howto:tag characters

This wiki serves as a guide to creating and formatting a character tag. The information presented here may be incomplete.

For a more general concept of tag categories, see e621:tag_types.

Creating character tags

These are the methods for turning a tag into a character tag.

Method #1 (for new tags)

This method should be used when creating a new character tag.
If a tag has already been used or has posts in it, this method will fail and the other method should be used instead.

  • Add character: followed by the name of the character (in lowercase English alphabets) before adding it into a post. For example, character:my_character's_name.
  • Note: Names not written in the English script, such as foreign names written in non-ASCII characters, are not supported and will typically require transliteration. Please approach the Forum and ask for support if needed.
Method #2 (for existing tags)

This method should be used for existing tags that do not have the correct tag category.

  • 1) Add the tag to the post like usual. The site will not allow you to change the tag type until it has been used once.
  • 2) From the tag list on the left, select the ? next to the tag you want to turn into a character tag. This will bring you to a wiki page. Alternatively, you can search for the tag in the Tags page as well.
  • 3) From the wiki page, select Edit Tag Type from the menu bar on the top of the page.
  • 4) Select the Character option from the dropdown menu and press Submit.
  • Note: This method will not be available for tags with over 100 posts. You will need to submit a request to change the tag's category in that case.

Be careful when changing the type of a tag that already exists. If the tag or name is already being used for something else, view the "Formatting character tags" section below for further instructions.

Formatting character tags

These are recommended guidelines to how a character tag should be named and formatted.

In general, a character tag may simply be added in without using any additional titles or suffixes. For example, esix and hexerade are the character tags for the site's mascots.
However, a suffix should be used if the character's name is a common name or shared by more than one character or tag. For example, wolf_(star_fox) and wolf_(lol).

To see if a name is shared by others, you can go to the Posts page and check using the search bar's autocomplete feature.
For example, you can type in loona on the search bar without pressing search to see a short list of the most popular tags that start with "loona", including other character tags that share the same name.
Alternatively, you can also search the character's name in the Tags page, which supports wildcards (*). Searching loona* will show you the full list of tags starting with "loona".

Proper formats

By order of preference:

  • full_name - Unique single-worded name or the character's full name, without suffixes.
  • name_(<copyright>) - Name with a suffix of the copyright's name. Preferred when the character's name is common and the character is from a popular media franchise or copyright.
  • name_(<character_owner>) - Name with a suffix of the character owner's name. Preferred when the character's name is common and shared between other characters.
  • name_(character) - Name with just a simple "character" suffix. Only used when a character's name is the same as another tag from a different tag category, such as the artist tag or copyright tag of the owner who owns them.
  • name_the_<species> - Name with species suffix. Only used sparingly for practical or aesthetic reasons.
    • For example, sonic_the_hedgehog looks cleaner as compared to sonic_(sonic_the_hedgehog).
    • Note: This format should generally be avoided if the above formats are available, due to possible instances of cosplay or alternate_species that goes against the character's name.
  • name_the_<species>_(<character_owner>/<copyright>) - Name with species and character owner or copyright suffix. Only used rarely for instances where the owner has two or more characters with the same name.
    • Note: This format should generally be avoided if the above formats are available.
Bad formats

The following examples are considered as improper and should not be used:

  • jessicarabbit - Improper spacing. Use an underscore (_) to put spaces between names.
  • jessica(character) - Improper spacing. Tags should always contain an underscore to separate the name from the suffix.
  • character_jessica - Improper categorisation. Please read the "Creating character tags" section above to learn how to change a tag's category properly.
  • jessica_(rabbit) or jessica_(the_rabbit) - Improper formatting. See above for the proper formatting.
  • jessica_rabbit_the_rabbit_(who_framed_roger_rabbit)_(disney) - Improper suffixes. Do not double-up on unnecessary suffixes and do strictly follow the proper formatting above.
  • name_(fursona), name_(sona), or name_(oc) - Improper suffixes. These do not add information that is useful for searching, only use the proper suffixes as listed above.

Common problems

Sometimes, you may encounter complications while tagging. Don't sweat it! Your issue may be listed below!

I do not know the character name

This artist drew a character that does not seem to have a name that I can find or remember.

Q. Is the artwork a commission, YCH, or art trade?

If yes, the artist may not own the character. Follow the source information if available to identify the likely owner.

Q. Are you confident that this character has a name?

The character_request tag can be added onto the post, during instances where you are unable to find the character's name but it is most likely identifiable by other users or through some additional digging.

Q. Do you believe this character does not have a name?

There are a few tagging options to choose from.

a. Does this character seem to be someone's character or persona/fursona? If so, use <character_owner>_(character), or <character_owner>_(<character_owner>) if the former is too vague.

b. If not, use one of these tags:

  • anonymous_character - A character that the artist drew to fill a certain role in an image, and is unlikely to end up as a recurring design. These characters do not need their own character tags. These characters should be more detailed than the feature minimal anon designs.
  • nameless_character - A character is being used more than a few times, especially if by multiple artists. The character itself can be tagged using the species name as an identifier.

Examples: unnamed_cat_(<character_owner>), pink_dog_(<character_owner>).

  • unknown_character - It is unlikely that this character's name will be resolved, but there is a slight possibility they have, or will have a name.

Leaving it untagged is always an option if you really don't know who it is.

I know the character name

Very common names or terms often get disambiguated. If your character name has a very simple name, it is highly encouraged for you include a suffix of the character owner or copyright's name .

Recommended format: name_(<character_owner>)

Avoiding tag duplication
  • Check for an existing tag.

Some characters will already have a suffix. The autocomplete will help here.

  • Not all character tags require a suffix, but it is a good practice. It all depends on uniqueness.

The character name is vague, but I do not know the owner.

  • Use the disambiguation tag if it cannot be avoided. Do not use a tag you know is being used by another character, artist, or subject. Using name_(unknown_owner) is probably better than borrowing an existing tag.
  • The species of the character can be used as a defining suffix, but this practice should be avoided, and never be used if a unique name can be found some other way.

If all else fails, putting the character name in the image description is an option.

Search techniques

Identifying character names
  • Check the sources. Artists tend to credit the character owner or commissioner or mention the character's name on the description or in the post's tags.
  • Dig deeper through the sources. Check the character owner or commissioner's profiles to see if they have similar artworks featuring the character which may reveal their names.
Identifying existing character tags
  • Do a wildcard search in the Posts page and look for similar-looking characters.

Example: You have a character named simply as "Ruby" with an unknown or unspecified owner. Here is what you can do.

Searching for ruby_* will find characters (and artists, copyrights, etc.) tagged as ruby_<something>. If you know the species, that's even better as searching for ruby_* cat will show you all posts tagged with a character named Ruby that also features a cat character.

Alternatively, you may also try searching for ruby* or ruby_* in the Tags page to see all characters that are named Ruby and comb through them manually.

Fan characters

A fan_character, also known as an original character (OC) is a character designed for, or drawn in the style of an existing copyright, but is not an official part of that copyright.
You may include fan_character into your search alongside the copyright of the franchise to improve your searches.