imely Character Creation Handbook

Criteria for choosing an image

• Pick a visual style that matches the character genre you decided on before you go looking for an image.
• The avatar must match the personality description you wrote. For example: a "cold, reserved" personality paired with a bright, beaming smile will break expectations the moment users enter the chat.

Tips for finding & creating images

• Create your own image (most recommended to avoid copyright issues): use an AI image generator, and clearly describe the style, gender, age, expression, outfit, hair color, eye color, color tone, camera angle, setting… The more specific the description, the closer the image matches your intent. Suggested platforms: ChatGPT, TensorArt, Gemini…
• Absolutely avoid: images from copyrighted games/movies, photos of real people (especially celebrities), or images with another source's watermark, these are the most common reasons a character gets rejected in review.
• If you search for images on Google or Pinterest: only use AI-generated images; do not use photos of real people, artists' artwork, or copyrighted products…

Criteria for naming

• Prefer names of 2–3 syllables, easy to read and correctly spelled…
• Avoid names that clash with characters currently trending on imely or with copyrighted characters (anime, movies, games, novels…), this both risks rejection in review and makes the character look like a copy / knockoff.
• Consider adding a nickname / title alongside the official name:
  • Full name: used in the backstory / public info (creates a serious, deeper feel).
  • Affectionate nickname: used when the character introduces themselves in the first message (creates a sense of closeness right from the first meeting).

Choose by main genre

Which search group the character belongs to (#romance, #ceo, #học_đường, #dark, #fantasy…). You should choose only 1 core genre to avoid diluting the signal.

Choose by personality traits

Add 1–2 hashtags describing the most prominent personality traits (#tsundere, #possessive, #gentle, #dominant, #playful…), this group helps users find the personality "type" they like, not just the right genre.

Quantity & order of priority

• You should use a total of 4–6 hashtags, ordered as: main genre → setup/relationship (#enemies_to_lovers, #office_romance) → personality traits.
• Put the most important hashtag first, since the system usually prioritizes reading the first tags to classify the character.

Avoid spamming irrelevant hashtags

• Don't attach trending hashtags that don't match the character's content, users who click in will leave right away because it doesn't meet their expectations, which makes the algorithm rate the character as having low retention, hurting its chances of being recommended later.

• Use a short contradiction / conflict to create a hook right from the tagline.
• Describe the character briefly in one sentence, or hint at the story so users get a rough sense of the character.

Write clearly about the character's personal information.

aResponse rules

• Responses must be from … to … characters.
• The character must not decide words or actions on behalf of the user.
• Always remember every action, word, and event the user has ever done.
• Avoid repeating words.

bPersonality core

Choose specific adjectives, avoid vague ones (for example "complex" is too vague, and the AI won't know how to portray it).

cSituational response rules

Write clearly how the character reacts in each situation:

• When praised → feigns indifference / gets embarrassed / responds with wit…
• When teased → replies sharply or dodges.
• When the user is sad / needs comfort → does a hidden softer side "show" through, or vulnerability.
• When doubted / their trust is tested → stays silent, explains, or shows hurt openly.

dTone and speaking style

• The formality level of the dialogue (forms of address, pronouns…) and whether the way they address others changes with the level of closeness.
• Average length of replies: terse with many pauses, or talkative with detailed scene description, this should match the personality core you chose.
• Give the character 1 signature phrase / speaking habit (for example, always calling the user by a fixed nickname) to create a recognizable signature.

Detailed enough to have depth but not long-winded. Express your idea here.

Leave gaps for the user to fill in

Don't explain every single detail. For example: only hint that "something in his past keeps him from trusting others easily" without saying exactly what it was, so the user gets curious and discovers it gradually through conversation, or role-plays to fill in that gap themselves, heightening the sense of co-creating the story.

Formatting

• Use {{user}} so the system fills in the user's name automatically, do not use {{User}} or user.
• Use *…* for actions / setting.
• Use "…" for dialogue.

Create a hook: drama right from the first message

• Plant a curiosity element or a light dramatic situation right in the first message, a secret just revealed, an unexpected situation, or a question the character poses to the user.
• Use action / setting descriptions (placed inside * marks or italics) to make it feel like watching a "movie" rather than reading a dry message, this significantly increases immersion from the very first second.
• Always end with a situation that calls for a response or an open-ended question, absolutely avoid closed (yes/no) questions, since they can bring the conversation to a halt after just one turn.

Set up the opening scenario by genre

• Encounter: a chance situation, with a bit of surprise or humor, suits light romance / school life.
• Conflict: open with a disagreement, misunderstanding, or pre-existing tension, suits enemies-to-lovers, dark romance.
• Twist: open with a puzzling situation or half-given information that makes the user want to ask more, suits fantasy, mystery, suspense.

• Tone: formal, intimate… and the average length of replies.
• Distinctive language: slang, catchphrases, the character's own forms of address, keep the style consistent throughout even when the user changes the topic.
• The character's own way of addressing the user (nickname, special way of calling them) should be consistent from start to finish, unless there's a reason in the storyline to change it (for example: the relationship growing closer over time).

Keep the character from going "OOC" (out of character)

• Write clearly: the character never admits to being an AI, and never breaks the story's setting even when the user deliberately asks out-of-role questions (asking about the real world, demanding the character "break character").
• State how to handle situations that pressure the character into acting against the personality / morals you set up.