Inspiration: By Rogue

Okay, here goes. My first attempt at "blogging" or whatever they call that thing they do on that Internet mechanism. Just kidding, I'm super awesome at Interneting (yep, just made that word up), but seriously, I don't get blogging. Whatever happened to keeping a diary? And...not putting that diary out in a public forum?

Anyway, so, I'm supposed to be talking about scenes and images from a few of my nerd shows that inspire me. You can't see me, but I just put my game face on. Let's do this.

Number 1:
Korra gets her bending back. This scene definitely inspired me, because hey, Aang is dead, and he's still kicking butt and saving the day. I'm like, Korra, Korra, Korra, you stupid girl. Please don't be born yet and let Aang still be the Avatar. I waited the entire show for this scene. In all seriousness though, ahem, I thought this scene was beautifully executed. The cycle of Avatars may live on in an unworthy vessel, but I have hope for her in future seasons. The Legend of Korra inspires my writing in a rather round-a-bout way. I look at Korra, at all her flaws and mistakes, and realize what a marvelous character she is. I don't like her very much, and that in itself is a token of her greatness. Any fictional being that can make me care about them, even in a negative way, has achieved a degree of realism I strive for in my own characters. So, Korra, you have my respect. (But I'm still holding out for the Legend of Iroh.)

Number 2:
Mount Doom and Barad-dur. This may seem like an odd choice, but hear me out. Frodo and Sam, alone in the wilderness, having just been separated from their friends and companions, have made their way into enemy territory. They crest the peak of a mountain, and sprawled out before them is Mordor. Mount Doom, Orcs, Mumakil, Shelob, wraiths on wings, swamps that want to eat them, a lidless eye wreathed in flame...the list of adversities seems to grow longer with their every step. If I was Frodo, I would have looked at Sam and been like, "Well, that was fun. I'm out." But they go on. They face every enemy and defeat every odd. I see their example and think to myself, if Sam can carry Frodo on his back up the side of a roaring volcano, I can bloody well put Skyrim away for a few hours and work on my writing! (I know, my life is full of such crippling choices.)

Number 3:
Harry's final battle and defeat of Voldemort. If you need me to explain to you why this is inspiring, I give up on humanity.

Number 4:
Vader turning on Emperor Palpatine. Vader's final act speaks powerfully of redemption. I can now be assured that murdering countless innocents, slaughtering children, destroying planets, torturing my own children, and handing Han Solo over to the likes of Boba Fett are all sins that can very easily be forgotten and forgiven. All I need do is betray and murder the man who mentored me since childhood, and all will be well. I can appear blue and glowy in all happy confidence beside such great Jedi masters as Yoda and Obi-Wan. And they will look at me and smile, and say, "Oh never mind about that brave young lad you cut down in front of the Jedi temple. Never mind about Alderaan. Leia doesn't need her home planet, and hey, technically if was Moff Tarkin who gave the order, right? The important thing is, at the absolute last moment possible, you decided, hey, maybe I don't want to just stand here like a giant toaster and watch this pancake-faced monster destroy my only son. Well done, Anakin, welcome back to the fold."

Number 5:
Spider-Man versus the Lizard. This makes me all tingly for a number of reasons, not least of which includes that fact that the arrival of the Amazing Spider-Man films ensures I will never again have to endure the agony of watching Tobey Maguire sob about his constipation. Also, Gwen Stacy is a happy alternative to Mary-Jane's awkward posing and snaggle tooth. Aside from that, I never fully appreciated the complexity and depth of Peter Parker's character until I saw that film (five times in two weeks). Even when stacked against such a magnificent villain, he always remembers what his Uncle Ben taught him. "With great hair, comes great responsibility." He knows that because he has been given the power and ability to help people, that places him under a moral obligation to do so. It was a humbling experience to watch his beloved uncle get killed over a bottle of chocolate milk, an experience that shaped him into the hero his is today, someone whose hair is never, ever out of place even when crushed under spandex for hours at a time.

All right, I know I didn't treat this as seriously as I probably should have, but it is in my nature to be snarky, and thus, I shall snark. I probably should have done this when I'm not exhausted and starving, but that's never. I promise I will try harder in the future, although I honestly don't find myself the least bit inspiring. I will understand if I am never again asked to write a blog post.

--Rogue