as you can! DON’T BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES. And don’t forget that no one’s first sprite is a good one. Just to prove my point, here’s mine:

 Pretty snazzy, right? And here’s what she looks like now:

 So don’t get too discouraged if you’re not happy with the sprite, or the design right away! There’s always plenty of room for improvement!

 Hi there! I’m gonna be honest, I’ve never heard of them before! I’ve done some research though, and I’ll try my best to help! This is going under a read more, since it’s pretty long!

   One thing that tends to show up pretty frequently in fantrolls, is mental illness. And for a lot of people who mod fantroll review blogs, this isn't a good thing. I guess I'd like to give my two cents.    While we're all pretty tired of the "THEY'RE TOTALLY COMPLETELY INSANE!" character that seems to show up so much with so many different people, severely mentally ill characters are NOT always bad characters, and just because your character is schizophrenic, or bipolar, doesn't automatically mean that they're a "Mary Sue". If it becomes the defining point of their personality, it could be considered a problem, but there are a lot of mentally ill people in the world, and illness is a thing that actually happens. And GOOD representation is important! Not just in fantrolls, but in all types of characters!     Here's how I'd suggest you go about making a really good character with a mental illness or disorder.

RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH. Symptoms are usually a little different for every person, and one depressed person is going to act a little differently from the next, but they always have similar defining factors. And please, MAKE SURE YOU'RE USING THE RIGHT ILLNESS. Bi-polar disorder is NOT the same as "mood swings", and not everyone with ADHD is "omg SO RANDOM!!!". Make sure you know quite a bit about the illness or disorder before you give it to your character!

An illness is NOT a personality trait, nor does it replace hobbies. You should really avoid your character being "SUPER CRAZY" and then that's it. Maybe their illness helps to shape their personality, but it's not the sole factor! Your schizophrenic character could be detached and distant, or jittery and nervous, or optimistic and a little bit silly! A person is still a person, even with their illness, and your character is the same.

A mentally ill character is NOT always an evil one! A lot of really wonderful people struggle with illnesses, and just because things are harder for them, or maybe they make a few more mistakes than someone who isn't mentally ill, but that doesn't mean that their intentions aren't good. Of course you CAN have evil characters that are mentally ill, but variation is key!

Illness comes in all shapes and sizes. The level of severity can differ DRASTICALLY, and it's important to recognize that. Try to avoid stereotypes! A character can be chronically depressed without cutting themselves, or moping around constantly. Also, think about medications! Is your character on any? Are they helping any of the symptoms? A lot of mentally ill people have medications that fit them so well, their symptoms barely bother them. 

Mentally ill people don't always know that they're mentally ill, and some are incapable of recognizing it. Even more, feel ashamed or embarrassed, and REALLY do not want to talk about them! This doesn't mean that their symptoms aren't there, though. Perhaps it's a secret that your character has been keeping? Even from themselves. People won't always accept their illnesses, either. Not every character is proud of being "crazy", and some characters don't even know that there's anything wrong in the first place!

There are a lot of types of illnesses out there. A LOT. Look around a bit! Find something that fits, and make sure that you know what you're talking about when you're acting out your character.

 I won't be able to do any sprite edits for a while, due to technical difficulties. I'm still open for advice! And if you send me a troll to re-sprite, I WILL get to them eventually!