Yay for thread number 2!
Now for today's question!
Kevin - I tend to write Kevin in the cliched fatherly/leader role. He's always a supporting character in my stories, usually the one who gives advice (whether it's asked for or not) or tries to take charge in tough situations, except for the one in which he's comatose with a bullet in his brain, of course. I'm surprised I don't take him out of commission more often simply because he's the leader; it's fun to do, but I guess I just don't care enough to ever make him the main focus of a story LOL.
Howie - I usually write Howie in a similar role as Kevin, especially after Kevin left and Howie became the unofficial leader of the band. My Howie is more good-natured and easygoing than my Kevin, but he's usually the voice of reason, as well as the peacemaker. I like writing Howie alongside AJ or Nick the best. He's usually the one looking out for AJ or tolerating Nick picking on him all the time. I love that he still calls Nick "Nicky" from time to time; I always include a few strategically placed "Nicky"s in my Nick tearjerkers. Howie's good for bromance! My absolute favorite way to write Howie, though, is as Dr. Rough, his character in 00Carter, in which the tears of being mocked have caused him to snap, turning him into a power-hungry supervillain who is also super-sensitive about his shortcomings and would freak out at my use of the word "short."
Brian - My Brian changes depending on his role in the story and who he's with. When paired with Kevin or Howie, my Brian is the goofy one, good for comic relief. When paired with Nick or AJ, he's either equally goofy so that they play off each other well, or he comes across as the more mature, serious one. I've written angsty Brian, who wallows in self-pity, and I've written strong Brian, who is there for whichever one (usually Nick) is wallowing instead. Whatever the situation, though, there are certain characteristic s I always keep when I write Brian: his sense of humor, his faith, his love of music, his devotion to his family, and the back story about his heart condition. I'm a Brian girl, and to me, those are all key components to what make Brian Brian, so even in an AU, those things stay a part of him.
AJ - Like I said in the other thread, AJ is one of my favorites to write as a supporting character, although I do like to write him as the lead sometimes, too. In his supporting role, he's usually either a source of comic relief or a source of conflict. He lightens the mood, cracks inappropriate jokes, and says the stuff no one else has the balls to say. But he's also most likely to react badly to difficult situations and have a total meltdown. Fun-loving AJ is my favorite, but dark, angsty AJ is good for drama.
Nick - Nick is similar to Brian in that I write him differently depending on the story. When he's in a supporting role, he's usually more immature and annoying, whereas when he's the main character, he seems more thoughtful and serious. I write him differently now than I did a few years, I think partly because of how much he's grown up and changed in past few years and partly because of how much I'VE grown up and changed. I used to write Nick as kind of a mess - insecure, angsty, emo, even suicidal at times. My Nick nowadays is usually more confident and chill about things. In serious stories, anyway. In not-serious ones, he's still silly and playful. I use a lot of mannerisms when I write Nick, like that smirk he does that says "You can't resist me; I know I'm hot," and waggling his eyebrows, licking his lips, putting his hand in his hair, all that stuff he does that is so hot LOL. I usually have an easy time picturing him and his body language as I write.
Female leads - My female leads are usually based on some part of myself or someone I know, or they're the kind of girl I wish I was, without being so idealized that they turn into Mary Sue. The character Jori in Secrets of the Heart, for example, is an exaggerated version of my sister. Cary in Curtain Call and Claire in Broken are both sort of my ideals, but with real qualities of the two opposite sides of my personality. Cary is the girly side whose personality is similar to how I am around most people in real life - kind of quiet and reserved, a little insecure, but trustworthy and sweet, a nurturer. Claire is the tomboy side whose personality is more similar to how I am online and among my closest friends and family - more outgoing, twisted sense of humor, not afraid of what people think, will say whatever, even if it's "Suck it up and stop feeling sorry for yourself." They both have characteristic s that I idealize, like their looks (Cary is classically pretty and can pull off red lipstick; Claire is more plain-looking, but has red hair - I love red hair!), Cary's musical talent, and Claire's spitfire personality, but my intent was that they also have flaws that prevent them from being Mary Sues or at least enough quirk to make them likable. I don't like female leads that are too perfect, but Anti-Sues that try too hard to NOT be perfect, yet are somehow still adored by everyone in the story (Bella Swan), are even more annoying.
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Topic: Question of the day thread number 2! (Read 72980 times)