> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.onlyvibe.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create Your AI Character

> Step-by-step guide to building an AI character that fans love chatting with

The character creation wizard walks you through every detail of your AI companion — from visual style to personality. A well-crafted character earns more, ranks higher, and builds a loyal fanbase.

## The Creation Wizard

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose a Style">
    Pick between **Realistic** and **Anime**. This determines the visual generation model used for your character's avatar and all future selfies.

    | Style     | Best For                                                 |
    | --------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Realistic | Photorealistic portraits, influencer-style characters    |
    | Anime     | Illustrated characters, fantasy personas, stylized looks |

    <Tip>
      Realistic characters tend to perform better in the discover feed for romantic/dating niches. Anime excels in fantasy, roleplay, and fandom-adjacent audiences.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Define the Look">
    Set your character's core physical attributes:

    * **Gender** — Female, Male, or Trans
    * **Ethnicity** — Describes skin tone and facial features for generation
    * **Age** — 18 to 55. This affects the character's appearance and how they communicate
    * **Eye Color** — Used in avatar generation and selfie consistency

    <Warning>
      All characters must be 18 or older. There are no exceptions to this rule.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Hair">
    Choose **hair style** and **hair color**. These details are baked into every image your character generates, so pick something distinctive.

    Good combinations that stand out in thumbnails:

    * Platinum blonde + messy bun
    * Black + long straight
    * Red + wavy shoulder-length
    * Pink + short pixie (anime)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Body Type">
    Select a body type descriptor. This affects how your character appears in full-body selfies and image generations. Be specific — "athletic" and "curvy" produce very different results.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Vibe Scores (Auto-Generated)">
    Once you finalize your character, our AI content analysis engine automatically generates three **vibe scores** on a 0-100 scale:

    * **Heat** — Romantic and sexual intensity
    * **Edge** — Boldness and boundary-pushing
    * **Heart** — Warmth and emotional connection

    These scores are calculated from your personality traits, backstory, and avatar — and they drive discoverability on the discover page. See [Vibe Scores](/ai/vibe-scores) for details.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Personality & Backstory">
    This is where your character comes alive. Pick up to 5 personality traits from the 21 available options, write a backstory, and set communication and voice styles.

    This step has the biggest impact on chat quality and user retention. See [Personality Design](/ai/personality-design) for detailed guidance.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Preview & Publish">
    Generate a preview avatar (up to 3 per hour), review everything, and choose whether to publish immediately or save as a draft.

    You can also upload a **reference image** to guide the AI's generation — it will create a new, unique face inspired by the reference without copying it directly.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Naming Your Character

Your character's name is the first thing users see. It becomes part of the URL slug and appears in search results.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Good Names" icon="check">
    * Memorable and unique: "Aria", "Kai", "Luna Voss"
    * Easy to type and search
    * Fits the character's personality
  </Card>

  <Card title="Avoid" icon="xmark">
    * Generic names: "AI Girlfriend", "Chat Bot"
    * Names with special characters
    * Extremely long names (60 char max in slug)
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Reference Images

You can upload a reference image to influence your character's generated avatar. The AI uses it as style guidance — it will not copy the face directly.

<Info>
  Reference images are stored privately and never shown to other users. They only influence the initial avatar generation.
</Info>

**Best reference images:**

* Clear, well-lit face photos
* Single person in frame
* Consistent with the style you selected (photo for realistic, illustration for anime)

## Common Mistakes

<Warning>
  **Skipping the backstory.** Characters without backstories feel generic. Even 2-3 sentences about who they are and what they want gives the AI enough to create engaging, consistent conversations.
</Warning>

* **Contradictory personality signals** — Mixing "gentle, calm" traits with a hyper-sexual backstory produces confusing vibe scores. Design with a clear direction.
* **Too many personality traits** — 3-4 well-chosen traits produce better results than all 21. Conflicting traits (e.g., "calm" + "energetic") confuse the AI.
* **Ignoring communication style** — This controls how your character actually writes. "Casual and flirty with lots of abbreviations" produces very different chats than "eloquent and poetic."
* **Not generating a preview** — Your avatar is the thumbnail in every feed. Take the time to generate one you're happy with.

## After Creation

Once your character exists, you can:

* **Edit any field** at any time from your creator dashboard
* **Toggle public/private** — making a character public submits it for review
* **Add tags** for better discoverability (up to 10)
* **Set NSFW level** — sfw, suggestive, or explicit
* **Enable premium content** with unlock pricing
* **[Add a voice](/ai/voice-messages)** for voice message support

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Personality Design" icon="brain" href="/ai/personality-design">
    Combine the 21 traits and a backstory into a coherent, engaging character.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Vibe Scores" icon="gauge" href="/ai/vibe-scores">
    Understand how Heat, Edge, and Heart are scored and how to shape them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Voice Messages" icon="waveform" href="/ai/voice-messages">
    Give your character a voice so fans can unlock spoken replies.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Publishing & Discoverability" icon="rocket" href="/ai/publishing">
    Submit for review and learn how the discover algorithm ranks you.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>