> 	But the same can be said with even characters from a series.  I

Though in a series you tend to have a heck of a lot more info about the
character to go on, be it anime or manga or both. And for throw away
characters, they are generally designed with an introduction in mind to
show the readers how and why they are antagonists or protagonists. Or they
are so throw away that it doesn't matter one way or another, and thus are
fair game for fanfics. With new author-created characters for fanfics you
don't have that luxury.

> haven’t read Ranma fanfics in a long time either, but often you get stories
> that where everyone has a few part in it, and unless you happen to care a
> lot about a minor character, why care anymore about Shampoo or Ukyou or
> Kunou than a new character?

Because of what they have done over 38 volumes of manga, and what you know
of them through that. Unlike some new fanfic author-created character,
where you have _nothing_ based on them at all.

> 	I can understand using characters from existing series.  It’s easier
> when you have a name and a face to work with, and at least a rough
> personality to work with.  I certainly have a lot of trouble coming up with
> new names and I’m hopeless in drawing, so I rely on my considerable
> knowledge of characters to find at least find an appropriate face.

Yet, if things are written properly, you don't need a face, just a name.
Look at all the original works out there that aren't fanfics. Some are
better than others, but authors like Robert Jordan, Ann Rice, Terry
Pratchett, etc, etc, etc, all manage to create new, original characters
without requiring drawings or pictures. It's part of writing well so that
you don't need such things.

Even published authors are not always that great at it, and fanfic authors
can be much worse without having an editor to help them try to get what's
in their head across in text.

Kun-chan...
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