The Template:
One of the first rules in creating a fancharacter is to always outdo the official characters in description. Provide a lot more 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. You 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 you 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 by Jer, an original member of Concept: "Mobius". Now without further ado, I present the template:
Is this character based on Sonic Team's or 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:
Top 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 favorite activities:
Gourmet of choice:
Beverages of choice:
Favorite 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. You need to think originally and you 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 or 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 or Archie's? If your character is Archie-inspired, the guidelines are much more loose since Archie has done a whole lot more with their characters and has jumped many boundaries unheard of in the game continuity. However, if your character is inspired by the games, which is what most are based off of, then you 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 overall feel of a Sonic character, then it should be discarded and not included in your final profile 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 more 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 you 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, you must take into account the names of Sonic characters. Sonic characters' names seem to be no more than actual words and nouns. Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Blaze, Shadow, Bean, Bark, Vector… there are no actual human names like Daniel, Robert, William, Jerry, or anything like that. Amy is the only exception, so your options might just be a little more loose with girls. Just make sure not to make them too realistic by naming your Sonic character Victoria or Joanne or something. Changing those names to a much more 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 show 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 or noun that fits their abilities or personalities. If you insist on using real names, try to make them as short and cool-sounding as you can. You can also make up a totally original name, but it takes some thought since it can end up sounding silly.
As for surnames, you 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 fans who give their fancharacters Japanese names. Look, for those of you who do that… I am sure you're quite proud that you managed to Google up an archive of Japanese names and surnames, but giving them to your Sonic character without full knowledge of the culture you 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 you don't even fully understand. It makes a fool out of you, and everyone will hate you for it.
Nicknames: Nicknames, for the most part, are your call. Most nicknames can be morphed versions of the character's real name, or can be totally different names that express personality traits of the character or their abilities. I.E., a character with electric elemental abilities would have a nickname such as Sparky or Zap-head or something along those lines. However, don't think I am encouraging you 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 favorite animal. My favorite 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. You 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 you 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 you 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 you want to use a porcupine, make the character LOOK the part, instead of like a hedgehog or echidna with more quills. THINK.
Gender: The gender is your call. Male or female, or neither (in case your character is asexual or 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 crocodile character, although it is possible and original. I've seen it done. Also, there is no need to secure your sexuality by staying away from creating a fancharacter that happens to be the opposite sex. Don't let that stop you from making an original character, even if it is a boy and you're a girl or vice versa. Nobody really cares. In fact, my female character, Zenith, is probably my most popular 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 animals 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 you never thought you'd have to decide for your fancharacter. But here is a rule of thumb: the more information, the BETTER. The IQ is pretty much your call, but make sure not to go overboard. 300 or above is unfair: Eggman is supposed to be the smartest. If you want your character to be intelligent, make him intelligent in other things not commonly seen in the games.
ALWAYS make sure you 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 you are. Your intellect should cap 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 or 2nd grade
50-60: Capable of executing only simple tasks
60-74: Forest Gump's IQ was 75, so you 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 you express your character's intellect a lot, whether it be through an RPG, his role in a fanfic or comic, or by other means, you won't come off like a complete dumbass since your character will be knowledgeable in things you can relate to.
Marital Status: Is your character married, or perhaps hooked up with a girl/guy, or single?
DOB: Date of Birth… since the year in the games is unknown, do not list the year the character was born. Month and day do fine. But if your character is Archie-inspired, look into what year it is in the comic books and then do the math.
Birth Place: Where was your character born? If you insist on making up a location, try to be as creative as you can. Otherwise, use an official location such as South Island, Westside Island, Capital City, Station Square (unless you believe Sonic X is canon and your character isn't human), or 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 or some mysterious shadowy figure. That's lame and stupid.
Occupation: An occupation is not a 'wanderer' or '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? You decide.
Economic Class: Economic class comes in three sects: the lower class, the middle class, and the upper class. You can divide them a bit more to assert technicality by saying upper-lower class, or mid-upper class, but you 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. By now, you 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, or is he unconcerned and indifferent? Escape the trend and try making a baddie or at least an anti-hero or indifferent character.
Top Speed: Top speed is a subject of debate for anthro Sonic fancharacters. Whatever you do, never make your character as fast as or 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? You have no proof that Knuckles or 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 you 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 more 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 top 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 or 10. Otherwise, just list 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, you just list 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 you can give your character the roll and spinball jump by 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 top speed or faster.
The homing attack is also negotiable for VERY fast characters, since the speedsters in Sonic Heroes used it. Amy is the only exception. So, I'd say if your character is a High Speed Runner, you 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 you want to have some kind of power source 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 or 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 you list the special things your character can do naturally: what they were gifted with. Like, if your character has the power to control fire, or is abnormally powerful or 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 or elemental abilities. Blaze introduced elemental powers (control over fire) into the world of Sonic, but you 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 or water powers. It's overused. So don't bother.
If you 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 you are using a spider 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 show 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 fire or 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 supernatural abilities is already a huge kill on realism in the first place, but you can save the realism a bit and completely save the originality if you 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, or 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, or 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 love of God, don't make their friends, loved-ones, or family one of their weaknesses. EVERYONE has a weakness for their friends, loved-ones and family. That doesn't count.
Personal facts
Friends: Just list your character's friends. If you 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, list your character's personal enemies.
Known relatives: Naming your character's relatives is a BIG up in originality, and shows you put a lot more effort in the character and went that extra mile. Whatever you 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 more special than others. And for the love of God, escape the cliché of making your character's parents and relatives all dead. You can still make your character an angstball without having to kill his poor parents.
Likes/Favorite activities: List the things your character likes to engage in or 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 favorite activities: Same as the above, except you instead list what your character dislikes. And don't list obvious things such as seeing his relatives or friends hurt. We all hate that.
Gourmet of choice: Obviously, you just list your character's favorite 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 or compact.
Beverages of choice: Same as the foods, except with drinks.
Favorite color(s): Self-explanatory: your character's favorite color or colors.
Miscellaneous trivia: List any other random facts and bits of trivia here.
Personality: The personality of your character can affect their originality to a high extent. You 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. You can adopt aspects of the aforementioned personalities, but always try to describe any redeeming or degrading qualities of the personality. Even the most noble heroes have pet peeves or 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 you 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 you are using a unique species, try to use as much assets from the real-life appearance of the animal as you can, but try to avoid taking away the Sonicized basis you are trying to accomplish in the first place. Make them contrast from official characters as much as you 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 you dedicate enough concentration, you 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 you 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 you 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 YOU 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 you like. Just, if you would like to make your fancharacter look more official, the best thing to do would be to not go nuts: a shirt/jacket or 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 or make them wear a fitted pair of runner's shorts. Because your precious hedgehog or wolf isn't going to be able to run at 175 miles an hour in a pair of Lee Dungarees.
Items & Weapons: Items and weapons are your call as well. Just make sure you have some good knowledge of the weapon/firearm, gadget, or doodad your character is using so you don't come off as a dumbass when having them use it in a fanfic, comic, or RPG. Also, stick to weapons that conform to the technological age seen in the Sonic games, which itself, is pretty diverse and extensive. So you should do fine. And by NO means should you give your character a Chaos Emerald. That is freakin' stupid and is only some stupid attempt to make your character more 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 description 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 you give them the right set of wheels, it can also give them a real cool image. Envision a tough, wild and tenacious bear character unfortunately given very low running speed cruising around in a rugged, roaring muscle car or 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 you do want to give your character a themesong, try to make sure the themesong expresses how your fancharacter acts or maybe even his abilities, talents, views of the world, or 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 or not, this doesn't affect their originality as much as you think. But it will still do you 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. You shouldn't rely on official characters to somehow make him/her look more special.
Many people tend to have their fancharacters have some horrible past event with Eggman. Like, let's say Eggman captured him or his parents and turned them all into robots and/or killed them or something. Even though having your character have a past with Eggman is more 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 profile 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 or some stupid crap like that. You 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 you 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 you can to make people more interested in learning about your creation.
(2). Do NOT provide 'Unknown' for a lot of fields. One or two is the limit before it gets unoriginal. All it shows is that you're a lazy oaf. Your fancharacter may not know his age, birthplace, or 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 or a very subtle friendship is acceptable. Anything beyond that is not cool. Make your fancharacters have relations with your other fancharacters or perhaps other people's fancharacters. You do not need to make your character Sonic's or Espio's super, duper BFF, or Amy's boyfriend to make him look special.
(4). If your character is a robot, its abilities should be capped by 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, you 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. List its hardware specs and background data.
(5). Most of all, as said quite often: Think outside the box!!!! Let your imagination go nuts. If you just sit back, rest one hand behind your head and rub your chin with the other and THINK, you 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. More and more pop up, and more and more people are impressed by their fancharacters without realizing how completely and utterly crappy they are. This page is meant to guide you 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 acting 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 you a little. Good luck.
This article was originally NOT made by me, and EVERY WORD was not written by 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 more 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. You 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 you 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 by Jer, an original member of Concept: "Mobius". Now without further ado, I present the template:
Is this character based on Sonic Team's or 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:
Top 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 favorite activities:
Gourmet of choice:
Beverages of choice:
Favorite 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. You need to think originally and you 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 or 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 or Archie's? If your character is Archie-inspired, the guidelines are much more loose since Archie has done a whole lot more with their characters and has jumped many boundaries unheard of in the game continuity. However, if your character is inspired by the games, which is what most are based off of, then you 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 overall feel of a Sonic character, then it should be discarded and not included in your final profile 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 more 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 you 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, you must take into account the names of Sonic characters. Sonic characters' names seem to be no more than actual words and nouns. Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Blaze, Shadow, Bean, Bark, Vector… there are no actual human names like Daniel, Robert, William, Jerry, or anything like that. Amy is the only exception, so your options might just be a little more loose with girls. Just make sure not to make them too realistic by naming your Sonic character Victoria or Joanne or something. Changing those names to a much more 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 show 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 or noun that fits their abilities or personalities. If you insist on using real names, try to make them as short and cool-sounding as you can. You can also make up a totally original name, but it takes some thought since it can end up sounding silly.
As for surnames, you 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 fans who give their fancharacters Japanese names. Look, for those of you who do that… I am sure you're quite proud that you managed to Google up an archive of Japanese names and surnames, but giving them to your Sonic character without full knowledge of the culture you 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 you don't even fully understand. It makes a fool out of you, and everyone will hate you for it.
Nicknames: Nicknames, for the most part, are your call. Most nicknames can be morphed versions of the character's real name, or can be totally different names that express personality traits of the character or their abilities. I.E., a character with electric elemental abilities would have a nickname such as Sparky or Zap-head or something along those lines. However, don't think I am encouraging you 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 favorite animal. My favorite 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. You 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 you 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 you 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 you want to use a porcupine, make the character LOOK the part, instead of like a hedgehog or echidna with more quills. THINK.
Gender: The gender is your call. Male or female, or neither (in case your character is asexual or 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 crocodile character, although it is possible and original. I've seen it done. Also, there is no need to secure your sexuality by staying away from creating a fancharacter that happens to be the opposite sex. Don't let that stop you from making an original character, even if it is a boy and you're a girl or vice versa. Nobody really cares. In fact, my female character, Zenith, is probably my most popular 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 animals 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 you never thought you'd have to decide for your fancharacter. But here is a rule of thumb: the more information, the BETTER. The IQ is pretty much your call, but make sure not to go overboard. 300 or above is unfair: Eggman is supposed to be the smartest. If you want your character to be intelligent, make him intelligent in other things not commonly seen in the games.
ALWAYS make sure you 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 you are. Your intellect should cap 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 or 2nd grade
50-60: Capable of executing only simple tasks
60-74: Forest Gump's IQ was 75, so you 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 you express your character's intellect a lot, whether it be through an RPG, his role in a fanfic or comic, or by other means, you won't come off like a complete dumbass since your character will be knowledgeable in things you can relate to.
Marital Status: Is your character married, or perhaps hooked up with a girl/guy, or single?
DOB: Date of Birth… since the year in the games is unknown, do not list the year the character was born. Month and day do fine. But if your character is Archie-inspired, look into what year it is in the comic books and then do the math.
Birth Place: Where was your character born? If you insist on making up a location, try to be as creative as you can. Otherwise, use an official location such as South Island, Westside Island, Capital City, Station Square (unless you believe Sonic X is canon and your character isn't human), or 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 or some mysterious shadowy figure. That's lame and stupid.
Occupation: An occupation is not a 'wanderer' or '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? You decide.
Economic Class: Economic class comes in three sects: the lower class, the middle class, and the upper class. You can divide them a bit more to assert technicality by saying upper-lower class, or mid-upper class, but you 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. By now, you 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, or is he unconcerned and indifferent? Escape the trend and try making a baddie or at least an anti-hero or indifferent character.
Top Speed: Top speed is a subject of debate for anthro Sonic fancharacters. Whatever you do, never make your character as fast as or 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? You have no proof that Knuckles or 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 you 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 more 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 top 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 or 10. Otherwise, just list 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, you just list 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 you can give your character the roll and spinball jump by 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 top speed or faster.
The homing attack is also negotiable for VERY fast characters, since the speedsters in Sonic Heroes used it. Amy is the only exception. So, I'd say if your character is a High Speed Runner, you 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 you want to have some kind of power source 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 or 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 you list the special things your character can do naturally: what they were gifted with. Like, if your character has the power to control fire, or is abnormally powerful or 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 or elemental abilities. Blaze introduced elemental powers (control over fire) into the world of Sonic, but you 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 or water powers. It's overused. So don't bother.
If you 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 you are using a spider 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 show 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 fire or 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 supernatural abilities is already a huge kill on realism in the first place, but you can save the realism a bit and completely save the originality if you 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, or 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, or 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 love of God, don't make their friends, loved-ones, or family one of their weaknesses. EVERYONE has a weakness for their friends, loved-ones and family. That doesn't count.
Personal facts
Friends: Just list your character's friends. If you 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, list your character's personal enemies.
Known relatives: Naming your character's relatives is a BIG up in originality, and shows you put a lot more effort in the character and went that extra mile. Whatever you 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 more special than others. And for the love of God, escape the cliché of making your character's parents and relatives all dead. You can still make your character an angstball without having to kill his poor parents.
Likes/Favorite activities: List the things your character likes to engage in or 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 favorite activities: Same as the above, except you instead list what your character dislikes. And don't list obvious things such as seeing his relatives or friends hurt. We all hate that.
Gourmet of choice: Obviously, you just list your character's favorite 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 or compact.
Beverages of choice: Same as the foods, except with drinks.
Favorite color(s): Self-explanatory: your character's favorite color or colors.
Miscellaneous trivia: List any other random facts and bits of trivia here.
Personality: The personality of your character can affect their originality to a high extent. You 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. You can adopt aspects of the aforementioned personalities, but always try to describe any redeeming or degrading qualities of the personality. Even the most noble heroes have pet peeves or 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 you 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 you are using a unique species, try to use as much assets from the real-life appearance of the animal as you can, but try to avoid taking away the Sonicized basis you are trying to accomplish in the first place. Make them contrast from official characters as much as you 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 you dedicate enough concentration, you 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 you 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 you 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 YOU 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 you like. Just, if you would like to make your fancharacter look more official, the best thing to do would be to not go nuts: a shirt/jacket or 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 or make them wear a fitted pair of runner's shorts. Because your precious hedgehog or wolf isn't going to be able to run at 175 miles an hour in a pair of Lee Dungarees.
Items & Weapons: Items and weapons are your call as well. Just make sure you have some good knowledge of the weapon/firearm, gadget, or doodad your character is using so you don't come off as a dumbass when having them use it in a fanfic, comic, or RPG. Also, stick to weapons that conform to the technological age seen in the Sonic games, which itself, is pretty diverse and extensive. So you should do fine. And by NO means should you give your character a Chaos Emerald. That is freakin' stupid and is only some stupid attempt to make your character more 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 description 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 you give them the right set of wheels, it can also give them a real cool image. Envision a tough, wild and tenacious bear character unfortunately given very low running speed cruising around in a rugged, roaring muscle car or 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 you do want to give your character a themesong, try to make sure the themesong expresses how your fancharacter acts or maybe even his abilities, talents, views of the world, or 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 or not, this doesn't affect their originality as much as you think. But it will still do you 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. You shouldn't rely on official characters to somehow make him/her look more special.
Many people tend to have their fancharacters have some horrible past event with Eggman. Like, let's say Eggman captured him or his parents and turned them all into robots and/or killed them or something. Even though having your character have a past with Eggman is more 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 profile 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 or some stupid crap like that. You 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 you 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 you can to make people more interested in learning about your creation.
(2). Do NOT provide 'Unknown' for a lot of fields. One or two is the limit before it gets unoriginal. All it shows is that you're a lazy oaf. Your fancharacter may not know his age, birthplace, or 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 or a very subtle friendship is acceptable. Anything beyond that is not cool. Make your fancharacters have relations with your other fancharacters or perhaps other people's fancharacters. You do not need to make your character Sonic's or Espio's super, duper BFF, or Amy's boyfriend to make him look special.
(4). If your character is a robot, its abilities should be capped by 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, you 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. List its hardware specs and background data.
(5). Most of all, as said quite often: Think outside the box!!!! Let your imagination go nuts. If you just sit back, rest one hand behind your head and rub your chin with the other and THINK, you 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. More and more pop up, and more and more people are impressed by their fancharacters without realizing how completely and utterly crappy they are. This page is meant to guide you 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 acting 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 you a little. Good luck.
This article was originally NOT made by me, and EVERY WORD was not written by me. The original page can be reached here:
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