EXE

An EXE is a term used to label characters based off of popular IPs turned into characters that differ greatly from the source material, usually bearing a file extension in their name, though this is not required. The specific use of the EXE Extension was popularized by the infamous creepypasta by the name of "Sonic.EXE." An EXE can be classified as an OC, but an OC cannot directly be classified as an EXE, as an EXE is based around a pre-existing Intellectual Property; most times being based directly upon a specific character from a given property I.E. Sonic, Mario, Pac-Man, etc. Most times an EXE is meant to act as a character used in a horror game or some type of horror related media, but some serve the opposite purpose; some serving the role as parodies or joke characters.