Channeling your personality via fictional characters?

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Does anyone else do this?

I find that I will often gravitate towards a character from something (TV, video games, books, etc) and 'take on' that character to represent myself. You can probably tell that I'm doing that right now with Tails from the Sonic video games, although it's been other characters prior to him.

I don't seem able to define myself as a person based simply on my own existance. That is, I know I'm a personal called 'Alex', but I don't really know what it means to BE Alex. I can't identify 'who' I am. So I end up channeling myself through established characters who feel similar to what I assume I must be.

For example, I chose Tails about 5 years ago because, like me, he loves computers, aviation (biplanes) and is rather geeky. I find it easier to 'be' that character, who is already established and has a solid known personality, than to simply be myself.

I've done this with other characters in the past, too. I always present myself through usernames and avatars of those characters rather than trying to present myself as a unique person, because I don't really know who that unique person is.

Am I alone in doing that?

I don't understand. Do you mean to ask if fictional characters have an effect on one's personality? If so, then how about real characters, and role models?

I interpreted the thread title to suggest writing a fictional story with the main character based on you and your personality. This is always a bad idea, hah.

In Fan Fiction, this is known as being a 'Mary Sue'. One description was that she (usually female, but can be male, I suppose...slash... has the Wisdom of Spock, the intuition of McCoy, and the courage of Kirk...and sleeps with all 3...

I guess you can write what you know. To an extent, you have to get inside the head of your characters, but you do have to use some imagination.

I tend to go along the lines of 'given the situation, what would the character do next'?

Very rarely, and only around friends, I channel Inspector Cleauseau.

"Do you have a reeuuum?"

yea, i do that too ^^

I'm glad I'm not the only one!

Although it seems that I'm not doing a very good job of explaining to most people what I mean. Nothing to do with fanfiction or writing about characters... I'm talking about replacing your own 'self' with the 'self' of an established character in your way of thinking and presenting yourself to others.

There are some people who believe they actually ARE fictional characters. They're known as otakin, and most of the internet (and the world) sees them as insane. I've known a fair few and I've noticed that a disproportionately high number of them have AS. Whih makes me wonder if they're doing the same thing I am, taking on a character's persona as their own because they lack the ability to actualise their own sense of self.

That is, they can't understand their own 'self'-ness, and it's easier to take an established character who seems to match, because that character's 'self' is simple and solid and established. I can see how that could happen.

I identify with that cute, chubby little Sid character in my avatar. I feel more like a Sid, than a Shelby. :O)

Yes I do this alot. I frequently assimilate different characters as part of myself. My current character is usually house LOL...I talk and act just like my specific character at the time. I take on there tones, accents, body language/postures, demeanor...everything...it's this really weird occurrence. I have no control over it, it just happens.

One the one hand, I don't do this, but on the other, I can understand what you mean by not quite being able to pin down one's own identity. On the, um, third hand (Zaphod Bettlebrox's?) I approve of your choice of character. Tails is cool.