Lyricality (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lyricality) wrote2011-02-11 02:15 pm
lyricality) wrote2011-02-11 02:15 pm
Entry tags:
Mememe
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![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
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
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
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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:
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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*
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Bumblebee.
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1) Bravery. Bumblebee is so terribly brave. Most incredibly, he has no immodesty at all, and his courage is such a subtle thing that even his fellow Autobots sometimes overlook it. I love the musical theme that Steve Jablonsky wrote for him--it starts with understated rhythm, but finishes with all the power and purpose behind the character. If Prime ever does "pass on the Matrix" (or whatever the equivalent would be) in the films, only Bumblebee should receive it.
2) Curiosity. The universe fascinates Bee, and he wants to explore all of it--both the beautiful and the appalling. Humanity appeals to him because we, too, are an inquisitive species, and even at our worst, we still love to learn.
3) Generosity. For what he loves, Bumblebee will give all of himself. Without hesitation, without question. In his opinion, his voice and his limbs were a small price to pay for the safety of the Allspark. He did not expect to survive at all. He would do anything that Optimus asked of him, and he would act to the best of his ability, always. When Sam's safety is in question, Bee will pull himself apart to protect what matters to him most.
4) Adaptability. Bee is the most flexible of all the Autobots in terms of both circumstances and emotion. He survived three years alone on Earth, and he has endured much longer on much less favorable terrain. His relatively easy acceptance of cultural and societal differences has simplified his understanding of humanity, as well.
5) Contrariness. Despite his loyalty, Bee enjoys pushing boundaries--something else he shares with humanity. He will obey the letter of the law, but not the spirit. He will circumvent orders with which he deeply disagrees. Above all else, anyone who makes him miserable will absolutely, unquestionably suffer miseries in return...one way or another.
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1) Refinement. TF:A Megatron is the first Megatron who really deserves the title Lord. All his lethal power is covered by an unexplained but incredibly compelling veneer of civility--he drinks from goblets, he requires a higher quality of oil, and he speaks with an easy elegance that G1 Megatron completely lacks. He would speak in calm, compelling tones while breaking someone's joints one by one. His charisma is almost indescribable, and it serves to enhance his predatory nature in sinister contrast.
2) Brutality. Megatron's pure physical power is undeniable, and he is more frightening when he chooses not to exert it. His moods are swift to change, and he sees no reason to give warning before striking out at someone who has earned his irritation. He is not casually cruel--he would consider that counterproductive--but he is ultimately sociopathic, and sometimes his compulsion to destroy overwhelms all his civility and breaks through to show the feral beast within.
3) Equality. I spent a great deal of time deciding not just why the Decepticons would initially choose to follow Megatron, but why they would continue to follow the ideal of him even after his supposed deactivation. I imagined that Megatron treats his followers with a raw sort of equality, and he adjusts his expectations according to proven loyalty and demonstrated skill. Shockwave has shown extraordinary loyalty; Megatron rewards him with unusual trust. Lugnut excels in combat based on pure force; Megatron uses him as his ultimate weapon in season three. The Decepticons know what is expected of them, and they are permitted to improve their individual talents so long as those talents serve Megatron's goals. Megatron is concerned primarily with efficiency, and he will rid himself of anyone or anything that impedes his vision of Cybertron's future. He would also never order a subordinate to do something that he himself would not do...a quality that sets him significantly apart from the Megatrons of G1 or Armada, I think.
4)Intelligence. Megatron is a genius, and his official profile says as much. His knowledge of technology is rivaled only by his mastery of combat, and he fails only in the details of specialized work (such as space bridges). He does not misunderstand emotion or compassion--he simply considers both irrelevant.
5) Pride. All of Megatron's mannerisms suggest that he considers himself of high stock, and that he has achieved each one of his goals with pure, personal determination and drive. No one else is responsible, even in the slightest part, for his success. If his subordinates have done excellent work, that is due to his leadership over them. A life of solitary rule is his ultimate desire; no one would be a worthy match for him. Partnership is a nonsensical concept, and cooperation is a sign of failure.
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I bow to your skills.
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*tackle/hug/glomp*
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Yeeee Ratchet. Sorry for being so late. @_@
1) Snark. I try to walk a careful line with this, because I don't picture Ratchet as idly tossing around wrenches or randomly snarling obscenities. He does have tact--he was the liaison to the Council of Ancients, according to his biography--but he tends to make the willful decision against using it. He would rather give an immediate and honest opinion than waste a lot of words on euphemism or diplomacy, given what he's seen of how politics can corrupt the simplest of truths.
2) Compassion. Ratchet is second only to Optimus in terms of outright caring, and the margin between them is narrow indeed. Catastrophic injury demolishes all faction lines--Ratchet will repair anyone he can push, pull or drag off the field of battle. While he considers that generosity as part of his professional duty, his own ethical code prevents him from ignoring the need for aid--whether someone has actually requested that aid or not. Suffering of any sort tends to unsettle his fuel tanks. The transition from civilian to soldier was particularly difficult for him, as a result, and while he now fights with fairly ruthless determination, the early days of the war left him with a number of scars both external and internal.
3) Compartmentalization. Dividing his actions, his reactions, and his emotions into appropriate boxes has become Ratchet's default setting. He prefers professionalism over passion, because he deeply values his own self-control. As long as he can maintain separation of his medical duties and his personal feelings, he remains in control. Outside of those rigid boundaries lurks the sort of chaos that he never wants to experience again. If he were allowed to make a choice, he would prefer to keep everyone at arm's length, but he recognizes both the impossibility and the irresponsibility of that wish. Optimus recognizes the conflict between the safety of solitude and the desire for connection--he bears something like the same burden, after all--and he does his best to help Ratchet maintain balance.
4) Skill. Ratchet is the most talented Cybertronian medical professional still functioning. Autobots and Decepticons alike respect and value his capabilities, and Megatron's standing order has always been for capture rather than execution. On the infrequent occasion that Ratchet fails to save a patient, he considers the loss a highly personal failing, and he keeps that pain entirely to himself.
5) Experience. I don't imagine that this is canon in any way, shape or form, incidentally, but I suppose it counts as my personal canon. Ratchet is old enough to remember Cybertron as it was--during those long ages of peace under the joint rule of Optimus and Megatron. Unlike Ironhide, he remembers those vorns as a civilian, not a soldier, and he regards the past with a certain regretful romanticism. Additionally, as liaison to the Council of Ancients, he needed a strong foundation in the traditions of Cybertron as a whole and Iacon in particular. While his interest in culture is far more insular than that of Bumblebee or Jazz, it has granted him a certain refinement that they lack.
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