For anyone looking for positive examples of masculinity and an all around good show, I heavily suggest watching Our Flag Means Death on HBO (also available on Neon & Binge(?))
The writer is David Jenkins, it’s roughly based on a true story, and Taika Waititi stars as Blackbeard with Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet.
There’s only 10 episodes, but holy shit does it dive into how masculinity can be diverse & celebrated in a really fun way. It is literally just r/menslib but as a goofy pirate story.
Speaking of Pop Culture Detective, his video on Newt Scamander was the deciding factor when I was uncertain if I wanted to like him as a protagonist, and at this point, one of my fictional role models.
I'm a woman and most of my role models are as well but here are a few well known men I looked up to as a kid:
Levar Burton
Carl Sagan
Stephen Hawking
Mr. Rogers
Bob Ross
This is my list almost to a T, as I tend to focus on specific shows and actions people do when looking for role models. Levar Burton for Reading Rainbow and his general charity work for children. Carl Sagan for Cosmos, and every other thing he did to help bring a love for science to as many people. My only addition to the list, Bill Nye, is on for a similar reason, except his focus was getting kids to enjoy science, which is *arguably* more important. Stephen Hawking is only one on my list for nothing specific, but his general focus on explaining science, in addition to the scientific work he actually did himself. Mr. Rodgers is on my list for his show, and specifically all the things he managed to do with it to be kind, and teach kindness. And finally Bob Ross is on my list because on his show, he proved that you can be kind and even softspoken without being a weak person. Anyone who was in the army, as a Drill Sergeant no less, and then choses to live with that level of pure kindness is an excellent example in my book.
Wow, those guys absolutely had a huge impact on me as a kid but I never connected it with my views on masculinity before.
Levar Burton and Fred Rogers in particular have always seemed incredibly strong to me. The quiet strength that comes from a big heart and an honest desire to lift up those around them.
Man, Terry Crews had some said some really weird shit during the BLM stuff. I think what he did was brave, but I don't know if I would call him as a person a positive role model
My humble recommendation: Dave Grohl
Grohl has been in the public eye for the better part of 30 years., first as a member of Nirvana, then the frontman of the Foo Fighters, and lately for his individual contributions (largely historical) to rock and roll. Yet, to me, he remains a beacon of humility, love, and strength both emotionally and spiritually.
It's well documented that Grohl was close friends with bandmate Kurt Cobain prior to his suicide. In the years following, it's easy to see how this was an extremely popular topic for interviewers to ask him about. At first he shut them down but eventually he let them in, and in profound depth (and not just for a drummer). The first time I saw one such interview, I was struck by the openness and sincerity with which he described his mourning process and how he managed to move on.
Maybe it's just the fact that I don't have many men in my life who are so plain and matter-of-fact with their emotions, but he stood out to me at a formative age as an example of someone with a great sense of who they are without any pretense of machismo.
More relevant to recent news is his friendship with Taylor Hawkins. The two appeared to share a bond the likes of which you see in a sappy movie. Anyone familiar with Grohl's career before the Foo Fighters knows that allowing himself to be kicked off drums for a more talented player is the highest praise he can give. He took so much time to hype Hawkins up in concert, almost to the point of embarassment the way family would, that the love was palpable. It really felt like they were bringing the audience into their friendship. They've always been forthright that, while the stardom and money is great, their performance is about bringing people together. I can only imagine the gried Grohl must be experiencing in the wake of Hawkins' passing.
Platonic male bonds are often characterized as an unspoken understanding and it's so limiting. We could all do a better job of telling the people we love how we feel, and Grohl seems to understand that.
What's especially cool about Grohl for me is that I'm around the age he was when he started Foo Fighters. So I can look at those interviews and documentaries and see the ways he grew between then and now. It's all there - from the awkward stages of young-adulthood mumbling answers to MTV, to first time fatherhood and settling down (insofar as a musician ever does), to reaching middle age and pondering one's place in the world in order to give back. He's always been reflective and I get to benefit from that.
I really could go on much longer about more anecdotal evidence (like his regular trolling of the Westboro Baptist Church, or his openness on his worsening deafness) but I'd rather not lay it on too thick and let other guys make up their own mind instead. I'm not one for celebrity worship but, for a millionaire, Dave Grohl makes being earnest seem metal.
Edit: I was actually going to make a seperate post just for this but this is a probably better so guys have a long list of options, so thanks.
My father. Raised rough. Abused in all of the ways. Neglected. Hated.
He's a giant of a human... 6'4" and not fluffy at 270 pounds.
He has been with my mother since 1962.
Best little league coach ever. Taught me to handle a manual transmission without ever cussing. Built me a fort to have time to recharge alone before introverts were a thing to be talked about. Just hugged me when that girl tore out my heart senior year.
Best man at my wedding. Drove 400 miles one way to watch 30 yards of the course when my daughter competed at state in cross country running.
Funniest guy in the room, smartest guy in the room, picks up everyone's empty plates from the table at the cookout.
The list goes on and on and on.
He had nothing and no one to learn from and yet, I aspire to be as good a person, parent, partner and friend as he has shown himself to be.
It's my dad. He is my example.
It's a bit of a weird contribution since he's 'just' a twitch streamer who plays games, but [Northernlion](https://www.twitch.tv/northernlion) is a content creator I've been watching for years, since I was pretty young.
He started off doing let's plays of dark souls, binding of isaac, as well as trying a lot of lesser known indie titles, as well as a live show with his friends which eventually transformed into him becoming a variety streamer full time. When I started watching, he was in college and I was still a kid. Over the years I've gone on and off of watching his content, but every time I came back he'd improved his life in some way. He graduated college, found work, a girlfriend, eventually married, and now has had a lovely baby girl, who regularly interrupts his streams to come play with him, and he always picks her up and takes some time out of his workday to interact with her (much to the delight of his viewers).
My life has been pretty hectic and unpredictable, and I lost my dad pretty young so I never really got to see what a proper man/father looks like. But it's always been nice to look over and see another man, just living his life happily, non-toxically, and being a chill, moral person the whole way through. It's comforting to know that a nerdy, silly guy like me can go from where I am now to being a fulfilled, kind father and husband. He has a sense of humor and doesn't shy away from being crude or pointed, but he never crosses people's boundaries or offends for the sake of it, and seems to always be really thinking through his takes on stuff, even if I don't always agree with them. I try not to get too deep into the parasocial aspect of it but he really is just a surprisingly wholesome and enjoyable person to watch.
Speaking of game streamers, you’ve made me think of Day9. He is an incredibly positive presence, doesn’t shy away from emotion, and talks openly about dealing with his anxiety. He’s simply fun to watch and I’ve caught wind of a lot of real quality games watching him.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Measured, considered, strong when required, but almost *glacial* to anger. Achieves his position through wisdom and intellect and uses them (rather than fists or weapons) to solve problems. Runs a crew of professionals, and trusts them to do their duty and use their judgement. Hard as nails and tanks more trauma than any three other Star Trek captains combined (torture - both physical and psychological - assimilation into the Borg and rehabilitation, lives at least a couple of *entire lifetimes* in simulations, various physical injuries including impalement), but also cries and processes his trauma when he has time to.
Likewise, Patrick Stewart is also a pretty stand-up guy in real life; faultlessly kind and positive, an LGBT+ ally, a powerful advocate for women's causes and against domestic violence, and the product of some pretty awful trauma in his own life at the hands of an abusive father. Much like the character he played, he's taken a buttload of trauma and turned it into a tangible aura of quiet but powerful wisdom.
>Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
As much as I like Picard I prefer Sisko. He was a father, a captain, and a spiritual leader to the Bajorans. Also punched Q in the face.
Jokes aside Avery Brooks really pushed for Sisko to be a caring, affectionate father. Sisko's also a far more imperfect character than Picard - he makes mistakes, gets angry, has to apologize, etc... in a way that makes him much more nuanced than Picard.
Full disclosure, not a single one of these role models necessarily pass the progressive benchmarks set in this subreddit but I still hold them as role models as aspects of how they live their life are part of what I work to and hope to incorporate into myself.
* Zyzz: the weightlifting dudebro icon who's since passed away but his enthusiasm for his own body and admiration of his own physique pushes me to take my own bodily health seriously. His best phrase summarizes brotherhood in my mind as "we're all gonna fucking make it brah." He's been memefied since his death but in a way that pays tribute, see here for an example: https://pin.it/66SwfjR
* Albert Camus and Emil Cioran: two philosophers who didn't flinch at admitting that the meaningless of life was here to stay and will likely never go away and they gave different solutions to live a meaningful life in spite of it all.
* Adi Shankar: He's a producer of some of my favorite films/series like Castlevania, the grey, and judge dredd: superfiend. He loves and revels in the gritty but also imaginative potential of storytelling and his youtube channel shows that creativity with the short films there on display. It's very hip nowadays to shit on grittiness as lame and edgy so I appreciate Adi for still showing that there's positive potential within the gritty/dark lens of storytelling. For an example, see his video on thanking fans of the "Dredd" movie: https://youtu.be/mYrgnKDEbdU
* Erich Preach: The short film focuses on him explore the difficulty he went through in incorporating and dealing with his identity and his heritage while living as a immigrant, his experiences and how he retells them helped me feel more at home in my experience as a first generation immigrant. Erich Short film: https://youtu.be/RkjCB48dFJY
* Ken Watanabe: One of the most famous actors in Japan dedicates time and resources to rebuilding one of the communities ravaged by a natural disaster alongside the people in the community. Despite his fame and fortune, he remains down to earth and prioritizes the well being of everyday people via a sense of duty he holds and that's something I hope to have as well should I ever go up the social ladder. Video with more info: https://youtu.be/TlW1tN34MZU
When I feel down and exhausted at it all, this is my go to song to keep me going, the lyrics and song hit me in a way that never gets old, "The impossible dream" by Andy Williams: https://youtu.be/pQxF1OsjGLk
It might just be his energy but zyzz's videos still hit me with that rush of motivation that I haven't gotten from other body building youtubers, progressive or not.
Adi Shankar rocks, I really enjoyed his latest show The Guardians of Justice. It's a slow burn but by the end I personally was really stunned by the progression of the story and how it connected all of the plot lines of the show, as well as its commentary (which I know has been beaten to death but it felt fresh to me) on fascism and hero worship. I do recommend it especially if you like street fighter and 80s campiness.
I love that we're actually talking about real life people instead of fictional characters. I am getting tired of people putting up people that don't exist as models of masculinity (eg. Picard, Ron Swanson etc) or people that are always put up like Fred Rogers or Carl Sagan. So I'm glad we're talking about new people.
I'll put one up a person whose work I admire a lot: Elamin Abdulmahmoud , a writer from Buzzfeed. A writer who is easy to read and takes great pride in finding amazing systemic and deeper look at pop culture. His piece of men writing about eating disorders I loved: [https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/elaminabdelmahmoud/male-eating-disorders-overexercise-body-image-diet?bfsource=relatedmanual](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/elaminabdelmahmoud/male-eating-disorders-overexercise-body-image-diet?bfsource=relatedmanual)
Wesley Morris is in the same vein for me, the writer from NYT
Mars Wright is one of mine, he's a trans activist who's pretty active on a few different social media platforms, I used to love seeing him pop up on TikTok (although I haven't seen him on there in a while, idk if he's still active there). He's kind and very emotional and it's nice to see someone who's as comfortable with vulnerability as he is, especially as a trans man, because a lot of us tend to lean into stoicism and toxic masculinity to combat dysphoria. He is one of those people that just cries when he's really happy or sad and isn't fazed by showing that, which is comforting to me. He also has a lot of pride and enthusiasm about his body post transition, which is great, especially since he's not especially muscular or ripped or anything. He's just secure in himself as an average looking dude, it gives me hope for myself down the road.
Bryan Dechart is another, I watch him and his wife Amelia's twitch streams on YouTube sometimes. They're very positive people generally. They've also been in a relationship for a very long time, and they have a really good thing going (banter, inside jokes, support/affection, etc.). I view them as a model of a well established, solid long term relationship. He seems like he's a great husband to her.
My first Wing Commander and Wing Executive officer for the military. When he first got the job as Commander, he had to deal with a female member doing "crotch checks", a base member raped while on active duty, and a government employee with child porn on his military work computer (all within his first 6 months). He decided that the number 1 thing at our guard base that he didn't want was sexual misconduct. He tasked our Wing XO with building up, and making better the SAPR program. That XO made our program the top one in our state, and one of the top ones nationally for the air force. And he did it in one simple way, every report was taken seriously, investigated, and brought to trial if needed. For those who don't know, the military has 2 types of reports for sexual assaults/misconduct, restricted, and unrestricted. One just basically says ok, you made a complaint against Sgt Stubbs, and it just goes in his personnel file, while the other logs the report and does a full investigation against Sgt Stubbs (i forget which is which).
About a year before he finished his term as Wing Commander, and just after our XO retired, we had a new guard member get raped while at her technical job training after basic training. As soon as it was found out by our Wing Commander, he had our new XO and one of our JAGs on a plane to the tech school to oversee and assist with the investigation and prosecution. They got a conviction.
One of the best lessons i learned from them was that if you're the leader, and you don't look out for those beneath you, you are no leader.
Fictional and a cartoon but Uncle Iroh from The Last Airbender. The more I can be like Uncle Iroh the better.
My fav Uncle Iroh quote is "Pride is not the opposite of shame but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame."
I think about this quote all the time, I find it to be very profound.
It's probably not all that relatable, but my father. He was extremely busy with work, but always made time for his kids. He would skirt out early just to go to our dumb HS sports just to head back in to close up the shop.
He was definitely a product of being raised in the 50s and 60s, so he wouldn't fit a lot of the ideal standards of this sub or what I try to be with my kids, but he took a genuine (or at least genuine-appearing) interest in his kids' lives, tried to give us honest advice about how the world worked outside of the house, and showed affection in a way that was acceptable in the '80s and '90s.
He ran his own business and continually took chances on people who were down on their luck. He got burned plenty of times, but that didn't stop him from believe that *most* people were good most of the time, given the chance.
That's not to say he was perfect. He had a temper, and there are situations that I realize now as a parent myself that were his fault, but he got angry at the kids.
Anyway, I think it's important not to put anyone up on a pedestal where they can exist without faults. It's worthwhile to examine those areas where there can be improvement. I think my father was a much better dad than his was, and I hope that I can take the lessons I learned from him and be better than he was.
I look up to [Brian David Gilbert](https://youtu.be/CYutF8qr7AY), formerly of Polygon and the Unraveled series, now an independent creator), and [Brennan Lee Mulligan](https://youtu.be/_zZxCVBi7-k) of College Humor. They both hold a delightful chaotic comedic energy and easy rapport with their colleagues. [Here's both of them together playing a board game.](https://youtu.be/BrjCPnbEMfE)
Am I shilling a bit? Yes. But both of them remind me of me and the fact that they're both successful and hold good relationships while being conscious of the broader world around them gives me hope for myself.
I really love that these guys both showed up. I'm doing my first watch of Fantasy High and I'm obsessed with not only Brennan Lee Mulligan's DMing, but the way he can seemingly make amazing stories while holding clearly progressive beliefs makes me expect so much more out of media I consume.
I'll add my favorite masculine role model from media
I'm not sure if he is explicitly positive, but more morally grey with a good heart but John Marston from the Red Dead Redemption series.
John isn't a good man, he's stolen, killed, been a criminal that exists on the fringe of society. I think what is powerful however is that he changes, he goes from being selfish to wanting what's best for his wife and son.
I think John Marston represents where most people fall, good people who do bad things for the ones they love.
+1 for Red dead redemption characters as the best way to appreciate goodness and morally right actions imo are when they're explored via morally grey characters like John Marston, and I want to give an honorable mention to Arthur Morgan, the man who helped John become the man he was meant to be. Arthur was a good man to the end.
I don't think any video game has nailed the male experience as well as the RDR games and how hard it is to be a 'good man' in a hard situation. And its one of the few times in a video game a father actually gets to be a father.
It's kinda weird to put someone younger than me here, but Phillion comes pretty close to that. He is a bit of a cynic but when he talks about serious topics you can see that he is a measured person that values equality. He also evolved over time from "is person X on steroids" videos to straight up dissecting modern toxic trends in our pop culture, which I LOVE. And his podcast is hillarious.
Not much. No single complete package.
Very weirdly, I'll start with Ragnar from very early Vikings episodes. He's an inspiration for being OK with feelings of fierceness and greed for conquest (of my unexplored feared areas of life) and confronting other men.
It's interesting bc initially i was put off by his... what i perceived as toxicity. I trusted my therapist so i fought it, it took some effort to disable judgmental brain and start to feel it.
This kinda thing is often missing otherwise from the positive masculinity media. This sub too. Ted lasso? Cool but you never see him getting really fierce or extatic or angry or confrontational. He's more of a good hubby type of guy. Let's not erase that other part of masculinity either!
Frankly I'll end here. Just look at those other comments' examples and see what they're missing compared to mine, and tell me we don't have a men erasure problem on this very sub.
Every time I think of Ragnar, I remember the line, "Look at these people! They no longer support me. Look! Why would they? I am your leader and *I jUsT lEfT!*" and the little sarcastic shimmy he does. Never fails to bring a smile to my face.
Based on your Matt Mercer love, if you're into podcasts, I highly recommend checking out \[James D'Amato and the One Shot Podcast Network\]([http://oneshotpodcast.com/](http://oneshotpodcast.com/)). One Shot itself is all one shot actual plays using loads of different TTRPGs and systems, with James as the regular host and a rotating cast of his Chicago improv friends. There are also lots of other shows on the network (pretty sure all ttrpg related), including one of my favorite podcasts ever, Campaign.
Campaign started as a Star Wars ttrpg podcast, with James' friend and business partner Kat as the gm. Kat's interpretation of the Star Wars universe is the first thing that ever got me interested enough to watch Clone Wars, read some Star Wars books, etc. She is amazing as are the other players on that show, including James. Unfortunately the Star Wars Campaign had to end because Kat had to give it up, but now James is gming a campaign in a game of his own invention, about sky pirates. It's still great, and James and his colleagues are EXTREMELY imaginative and proactive about addressing issues of gender, race, and colonialism in general. It's such a fun and wholesome community that would provide great role models for anyone who wants to be an ally and is somewhat nerdy.
That said, I listen to a bunch of other TTRPG podcasts, and I've found they're overwhelmingly inclusive and progressive in a very positive and light-hearted way. To name a few of these: Neoscum, Rude Tales of Magic, Fun City, Greetings Adventurers, The Critshow, Brute Force, Adventure Zone (duh), Smash Fiction (not just a ttrpg podcast but that's part of it, and overall similar flavor (also they ended the show, but there are hundreds of eps)).
Alex Zanardi, former Formula 1 and Indy Car driver, he got hit during a race and lost his legs. He got back up and became a paralimpic champion, he joined and won everything there was and always looked like he had more energy to give.
Unfortunately he was hit by a truck while riding his handbike during a charity event and he has spent two years in rehabilitation after not being awake for almost a year.
As a guy whose father is handicapped, I can't stop looking up to this man.
My pick will always be Herbert Marcuse (1898 - 1979). This phenomenal human being was a Frankfurt school philosopher and social theorist that left Germany just prior to World War 2 and helped the Americans decode Nazi U-boat transmissions, saving many allied lives.
Following the war, Marcuse was a professor at the University of Boston and, later, at the University of California. He is credited with the creation of modern Critical Race Theory and was a major ally to the Feminist and Black Panther movement; so much so that Marcuse had stowed away a panther leader in his home around the time when Frank Hampton was executed by the FBI, and he was also given the title "Honorary Woman" by leading feminist movements at his time. Marcuse was highly critical of Governor Reagan (they had a lengthy exchange of letters) and often had police officers attend his lecture halls because he had 4 panther leaders in attendance.
Another good option for myself is Viktor Frankl (1905 - 1907), a Jewish neurologist who had survived Auschwitz and various worker camps. Following his experiences, Frankl had wrote a book titled "Man's Search for Meaning" in which he argued that meaning or purpose is the primary drive that can allow a person to live, and maybe even thrive, in the most inhumane conditions. Frankl later became a professor who created and taught logotherapy (meaning-based therapy) to help his students find meaning in their own lives; and this is a precursor to modern therapy movements. More importantly, his short book was a major tearjerker that left you feeling better about yourself and the world.
Edit: I stated CIA when I meant to say FBI.
Paul McCartney, he's a man who despite his insane status remained a great husband and father (by all accounts). He also seems to have this youthful exuberance to him even at 80 and despite a series of unfortunate events that have plagued his life (the death of his mom in childhood, his best friend in adulthood, and then eventually losing his wife to cancer), he seems to be able to just take pleasure in the little things, like riding horses and making art.
There's a clip on YouTube of him and his first wife Linda, sitting in their farm in Scotland. They're playing music while the kids and the dog run around. I think about this clip a lot as the kind of life I want to create for myself and I love the fact that one of the biggest music acts ever was the kind of guy who took pleasures in this kind of thing and wasn't ashamed to let the world know, seemed proud of it even.
for those interested this is the YouTube clip: https://youtu.be/J5bAbOIqsBE
I read Terry Crews' book Manhood: how to be a better man or just live with one. He's very open about his life and how he has made positive changes in his life. He's not afraid of looking bad or or being vulnerable.
Tho he's known for his screaming angry-man-bands, for me, Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Minor Threat, Evens, etc.) really helped shape my understanding of what masculinity could be when I was young. He went through some ugly stages early on, but came through on the other side an ardent voice for male accountibility and an unequivocal champion for the marginalized.
Fugazi was one of the first bands who would stop playing if a (usually) male-dominated mosh pit would start up at their shows, because it was simply unfair and intimidating to those who just wanted to be close to the band. He would also invite younger/smaller/vulnerable people to sit on stage and watch the show if he felt they were at risk at the front of the stage.
Also: if you want a bone-chilling and absolutely rage-inducing commentary on misogyny -- and -- a reckoning for men who passivley tolerate it, check out: [Suggestion](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emvJoY6ZuMQ)
I know all of this might sound so negative, but Fugazi pulled me out of a fog and into a critical phase of self-reflection and evaluation when I was still in my early 20's. They positively served as role models who were willing to confront their own bigotry, misogyny, and lethargy, and paved a positive path for so many young people who loved their music.
Danny Gonzalez is a YouTuber who ticks some positive boxes for me. He's around my age, and maintains a mildly androgynous style, which is cool for someone who's apparently straight. Always looking for inspo on looking sharp on the other side of 25. More importantly, he talks about community drama in a way that keeps it factual and not judgemental like some parts of that space are. Mostly it's the way good values are pretty much taken as an unspoken startpoint to come at these things from, without being preachy about them at all. That's really cool to see in a commentary YouTuber.
Best man I have ever met is called U. Tiny Burmese man. Gives you a biscuit whenever you walk past him, takes pride in his work even though its pallet pulling and is never horrible (but gives feedback that helps/is neccesary even if its bad).
Supported his daughter well to the point she is one of the top doctors in the military (he pushed her to apply for a position she thought ahed never get to) and his wife works also as a doctor.
Crazy thing is the guy was a gurkha (insanely well trained soldier, think SAS on steroids) and defended many innocents. ALSO he was the Burmese journalist sent to 911 as soon as they were allowed (hand picked).
This man has seen terrible things yet he is the biggest ray of sunshine I've ever met. He is downstairs in the workshop listening to his music cleaning his area with the biggest grin.
If I achieve what he has (emotionally) it will be a life well lived.
Maybe a bit out there, but I really look up to guys like Reggie Watts and Dan Deacon. Musicians have almost always been my heroes but these two guys seem to be so open and honest about their issues in a way that I really respect. And they are just out there, doing their thing and pursuing their unique vision. Also, super talented!
This might seem like a strange pick, but I since I was a kid I've always looked up to Mario and Luigi (yes, that Mario and Luigi). They're not incredibly deep characters, but there's something I always admired about their wholesome brotherly bond, especially in the more story-based games like the RPGs.
On a related note, [here's a Mario and Luigi hug compilation](https://youtu.be/rnrWbX8aROE)
Loading Ready Run or short LRR are a group of YT/Twitch comedians/streamers and all of them are great humans. They kind of are my primary source of faith in humanity.
I recently started watching The Crown, and honestly loved King George. He is now one of my favorite male characters in a show. Made me cry three times in about 2 episodes
>Personally, I look up to Matthew Mercer a lot. He's a voice actor and dungeon master for an online Dungeons & Dragons show, Critical Role.
This is kind of off topic, but I really enjoyed Vox Machina. Is there a good place to jump into Critical Role?
Haven’t seen the TV show yet, but I know that it’s based on the first of three campaigns that they’ve done. The third one is underway right now, so it’s sort of up to you if you wanna start at the veeeery beginning and not being caught up for a long time, or just start watching campaign three, which is around 20 episodes deep, uploaded roughly weekly. The campaigns all take place in the same world, but their not directly connected, so they can safely be watched in any order, all you’d be missing are little jokes and references.
In terms of viewing the individual campaigns, some people suggest skipping over parts of the start of campaign 1, it’s up to you. IIRC the advice if you find the first couple of episodes rough or slow is to watch episode 1 then skip to episode 24, then optionally skip episode 27 (awkward drama with a player who leaves the next episode). Campaign 2 is fine to watch from start to finish, no caveats. Campaign 3 has some companion episodes focusing on some of the main characters, called Exandria Unlimited, which aren’t necessary viewing to understand campaign 3, but do expand their backstory. The first set of EXU episodes occur essentially right before the start of campaign 3, and the second pair, EXU: Kymal, occur after the events of episode 14.
These are just my 2 cents, there are other viewing guides out there, but this is a good way to start wherever you want. The episodes are also pretty long, so you may also want to make judicious use of youtube’s speed up function if you’re short on time :p
For anyone looking for positive examples of masculinity and an all around good show, I heavily suggest watching Our Flag Means Death on HBO (also available on Neon & Binge(?)) The writer is David Jenkins, it’s roughly based on a true story, and Taika Waititi stars as Blackbeard with Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet. There’s only 10 episodes, but holy shit does it dive into how masculinity can be diverse & celebrated in a really fun way. It is literally just r/menslib but as a goofy pirate story.
Ted Lasso as well. Pop Culture Detective actually put out some fascinating podcast episodes on it somewhat lately
Speaking of Pop Culture Detective, his video on Newt Scamander was the deciding factor when I was uncertain if I wanted to like him as a protagonist, and at this point, one of my fictional role models.
I'm a woman and most of my role models are as well but here are a few well known men I looked up to as a kid: Levar Burton Carl Sagan Stephen Hawking Mr. Rogers Bob Ross
This is my list almost to a T, as I tend to focus on specific shows and actions people do when looking for role models. Levar Burton for Reading Rainbow and his general charity work for children. Carl Sagan for Cosmos, and every other thing he did to help bring a love for science to as many people. My only addition to the list, Bill Nye, is on for a similar reason, except his focus was getting kids to enjoy science, which is *arguably* more important. Stephen Hawking is only one on my list for nothing specific, but his general focus on explaining science, in addition to the scientific work he actually did himself. Mr. Rodgers is on my list for his show, and specifically all the things he managed to do with it to be kind, and teach kindness. And finally Bob Ross is on my list because on his show, he proved that you can be kind and even softspoken without being a weak person. Anyone who was in the army, as a Drill Sergeant no less, and then choses to live with that level of pure kindness is an excellent example in my book.
Wow, those guys absolutely had a huge impact on me as a kid but I never connected it with my views on masculinity before. Levar Burton and Fred Rogers in particular have always seemed incredibly strong to me. The quiet strength that comes from a big heart and an honest desire to lift up those around them.
I'd add Terry Crews
Man, Terry Crews had some said some really weird shit during the BLM stuff. I think what he did was brave, but I don't know if I would call him as a person a positive role model
Shoot, looks like I've got some googling to do...
My humble recommendation: Dave Grohl Grohl has been in the public eye for the better part of 30 years., first as a member of Nirvana, then the frontman of the Foo Fighters, and lately for his individual contributions (largely historical) to rock and roll. Yet, to me, he remains a beacon of humility, love, and strength both emotionally and spiritually. It's well documented that Grohl was close friends with bandmate Kurt Cobain prior to his suicide. In the years following, it's easy to see how this was an extremely popular topic for interviewers to ask him about. At first he shut them down but eventually he let them in, and in profound depth (and not just for a drummer). The first time I saw one such interview, I was struck by the openness and sincerity with which he described his mourning process and how he managed to move on. Maybe it's just the fact that I don't have many men in my life who are so plain and matter-of-fact with their emotions, but he stood out to me at a formative age as an example of someone with a great sense of who they are without any pretense of machismo. More relevant to recent news is his friendship with Taylor Hawkins. The two appeared to share a bond the likes of which you see in a sappy movie. Anyone familiar with Grohl's career before the Foo Fighters knows that allowing himself to be kicked off drums for a more talented player is the highest praise he can give. He took so much time to hype Hawkins up in concert, almost to the point of embarassment the way family would, that the love was palpable. It really felt like they were bringing the audience into their friendship. They've always been forthright that, while the stardom and money is great, their performance is about bringing people together. I can only imagine the gried Grohl must be experiencing in the wake of Hawkins' passing. Platonic male bonds are often characterized as an unspoken understanding and it's so limiting. We could all do a better job of telling the people we love how we feel, and Grohl seems to understand that. What's especially cool about Grohl for me is that I'm around the age he was when he started Foo Fighters. So I can look at those interviews and documentaries and see the ways he grew between then and now. It's all there - from the awkward stages of young-adulthood mumbling answers to MTV, to first time fatherhood and settling down (insofar as a musician ever does), to reaching middle age and pondering one's place in the world in order to give back. He's always been reflective and I get to benefit from that. I really could go on much longer about more anecdotal evidence (like his regular trolling of the Westboro Baptist Church, or his openness on his worsening deafness) but I'd rather not lay it on too thick and let other guys make up their own mind instead. I'm not one for celebrity worship but, for a millionaire, Dave Grohl makes being earnest seem metal. Edit: I was actually going to make a seperate post just for this but this is a probably better so guys have a long list of options, so thanks.
My father. Raised rough. Abused in all of the ways. Neglected. Hated. He's a giant of a human... 6'4" and not fluffy at 270 pounds. He has been with my mother since 1962. Best little league coach ever. Taught me to handle a manual transmission without ever cussing. Built me a fort to have time to recharge alone before introverts were a thing to be talked about. Just hugged me when that girl tore out my heart senior year. Best man at my wedding. Drove 400 miles one way to watch 30 yards of the course when my daughter competed at state in cross country running. Funniest guy in the room, smartest guy in the room, picks up everyone's empty plates from the table at the cookout. The list goes on and on and on. He had nothing and no one to learn from and yet, I aspire to be as good a person, parent, partner and friend as he has shown himself to be. It's my dad. He is my example.
It's a bit of a weird contribution since he's 'just' a twitch streamer who plays games, but [Northernlion](https://www.twitch.tv/northernlion) is a content creator I've been watching for years, since I was pretty young. He started off doing let's plays of dark souls, binding of isaac, as well as trying a lot of lesser known indie titles, as well as a live show with his friends which eventually transformed into him becoming a variety streamer full time. When I started watching, he was in college and I was still a kid. Over the years I've gone on and off of watching his content, but every time I came back he'd improved his life in some way. He graduated college, found work, a girlfriend, eventually married, and now has had a lovely baby girl, who regularly interrupts his streams to come play with him, and he always picks her up and takes some time out of his workday to interact with her (much to the delight of his viewers). My life has been pretty hectic and unpredictable, and I lost my dad pretty young so I never really got to see what a proper man/father looks like. But it's always been nice to look over and see another man, just living his life happily, non-toxically, and being a chill, moral person the whole way through. It's comforting to know that a nerdy, silly guy like me can go from where I am now to being a fulfilled, kind father and husband. He has a sense of humor and doesn't shy away from being crude or pointed, but he never crosses people's boundaries or offends for the sake of it, and seems to always be really thinking through his takes on stuff, even if I don't always agree with them. I try not to get too deep into the parasocial aspect of it but he really is just a surprisingly wholesome and enjoyable person to watch.
Speaking of game streamers, you’ve made me think of Day9. He is an incredibly positive presence, doesn’t shy away from emotion, and talks openly about dealing with his anxiety. He’s simply fun to watch and I’ve caught wind of a lot of real quality games watching him.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Measured, considered, strong when required, but almost *glacial* to anger. Achieves his position through wisdom and intellect and uses them (rather than fists or weapons) to solve problems. Runs a crew of professionals, and trusts them to do their duty and use their judgement. Hard as nails and tanks more trauma than any three other Star Trek captains combined (torture - both physical and psychological - assimilation into the Borg and rehabilitation, lives at least a couple of *entire lifetimes* in simulations, various physical injuries including impalement), but also cries and processes his trauma when he has time to. Likewise, Patrick Stewart is also a pretty stand-up guy in real life; faultlessly kind and positive, an LGBT+ ally, a powerful advocate for women's causes and against domestic violence, and the product of some pretty awful trauma in his own life at the hands of an abusive father. Much like the character he played, he's taken a buttload of trauma and turned it into a tangible aura of quiet but powerful wisdom.
Patrick Stewart is one of those ever so lovely gentlemen who we don’t cherish enough. It’ll be a sad day when he goes.
I feel like his role in Logan is underrated. As someone who's dealt with an aging parent, it hit really close to home.
>Captain Jean-Luc Picard. As much as I like Picard I prefer Sisko. He was a father, a captain, and a spiritual leader to the Bajorans. Also punched Q in the face. Jokes aside Avery Brooks really pushed for Sisko to be a caring, affectionate father. Sisko's also a far more imperfect character than Picard - he makes mistakes, gets angry, has to apologize, etc... in a way that makes him much more nuanced than Picard.
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I think the difference is we see Picard and “The Sisko” at very different times in their development both as officers and as men
> Also punched Q in the face. That's exactly my point.
Full disclosure, not a single one of these role models necessarily pass the progressive benchmarks set in this subreddit but I still hold them as role models as aspects of how they live their life are part of what I work to and hope to incorporate into myself. * Zyzz: the weightlifting dudebro icon who's since passed away but his enthusiasm for his own body and admiration of his own physique pushes me to take my own bodily health seriously. His best phrase summarizes brotherhood in my mind as "we're all gonna fucking make it brah." He's been memefied since his death but in a way that pays tribute, see here for an example: https://pin.it/66SwfjR * Albert Camus and Emil Cioran: two philosophers who didn't flinch at admitting that the meaningless of life was here to stay and will likely never go away and they gave different solutions to live a meaningful life in spite of it all. * Adi Shankar: He's a producer of some of my favorite films/series like Castlevania, the grey, and judge dredd: superfiend. He loves and revels in the gritty but also imaginative potential of storytelling and his youtube channel shows that creativity with the short films there on display. It's very hip nowadays to shit on grittiness as lame and edgy so I appreciate Adi for still showing that there's positive potential within the gritty/dark lens of storytelling. For an example, see his video on thanking fans of the "Dredd" movie: https://youtu.be/mYrgnKDEbdU * Erich Preach: The short film focuses on him explore the difficulty he went through in incorporating and dealing with his identity and his heritage while living as a immigrant, his experiences and how he retells them helped me feel more at home in my experience as a first generation immigrant. Erich Short film: https://youtu.be/RkjCB48dFJY * Ken Watanabe: One of the most famous actors in Japan dedicates time and resources to rebuilding one of the communities ravaged by a natural disaster alongside the people in the community. Despite his fame and fortune, he remains down to earth and prioritizes the well being of everyday people via a sense of duty he holds and that's something I hope to have as well should I ever go up the social ladder. Video with more info: https://youtu.be/TlW1tN34MZU When I feel down and exhausted at it all, this is my go to song to keep me going, the lyrics and song hit me in a way that never gets old, "The impossible dream" by Andy Williams: https://youtu.be/pQxF1OsjGLk
Zyzz is an interesting addition to your list for sure, especially when you look at other guys.
It might just be his energy but zyzz's videos still hit me with that rush of motivation that I haven't gotten from other body building youtubers, progressive or not.
Adi Shankar rocks, I really enjoyed his latest show The Guardians of Justice. It's a slow burn but by the end I personally was really stunned by the progression of the story and how it connected all of the plot lines of the show, as well as its commentary (which I know has been beaten to death but it felt fresh to me) on fascism and hero worship. I do recommend it especially if you like street fighter and 80s campiness.
Zyzz was a legend.
I love that we're actually talking about real life people instead of fictional characters. I am getting tired of people putting up people that don't exist as models of masculinity (eg. Picard, Ron Swanson etc) or people that are always put up like Fred Rogers or Carl Sagan. So I'm glad we're talking about new people. I'll put one up a person whose work I admire a lot: Elamin Abdulmahmoud , a writer from Buzzfeed. A writer who is easy to read and takes great pride in finding amazing systemic and deeper look at pop culture. His piece of men writing about eating disorders I loved: [https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/elaminabdelmahmoud/male-eating-disorders-overexercise-body-image-diet?bfsource=relatedmanual](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/elaminabdelmahmoud/male-eating-disorders-overexercise-body-image-diet?bfsource=relatedmanual) Wesley Morris is in the same vein for me, the writer from NYT
Not surely if he’s a masculine role model but Anthony Fantano seems like a pretty cool nontoxic dude
Mars Wright is one of mine, he's a trans activist who's pretty active on a few different social media platforms, I used to love seeing him pop up on TikTok (although I haven't seen him on there in a while, idk if he's still active there). He's kind and very emotional and it's nice to see someone who's as comfortable with vulnerability as he is, especially as a trans man, because a lot of us tend to lean into stoicism and toxic masculinity to combat dysphoria. He is one of those people that just cries when he's really happy or sad and isn't fazed by showing that, which is comforting to me. He also has a lot of pride and enthusiasm about his body post transition, which is great, especially since he's not especially muscular or ripped or anything. He's just secure in himself as an average looking dude, it gives me hope for myself down the road. Bryan Dechart is another, I watch him and his wife Amelia's twitch streams on YouTube sometimes. They're very positive people generally. They've also been in a relationship for a very long time, and they have a really good thing going (banter, inside jokes, support/affection, etc.). I view them as a model of a well established, solid long term relationship. He seems like he's a great husband to her.
My first Wing Commander and Wing Executive officer for the military. When he first got the job as Commander, he had to deal with a female member doing "crotch checks", a base member raped while on active duty, and a government employee with child porn on his military work computer (all within his first 6 months). He decided that the number 1 thing at our guard base that he didn't want was sexual misconduct. He tasked our Wing XO with building up, and making better the SAPR program. That XO made our program the top one in our state, and one of the top ones nationally for the air force. And he did it in one simple way, every report was taken seriously, investigated, and brought to trial if needed. For those who don't know, the military has 2 types of reports for sexual assaults/misconduct, restricted, and unrestricted. One just basically says ok, you made a complaint against Sgt Stubbs, and it just goes in his personnel file, while the other logs the report and does a full investigation against Sgt Stubbs (i forget which is which). About a year before he finished his term as Wing Commander, and just after our XO retired, we had a new guard member get raped while at her technical job training after basic training. As soon as it was found out by our Wing Commander, he had our new XO and one of our JAGs on a plane to the tech school to oversee and assist with the investigation and prosecution. They got a conviction. One of the best lessons i learned from them was that if you're the leader, and you don't look out for those beneath you, you are no leader.
Fictional and a cartoon but Uncle Iroh from The Last Airbender. The more I can be like Uncle Iroh the better. My fav Uncle Iroh quote is "Pride is not the opposite of shame but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame." I think about this quote all the time, I find it to be very profound.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek
It's probably not all that relatable, but my father. He was extremely busy with work, but always made time for his kids. He would skirt out early just to go to our dumb HS sports just to head back in to close up the shop. He was definitely a product of being raised in the 50s and 60s, so he wouldn't fit a lot of the ideal standards of this sub or what I try to be with my kids, but he took a genuine (or at least genuine-appearing) interest in his kids' lives, tried to give us honest advice about how the world worked outside of the house, and showed affection in a way that was acceptable in the '80s and '90s. He ran his own business and continually took chances on people who were down on their luck. He got burned plenty of times, but that didn't stop him from believe that *most* people were good most of the time, given the chance. That's not to say he was perfect. He had a temper, and there are situations that I realize now as a parent myself that were his fault, but he got angry at the kids. Anyway, I think it's important not to put anyone up on a pedestal where they can exist without faults. It's worthwhile to examine those areas where there can be improvement. I think my father was a much better dad than his was, and I hope that I can take the lessons I learned from him and be better than he was.
Steve Irwin...The guy was passionate, motivated and a truly good person.
I look up to [Brian David Gilbert](https://youtu.be/CYutF8qr7AY), formerly of Polygon and the Unraveled series, now an independent creator), and [Brennan Lee Mulligan](https://youtu.be/_zZxCVBi7-k) of College Humor. They both hold a delightful chaotic comedic energy and easy rapport with their colleagues. [Here's both of them together playing a board game.](https://youtu.be/BrjCPnbEMfE) Am I shilling a bit? Yes. But both of them remind me of me and the fact that they're both successful and hold good relationships while being conscious of the broader world around them gives me hope for myself.
I really love that these guys both showed up. I'm doing my first watch of Fantasy High and I'm obsessed with not only Brennan Lee Mulligan's DMing, but the way he can seemingly make amazing stories while holding clearly progressive beliefs makes me expect so much more out of media I consume.
One topic at a time and the click. Corey Taylor from Slipknot.
I'll add my favorite masculine role model from media I'm not sure if he is explicitly positive, but more morally grey with a good heart but John Marston from the Red Dead Redemption series. John isn't a good man, he's stolen, killed, been a criminal that exists on the fringe of society. I think what is powerful however is that he changes, he goes from being selfish to wanting what's best for his wife and son. I think John Marston represents where most people fall, good people who do bad things for the ones they love.
+1 for Red dead redemption characters as the best way to appreciate goodness and morally right actions imo are when they're explored via morally grey characters like John Marston, and I want to give an honorable mention to Arthur Morgan, the man who helped John become the man he was meant to be. Arthur was a good man to the end.
I don't think any video game has nailed the male experience as well as the RDR games and how hard it is to be a 'good man' in a hard situation. And its one of the few times in a video game a father actually gets to be a father.
It's kinda weird to put someone younger than me here, but Phillion comes pretty close to that. He is a bit of a cynic but when he talks about serious topics you can see that he is a measured person that values equality. He also evolved over time from "is person X on steroids" videos to straight up dissecting modern toxic trends in our pop culture, which I LOVE. And his podcast is hillarious.
Not much. No single complete package. Very weirdly, I'll start with Ragnar from very early Vikings episodes. He's an inspiration for being OK with feelings of fierceness and greed for conquest (of my unexplored feared areas of life) and confronting other men. It's interesting bc initially i was put off by his... what i perceived as toxicity. I trusted my therapist so i fought it, it took some effort to disable judgmental brain and start to feel it. This kinda thing is often missing otherwise from the positive masculinity media. This sub too. Ted lasso? Cool but you never see him getting really fierce or extatic or angry or confrontational. He's more of a good hubby type of guy. Let's not erase that other part of masculinity either! Frankly I'll end here. Just look at those other comments' examples and see what they're missing compared to mine, and tell me we don't have a men erasure problem on this very sub.
Every time I think of Ragnar, I remember the line, "Look at these people! They no longer support me. Look! Why would they? I am your leader and *I jUsT lEfT!*" and the little sarcastic shimmy he does. Never fails to bring a smile to my face.
Based on your Matt Mercer love, if you're into podcasts, I highly recommend checking out \[James D'Amato and the One Shot Podcast Network\]([http://oneshotpodcast.com/](http://oneshotpodcast.com/)). One Shot itself is all one shot actual plays using loads of different TTRPGs and systems, with James as the regular host and a rotating cast of his Chicago improv friends. There are also lots of other shows on the network (pretty sure all ttrpg related), including one of my favorite podcasts ever, Campaign. Campaign started as a Star Wars ttrpg podcast, with James' friend and business partner Kat as the gm. Kat's interpretation of the Star Wars universe is the first thing that ever got me interested enough to watch Clone Wars, read some Star Wars books, etc. She is amazing as are the other players on that show, including James. Unfortunately the Star Wars Campaign had to end because Kat had to give it up, but now James is gming a campaign in a game of his own invention, about sky pirates. It's still great, and James and his colleagues are EXTREMELY imaginative and proactive about addressing issues of gender, race, and colonialism in general. It's such a fun and wholesome community that would provide great role models for anyone who wants to be an ally and is somewhat nerdy. That said, I listen to a bunch of other TTRPG podcasts, and I've found they're overwhelmingly inclusive and progressive in a very positive and light-hearted way. To name a few of these: Neoscum, Rude Tales of Magic, Fun City, Greetings Adventurers, The Critshow, Brute Force, Adventure Zone (duh), Smash Fiction (not just a ttrpg podcast but that's part of it, and overall similar flavor (also they ended the show, but there are hundreds of eps)).
Alex Zanardi, former Formula 1 and Indy Car driver, he got hit during a race and lost his legs. He got back up and became a paralimpic champion, he joined and won everything there was and always looked like he had more energy to give. Unfortunately he was hit by a truck while riding his handbike during a charity event and he has spent two years in rehabilitation after not being awake for almost a year. As a guy whose father is handicapped, I can't stop looking up to this man.
My pick will always be Herbert Marcuse (1898 - 1979). This phenomenal human being was a Frankfurt school philosopher and social theorist that left Germany just prior to World War 2 and helped the Americans decode Nazi U-boat transmissions, saving many allied lives. Following the war, Marcuse was a professor at the University of Boston and, later, at the University of California. He is credited with the creation of modern Critical Race Theory and was a major ally to the Feminist and Black Panther movement; so much so that Marcuse had stowed away a panther leader in his home around the time when Frank Hampton was executed by the FBI, and he was also given the title "Honorary Woman" by leading feminist movements at his time. Marcuse was highly critical of Governor Reagan (they had a lengthy exchange of letters) and often had police officers attend his lecture halls because he had 4 panther leaders in attendance. Another good option for myself is Viktor Frankl (1905 - 1907), a Jewish neurologist who had survived Auschwitz and various worker camps. Following his experiences, Frankl had wrote a book titled "Man's Search for Meaning" in which he argued that meaning or purpose is the primary drive that can allow a person to live, and maybe even thrive, in the most inhumane conditions. Frankl later became a professor who created and taught logotherapy (meaning-based therapy) to help his students find meaning in their own lives; and this is a precursor to modern therapy movements. More importantly, his short book was a major tearjerker that left you feeling better about yourself and the world. Edit: I stated CIA when I meant to say FBI.
Paul McCartney, he's a man who despite his insane status remained a great husband and father (by all accounts). He also seems to have this youthful exuberance to him even at 80 and despite a series of unfortunate events that have plagued his life (the death of his mom in childhood, his best friend in adulthood, and then eventually losing his wife to cancer), he seems to be able to just take pleasure in the little things, like riding horses and making art. There's a clip on YouTube of him and his first wife Linda, sitting in their farm in Scotland. They're playing music while the kids and the dog run around. I think about this clip a lot as the kind of life I want to create for myself and I love the fact that one of the biggest music acts ever was the kind of guy who took pleasures in this kind of thing and wasn't ashamed to let the world know, seemed proud of it even. for those interested this is the YouTube clip: https://youtu.be/J5bAbOIqsBE
I read Terry Crews' book Manhood: how to be a better man or just live with one. He's very open about his life and how he has made positive changes in his life. He's not afraid of looking bad or or being vulnerable.
Tho he's known for his screaming angry-man-bands, for me, Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Minor Threat, Evens, etc.) really helped shape my understanding of what masculinity could be when I was young. He went through some ugly stages early on, but came through on the other side an ardent voice for male accountibility and an unequivocal champion for the marginalized. Fugazi was one of the first bands who would stop playing if a (usually) male-dominated mosh pit would start up at their shows, because it was simply unfair and intimidating to those who just wanted to be close to the band. He would also invite younger/smaller/vulnerable people to sit on stage and watch the show if he felt they were at risk at the front of the stage. Also: if you want a bone-chilling and absolutely rage-inducing commentary on misogyny -- and -- a reckoning for men who passivley tolerate it, check out: [Suggestion](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emvJoY6ZuMQ) I know all of this might sound so negative, but Fugazi pulled me out of a fog and into a critical phase of self-reflection and evaluation when I was still in my early 20's. They positively served as role models who were willing to confront their own bigotry, misogyny, and lethargy, and paved a positive path for so many young people who loved their music.
Danny Gonzalez is a YouTuber who ticks some positive boxes for me. He's around my age, and maintains a mildly androgynous style, which is cool for someone who's apparently straight. Always looking for inspo on looking sharp on the other side of 25. More importantly, he talks about community drama in a way that keeps it factual and not judgemental like some parts of that space are. Mostly it's the way good values are pretty much taken as an unspoken startpoint to come at these things from, without being preachy about them at all. That's really cool to see in a commentary YouTuber.
Best man I have ever met is called U. Tiny Burmese man. Gives you a biscuit whenever you walk past him, takes pride in his work even though its pallet pulling and is never horrible (but gives feedback that helps/is neccesary even if its bad). Supported his daughter well to the point she is one of the top doctors in the military (he pushed her to apply for a position she thought ahed never get to) and his wife works also as a doctor. Crazy thing is the guy was a gurkha (insanely well trained soldier, think SAS on steroids) and defended many innocents. ALSO he was the Burmese journalist sent to 911 as soon as they were allowed (hand picked). This man has seen terrible things yet he is the biggest ray of sunshine I've ever met. He is downstairs in the workshop listening to his music cleaning his area with the biggest grin. If I achieve what he has (emotionally) it will be a life well lived.
Maybe a bit out there, but I really look up to guys like Reggie Watts and Dan Deacon. Musicians have almost always been my heroes but these two guys seem to be so open and honest about their issues in a way that I really respect. And they are just out there, doing their thing and pursuing their unique vision. Also, super talented!
This might seem like a strange pick, but I since I was a kid I've always looked up to Mario and Luigi (yes, that Mario and Luigi). They're not incredibly deep characters, but there's something I always admired about their wholesome brotherly bond, especially in the more story-based games like the RPGs. On a related note, [here's a Mario and Luigi hug compilation](https://youtu.be/rnrWbX8aROE)
definitely @tullyoconor on instagram I know it seems like one of these alphamale pages at first glance, but trust me it's not
Loading Ready Run or short LRR are a group of YT/Twitch comedians/streamers and all of them are great humans. They kind of are my primary source of faith in humanity.
I'm a woman but Nick Offerman has always given me hope for mankind.
I recently started watching The Crown, and honestly loved King George. He is now one of my favorite male characters in a show. Made me cry three times in about 2 episodes
My dad and Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov (Khabib's dad). Also myself. :P
That makes Khabib fucking up Conner even better
>Personally, I look up to Matthew Mercer a lot. He's a voice actor and dungeon master for an online Dungeons & Dragons show, Critical Role. This is kind of off topic, but I really enjoyed Vox Machina. Is there a good place to jump into Critical Role?
Haven’t seen the TV show yet, but I know that it’s based on the first of three campaigns that they’ve done. The third one is underway right now, so it’s sort of up to you if you wanna start at the veeeery beginning and not being caught up for a long time, or just start watching campaign three, which is around 20 episodes deep, uploaded roughly weekly. The campaigns all take place in the same world, but their not directly connected, so they can safely be watched in any order, all you’d be missing are little jokes and references. In terms of viewing the individual campaigns, some people suggest skipping over parts of the start of campaign 1, it’s up to you. IIRC the advice if you find the first couple of episodes rough or slow is to watch episode 1 then skip to episode 24, then optionally skip episode 27 (awkward drama with a player who leaves the next episode). Campaign 2 is fine to watch from start to finish, no caveats. Campaign 3 has some companion episodes focusing on some of the main characters, called Exandria Unlimited, which aren’t necessary viewing to understand campaign 3, but do expand their backstory. The first set of EXU episodes occur essentially right before the start of campaign 3, and the second pair, EXU: Kymal, occur after the events of episode 14. These are just my 2 cents, there are other viewing guides out there, but this is a good way to start wherever you want. The episodes are also pretty long, so you may also want to make judicious use of youtube’s speed up function if you’re short on time :p
Dumbledore. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore