# Sonic Universe Theme

Sonic the Hedgehog universe theme. Cinematic, photorealistic visual style — movie-poster quality renders with dramatic lighting, detailed textures, and dynamic compositions.

## Visual Style

- **Cinematic photorealistic** — like Sonic movie posters / Unreal Engine 5 renders
- Dramatic lighting, volumetric effects, detailed fur/quill textures
- Characters should feel alive and dimensional, not flat or cartoon-like
- White or transparent backgrounds for standalone assets
- Concept sketches stored in `sketches/` subfolders during exploration phase

## Character Roster

### Heroes

| Character | File | Description | Status |
|-----------|------|-------------|--------|
| Sonic | `sonic.png` | Blue hedgehog, super speed, iconic quills | Sketch |
| Shadow | `shadow.png` | Black/red hedgehog, chaos energy, rival | Sketch |
| Tails | `tails.png` | Two-tailed fox, flight, tech genius | Sketch |
| Knuckles | `knuckles.png` | Red echidna, super strength, guardian | Sketch |
| Amy Rose | `amy.png` | Pink hedgehog, Piko Piko Hammer | Sketch |
| Silver | `silver.png` | Silver-white hedgehog, psychokinesis, futuristic | Sketch |
| Cream | `cream.png` | Cream rabbit with Chao companion Cheese | Sketch |

### Villains / Anti-heroes

| Character | File | Description | Status |
|-----------|------|-------------|--------|
| Dr. Eggman | `eggman.png` | Main villain, genius inventor, red military jacket | Sketch |
| Metal Sonic | `metal-sonic.png` | Robot hedgehog, blue chrome, red eyes | Sketch |
| Rouge | `rouge.png` | White bat spy, jewel hunter, bat wings | Sketch |
| Chaos | `chaos.png` | Translucent water creature, green glowing brain | Sketch |
| Zavok | `zavok.png` | Red demon, leader of Deadly Six, muscular | Sketch |
| Infinite | `infinite.png` | Black jackal, silver mask, phantom ruby | Sketch |
| Egg Robo | `egg-robo.png` | Egg-shaped robot soldier, red/silver metal | Sketch |

## Items

| Item | Description | Status |
|------|-------------|--------|
| Chaos Emeralds | 7 colored crystals of immense power | Planned |
| Gold Rings | Collectible rings, life energy | Planned |
| More TBD | — | — |

## Asset Inventory

| Category | Path | Count | Description |
|----------|------|-------|-------------|
| Protagonist sketches | `sketches/protagonists/{name}/` | 7×6+ | Base sketch, character sheet, lvl1-3, lvl-ancient per hero |
| Antagonist sketches | `sketches/antagonists/{name}/` | 7×6+ | Base sketch, character sheet, lvl1-3, lvl-ancient per villain |

### Per-character file structure

Each character folder contains:
- `{name}.png` — base presentation sketch (standing pose, white bg)
- `{name}-sheet.png` — character sheet (views + expressions, 16:9)
- `{name}-lvl1.png` — Level 1: child (age 5-6), cute accessories, shy smile
- `{name}-lvl2.png` — Level 2: teen (age 12-14), gadgets, stylish, show-off
- `{name}-lvl3.png` — Level 3: young adult (18-20), cyberpunk gear, serious hero/villain
- `{name}-lvl-ancient.png` — Ancient/medieval themed variant — each character gets a unique historical archetype that fits their personality, not a uniform "knight" treatment
- `{name}-lvl-ancient-alt.png` — Alternate experimental ancient variant (only some characters)

#### Ancient archetypes per character

**Protagonists:**
- Sonic — swift medieval knight in lightweight blue plate, rapier, blue cape
- Shadow — dark medieval knight matching Sonic's silhouette, black plate with crimson trim, chaos emerald sigil, longsword
- Tails — steampunk engineer-squire in leather and brass, mechanical clockwork crossbow
- Knuckles — Arabian desert warrior, white turban with emerald clasp, ornate scimitar, red and gold robes
- Amy — pink-and-silver warrior princess, ornate war hammer (Piko Piko); alt adds tiara/jewelry
- Silver — mage-knight in white/cyan plate with psychokinetic crystals; alt is hooded sorcerer-monk with staff
- Cream — Sister of Mercy battlefield nurse, white linen habit with red cross, herb basket, Cheese as acolyte

**Antagonists:**
- Eggman — villainous medieval baron, magnificent mustache, mechanical brass arm, red velvet doublet, chaos-emerald cane
- Metal Sonic — blue chrome mechanical warhorse with spike-quill mane; alt is robo-elephant siege beast
- Rouge — elegant medieval ninja with luxurious accessories (jade pendant, gold hair pin), dark sash, kunai
- Chaos — translucent water elemental pirate captain, tricorn, navy coat, water cutlass
- Zavok — aged Viking chieftain, horned helmet, braided beard, fur cloak, double-bladed battleaxe
- Infinite — dark medieval samurai, black-and-crimson lacquered armor, demon menpo mask, katana
- Egg Robo — dark mechanical warhorse with hazard stripes, riveted plating

**Total: 84+ files** (14 characters × 6 files each, plus alt variants)

## Usage in Templates

All paths relative to project root:
- HTML templates: `/assets/themes/sonic/{category}/{file}`
- Generator scripts (from docs/): `../../assets/themes/sonic/{category}/{file}`
- Generator scripts (from project root): `assets/themes/sonic/{category}/{file}`

## Color Palette

TBD — will be defined after initial sketches are reviewed and art direction is confirmed.

## Reference Policy

- `heroes/` — use existing hero images as `--ref` for consistency within character
- `items/` — use existing items as `--ref` within same item type
- Cross-character refs: use any hero sketch to maintain style consistency

## Adding New Assets

1. Generate via `/gen-image` with cinematic photorealistic style keywords
2. Save sketches/concepts to `{category}/sketches/`
3. Final production assets go directly to `{category}/`
4. Use `--ref` from same category for visual consistency