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Who’s your fictional role model?

This is a wonderful and wholesome thread idea, I just wanted to get that out there. ♥

Unfortunately, I don't think I can give a very straightforward answer. The characters I tend to be drawn toward and my all-time favorites in particular are typically self-destructive types and since most of them also happen to be villains, they also tend not to redeem themselves and instead you witness their downfalls because they never learn from their mistakes. I'm drawn to them for I suppose my own self image issues, but when viewing them as role-models, it's more of an anti-compass than anything. I am probably alreadly more like them for their negative traits than positive ones (if applicable), and I use those characters more for perspective to resolve myself to not end up as they have.

That said, a character I suppose I really respect even if he's not an all-time favorite is probably Aang from Avatar The Last Airbender. He's fairly unique as a protagonist in that he has a particularly interesting conflict of character in Book 3 about how his sensitive personality may be incompatible with his duty as the Avatar, and his journey of staying true to himself is a really noble one. It sends a very powerful message that you don't have to betray yourself for the benefit of others.
 
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Dec 22, 2020
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Depends when you ask me
I actually have a lot more time for anti-heroes like the Punisher, Roland Deschain and Professor Snape. They show that you don’t have to be good to do good, and that there is a quagmire of debate between “good” and “bad”, as a good action can still be viewed as bad; an example is on the Punisher series where he kills the pawn shop owner for offering him tapes of kids. If you’ve never read Dune, go and do so. When you finish it, go back to the start of the book and read the author’s intentions again.
The lyrics to “The Wrong Side of Heaven” by Five Finger Death Punch sum things up pretty well; “Arms wide open I stand alone, I’m no hero but I’m not made of stone, Right or wrong I can hardly tell, I’m on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell.”. No good deed goes unpunished, and all that jazz.
 

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