original character! do not steal!

Basically, what's your take on how original your character and bio pic should be? nothing's set in stone, obviously, since we've got genuine photocopies in personality and looks around here (most of the cast of Rumble Roses and Street Fighter on our roster, for example). Should it be an original character pic and story, well-known characters fair game as portraits, etc.

I always try to keep mine original as possible, but that's how I just like things. I'm a creator (admittedly more than a doer), and I'd get bored of writing out a bio of an existing character. Even without that, I've rarely even done an RP as an existing character. I generally don't often consider a picture if I recognize them from something, having preconceptions on them and not as fun to make up. Only exceptions really are Janet, since her art style was different from the show, Sakaki/Yuno as Ui/Yui from K-on! (again art style difference; i didn't even realize it was them until it was pointed out to me), and Lily and Cassie, who I had written up when someone PMed me about if I liked Tohou. same story with Revy too. knew she was a character, didn't know what from or what she was like except busty and ripped. for all i knew, a Pixiv chick who caught on...

So your take? Are you more prone to make original girls, or more tempted by characters with original pictures, or extremist enough to think we should only allow characters with OC pics?

This thread sponsored in part by my girlfriend, who swears at the computer every time she recognizes a picture on new roster.

Well, it might be just me, but I do not mind using characters from different things. I can understand where somebody would care, but I never saw it as a problem.

I think that you should try to make people as original as possible, but it is pretty difficult to do so and should be able to use well-known characters as portraits.

I typically have a problem with taking on characters that are well known characters, with a few exceptions. DOA girls? ok. Wrestle Angel girls? Fine. Touhou girls? They're ok too. Rumble Roses? Also ok by me. But that's about the extent of it. Recently, I saw one addition to the roster that used FIVE mainstream characters. I did an honest to god head desk upon seeing them.

I don't care.

Though what characters were you talking about Psy?

I suppose that's tough for two reasons. Most of us probably can't draw, and are stuck finding some other anonymous artwork to use. Once we find it, the only way to know if it's been used before would be to comb through 700-800 posts on the rosters.

I guess if we really wanted to we could have a pic registry, like a separate thing before the rosters with every pic currently in use thumbnailed out. Really though I don't think it's the sort of thing that you could hardline.

Also, what would simplify it is just playing fewer characters! That's right, you know who you are. " title="Razz" /> (<--kidding and stuff)

Heh, I have 0 ability with creativity. My one Kawaii girl is a direct rip from an anime, "Serial Experiments: Lain." Mostly because I suck at playing sane girls. The rest are drawn entirely from other characters I created for other RPs... who all have roots from something I've stolen. (Magnus from a wizard in Harry Potter Created Character based off The Exile from KOTOR, Rudi from a werewolf for HP based off Ajax from the Warriors, Kent from Mike Weston from BN, Lu Zhou Yi being the sixth incarnation of a character started about six years ago (who was male back then)). I would say Ada is original, but she's really just "How much fan service can I cram into one character?"

[quote="Bluemouse":3g7n03es]I suppose that's tough for two reasons. Most of us probably can't draw, and are stuck finding some other anonymous artwork to use. Once we find it, the only way to know if it's been used before would be to comb through 700-800 posts on the rosters.

I guess if we really wanted to we could have a pic registry, like a separate thing before the rosters with every pic currently in use thumbnailed out. Really though I don't think it's the sort of thing that you could hardline.