Originally published at: https://shanniiwrites.com/2019/02/04/should-you-make-your-main-character-customisable/
So you’re thinking of writing a story for Episode. But should you include customisation or not?
15 Likes
I don’t think so
I would most likely going to put an option to change your hair & change lipstick but that’s all.
Because like if the MC has LOT of families member i would be in such a hot mess
4 Likes
This is definitely an interesting article.
My story has an original character. Her name, ethnicity, likes/dislikes, and personality are non-negotiable. However, I did included full CC for those readers who want to change a little something, or who absolutely will not read a story if it doesn’t have CC (and therefore may miss out on some great stories). BUT… I did include a disclaimer at the very beginning of the CC template.
You may give her any look you like. However, Emilianna is Lebanese.
So, no matter what look you decide to give her, Emilianna is still a Lebanese-American young adult who is proud of her heritage and absolutely loves her country’s cuisine.
I let readers make choices as to how she reacts in certain circumstances, which can help her gain or lose points in different aspects of her life. But she still has a very defined personality.
6 Likes
I like cc but sometimes i just won’t change anything because i’m way too lazy but ultimately i don’t mind but i will say this
You will probably get more reads if u add cc
A lot of readers like it.
4 Likes
I read this as ‘should you make make your character circumcisable’
What is wrong with me-
4 Likes
If you have a mental image of your character, don’t.
I personally will NEVER add cc because it ruins my character both looks and ethnicity wise. Most of my MC’s are POC or have a very specific design, like my polish and icelandic characters, and I don’t wanna recieve screenshots where people make my character go from this:
To this:
8 Likes
Next blog post title 
4 Likes
I agree, but I’m also a money-grabber, so I make them spend gems to do it
7 Likes
I figure that if they’re gonna beg me to let them CC my characters, I might as well charge them for it! I mean, then at least it will encourage some people to keep the character the same
5 Likes
I don’t think it’s mandatory personally. When you’re reading the book you can’t change the way the MC looks plus if you have your MC look a certain way it can contribute more to the plot.
6 Likes
I know that @Talu managed to strike this balance, interestingly! In Stray Heart, the MC is completely customisable except that you have to keep the hair blonde. Her hair colour is used to refer to her frequently throughout the story
9 Likes
I personally wouldn’t mind if there isn’t customisation in a story =D
Besides, a lot of stories have art scenes in them throughout and it just looks weird if your Mc doesn’t match the one in the scene xP
5 Likes
Yeah from experience, it’s a lot of work to code it so that people who used CC options don’t get to see the art scenes.
5 Likes
Yeah I noticed this 
Tbh if I were to ever put in the amount of effort it takes to make a story, I’d have cc but limited xP
So there’s some choice, but it’s not too far from my original image of the mc :3
Cheesus
I admit Im guilty of doing this a few times ;-;
At first I wanted ME to experience the story xP
But now I don’t mind lol Im also too lazy to use cc
Ohhh I’ve never thought of it this way :0
In most of the stories I read the author just lets the reader know that if they do use cc, it may not be similar to the art scenes qwq
6 Likes
Haha thanks. I still got enough complaints that in the end I let people change her hair and I just still call her blonde 
8 Likes
People complain about everything
5 Likes
People… smh >.<
2 Likes
I have no problems with customization, but when the parents/art scenes/overlays don’t match the way a character looks (like if I want the MC to be black), that’s what upsets me. Limited customization is best and it’s easier to code than full customization where you have to add 6 new hairstyles every week, haha.
3 Likes
If you have specific overlays with skin tones and stuff…no
2 Likes