Everyone has their hero, someone who they feel they can identify with, someone who you think embodies your values, or maybe just someone who is overall awesome. Who is this person to you and why?
Ever since I was a kid I was in love with the smart character archetype. My favorite ranger was the blue ranger, because of how nerdy he was. But over time I’ve really come to appreciate and love intelligent characters that use intelligence and empathy to solve things non-violently and characters who allow themselves to be vulnerable and empathic.
The ones who stand out the most are The Doctor and Steven Universe, theres something about them that always gets me, because their heroism is grounded in their belief in the core goodness of people even when the world tries to prove the opposite.
Other mentions include Prof. X and Dr. Fate when his/her arc centers around self discovery and recovery. Plus I am a die hard magic caster in everything I play, so Dr. Strange and Dr. Fate are amongst my faves.
I have always had a soft spot for two X-Men. Colossus and Night Crawler. Neither of them is the smartest, but they both have great conviction and understand themselves which means they proceed in everything they do with confidence, they are deeply loyal, and constantly trying to support those around them (depending on what story arc it is). Most days it can be challenging to be even one of those things let alone all of them.
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I love Nightcrawler! haven’t read enough colossus to bond with him.
I love the “Court Jester” archetype of characters. They’re rarely protagonists but the notable ones that comes to my mind is Okabe Rintaro from Steins;Gate and Wit in the Stormlight Archive series. Characters that always make people laugh, act the fool and become the butt of jokes or are simply used for comedic relief. But beyond that veil of humor, sarcasm and wit, they hold secrets of the world and try to not let it crush them beneath the weight. They’re tragic characters, for no one ever takes them seriously so they use comedy as a coping mechanism. They know a great deal about a great many things and so they shoulder these burdens just to make it through the day and come off as the most human character because everyone has felt a large weight that they didn’t feel they could go to anyone for help with it.
There’s so much I can say about this. To me there is something specific in both Japanese animation and manga that fascinates me. And it is it’s willingness to stick with introspection. Some view anima characters as overly dramatic, but I love that it give their characters the space to really feel their emotions. This also happens in comics but I’ve never felt it quite as much than in anime. I’m partial to all anime genres but I’m more of a slice of life kind of guy, I love how characters like Morita in Honey & Clover and Shigure in Fruits Basket, cary so much depth and complexity but make a good show at enjoying life for what it is and being humorous. I think it also validates the idea that someone can be depressed of in inner turmoil without you noticing it.
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When I was a kid, it was Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager (but I know you’ve already read my blog post about that).
Now? I guess I’m a fair bit like Newt Scamander from Fantastic Beasts. Hufflepuff, sensitive, introverted, socially awkward, more comfortable with animals than humans, strong sense of social fairness/justice and empathy for misunderstood people, a sucker for girls who are “takers” but better off since finding someone who is a “giver.”
Cadet Tilly from Star Trek: Discovery. She’s the extroverted version of me, seriously. omg. I love her.
I also like Elsa from Frozen. I get her, man. That movie came out right as I was spiraling into a huge existential crisis and first realized that I had been emotionally and spiritually abused by people in my family and church. I cried my way through “Let it Go,” cuz it was exactly how I felt when I left home and the church I grew up in and embraced my truer self. Also, fear turned inward is my biggest downfall.
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I’m a ride or die Ravenclaw but damn Newt is my bro. I loved him. He’s a lot like The Doctor, but theres something about his humility which to me is amazing. Loved a movie where the main plot did not involve the protagonist trying to destroy an enemy, he was just empathetic.
I love Cadet Tilly, she so nice, I just can’t whenever she has to pretend to be Mirror Tilly, it cracks me up because it’s so against her nature.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Frozen but Let it Go and Do you wanna build a snowman? Stuck with me more than most Disney songs. It’s both the freedom of “letting it go” and the “concealing not feeling” that got to me, it spoke to a lot of my past and present self.
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