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.