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 Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 8:36 am
As the title says.
Have you ever, intentionally or not, based an original character on an existing character?
I have done this twice, both times intentionally, and one moreso than the other.
The first is admittedly based off of Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow in the Batman universe. In fact, two characters have some of their roots from him: one is based on the fear-mongering, nightmare fetishist he is, and the other is based on his more human side.
While the nightmarish one originally had causing fear as part of her character without his influence, some of her line of thinking came even in part from Crane. She used to be a "good," character; now she is amoral, and works better that way.
The other character, as mentioned, is based on the more human part of him (and I even allude to this by giving him the same first name, and basing both his last name and his mother's maiden name in horror---Crane got his last name from Ichabod Crane, after all). Both are tall, gangly, well-read, plain-looking, intelligent, soft-spoken, and grew up poor. But the similarities end there, as my Jonathan remains gentle and kind, where Crane went off the deep end in similar circumstances. Their interests also differ greatly at this point.
The other time, I intentionally took Shelley's version of her monster and built on what she established. So, yes, I have used Frankenstein's monster in my work. I see him as a bit of an atoner for past crimes (based on the ending of the original book...and I found a way to keep him alive since he built a pyre to kill himself in the end...), and he is currently the unofficial leader of my monsters.
So. Has anyone else done this?
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 11:23 am
No, thankfully this has never happened to me haha. I'm influenced by the things I read but characters are all mine.
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DesertRoseFallen Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 3:20 pm
Now that you mention, I suddenly realized I have done it before.
Tamaki (from Ouran HSHC) was the base for one of two main characters in my current focus. I loved the way he was so oblivious and facinated by the 'ways of the commoners' and thought so highly of himself. He made me laugh, and I need a character who makes me laugh.
The other character I used was Louie Von Helson, from our own dear Gaia. In fact, I haven't changed him as much as I should have; he's still a vampire, and his name remains Louie (I just love it!). If you knew all the details I did, you'd realized they're not the same character anymore, but the basic structures are still extremely similar.
However, my story featuring the 'Louie' character is something I write for fun, and do not necessarily see myself trying to publish. So, in the meantime, I have no need to change a good thing.
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Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 1:02 pm
Accidental? No. Intentional? Yes. The book I'm writing right now is a cross between Harry Potter, Eragon, and a little bit of Vladimir Tod. However, the characters are different. True, some of the details are similar, such as the main character and his father being able to mount wyverns--which are dragonic cousins, but the plots and character structures are mainly different.
Point being, if I can get them to be different from the three books without abandoning some of the similarities, then maybe it can be deemed original. Of course, I may not publish the series until I can get the series just right, but this is the start of my career.
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 4:32 pm
Yup. I think I intentional made my main character Atheyl look like Legion's Brainiac 5, I even called him Querl first but decided to change it. I think looks are okay to copy though. I should probably get rid of him but he's just so fascinating to me.
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Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:51 am
Princess: What makes me laugh is Louie looks a lot like one of my characters, and his father acts like another of mine---about a year after I created them. Gaia also made an item that looks similar to one I made for a character before I ever found this site (it came after I joined). Stalkers. I do not watch much anime, but just from that, I can see how Tamaki can be a humorous character. XD Good luck on pulling it off; I have always found comedy a bit difficult to write. Ivory: Eragon shares a lot in common with Star Wars, which people who bash the book love to point out. From what I know of each of the three series you are using, there are tropes that they all share, so your story has that advantage in that it will share roots, but not necessarily be plagiarism. And making them different certainly helps. Trades: Looks are okay (see: my above example with Jonathan Crane, who was already based off an existing character--- Masters of Fear makes this a plot point, actually); just be sure to change them enough that they are not carbon copies. Green skin and blonde hair? Not enough to say you copied; a four year old with a creative mind could come up with that. Point in case: DC used it again, and differently. Couple it with an original outfit, having his species be completely different from those on Colu, with different abilities and a different personality, and you are probably fine. And if looks are the only real similarity, you are probably already doing okay.
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Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:37 am
No, I don't do it. The only way I would is if I were referencing a public domain character in an homage or retelling or something of that sort. I did write some fanfiction years ago, but that's it. Neuschwanstein Princess Tamaki (from Ouran HSHC) was the base for one of two main characters in my current focus. I loved the way he was so oblivious and facinated by the 'ways of the commoners' and thought so highly of himself. He made me laugh, and I need a character who makes me laugh. I just started watching this recently... it cracks me up. XD
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