02-06-2023, 01:10 AM
Polyedit2000 asked me a good question: when is a character still a character? He had provided examples as follows:
Example A: Robotnik. Started as an evil scientist with robots. Two cartoons (Sonic AM and Adventures of Sonic) give him two different characterizations with later shows/games fluctuating between army and hermit. He is played by Jim Carrey in the movies and was split into a Council of five in the latest show.
Example B: Jellystone, involving Hanna-Barbera characters. A lot of creative alterations by giving them jobs/roles, gender, sexuality, etc. And the Banana Splits are robbers.
Example C: Scooby Doo. While some of the "newer" shows work with an old formula, there have been attempts to make different characterizations. This resulted in bratty Scrappy Doo being archived and the Velma show getting a lot of criticism.
to multiple characterizations, it is best for players and the GM to assume the primary canon when playing a character unless if A. the version used is specialized or B. the setting calls for it. In Dr. Eggman's case, it would be the games.
Now, when it comes to range, you do have a point when it comes to range. Basically the reason why people love the many incarnations of Eggman is simple: the core of his character is the same throughout each incarnation. In Eggman's case, it would be the fact that he is a scientist who created a variety of robots to take over the world, which makes him serve as an archetype for the dangers of rampant industrialization at the expense of environmental equilibrium. The individual Eggmans can be identified as such.:
Eggman (Games): A charismatic scientist who regularly gets into scuffles with Sonic.
Classic Eggman: This guy seriously thinks using a soda machine that dumps blue liquid on Sonic is a good idea.
AOSTH Robotnik: A comical villain who, like Sonic, often pulls of some cartoony shenanigans.
SatAM Robotnik: A darker version of Robotnik who aims to rule with an iron fist.
Sonic X Eggman: Same as in the games.
Jim Carrey Eggman: Jim Carrey. Need I say more?
Despite their characterizations, they all maintained the core of the character.
As for Velma, the reason why Velma didn't work is not because of any target audience concerns, but because that Velma is far different from the core of the character. See, many people view Velma as a lovable girl who uses her brains to analyze clues in a mystery; her sexual orientation doesn't matter as long as her core personality is there.
Velma in the latest spin-off, on the other hand, is basically "I should go eat rat poison and die!"
Whichever canon you prefer is ultimately up to you as the player, but that is the gist of it. My advice is to NOT pick the heavily-panned versions of the characters; all you're gonna do is cause people to raise an eyebrow at you wondering what in the Mother of Neptune you're doing.
Example A: Robotnik. Started as an evil scientist with robots. Two cartoons (Sonic AM and Adventures of Sonic) give him two different characterizations with later shows/games fluctuating between army and hermit. He is played by Jim Carrey in the movies and was split into a Council of five in the latest show.
Example B: Jellystone, involving Hanna-Barbera characters. A lot of creative alterations by giving them jobs/roles, gender, sexuality, etc. And the Banana Splits are robbers.
Example C: Scooby Doo. While some of the "newer" shows work with an old formula, there have been attempts to make different characterizations. This resulted in bratty Scrappy Doo being archived and the Velma show getting a lot of criticism.
to multiple characterizations, it is best for players and the GM to assume the primary canon when playing a character unless if A. the version used is specialized or B. the setting calls for it. In Dr. Eggman's case, it would be the games.
Now, when it comes to range, you do have a point when it comes to range. Basically the reason why people love the many incarnations of Eggman is simple: the core of his character is the same throughout each incarnation. In Eggman's case, it would be the fact that he is a scientist who created a variety of robots to take over the world, which makes him serve as an archetype for the dangers of rampant industrialization at the expense of environmental equilibrium. The individual Eggmans can be identified as such.:
Eggman (Games): A charismatic scientist who regularly gets into scuffles with Sonic.
Classic Eggman: This guy seriously thinks using a soda machine that dumps blue liquid on Sonic is a good idea.
AOSTH Robotnik: A comical villain who, like Sonic, often pulls of some cartoony shenanigans.
SatAM Robotnik: A darker version of Robotnik who aims to rule with an iron fist.
Sonic X Eggman: Same as in the games.
Jim Carrey Eggman: Jim Carrey. Need I say more?
Despite their characterizations, they all maintained the core of the character.
As for Velma, the reason why Velma didn't work is not because of any target audience concerns, but because that Velma is far different from the core of the character. See, many people view Velma as a lovable girl who uses her brains to analyze clues in a mystery; her sexual orientation doesn't matter as long as her core personality is there.
Velma in the latest spin-off, on the other hand, is basically "I should go eat rat poison and die!"
Whichever canon you prefer is ultimately up to you as the player, but that is the gist of it. My advice is to NOT pick the heavily-panned versions of the characters; all you're gonna do is cause people to raise an eyebrow at you wondering what in the Mother of Neptune you're doing.