Names are one of the most key things to think about when it comes to an FMA character or indeed any character, besides appearance this will be one of the things that your OC will be recognized as. So it's highly important
Things to avoid
Before I cover choosing what to name your OCs I'll cover the type of names its usually best to try to avoid. Coming up with a name using this guide only to reach the end of it and discover that the name is considered sueish would suck so I'll be covering this first.
If you already have a name for your OC and its fits in one of this "best to avoid" categories there will be some techni
FMA OC Guidebook: Alchemy by tansyuduri, literature
Literature
FMA OC Guidebook: Alchemy
FMA OC Guidebook: Alchemy
So exactly how does alchemy work in fma?
Well.. After analyzing the hell out of almost every instance of its use I could possibly remember and then doing hours more research. (Is it normal for me to have this much of an obsession? Yeah... I don't think soo ANYHOO ) I finally am ready to put together my guidebook result of what I have learned. This is still a work in progress so bear with me (g-d help me make this good)
How Alchemy Works
Ok, the first thing to understand is that alchemy is a science; this is what differentiates it from magic. This is why it's so much of a skill to learn.
What is actual
Tips for Learning to Draw a Certain Anime Style by tansyuduri, literature
Literature
Tips for Learning to Draw a Certain Anime Style
A Few Tips For Learning to Draw a Certain Anime or Cartoon Style For The Not So Amazingly Naturally Gifted Artist
Trace some official art! Just dont put it on DA
This gets you used to the style
Bases are your friend if used right!
First make sure you find a good well proportioned etc. base. (For the style you are trying to replicate) now instead of drawing all over it print it out (if you draw better traditionally even if you want to color it digitally later) or open it in your digital art program.
Now trace over the base! Then you can add your stuff to the traced base. (look up a few tutorials on drawing hair and clothing first) No
The FMA OC Guidebook: Chimera by tansyuduri, literature
Literature
The FMA OC Guidebook: Chimera
The FMA OC Guidebook: Chimera
Ok first thing I'm going to say to you if your making a chimera is Please Please PLEASE do not add animal ears and a tail and call it done, PLEASE look at the chimera you see in FMA? How many of them have just animal ears and a tail?
Also, something to bear in mind if you insist on adding animal ears at all, No chordate animal has two pairs of ears. In FMA you want to be realistic as you can. Alchemy is a science after all, and its based on real science. (more about this in my guide to alchemy) Anyway the point is; do not add animal ears as well as keeping human ones!
If you absolutely MUST add a tail, despite
FMA OC Guidebook: OC Design by tansyuduri, literature
Literature
FMA OC Guidebook: OC Design
The FMA OC Guidebook: Character Design
Ok FMA art and style is really frustrating in the fact that theirs always a freaking exception! Any rule you make, any! Its always like "but oh! So and so has..." yea-no. Is is to much to ask for a little conformity here? Realy!?
Ok that rant put aside...
THERE ARE SOME EXEPTIONS TO ALMOST EVERY "RULE" I PUT DOWN HERE
So technically yes, you could give your OC bright purple hair with a pink fringe, but bear in mind that that will look very out of place in the FMA world. So there's just one thing for you to bear in mind when breaking these rules: Subtlety. The broken rule should fit in with the rest
The OC Guidebook: OC X Cannon
Ok first of all some advice nobody is going to listen to but I'll add anyway. Then I'll get to the rest
OCXCannon Is EXTREMLY difficult to pull off especially with any of the major characters. So as a general rule of thumb unless you are an amazing and experienced writer DON'T DO IT!
If you are going to do it DO NOT PAIR YOUR OC WITH A CANNON CHARACTER YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON! Trust me people can tell. This tends to skew up your prospective and make you make the cannon character act in very out of character ways.
That said I know people aren't going to listen so lets begin:
If you are going to do ocXcannon ther
FMA OC Age-Birthday Calculator by Henpukumaru, literature
Literature
FMA OC Age-Birthday Calculator
CALCULATING YOUR FMA OC's AGE/BIRTH INFO IN RELATION TO THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST
Hey everybody, Henpukumaru here! Have you ever had trouble trying to figure out the birth year or day that your FMA-related OC should have in order for it to make sense with the story's plot? Well, this tutorial is designed to help you find all that out quickly and easily.
Before we start, keep in mind how old you would like your OC to be during the main events of the plot. To help you picture things a bit easier, I'm going to use one of my OCs to illustrate the steps as we go along. His name is Wallace.
STEP 1: Establish the birth year
Okay. I have already de