The Template:
One of the first rules in creating a fancharacter is to always outdo the official characters in description. Provide a lot 更多 information and statistics than what is commonly offered in the bios of the official characters. (Which in the case of Sonic the Hedgehog isn't much, luckily.) This makes your fancharacter interesting. So what I am first going to offer is a very suitable template of information fields to fill out for your creation. 你 will notice that there are quite a lot of fields to fill information in. Doing this descriptively and originally is the key to making a good fancharacter. If 你 are a member of the Technboguild's messageboard, you'll probably notice this is the template used as an example for Sonic characters in the Character Bio section. This is indeed the one, and the original template layout was done 由 Jer, an original member of Concept: "Mobius". Now without further ado, I present the template:
Is this character based on Sonic Team's 或者 Archie's portrayal of Sonic the Hedgehog?
Character Image (if available):
Name:
Nicknames:
Age:
Species:
Gender:
Height:
Weight:
IQ:
Marital Status:
DOB:
Birth Place:
Residence:
Occupation:
Social Class:
Economic Class:
Alignment:
最佳, 返回页首 Speed:
Basic Stats (added numbers cannot exceed 40)
Agility -
Speed -
Strength -
Defense -
Evasiveness -
Dexterity -
Intelligence -
Skill -
Special Attacks:
Abilities & Aptitude:
Hobbies & Talents:
Weaknesses: These do no include weaknesses already mention in Basic Stats
Personal facts
Friends:
Rivals:
Enemies:
Known relatives:
Likes/Favorite activities:
Dislikes/Least 最喜爱的 activities:
Gourmet of choice:
Beverages of choice:
最喜爱的 color(s):
Personality:
Physical Appearance
Color:
Skin Color (i.e. muzzle, arms):
Eye Color:
Hair/Quill Style:
Nose:
Ears:
Tail:
Other bodily features:
Attire:
Items & Weapons:
Vehicles:
Themesong:
Back Story:
It may not look that big when it is empty, but if it is filled with descriptive information, then it can make a quite extensive document. Most people who make fancharacters would never have dreamed of having to fill out this much information. But for those who put enough effort into their fancharacters to do so usually make masterpieces. But it's not so much filling out the fields with a lot of info as much as filling them in with the right info. 你 need to think originally and 你 need to think realistically and in the bounds of the Sonic Universe. So now, I am going to give tips for what to put in each field. These tips do not assume your character is a robot:
Tips for your fancharacter:
Is this character based on Sonic Team's 或者 Archie's portrayal of Sonic the Hedgehog? This is pretty self-explanatory. Is your character based on Sonic Team's portrayal of Sonic the Hedgehog 或者 Archie's? If your character is Archie-inspired, the guidelines are much 更多 loose since Archie has done a whole lot 更多 with their characters and has jumped many boundaries unheard of in the game continuity. However, if your character is inspired 由 the games, which is what most are based off of, then 你 got some strict guidelines to follow.
Character Image (if available): An image of your character can be critical in measuring their originality. If your character's depiction does not conform to the anatomy, size proportions, and 总体, 整体 feel of a Sonic character, then it should be discarded and not included in your final 个人资料 draft. Some people use human figure-esque anthropomorph pictures for their Sonic characters. That's lame, see? Sonic characters aren't shaped much like humans. Sonic characters have large heads, feet, hands, no visible neck, wiry; spaghetti-like limbs (however, the legs seem to have a 更多 noticeable angular bend at the knees than the arms do), and a generally small body (for the compact ones like Sonic). Very, VERY general anatomy and the bipedal form are the only things they have in common with humans. So if 你 have a character image, make sure that it is not only very impressively-drawn, but also make sure it conforms to the Sonic-style anatomy.
Name: Picking a name for your creation can sometimes be difficult. For others, it just hits them out of nowhere. (I usually conjure up a name during the initial 'imagination' phase of creating a fancharacter when I'm still thinking them up.) But then there are those who have trouble with it. First, 你 must take into account the names of Sonic characters. Sonic characters' names seem to be no 更多 than actual words and nouns. Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Blaze, Shadow, Bean, Bark, Vector… there are no actual human names like Daniel, Robert, William, Jerry, 或者 anything like that. Amy is the only exception, so your options might just be a little 更多 loose with girls. Just make sure not to make them too realistic 由 naming your Sonic character Victoria 或者 Joanne 或者 something. Changing those names to a much 更多 simple, yet cool shortened version works, however. Vicky and Jo. See? Pretty good Sonic names with a hint of realism.
Back in the day, Sonic characters were named to somehow emphasize their abilities. Sonic, since he runs fast. Tails, since he has two tails. Knuckles to 显示 his pointed knuckles. Even Eggman was named to showcase his egg-shaped physique. Fancharacters are notorious for having Sonic-like names that do not emphasize their abilities at all. In fact, when Blaze first came out, many thought she was just a stupid fancharacter gone in the spotlight because of her name and fancharacter-ish appearance… even though that doesn't make sense, since her appearance is actually original. But then later, her name revealed to be true to her ability since she can apparently control fire.
So remember, when naming your Sonic fancharacter, make sure to use a real word 或者 noun that fits their abilities 或者 personalities. If 你 insist on using real names, try to make them as short and cool-sounding as 你 can. 你 can also make up a totally original name, but it takes some thought since it can end up sounding silly.
As for surnames, 你 can use them as well. And your boundaries are unlimited with surnames. Just avoid making the surname the same thing as the character's species. "Hedgehog" is not Sonic's last name.
And then there are those 粉丝 who give their fancharacters Japanese names. Look, for those of 你 who do that… I am sure you're quite proud that 你 managed to 谷歌 up an archive of Japanese names and surnames, but giving them to your Sonic character without full knowledge of the culture 你 are obviously trying perpetuate through him/her is basically an insult to the Japanese culture. Not to mention, it is insanely cliché and unoriginal. So unless your character is meant to express the culture inside and out, don't give your character some badass Japanese name that 你 don't even fully understand. It makes a fool out of you, and everyone will hate 你 for it.
Nicknames: Nicknames, for the most part, are your call. Most nicknames can be morphed versions of the character's real name, 或者 can be totally different names that express personality traits of the character 或者 their abilities. I.E., a character with electric elemental abilities would have a nickname such as Sparky 或者 Zap-head 或者 something along those lines. However, don't think I am encouraging 你 to make an electric elemental character. Elemental adepts are overused.
Age: Age is your call. Just make sure the age accomodates the characters gimmick and personality.
Race: Race (AKA species for anthros) is extremely important to your Sonic character. Try to think outside the box on this, even if it means having to choose a species that doesn't happen to be your 最喜爱的 animal. My 最喜爱的 animal before I made my character, Teck, was a cheetah. But I instead made Teck a porcupine (he is an ooold character, back when porcupines were actually rare in the fancharacter base).
Try your best to avoid species commonly seen in the games, ESPECIALLY hedgehogs. 你 can bet your left leg that 75% of Sonic fancharacters are hedgehogs. They are easy to design, variable, and quite hardy… but in the end, very unoriginal. They are too common. Foxes are also becoming progressively common because of the increasing number of Tails fans, so stay away from those too. And unless your fancharacter is based off of Archie, do not make it an echidna. Knuckles is the last of his race in the game continuity, and 你 should make it stay that way.
Other commonly used species include cats, wolves, hybrids, and porcupines. A note on porcupines: don't make your character a porcupine just so 你 have an excuse to give your character quills and look like a hedgehog without actually being a hedgehog. That's how most porcupines are used. Porcupines are NOT hedgehogs. They aren't even in the same animal kingdom order. Hedgehogs are not rodents like porcupines are. If 你 want to use a porcupine, make the character LOOK the part, instead of like a hedgehog 或者 echidna with 更多 quills. THINK.
Gender: The gender is your call. Male 或者 female, 或者 neither (in case your character is asexual 或者 is a robot). Just try to make the gender fit the race and personality. Female characters should be smaller and petite animals. It's kind of weird to imagine a female 鳄鱼 character, although it is possible and original. I've seen it done. Also, there is no need to secure your sexuality 由 staying away from creating a fancharacter that happens to be the opposite sex. Don't let that stop 你 from making an original character, even if it is a boy and you're a girl 或者 vice versa. Nobody really cares. In fact, my female character, Zenith, is probably my most 流行的 one.
Height: The height depends entirely on the race and age. If your character is a compact animal that is no taller than a foot and is no longer than two feet tops (i.e. foxes, house cats, small dogs, porcupines, shrews, hedgehogs, mice, rabbits, etc., etc), then your character's height should not exceed 4 and a half feet if they are over 20 years of age. 20 and under would be even shorter. But for much larger 动物 like crocodiles (ala Vector), elephants, giraffes, rhinos, dinosaurs, komodo dragons, livestock, etc., etc., then the character's height should be no taller than 7 feet. Remember, just use the official characters for reference. Sonic characters are naturally SHORT.
Weight: Weight is very diverse with Sonic characters. If they are big, they should weigh a lot. Vector is obviously not fat, but he is nearly 6 feet tall, and he weighs 200 kilograms. That's a lot of weight. But Sonic only weighs a mere 77 lbs, which is still kinda heavy for something as slim and compact as him. Just make sure to make the weight fit in with the height, age, and race. Since weight is such a variable statistic, NEVER copy from official characters unless there is no other alternative.
IQ: The IQ here is one of the unusual fields in this template. I'm sure an IQ is something 你 never thought you'd have to decide for your fancharacter. But here is a rule of thumb: the 更多 information, the BETTER. The IQ is pretty much your call, but make sure not to go overboard. 300 或者 above is unfair: Eggman is supposed to be the smartest. If 你 want your character to be intelligent, make him intelligent in other things not commonly seen in the games.
ALWAYS make sure 你 have the intelligence and knowledge to back your character's expertise up. It would just be plain dumb for some illiterate idiot to make a fancharacter with a knack for physics, right? Especially when he uses that fancharacter in fanfics/comics/RPGs a lot, and has the character use his 'expertise' in physics. Because most of the time, the creator doesn't know WTF he is talking about, making both him and his/her fancharacter look stupid.
Always try to make your fancharacter as about as intelligent as 你 are. Your intellect should 帽 your fancharacter's. Because if your fancharacter is real intelligent, others will expect him to be that way, thus you'd need to be real intelligent as well. Here is a good scale of realistic IQs that I lazily googled up. Remember, Eggman's is unique: 300 is literally impossible, except for him.
Below 30: Illiterate; basically retarded
30-50: Pretty stupid; education level is about 1st 或者 2nd grade
50-60: Capable of executing only simple tasks
60-74: Forest Gump's IQ was 75, so 你 get the picture
75-89: Below average; 8th-12th grade education level
90-100: RIGHT below average: high school graduation education level
100-115: Average intelligence
111-125: Slightly above average intellect, easily capable of a Master's Degree
126-132: Above average intelligence: capable of being a college professor
133-140: Quite intelligent, no limitations on career potentiality
141- 150: Highly intelligent: capable of being a gifted physics/math professor
151 -160: Extremely intelligent: Nicolaus Copernicus' IQ was around this area
160-220: Maximized intelligence statistic: Einstein, Shakespeare, Newton. These are 1 in a million
Again, make sure your character's IQ matches your literacy and knowledge on things. That way, if 你 express your character's intellect a lot, whether it be through an RPG, his role in a fanfic 或者 comic, 或者 由 other means, 你 won't come off like a complete dumbass since your character will be knowledgeable in things 你 can relate to.
Marital Status: Is your character married, 或者 perhaps hooked up with a girl/guy, 或者 single?
DOB: 日期 of Birth… since the 年 in the games is unknown, do not 列表 the 年 the character was born. 月 and 日 do fine. But if your character is Archie-inspired, look into what 年 it is in the comic 图书 and then do the math.
Birth Place: Where was your character born? If 你 insist on making up a location, try to be as creative as 你 can. Otherwise, use an official location such as South Island, Westside Island, Capital City, Station Square (unless 你 believe Sonic X is canon and your character isn't human), 或者 a zone.
Residence: The residence is where your character currently resides. Doesn't have to be the birthplace. Try to think of an actual place instead of making your character a wanderer 或者 some mysterious shadowy figure. That's lame and stupid.
Occupation: An occupation is not a 'wanderer' 或者 'loner.' Unless your character gets paid for wandering and being alone, then it isn't a freakin' occupation. An occupation is an actual JOB where the character seeks revenue.
Social Class: Another definition for social class is what type of clique your character fits into. Prep, goth, wasp, yuppie, hardcore vigilante, loner, average joe? 你 decide.
Economic Class: Economic class comes in three sects: the lower class, the middle class, and the upper class. 你 can divide them a bit 更多 to assert technicality 由 saying upper-lower class, 或者 mid-upper class, but 你 get the point. If your character has no money and is financially-challenged, he/she is lower class. If your character has enough to get by, he/she is middle-class. 由 now, 你 should know that upper class is self-explanatory.
Alignment: Does your character exhibit a righteous, vigilant state of mind, an immoral, power-driven state of mind, 或者 is he unconcerned and indifferent? Escape the trend and try making a baddie 或者 at least an anti-hero 或者 indifferent character.
最佳, 返回页首 Speed: 最佳, 返回页首 speed is a subject of 辩论 for anthro Sonic fancharacters. Whatever 你 do, never make your character as fast as 或者 faster than Sonic/Shadow. Sonic/Shadow are the fastest Sonic characters, and it shall STAY that way. Making your character faster than Sonic is totally unoriginal and takes away from Sonic's fame and thunder.
"But in the games, all the characters are very fast and can run through loops and mobius strip obstacles!" Yes, I'm sure you're saying that to yourself. But does that mean they can zoom way over 760 MPH like Sonic? No, it doesn't.
The thing with most fans, including myself at one point, is that they underestimate the power of speed. A roller coaster can pull off loops and mobius strip-like turns at a mere (in comparison to the 400+ MPH commonly associated with Sonic characters) 120 MPH. Who's to say Knuckles, Amy, Espio, etc., etc. aren't running at 120 MPH? 你 have no proof that Knuckles 或者 Rouge can blast up to 700 MPH. Take into account all of the speed-increasing things in Sonic games such as slopes and speed boosters, which can so much as double to quadruple the character speed, making it SEEM like they come off as naturally fast when they're really not. So I've made an update to the original speed scale to display your speed options for your fancharacter if 你 want them to be original…
- Slow Runner (10-40 MPH) (i.e. Fang, Bark, Big, Storm)
- Below Average Runner (45-80 MPH) (i.e. Tails [when running on feet], Vector)
- Average Runner (85-130 MPH) (i.e. Rouge, Knuckles, Wave)
- Above Average Runner (135-155 MPH) (i.e. Cream, Jet, Tails [when tails spin], Charmy, Mighty)
- High Speed Runner (160-175 MPH) (i.e. Espio, Amy)
- Gifted Runner (180 MPH and beyond) (i.e. Sonic, Tails [when in flight], Shadow)
The last one (Gifted Runner) should be off limits to your fancharacter. 180 MPH tops is plenty for your fancharacter to run through any basic Sonic game zone entirely without a problem. Most importantly, it makes Sonic's speed ability stand out all the more.
Basic Stats: 1 - lowest, 10 - highest (added numbers cannot exceed 40)
Agility -
Speed -
Strength -
Defense -
Evasiveness -
Dexterity -
Intelligence -
Battle skill -
The basic stats are pretty self-explanatory and are 更多 of a utility field to define what the character can and cannot do efficiently in battle. Make sure the Speed stat accomodates your character's 最佳, 返回页首 speed. Slow runner would be around 1-2, below average would be 2-3, average would be 4-6, above average would be 7-8, and a high speed runner would be a 9 或者 10. Otherwise, just 列表 the stats accordingly and make sure they match your character's strengths and weaknesses. Even everything out, and make sure the added numbers do not exceed 40.
Special Attacks: Special attacks are simple. Basically, 你 just 列表 your character's attacks. For example, Shadow's special attacks include the roll, spinball jump, spin dash, light speed dash, Chaos Spear, Chaos Control, Chaos Blast, etc., etc.
DEFAULT special attacks for pretty much any Sonic character include the roll and spinball jump. There aren't a lot of Sonic characters that can't do those two skills, so 你 can give your character the roll and spinball jump 由 default. The spindash is also a pretty common attack that is very learnable as well, but not as much as the spinball jump. I'd say the spindash is usable for your fancharacter if he/she is around Vector's 最佳, 返回页首 speed 或者 faster.
The homing attack is also negotiable for VERY fast characters, since the speedsters in Sonic 超能英雄 used it. Amy is the only exception. So, I'd say if your character is a High Speed Runner, 你 can use the homing attack too. Light Dash and Chaos Control are off limits. Your character using Chaos Control is basically ripping off of Shadow. In fact, using a bunch of Chaos Emerald-fueled abilities as a whole is basically ripping off of Shadow and is just your attempt to make your character look like some cheap and godly piece o' crap.
If 你 want to have some kind of power 来源 fuel your character's REAL special attacks, keep to the damn tradition and make it power rings. Do not involve the Chaos Emeralds, time stones, Chaos rings 或者 any of those things with your character's special attacks. Not even official characters use Chaos Emeralds to fuel their special attacks. Only Shadow does, and we all know Shadow is enough of a power trip as it is.
Abilities & Aptitude: Abilities and aptitude is where 你 列表 the special things your character can do naturally: what they were gifted with. Like, if your character has the power to control fire, 或者 is abnormally powerful 或者 has keen hearing/smelling/vision instincts, is a very good swimmer, etc., etc, this is where they would go. Basically, this is where Sonic's amazing speed ability would be listed.
If Sonic Team-inspired, try not to go Harry Potter here and use a bunch of magic 或者 elemental abilities. Blaze introduced elemental powers (control over fire) into the world of Sonic, but 你 gotta remember, she comes from an alternate world. So there is no proof there are any elemental characters on Sonic's world. Nobody is going to be impressed with your character's goofy ice/electric/fire/earth/wind 或者 water powers. It's overused. So don't bother.
If 你 are completely clueless as to what original abilities to give your character and you're desperate, never forget to look at your character's species. If 你 are using a 蜘蛛 character, there are a ton of abilities and aptitude right there: web-shooting, high agility, awesome climbing, etc., etc. The species can bestow upon the character quite a few abilities. However, don't go too crazy. Even though Sonic characters may be animals, they seem to be lacking of many of their species-given traits. Last time I checked, echidnas can't glide and climb. They can, however, dig very well. Also, remember not to borrow abilities and aptitude from official characters. Not only does that 显示 laziness, but it is also unoriginal.
On a very important note, don't forget the realism of your character's abilities. Realism is applied to special attacks as well, so listen up. If your character has unrealistic abilities, they also take away from originality. If your character is a 火, 消防 或者 electric adept, at least try to come up with a plausible scientific model on how they acquired those powers and how those powers work. Making your character use 邪恶力量 abilities is already a huge kill on realism in the first place, but 你 can save the realism a bit and completely save the originality if 你 give a very accurate solution on how the ability works and how it is scientifically sensible. Think with science and abide to the laws of physics, 或者 else your character is unoriginal AND unrealistic. The Sonic universe may be quite surreal, but physics is still applied.
Hobbies & Talents: This is easy. What are your character's hobbies and what is he/she talented at? Music? Math? Singing? Mechanics? Painting? Cooking? It could be anything. Things that would go in here also include some unique personal traits such as your character's talent to always point out strange things to a compulsive extreme, observe things and gather information, 或者 have a very good knack at memorization.
Weaknesses: These do no include weaknesses already mention in Basic Stats
Weaknesses are critical to even your character out if they are very powerful. Try to give them some very severe battle-oriented and physical weaknesses. Don't make everything mental such as how they are too egotistical. And for the 爱情 of God, don't make their friends, loved-ones, 或者 family one of their weaknesses. EVERYONE has a weakness for their friends, loved-ones and family. That doesn't count.
Personal facts
Friends: Just 列表 your character's friends. If 你 insist that your character has a friendship with an official character, don't make it too intimate. The most it could be is an average friendship.
Rivals: A rival defines someone who can stand up against your character with equal fortitude and strengths. Try not to make an official character a rival of your character unless a plausible reason is presented, because all that says about your fancharacter is, "OMG, MY CHARACTER IS BETTER THAN SONIC, TAILS, KNUCKLES AND SHADOW PUT TOGETHER HAHAHAHAA LOLERZ!"
Enemies: Enemies are self-explanatory. Eggman would only fit in here because he plays out his schemes on a monumental, sometimes global scale and EVERYONE knows and dislikes him. Otherwise, 列表 your character's personal enemies.
Known relatives: Naming your character's relatives is a BIG up in originality, and shows 你 put a lot 更多 effort in the character and went that extra mile. Whatever 你 do, avoid two things: do not biologically relate your fancharacter to official characters. All that is is some lame-ass, pathetic attempt of yours to make your fancharacter stand out and seem 更多 special than others. And for the 爱情 of God, escape the cliché of making your character's parents and relatives all dead. 你 can still make your character an angstball without having to kill his poor parents.
Likes/Favorite activities: 列表 the things your character likes to engage in 或者 any odd personal habits he has that he enjoys doing. Cooking, cleaning, dating, taking walks, adventuring, eating, meditating, going out to enjoy the city life… all of those are good examples of what'd go here.
Dislikes/Least 最喜爱的 activities: Same as the above, except 你 instead 列表 what your character dislikes. And don't 列表 obvious things such as seeing his relatives 或者 老友记 hurt. We all hate that.
Gourmet of choice: Obviously, 你 just 列表 your character's 最喜爱的 foods here. Describing little trivial facts like this up originality. If your character is compact and fit, just make sure that he doesn't eat too much high fat foods in case he has a low activity level. Because if he did, then he wouldn't be fit 或者 compact.
Beverages of choice: Same as the foods, except with drinks.
最喜爱的 color(s): Self-explanatory: your character's 最喜爱的 color 或者 colors.
Miscellaneous trivia: 列表 any other 随意 facts and bits of trivia here.
Personality: The personality of your character can affect their originality to a high extent. 你 should always avoid giving your character an overused and cliché conduct and mannerisms. So far, the most commonly used personalities in Sonic fancharacters are complete opposites: one, try to avoid making your character a heroic, laid back, perfectly courteous, upstanding and confident individual with a knack for doing good (copying off Sonic, basically). And on the other side of the scale, avoid making your character a dark, dreary, and sad angstball. 你 can adopt aspects of the aforementioned personalities, but always try to describe any redeeming 或者 degrading qualities of the personality. Even the most noble 超能英雄 have pet peeves 或者 downsides. Mostly, it takes describing details. Because in the long run, everybody has a similar personality… it's just the small details that influence our matter of opinion and perspective on things that makes us all different. So for the personality, be as in depth and idealistic as 你 possibly can.
Physical Appearance
Color:
Skin Color (i.e. muzzle, arms):
Eye Color:
Hair/Quill Style:
Nose:
Ears:
Tail:
Other bodily features:
Appearance is one of the biggies that influence character originality. Think outside the box. If 你 are using a unique species, try to use as much assets from the real-life appearance of the animal as 你 can, but try to avoid taking away the Sonicized basis 你 are trying to accomplish in the first place. Make them contrast from official characters as much as 你 can. Give them different shaped eyes, muzzle, tummy, chest, physique, ears, head-dressing (hair, quills, and horns), and all other kinds of stuff. It takes a lot of thought, but if 你 dedicate enough concentration, 你 can make something hot. Also, there is no problem using the official characters for very light and vague reference. Just don't base that much off of them.
And for those of 你 who insist on using your beloved hedgehogs, at least try to make your hedgehog look unique. There is no problem in giving them a furry muzzle (afterall, we all thought echidnas have skin muzzles, but Pachacamac clearly revealed a very furry muzzle) to express ruggedness. It would also do 你 a world of good to give them larger ears, different shaped eyes, or, God forbid, a totally different set of quills and chest fixture instead of just modifying Sonic's. Basically, the objective is to make your fancharacter's appearance as distinctive as possible, but still cool enough so 你 are comfortable with him/her.
Attire:
Attire is pretty much your call. Just make sure to think outside the box, as always. For male Sonic characters, clothing isn't even necessary, but you're welcome to give them outfits if 你 like. Just, if 你 would like to make your fancharacter look 更多 official, the best thing to do would be to not go nuts: a shirt/jacket 或者 a pair of pants alone is all they'd need. Also, here is a rule of thumb on realism: if your character is real fast and agile, either don't give them a pair of pants 或者 make them wear a fitted pair of runner's shorts. Because your precious hedgehog 或者 狼 isn't going to be able to run at 175 miles an 小时 in a pair of Lee Dungarees.
Items & Weapons: Items and weapons are your call as well. Just make sure 你 have some good knowledge of the weapon/firearm, gadget, 或者 doodad your character is using so 你 don't come off as a dumbass when having them use it in a fanfic, comic, 或者 RPG. Also, stick to weapons that conform to the technological age seen in the Sonic games, which itself, is pretty diverse and extensive. So 你 should do fine. And 由 NO means should 你 give your character a Chaos Emerald. That is freakin' stupid and is only some stupid attempt to make your character 更多 powerful. Not even official characters walk around with Chaos Emeralds. Your fancharacter should have to go out and try to collect them just like everyone else.
Vehicles: This is easy. Does your character own a vehicle? Try to provide an indepth 描述 of the vehicle and maybe even its engine specs. Try not to go overboard on the technology of the vehicle. A vehicle is a good alternative for very slow fancharacters, and if 你 give them the right set of wheels, it can also give them a real cool image. Envision a tough, wild and tenacious 熊 character unfortunately 给 very low running speed cruising around in a rugged, roaring muscle car 或者 truck. Pretty original and at the same time helpful to the fancharacter not only since it fixes his speed problem, but also adds to his robust image.
Themesong: Giving your character a themesong is an important decision and if your character is very unique and technical, then it would be difficult to find one for them. If 你 do want to give your character a themesong, try to make sure the themesong expresses how your fancharacter acts 或者 maybe even his abilities, talents, 查看 of the world, 或者 his facet. This expression should be achieved through the tone, beat, and lyrics of the themesong. (Yes, the song should preferably have lyrics to comply to the style of the video games.)
Back Story: And finally, the backstory. The history of your fancharacter. Believe it 或者 not, this doesn't affect their originality as much as 你 think. But it will still do 你 a world of good to try to make a very interesting and engaging back story for your character. If your character is Sonic Team-based, try your best to not involve the official characters too much with your character's back story. A brief encounter and subtle friendship is okay, but don't make them too intimate. Your fancharacter is your OWN innovation. 你 shouldn't rely on official characters to somehow make him/her look 更多 special.
Many people tend to have their fancharacters have some horrible past event with Eggman. Like, let's say Eggman captured him 或者 his parents and turned them all into robots and/or killed them 或者 something. Even though having your character have a past with Eggman is 更多 sensible than another official character (since, hey, Eggman does his stuff on a global scale, perhaps he DID run into your fancharacter once), try to avoid it anyway. And do NOT make Eggman come off as ridiculously diabolical and vile if your character is Sonic Team-based. Eggman really isn't all that evil. Refer to his 个人资料 on the Real Character Profiles sub-section and get'cho learn on.
Otherwise, your job is to escape the cliché. Make your character's backstory vibrant, interesting, and eventful. Not too casual and simplified, but not too stereotypical either. It's all too common if your fancharacter is some renegade do-gooder with a sense of justice because his loved ones were killed 或者 some stupid crap like that. 你 can do better than that. In the end, it all just takes thought.
Yeah, I know. That's a lot of information to absorb. But those tips should guide 你 on how to go about making your fancharacter. No matter what, it all just takes a whoooole lot of thought. Thought is all that is needed. Because originality is the key to a good fancharacter. Here are some real basic rules to follow when filling out your profile:
(1). Do NOT make things very vague and minor. Always fill out each field with the utmost detail and description. Be insanely indepth… PARAGRAPHS even. Try to word everything as poetically and vividly as 你 can to make people 更多 interested in learning about your creation.
(2). Do NOT provide 'Unknown' for a lot of fields. One 或者 two is the before it gets unoriginal. All it shows is that you're a lazy oaf. Your fancharacter may not know his age, birthplace, 或者 how he came to be. But you, the creator, most certainly do.
(3). As mentioned frequently, keep your fancharacter's ties to the official characters on the low. A few brief encounters 或者 a very subtle friendship is acceptable. Anything beyond that is not cool. Make your fancharacters have relations with your other fancharacters 或者 perhaps other people's fancharacters. 你 do not need to make your character Sonic's 或者 Espio's super, duper BFF, 或者 Amy's boyfriend to make him look special.
(4). If your character is a robot, its abilities should be capped 由 its hardware and frame. Otherwise, robot characters have limitless possibilities. If your fancharacter is made solely for battle, a robot is a good choice. Otherwise, 你 need to stay in the line of physics and make sense with your character's abilities and powers. Also make sure to be descriptive about your robot character. 列表 its hardware specs and background data.
(5). Most of all, as 说 quite often: Think outside the box!!!! Let your imagination go nuts. If 你 just sit back, rest one hand behind your head and rub your chin with the other and THINK, 你 can conjure up a lot of original and creative things to contribute to your fancharacter. It's not that hard. It just takes time, thought, and most of all, patience. It's not gonna happen just like that; and even if it does, chances are, it's pretty damn lousy.
Conclusion: Fancharacters are a force beyond reckoning in this fanbase. No matter how many people may be against them, they can't be stopped. 更多 and 更多 pop up, and 更多 and 更多 people are impressed 由 their fancharacters without realizing how completely and utterly crappy they are. This page is meant to guide 你 down the right path to make your fancharacter something that is worth being admired in the fanbase. Because let's face it, many cheap, unoriginal fancharacters are admired just because they have a good picture 表演 as a shell. A good appearance is only the half of it. They need to have a good gimmick and set of specs too. So overall, I hope this page has helped 你 a little. Good luck.
This 文章 was originally NOT made 由 me, and EVERY WORD was not written 由 me. The original page can be reached here:
link
One of the first rules in creating a fancharacter is to always outdo the official characters in description. Provide a lot 更多 information and statistics than what is commonly offered in the bios of the official characters. (Which in the case of Sonic the Hedgehog isn't much, luckily.) This makes your fancharacter interesting. So what I am first going to offer is a very suitable template of information fields to fill out for your creation. 你 will notice that there are quite a lot of fields to fill information in. Doing this descriptively and originally is the key to making a good fancharacter. If 你 are a member of the Technboguild's messageboard, you'll probably notice this is the template used as an example for Sonic characters in the Character Bio section. This is indeed the one, and the original template layout was done 由 Jer, an original member of Concept: "Mobius". Now without further ado, I present the template:
Is this character based on Sonic Team's 或者 Archie's portrayal of Sonic the Hedgehog?
Character Image (if available):
Name:
Nicknames:
Age:
Species:
Gender:
Height:
Weight:
IQ:
Marital Status:
DOB:
Birth Place:
Residence:
Occupation:
Social Class:
Economic Class:
Alignment:
最佳, 返回页首 Speed:
Basic Stats (added numbers cannot exceed 40)
Agility -
Speed -
Strength -
Defense -
Evasiveness -
Dexterity -
Intelligence -
Skill -
Special Attacks:
Abilities & Aptitude:
Hobbies & Talents:
Weaknesses: These do no include weaknesses already mention in Basic Stats
Personal facts
Friends:
Rivals:
Enemies:
Known relatives:
Likes/Favorite activities:
Dislikes/Least 最喜爱的 activities:
Gourmet of choice:
Beverages of choice:
最喜爱的 color(s):
Personality:
Physical Appearance
Color:
Skin Color (i.e. muzzle, arms):
Eye Color:
Hair/Quill Style:
Nose:
Ears:
Tail:
Other bodily features:
Attire:
Items & Weapons:
Vehicles:
Themesong:
Back Story:
It may not look that big when it is empty, but if it is filled with descriptive information, then it can make a quite extensive document. Most people who make fancharacters would never have dreamed of having to fill out this much information. But for those who put enough effort into their fancharacters to do so usually make masterpieces. But it's not so much filling out the fields with a lot of info as much as filling them in with the right info. 你 need to think originally and 你 need to think realistically and in the bounds of the Sonic Universe. So now, I am going to give tips for what to put in each field. These tips do not assume your character is a robot:
Tips for your fancharacter:
Is this character based on Sonic Team's 或者 Archie's portrayal of Sonic the Hedgehog? This is pretty self-explanatory. Is your character based on Sonic Team's portrayal of Sonic the Hedgehog 或者 Archie's? If your character is Archie-inspired, the guidelines are much 更多 loose since Archie has done a whole lot 更多 with their characters and has jumped many boundaries unheard of in the game continuity. However, if your character is inspired 由 the games, which is what most are based off of, then 你 got some strict guidelines to follow.
Character Image (if available): An image of your character can be critical in measuring their originality. If your character's depiction does not conform to the anatomy, size proportions, and 总体, 整体 feel of a Sonic character, then it should be discarded and not included in your final 个人资料 draft. Some people use human figure-esque anthropomorph pictures for their Sonic characters. That's lame, see? Sonic characters aren't shaped much like humans. Sonic characters have large heads, feet, hands, no visible neck, wiry; spaghetti-like limbs (however, the legs seem to have a 更多 noticeable angular bend at the knees than the arms do), and a generally small body (for the compact ones like Sonic). Very, VERY general anatomy and the bipedal form are the only things they have in common with humans. So if 你 have a character image, make sure that it is not only very impressively-drawn, but also make sure it conforms to the Sonic-style anatomy.
Name: Picking a name for your creation can sometimes be difficult. For others, it just hits them out of nowhere. (I usually conjure up a name during the initial 'imagination' phase of creating a fancharacter when I'm still thinking them up.) But then there are those who have trouble with it. First, 你 must take into account the names of Sonic characters. Sonic characters' names seem to be no 更多 than actual words and nouns. Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Blaze, Shadow, Bean, Bark, Vector… there are no actual human names like Daniel, Robert, William, Jerry, 或者 anything like that. Amy is the only exception, so your options might just be a little 更多 loose with girls. Just make sure not to make them too realistic 由 naming your Sonic character Victoria 或者 Joanne 或者 something. Changing those names to a much 更多 simple, yet cool shortened version works, however. Vicky and Jo. See? Pretty good Sonic names with a hint of realism.
Back in the day, Sonic characters were named to somehow emphasize their abilities. Sonic, since he runs fast. Tails, since he has two tails. Knuckles to 显示 his pointed knuckles. Even Eggman was named to showcase his egg-shaped physique. Fancharacters are notorious for having Sonic-like names that do not emphasize their abilities at all. In fact, when Blaze first came out, many thought she was just a stupid fancharacter gone in the spotlight because of her name and fancharacter-ish appearance… even though that doesn't make sense, since her appearance is actually original. But then later, her name revealed to be true to her ability since she can apparently control fire.
So remember, when naming your Sonic fancharacter, make sure to use a real word 或者 noun that fits their abilities 或者 personalities. If 你 insist on using real names, try to make them as short and cool-sounding as 你 can. 你 can also make up a totally original name, but it takes some thought since it can end up sounding silly.
As for surnames, 你 can use them as well. And your boundaries are unlimited with surnames. Just avoid making the surname the same thing as the character's species. "Hedgehog" is not Sonic's last name.
And then there are those 粉丝 who give their fancharacters Japanese names. Look, for those of 你 who do that… I am sure you're quite proud that 你 managed to 谷歌 up an archive of Japanese names and surnames, but giving them to your Sonic character without full knowledge of the culture 你 are obviously trying perpetuate through him/her is basically an insult to the Japanese culture. Not to mention, it is insanely cliché and unoriginal. So unless your character is meant to express the culture inside and out, don't give your character some badass Japanese name that 你 don't even fully understand. It makes a fool out of you, and everyone will hate 你 for it.
Nicknames: Nicknames, for the most part, are your call. Most nicknames can be morphed versions of the character's real name, 或者 can be totally different names that express personality traits of the character 或者 their abilities. I.E., a character with electric elemental abilities would have a nickname such as Sparky 或者 Zap-head 或者 something along those lines. However, don't think I am encouraging 你 to make an electric elemental character. Elemental adepts are overused.
Age: Age is your call. Just make sure the age accomodates the characters gimmick and personality.
Race: Race (AKA species for anthros) is extremely important to your Sonic character. Try to think outside the box on this, even if it means having to choose a species that doesn't happen to be your 最喜爱的 animal. My 最喜爱的 animal before I made my character, Teck, was a cheetah. But I instead made Teck a porcupine (he is an ooold character, back when porcupines were actually rare in the fancharacter base).
Try your best to avoid species commonly seen in the games, ESPECIALLY hedgehogs. 你 can bet your left leg that 75% of Sonic fancharacters are hedgehogs. They are easy to design, variable, and quite hardy… but in the end, very unoriginal. They are too common. Foxes are also becoming progressively common because of the increasing number of Tails fans, so stay away from those too. And unless your fancharacter is based off of Archie, do not make it an echidna. Knuckles is the last of his race in the game continuity, and 你 should make it stay that way.
Other commonly used species include cats, wolves, hybrids, and porcupines. A note on porcupines: don't make your character a porcupine just so 你 have an excuse to give your character quills and look like a hedgehog without actually being a hedgehog. That's how most porcupines are used. Porcupines are NOT hedgehogs. They aren't even in the same animal kingdom order. Hedgehogs are not rodents like porcupines are. If 你 want to use a porcupine, make the character LOOK the part, instead of like a hedgehog 或者 echidna with 更多 quills. THINK.
Gender: The gender is your call. Male 或者 female, 或者 neither (in case your character is asexual 或者 is a robot). Just try to make the gender fit the race and personality. Female characters should be smaller and petite animals. It's kind of weird to imagine a female 鳄鱼 character, although it is possible and original. I've seen it done. Also, there is no need to secure your sexuality 由 staying away from creating a fancharacter that happens to be the opposite sex. Don't let that stop 你 from making an original character, even if it is a boy and you're a girl 或者 vice versa. Nobody really cares. In fact, my female character, Zenith, is probably my most 流行的 one.
Height: The height depends entirely on the race and age. If your character is a compact animal that is no taller than a foot and is no longer than two feet tops (i.e. foxes, house cats, small dogs, porcupines, shrews, hedgehogs, mice, rabbits, etc., etc), then your character's height should not exceed 4 and a half feet if they are over 20 years of age. 20 and under would be even shorter. But for much larger 动物 like crocodiles (ala Vector), elephants, giraffes, rhinos, dinosaurs, komodo dragons, livestock, etc., etc., then the character's height should be no taller than 7 feet. Remember, just use the official characters for reference. Sonic characters are naturally SHORT.
Weight: Weight is very diverse with Sonic characters. If they are big, they should weigh a lot. Vector is obviously not fat, but he is nearly 6 feet tall, and he weighs 200 kilograms. That's a lot of weight. But Sonic only weighs a mere 77 lbs, which is still kinda heavy for something as slim and compact as him. Just make sure to make the weight fit in with the height, age, and race. Since weight is such a variable statistic, NEVER copy from official characters unless there is no other alternative.
IQ: The IQ here is one of the unusual fields in this template. I'm sure an IQ is something 你 never thought you'd have to decide for your fancharacter. But here is a rule of thumb: the 更多 information, the BETTER. The IQ is pretty much your call, but make sure not to go overboard. 300 或者 above is unfair: Eggman is supposed to be the smartest. If 你 want your character to be intelligent, make him intelligent in other things not commonly seen in the games.
ALWAYS make sure 你 have the intelligence and knowledge to back your character's expertise up. It would just be plain dumb for some illiterate idiot to make a fancharacter with a knack for physics, right? Especially when he uses that fancharacter in fanfics/comics/RPGs a lot, and has the character use his 'expertise' in physics. Because most of the time, the creator doesn't know WTF he is talking about, making both him and his/her fancharacter look stupid.
Always try to make your fancharacter as about as intelligent as 你 are. Your intellect should 帽 your fancharacter's. Because if your fancharacter is real intelligent, others will expect him to be that way, thus you'd need to be real intelligent as well. Here is a good scale of realistic IQs that I lazily googled up. Remember, Eggman's is unique: 300 is literally impossible, except for him.
Below 30: Illiterate; basically retarded
30-50: Pretty stupid; education level is about 1st 或者 2nd grade
50-60: Capable of executing only simple tasks
60-74: Forest Gump's IQ was 75, so 你 get the picture
75-89: Below average; 8th-12th grade education level
90-100: RIGHT below average: high school graduation education level
100-115: Average intelligence
111-125: Slightly above average intellect, easily capable of a Master's Degree
126-132: Above average intelligence: capable of being a college professor
133-140: Quite intelligent, no limitations on career potentiality
141- 150: Highly intelligent: capable of being a gifted physics/math professor
151 -160: Extremely intelligent: Nicolaus Copernicus' IQ was around this area
160-220: Maximized intelligence statistic: Einstein, Shakespeare, Newton. These are 1 in a million
Again, make sure your character's IQ matches your literacy and knowledge on things. That way, if 你 express your character's intellect a lot, whether it be through an RPG, his role in a fanfic 或者 comic, 或者 由 other means, 你 won't come off like a complete dumbass since your character will be knowledgeable in things 你 can relate to.
Marital Status: Is your character married, 或者 perhaps hooked up with a girl/guy, 或者 single?
DOB: 日期 of Birth… since the 年 in the games is unknown, do not 列表 the 年 the character was born. 月 and 日 do fine. But if your character is Archie-inspired, look into what 年 it is in the comic 图书 and then do the math.
Birth Place: Where was your character born? If 你 insist on making up a location, try to be as creative as 你 can. Otherwise, use an official location such as South Island, Westside Island, Capital City, Station Square (unless 你 believe Sonic X is canon and your character isn't human), 或者 a zone.
Residence: The residence is where your character currently resides. Doesn't have to be the birthplace. Try to think of an actual place instead of making your character a wanderer 或者 some mysterious shadowy figure. That's lame and stupid.
Occupation: An occupation is not a 'wanderer' 或者 'loner.' Unless your character gets paid for wandering and being alone, then it isn't a freakin' occupation. An occupation is an actual JOB where the character seeks revenue.
Social Class: Another definition for social class is what type of clique your character fits into. Prep, goth, wasp, yuppie, hardcore vigilante, loner, average joe? 你 decide.
Economic Class: Economic class comes in three sects: the lower class, the middle class, and the upper class. 你 can divide them a bit 更多 to assert technicality 由 saying upper-lower class, 或者 mid-upper class, but 你 get the point. If your character has no money and is financially-challenged, he/she is lower class. If your character has enough to get by, he/she is middle-class. 由 now, 你 should know that upper class is self-explanatory.
Alignment: Does your character exhibit a righteous, vigilant state of mind, an immoral, power-driven state of mind, 或者 is he unconcerned and indifferent? Escape the trend and try making a baddie 或者 at least an anti-hero 或者 indifferent character.
最佳, 返回页首 Speed: 最佳, 返回页首 speed is a subject of 辩论 for anthro Sonic fancharacters. Whatever 你 do, never make your character as fast as 或者 faster than Sonic/Shadow. Sonic/Shadow are the fastest Sonic characters, and it shall STAY that way. Making your character faster than Sonic is totally unoriginal and takes away from Sonic's fame and thunder.
"But in the games, all the characters are very fast and can run through loops and mobius strip obstacles!" Yes, I'm sure you're saying that to yourself. But does that mean they can zoom way over 760 MPH like Sonic? No, it doesn't.
The thing with most fans, including myself at one point, is that they underestimate the power of speed. A roller coaster can pull off loops and mobius strip-like turns at a mere (in comparison to the 400+ MPH commonly associated with Sonic characters) 120 MPH. Who's to say Knuckles, Amy, Espio, etc., etc. aren't running at 120 MPH? 你 have no proof that Knuckles 或者 Rouge can blast up to 700 MPH. Take into account all of the speed-increasing things in Sonic games such as slopes and speed boosters, which can so much as double to quadruple the character speed, making it SEEM like they come off as naturally fast when they're really not. So I've made an update to the original speed scale to display your speed options for your fancharacter if 你 want them to be original…
- Slow Runner (10-40 MPH) (i.e. Fang, Bark, Big, Storm)
- Below Average Runner (45-80 MPH) (i.e. Tails [when running on feet], Vector)
- Average Runner (85-130 MPH) (i.e. Rouge, Knuckles, Wave)
- Above Average Runner (135-155 MPH) (i.e. Cream, Jet, Tails [when tails spin], Charmy, Mighty)
- High Speed Runner (160-175 MPH) (i.e. Espio, Amy)
- Gifted Runner (180 MPH and beyond) (i.e. Sonic, Tails [when in flight], Shadow)
The last one (Gifted Runner) should be off limits to your fancharacter. 180 MPH tops is plenty for your fancharacter to run through any basic Sonic game zone entirely without a problem. Most importantly, it makes Sonic's speed ability stand out all the more.
Basic Stats: 1 - lowest, 10 - highest (added numbers cannot exceed 40)
Agility -
Speed -
Strength -
Defense -
Evasiveness -
Dexterity -
Intelligence -
Battle skill -
The basic stats are pretty self-explanatory and are 更多 of a utility field to define what the character can and cannot do efficiently in battle. Make sure the Speed stat accomodates your character's 最佳, 返回页首 speed. Slow runner would be around 1-2, below average would be 2-3, average would be 4-6, above average would be 7-8, and a high speed runner would be a 9 或者 10. Otherwise, just 列表 the stats accordingly and make sure they match your character's strengths and weaknesses. Even everything out, and make sure the added numbers do not exceed 40.
Special Attacks: Special attacks are simple. Basically, 你 just 列表 your character's attacks. For example, Shadow's special attacks include the roll, spinball jump, spin dash, light speed dash, Chaos Spear, Chaos Control, Chaos Blast, etc., etc.
DEFAULT special attacks for pretty much any Sonic character include the roll and spinball jump. There aren't a lot of Sonic characters that can't do those two skills, so 你 can give your character the roll and spinball jump 由 default. The spindash is also a pretty common attack that is very learnable as well, but not as much as the spinball jump. I'd say the spindash is usable for your fancharacter if he/she is around Vector's 最佳, 返回页首 speed 或者 faster.
The homing attack is also negotiable for VERY fast characters, since the speedsters in Sonic 超能英雄 used it. Amy is the only exception. So, I'd say if your character is a High Speed Runner, 你 can use the homing attack too. Light Dash and Chaos Control are off limits. Your character using Chaos Control is basically ripping off of Shadow. In fact, using a bunch of Chaos Emerald-fueled abilities as a whole is basically ripping off of Shadow and is just your attempt to make your character look like some cheap and godly piece o' crap.
If 你 want to have some kind of power 来源 fuel your character's REAL special attacks, keep to the damn tradition and make it power rings. Do not involve the Chaos Emeralds, time stones, Chaos rings 或者 any of those things with your character's special attacks. Not even official characters use Chaos Emeralds to fuel their special attacks. Only Shadow does, and we all know Shadow is enough of a power trip as it is.
Abilities & Aptitude: Abilities and aptitude is where 你 列表 the special things your character can do naturally: what they were gifted with. Like, if your character has the power to control fire, 或者 is abnormally powerful 或者 has keen hearing/smelling/vision instincts, is a very good swimmer, etc., etc, this is where they would go. Basically, this is where Sonic's amazing speed ability would be listed.
If Sonic Team-inspired, try not to go Harry Potter here and use a bunch of magic 或者 elemental abilities. Blaze introduced elemental powers (control over fire) into the world of Sonic, but 你 gotta remember, she comes from an alternate world. So there is no proof there are any elemental characters on Sonic's world. Nobody is going to be impressed with your character's goofy ice/electric/fire/earth/wind 或者 water powers. It's overused. So don't bother.
If 你 are completely clueless as to what original abilities to give your character and you're desperate, never forget to look at your character's species. If 你 are using a 蜘蛛 character, there are a ton of abilities and aptitude right there: web-shooting, high agility, awesome climbing, etc., etc. The species can bestow upon the character quite a few abilities. However, don't go too crazy. Even though Sonic characters may be animals, they seem to be lacking of many of their species-given traits. Last time I checked, echidnas can't glide and climb. They can, however, dig very well. Also, remember not to borrow abilities and aptitude from official characters. Not only does that 显示 laziness, but it is also unoriginal.
On a very important note, don't forget the realism of your character's abilities. Realism is applied to special attacks as well, so listen up. If your character has unrealistic abilities, they also take away from originality. If your character is a 火, 消防 或者 electric adept, at least try to come up with a plausible scientific model on how they acquired those powers and how those powers work. Making your character use 邪恶力量 abilities is already a huge kill on realism in the first place, but 你 can save the realism a bit and completely save the originality if 你 give a very accurate solution on how the ability works and how it is scientifically sensible. Think with science and abide to the laws of physics, 或者 else your character is unoriginal AND unrealistic. The Sonic universe may be quite surreal, but physics is still applied.
Hobbies & Talents: This is easy. What are your character's hobbies and what is he/she talented at? Music? Math? Singing? Mechanics? Painting? Cooking? It could be anything. Things that would go in here also include some unique personal traits such as your character's talent to always point out strange things to a compulsive extreme, observe things and gather information, 或者 have a very good knack at memorization.
Weaknesses: These do no include weaknesses already mention in Basic Stats
Weaknesses are critical to even your character out if they are very powerful. Try to give them some very severe battle-oriented and physical weaknesses. Don't make everything mental such as how they are too egotistical. And for the 爱情 of God, don't make their friends, loved-ones, 或者 family one of their weaknesses. EVERYONE has a weakness for their friends, loved-ones and family. That doesn't count.
Personal facts
Friends: Just 列表 your character's friends. If 你 insist that your character has a friendship with an official character, don't make it too intimate. The most it could be is an average friendship.
Rivals: A rival defines someone who can stand up against your character with equal fortitude and strengths. Try not to make an official character a rival of your character unless a plausible reason is presented, because all that says about your fancharacter is, "OMG, MY CHARACTER IS BETTER THAN SONIC, TAILS, KNUCKLES AND SHADOW PUT TOGETHER HAHAHAHAA LOLERZ!"
Enemies: Enemies are self-explanatory. Eggman would only fit in here because he plays out his schemes on a monumental, sometimes global scale and EVERYONE knows and dislikes him. Otherwise, 列表 your character's personal enemies.
Known relatives: Naming your character's relatives is a BIG up in originality, and shows 你 put a lot 更多 effort in the character and went that extra mile. Whatever 你 do, avoid two things: do not biologically relate your fancharacter to official characters. All that is is some lame-ass, pathetic attempt of yours to make your fancharacter stand out and seem 更多 special than others. And for the 爱情 of God, escape the cliché of making your character's parents and relatives all dead. 你 can still make your character an angstball without having to kill his poor parents.
Likes/Favorite activities: 列表 the things your character likes to engage in 或者 any odd personal habits he has that he enjoys doing. Cooking, cleaning, dating, taking walks, adventuring, eating, meditating, going out to enjoy the city life… all of those are good examples of what'd go here.
Dislikes/Least 最喜爱的 activities: Same as the above, except 你 instead 列表 what your character dislikes. And don't 列表 obvious things such as seeing his relatives 或者 老友记 hurt. We all hate that.
Gourmet of choice: Obviously, 你 just 列表 your character's 最喜爱的 foods here. Describing little trivial facts like this up originality. If your character is compact and fit, just make sure that he doesn't eat too much high fat foods in case he has a low activity level. Because if he did, then he wouldn't be fit 或者 compact.
Beverages of choice: Same as the foods, except with drinks.
最喜爱的 color(s): Self-explanatory: your character's 最喜爱的 color 或者 colors.
Miscellaneous trivia: 列表 any other 随意 facts and bits of trivia here.
Personality: The personality of your character can affect their originality to a high extent. 你 should always avoid giving your character an overused and cliché conduct and mannerisms. So far, the most commonly used personalities in Sonic fancharacters are complete opposites: one, try to avoid making your character a heroic, laid back, perfectly courteous, upstanding and confident individual with a knack for doing good (copying off Sonic, basically). And on the other side of the scale, avoid making your character a dark, dreary, and sad angstball. 你 can adopt aspects of the aforementioned personalities, but always try to describe any redeeming 或者 degrading qualities of the personality. Even the most noble 超能英雄 have pet peeves 或者 downsides. Mostly, it takes describing details. Because in the long run, everybody has a similar personality… it's just the small details that influence our matter of opinion and perspective on things that makes us all different. So for the personality, be as in depth and idealistic as 你 possibly can.
Physical Appearance
Color:
Skin Color (i.e. muzzle, arms):
Eye Color:
Hair/Quill Style:
Nose:
Ears:
Tail:
Other bodily features:
Appearance is one of the biggies that influence character originality. Think outside the box. If 你 are using a unique species, try to use as much assets from the real-life appearance of the animal as 你 can, but try to avoid taking away the Sonicized basis 你 are trying to accomplish in the first place. Make them contrast from official characters as much as 你 can. Give them different shaped eyes, muzzle, tummy, chest, physique, ears, head-dressing (hair, quills, and horns), and all other kinds of stuff. It takes a lot of thought, but if 你 dedicate enough concentration, 你 can make something hot. Also, there is no problem using the official characters for very light and vague reference. Just don't base that much off of them.
And for those of 你 who insist on using your beloved hedgehogs, at least try to make your hedgehog look unique. There is no problem in giving them a furry muzzle (afterall, we all thought echidnas have skin muzzles, but Pachacamac clearly revealed a very furry muzzle) to express ruggedness. It would also do 你 a world of good to give them larger ears, different shaped eyes, or, God forbid, a totally different set of quills and chest fixture instead of just modifying Sonic's. Basically, the objective is to make your fancharacter's appearance as distinctive as possible, but still cool enough so 你 are comfortable with him/her.
Attire:
Attire is pretty much your call. Just make sure to think outside the box, as always. For male Sonic characters, clothing isn't even necessary, but you're welcome to give them outfits if 你 like. Just, if 你 would like to make your fancharacter look 更多 official, the best thing to do would be to not go nuts: a shirt/jacket 或者 a pair of pants alone is all they'd need. Also, here is a rule of thumb on realism: if your character is real fast and agile, either don't give them a pair of pants 或者 make them wear a fitted pair of runner's shorts. Because your precious hedgehog 或者 狼 isn't going to be able to run at 175 miles an 小时 in a pair of Lee Dungarees.
Items & Weapons: Items and weapons are your call as well. Just make sure 你 have some good knowledge of the weapon/firearm, gadget, 或者 doodad your character is using so 你 don't come off as a dumbass when having them use it in a fanfic, comic, 或者 RPG. Also, stick to weapons that conform to the technological age seen in the Sonic games, which itself, is pretty diverse and extensive. So 你 should do fine. And 由 NO means should 你 give your character a Chaos Emerald. That is freakin' stupid and is only some stupid attempt to make your character 更多 powerful. Not even official characters walk around with Chaos Emeralds. Your fancharacter should have to go out and try to collect them just like everyone else.
Vehicles: This is easy. Does your character own a vehicle? Try to provide an indepth 描述 of the vehicle and maybe even its engine specs. Try not to go overboard on the technology of the vehicle. A vehicle is a good alternative for very slow fancharacters, and if 你 give them the right set of wheels, it can also give them a real cool image. Envision a tough, wild and tenacious 熊 character unfortunately 给 very low running speed cruising around in a rugged, roaring muscle car 或者 truck. Pretty original and at the same time helpful to the fancharacter not only since it fixes his speed problem, but also adds to his robust image.
Themesong: Giving your character a themesong is an important decision and if your character is very unique and technical, then it would be difficult to find one for them. If 你 do want to give your character a themesong, try to make sure the themesong expresses how your fancharacter acts 或者 maybe even his abilities, talents, 查看 of the world, 或者 his facet. This expression should be achieved through the tone, beat, and lyrics of the themesong. (Yes, the song should preferably have lyrics to comply to the style of the video games.)
Back Story: And finally, the backstory. The history of your fancharacter. Believe it 或者 not, this doesn't affect their originality as much as 你 think. But it will still do 你 a world of good to try to make a very interesting and engaging back story for your character. If your character is Sonic Team-based, try your best to not involve the official characters too much with your character's back story. A brief encounter and subtle friendship is okay, but don't make them too intimate. Your fancharacter is your OWN innovation. 你 shouldn't rely on official characters to somehow make him/her look 更多 special.
Many people tend to have their fancharacters have some horrible past event with Eggman. Like, let's say Eggman captured him 或者 his parents and turned them all into robots and/or killed them 或者 something. Even though having your character have a past with Eggman is 更多 sensible than another official character (since, hey, Eggman does his stuff on a global scale, perhaps he DID run into your fancharacter once), try to avoid it anyway. And do NOT make Eggman come off as ridiculously diabolical and vile if your character is Sonic Team-based. Eggman really isn't all that evil. Refer to his 个人资料 on the Real Character Profiles sub-section and get'cho learn on.
Otherwise, your job is to escape the cliché. Make your character's backstory vibrant, interesting, and eventful. Not too casual and simplified, but not too stereotypical either. It's all too common if your fancharacter is some renegade do-gooder with a sense of justice because his loved ones were killed 或者 some stupid crap like that. 你 can do better than that. In the end, it all just takes thought.
Yeah, I know. That's a lot of information to absorb. But those tips should guide 你 on how to go about making your fancharacter. No matter what, it all just takes a whoooole lot of thought. Thought is all that is needed. Because originality is the key to a good fancharacter. Here are some real basic rules to follow when filling out your profile:
(1). Do NOT make things very vague and minor. Always fill out each field with the utmost detail and description. Be insanely indepth… PARAGRAPHS even. Try to word everything as poetically and vividly as 你 can to make people 更多 interested in learning about your creation.
(2). Do NOT provide 'Unknown' for a lot of fields. One 或者 two is the before it gets unoriginal. All it shows is that you're a lazy oaf. Your fancharacter may not know his age, birthplace, 或者 how he came to be. But you, the creator, most certainly do.
(3). As mentioned frequently, keep your fancharacter's ties to the official characters on the low. A few brief encounters 或者 a very subtle friendship is acceptable. Anything beyond that is not cool. Make your fancharacters have relations with your other fancharacters 或者 perhaps other people's fancharacters. 你 do not need to make your character Sonic's 或者 Espio's super, duper BFF, 或者 Amy's boyfriend to make him look special.
(4). If your character is a robot, its abilities should be capped 由 its hardware and frame. Otherwise, robot characters have limitless possibilities. If your fancharacter is made solely for battle, a robot is a good choice. Otherwise, 你 need to stay in the line of physics and make sense with your character's abilities and powers. Also make sure to be descriptive about your robot character. 列表 its hardware specs and background data.
(5). Most of all, as 说 quite often: Think outside the box!!!! Let your imagination go nuts. If 你 just sit back, rest one hand behind your head and rub your chin with the other and THINK, 你 can conjure up a lot of original and creative things to contribute to your fancharacter. It's not that hard. It just takes time, thought, and most of all, patience. It's not gonna happen just like that; and even if it does, chances are, it's pretty damn lousy.
Conclusion: Fancharacters are a force beyond reckoning in this fanbase. No matter how many people may be against them, they can't be stopped. 更多 and 更多 pop up, and 更多 and 更多 people are impressed 由 their fancharacters without realizing how completely and utterly crappy they are. This page is meant to guide 你 down the right path to make your fancharacter something that is worth being admired in the fanbase. Because let's face it, many cheap, unoriginal fancharacters are admired just because they have a good picture 表演 as a shell. A good appearance is only the half of it. They need to have a good gimmick and set of specs too. So overall, I hope this page has helped 你 a little. Good luck.
This 文章 was originally NOT made 由 me, and EVERY WORD was not written 由 me. The original page can be reached here:
link