Sunday, December 27, 2015

Fandom Mashups (34)

Fandom Mashups is a feature hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. There's a different scenario each week, and you choose a "dream team" of five characters from five different fandoms whom you think are best suited for the situation.

This week's topic is:
With the new year fast approaching, you've decided that self-improvement is the way to go. But you need some inspiration. Which characters would you pick to inspire you to better yourself (think: characters that may have started out shady, but transformed into legit heroes).

Happy Last Sunday of 2015! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! I'm enjoying the last day of a long weekend; I vote for those to become the norm, lol.

I must still be recovering from all of the Christmas revelry because I've been racking my brain over this week's topic and am still coming up short. So it looks like I'm devoting this entire post this week to the single character I can think of:

Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

I've been verrrry vocal about how much I love Avatar, and Zuko's character arc from the first to the third season is nothing short of phenomenal. When we first meet Zuko, he's absolutely OBSESSED with finding and capturing the Avatar so that he can restore his honor and end his exile from the Fire Nation. He's also arrogant and impulsive and rarely listens to the sage advice of Uncle Iroh, whom Zuko doesn't always appreciate. It takes Zuko some time to not only mature, but to also realize that regaining his honor isn't his sole destiny. To me, the pacing of his character growth was one of the show's greatest achievements; it doesn't happen quickly, and it doesn't happen easily. But by the final episode, which nearly brought me to tears, Zuko does have his honor, maybe not in the way he thought he would attain it, but there's no question that it's well-deserved.

So what I take away from Zuko's journey is that the path to self-improvement is typically hard-won, but that makes reaching your goal(s) all the sweeter. And maybe I can somehow learn some firebending in 2016? XD

6 comments:

  1. LOL What was in brackets had me stumped too so I just deleted that part LOL - otherwise I would have only had one pick too XD Of course, I love your answer here! Zuko's story arc is nothing short of spectacular. How he's hell bent and stubborn at first, how he gradually reveals his heart, and then the conflict...Oh! The conflict! He almost gets it right there at the end of book 2 but then he f*@! it all up for the chance to return to his home and gain his father's respect. Gah! I was so, SO happy when he finally joined the gAang...and he was so cute when he was struggling with his newfound goodness ''Why am I so bad at being good?!'' LOL!

    Also: I SO WANT TO FIREBEND!!! Zuko...Iroh...THE DRAGONS!!! ♥

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    1. I thought about skipping the part between the brackets, but then I was like, I'm OK with writing all about Zuko! XD When Zuko decided to help Azula at the end of Season 2 because he just couldn't pass up the chance to be welcomed home, it shattered my heart! I'm also pretty sure I sat there for a good while in front of the TV with my mouth hanging open, LOL. But, he did get it right at last, and he was so adorkable when he was practicing how he was going to ask the gAang if he could join them. :D

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  2. Oh yes, I loved how much he's grown even if I didn't follow his story in full.

    I also am a fan of redemption stories and redeemed heroes. Great pick, Lee!

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    1. I love those kinds of stories and characters, too, and Zuko's story was exceptionally done!

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  3. Gosh dangit, why didn't I think of him? I am ashamed!! I agree 100% with your love for Zuko. His character arc is one of the best I've seen in TV shows and in movies. It was just so beautifully done. They didn't do it too fast which makes it kinda unbelievable and its very cliche. However, they also didn't do it to slow where it just comes out of nowhere in the last season just so they could say Zuko grew. I also love it because it is very rare in cartoons.

    Avatar did so many things out of the norm of cartoons and that mold. That is one of the things that made Avatar so wonderful and amazing! They did their own thing instead of trying to be like all of the other shows. It is so refreshing and allowed the producers to be much more creative.

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    1. Avatar is one of the deepest, and best, animated series I've ever watched. The characters are so complex, and the art is just gorgeous.

      Zuko's journey is one of my favorite story lines ever. I'm so happy that all of the gAang's adventures are continuing in the graphic novels because I don't know what I'd do if their adventures were truly over, lol!

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