Mememe

[lyricality]

I have today off and I am spending it mostly on writing. YAY.

In order to give me a worthwhile distraction from that lofty goal, here is a meme that I stole from mmouse15:

Pick a character and I will give and explain the top five ideas/concepts/etc I keep in mind while writing that character that I believe are essential to accurately depicting them. Any and all characters welcome (including ones I haven't written but might know about...[at least in Transformers, Lyric added]).

Now, time for lunch. :3

Comments

[nkfloofiepoof]

G1 Optimus~ Because I am predictable like that!

[lyricality.livejournal.com]

HMMMMMMMM lessee.

In no particular order, lol.

1) Compassion. I always start with compassion, when I'm writing Optimus, and I try to keep it close in mind for G1, where Optimus is so clearly a warrior rather than a broader sort of spiritual leader (as he is in movieverse). Optimus's compassion is at once one of his greatest strengths and his worst flaws--it is the characteristic that Megatron most despises, certainly. It allowed the Autobots to embrace humanity, despite our flaws, and it kept Optimus focused on protecting Earth rather than destroying the Decepticons as a whole.

2) Strength. In this case, I mean purely physical strength. I always try to remember just how physically powerful Optimus is in G1. He alone among the Autobots can grapple with Megatron hand to hand. He can tear metal plating and--literally--break jets in half. In the movie, he takes out a majority of the Decepticon army with singlehanded determination. He is always a force with which to be reckoned, and I highly doubt that Megatron ever forgets that fact.

3) Gentleness. To balance all that strength, I try to remember that Optimus can be astonishingly gentle with the mechs that follow him. He does everything with great care, and he handles humans with a balance of consideration for their fragility and respect for their self-determination.

4) Loneliness. While Optimus counts most of his Autobots as friends, the Matrix speaks to only him. While it offers him wisdom, I doubt that it gives him much comfort, and I can't imagine his increased consciousness as anything but isolating. Additionally, no matter how he cares for the mechs under his command, they are soldiers, and he must occasionally order them into the line of fire. As a result, he fears attachment, and he discourages the deepening of any of his friendships.

5) Loyalty. Optimus would never, never willingly disappoint, abandon, or damage anyone outside of fair battle. I also imagine that Optimus never truly lets go of what he loves. Four million years and the acceptance of Elita's probable death did little to discourage his affection for her. One of my favorite "Optimus" songs is "Forever," by Kenny Loggins: The love that I lost to the dark / I'll always remember...

Bonus 6) Regret. Optimus carries this deep, untouchable sorrow in almost every continuity. He considers himself responsible for the continuation of the war and for the destruction of Cyberton. Somehow, he had learned how to withstand that pain.

....I don't have any Optimus icons anymore. D:

[nkfloofiepoof]

*gives him snuggles* ♥

You needs some! D: Though your tiger icon is adorable enough to make up for it.

And because I'm very predictable, G1 Screampuff? *bricked*