I meant to write this particular entry for my birthday, but hey, lately my plans really haven’t worked out the way I thought they would, so why would this be any different? The inspiration came from two entries written by Siren in her Finnish blog, Sudet tulevat. She listed her fictional male and female crushes, and got me thinking about mine. ‘Cause I sure have a few…
So, this is how it works. The ladies and gents are in no particular order, because I couldn’t possibly come up with an order of preference. Any one of them I would bed in a heartbeat, and soon I will tell you why. Most of them I would never give the time of day in real life, but this is fiction, not real life. Also, only characters from movies and TV-series are included, because otherwise there would never be an end to this entry.
First I give you an image of the character (click to enlarge) and their name, and the movie/series s/he is from will be within parentheses. A word of warning: some spoilers regarding the movies/series will surely follow, so consider yourselves adequately informed. (The images are taken from all over the web, so none of them are owned by yours truly.)
We’ll start with the gents:
Logan Echolls (Veronica Mars)
Born into a wealthy family, abused by his famous father, hated by many and loved by few. Logan is the very definition of damaged goods, and I absolutely adore him as a character. Witty, passionate, complicated, self-destructive, tough, yet vulnerable. His love for Veronica makes him approachable despite his less appealing characteristics, and by the end of the first season, his character was the one thing that got me coming back for more. I hate the way things ultimately ended as far as Logan was concerned, but his character will always be included in my list of fictional crushes.
William the Bloody aka Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
The spurned romantic turned into a soulless bloodsucker, who still somehow managed to hold on to his humanity. Sure, he was a vicious killer, but at the same time he sincerely loved Drusilla, and later Buffy. Spike epitomises a person who is ruled by his passions. “Love’s bitch”, as he calls himself. He is incredibly perceptive and intuitive, and entirely honest to himself about the things that drive him. While he fancies himself a bad boy, even evil, it is clear from the first time his character enters the series that neither of those qualities do him justice. Spike steals every scene he’s in, and I could never get enough of him.
John Crichton (Farscape)
The intrepid explorer, the brilliant scientist and the kick-ass (anti?)hero all rolled in one. While Crichton is a wonderful character all on his own, it’s his love for Aeryn and his best-buddies-friendship with D’Argo that truly make his character stand out as exceptional (and exceptionally hawt). To me, Crichton represents humanity’s best characteristics, and if we ever needed to send an embassador to meet aliens in space, he’d be the one we should pick. Brains, brawn and, perhaps most importantly, heart.
Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Firefly)
Fiercely loyal and stubborn to the point of stupidity, Mal holds on to his ideals and the people who form his family aboard the Serenity. Behind the tough-as-nails exterior, Mal would do anything, go to any lengths to protect his people from harm. And while he never really manages to confess his love for Inara, it’s clear he feels it. However, my favourite relationship in the series is the one between Mal and his second-in-command, Zoë. Utter trust and an understanding so deep, it requires no words.
Lenny Nero (Strange Days)
Lenny starts off as a pathetic loser who has sacrificed everything in order to hold on to his memories of a relationship that ended long ago. He has pawned his pride and is unable to recognise the people who use him from the people who truly care about him. It takes a real twist of fate to turn him around and find himself, but when he finally does, the transformation is pretty spectacular. Lenny is one of my all time favourite antiheroes, and I love him to pieces. Mostly it’s because despite his utter spinelessness at the beginning, he’s still a man of strong emotions. It’s really love that sank his boat, and I find the ability to love to be the ultimate turn-on.
James “Sawyer” Ford (Lost)
Lying, cheating, swindling rogue with (once again) heart. Sawyer is a damaged goods character, who cons because he’s been conned. There is nothing refined as to why he is so appealing to women, on the contrary, his appeal is rough, almost primal. However, at the same time he is clearly intelligent, which gives his character added depth. The accessibility to his character lies in his relationships with others, namely Kate, and, to a lesser extent, Hurley, Jin, Claire and Juliet.
Michael Samuelle (La Femme Nikita)
Cold as ice, yet containing such repressed emotion it’s a wonder he doesn’t burst. The relationship between Michael and Nikita is what kept the show going, and it flat out does it for me. Once again, Michael is seriously damaged goods. He starts out as practically an automaton, but slowly Nikita brings him out of his shell. Later, as we learn about the death of his wife, and his current family (especially his son), his character gains layers and becomes even more compelling. Gotta hate the mullet, but his soft French makes up for it quite nicely ;)
Han Solo (Star Wars)
The lovable rogue. Contrasted with Luke’s boyishness and naiveté, Han initially comes off as a self-serving Don Juan, but fortunately turns out to be more than that. Just as fortunately he still retains the roguish characteristics even when demonstrating courage, which keeps his character from remaining one-dimensional. Gotta love the cocky attitude paired with loyalty to his friends and loved ones.
Wolverine (X-Men)
There’s slight cheating in place here. I didn’t love any of the X-Men movies, but I’m an avid fan of the comics, and I love the comic character Wolverine. I also love Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, but for (to some extent) different reasons. First of all, physical hawtness and sex appeal. Secondly, the love triangle between Wolverine, Jean Grey and Cyclops. Thirdly, because Wolvie will always do what no one else can, is tough-as-adamantium and despite all the ass-kickings he’s both given and received, he’s still a pretty darn smart guy. Sure, more heart than brains, but I’ve always been into passionate guys, and he definitely fits the description.
Morpheus (The Matrix)
Okay, I have a thing for Laurence Fishburne. I just do. Now, Laurence Fishburne + martial arts skills + cool outfits + a katana + philosophical sci-fi musings = hawtness. My only regret is that Morpheus played such a minor role in the sequels for the Matrix, but disregarding all that, HAWTNESS. Full stop.
Now it’s the ladies’ turn:
Zoë Washburne (Firefly)
A woman of unflinching loyalty and duty. At the same time, a woman of love and devotion to her husband and extended family aboard the Serenity. I’ve always been intrigued by the relationship between Zoë and Mal, which is so different compared to the relationship between her and Wash. Zoë and Mal are inseparable, but their personal relationship is built on their relationship as soldiers, and as Mal being Zoë’s commanding officer. At the same time Zoë and Wash are inseparable, but the ties between them are the ties between a man and a woman in love with each other. It is the most interesting “love triangle” I’ve ever stumbled upon, and it’s a damned shame I don’t get to delve deeper into it. Zoë is gorgeous, both in the military mode and out of it.
Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
The dark slayer. Overt sexiness personified. The bad girl. She’ll kick your ass whether you’re on the street or in bed, and that’s what I love in a (fictional) person. Faith is damaged goods and often not very likeable, but damn, she’s hawt. However, what really made her character interesting was her relationship with the Mayor. She could never be loved for who she was in the Scooby gang, because Buffy already occupied the Slayer spot, but for the Mayor, she was unique. Always led by her emotions, Faith is in many ways the feminine counterpart for Spike/Logan/Sawyer/insert your favourite bad boy with heart here.
Lornette “Mace” Mason (Strange Days)
Characterised by her sense of loyalty and duty coupled with both physical and emotional strength, Mace is the polar opposite of Lenny. When she was weak and vulnerable, Lenny (before his eventual downfall) was there for her, and she always loved him for it. She is there for him long after he’s stopped deserving it, and eventually it’s she who instigates the change for the better in Lenny. One of my favourite Mace moments is when she drives the car off the pier and extends her arm to keep Lenny from getting hurt by the impact. It’s the quintessential reversal of traditional male-female roles, and it describes their characters perfectly. I could probably love Mace.
Kara “Starbuck” Thrace (Battlestar Galactica)
Reckless, capable, weak and strong at the same time. Starbuck resembles Faith quite strongly, but she has an added feeling of maturity I can’t really put my finger on. It’s not emotional maturity, that much is for sure, but maybe it’s the fact that she never actually crosses over to the “dark side”, while Faith does. Her complicated relationship with Apollo is interesting, but I think I’d find it more compelling if I actually liked Apollo better. As it is, Starbuck is for me the main reason to keep watching Galactica. I loved her best with short hair, but she’s hawt enough for me to put up with the longer hairdo as well…
Major Motoko Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex)
More machine than human, capable both physically and mentally, and in many ways androgynous despite her obviously feminine shape. Kusanagi is a mystery, both to her team members and to the viewer. Is humanity dependent on having a biological, human body? Kusanagi lost hers as a little girl, and her consciousness was transferred into a cybernetic body. She doesn’t feel the same way as a biological human does, doesn’t have the gender identity of a typical woman, the list goes on. The closest thing to a human relationship Kusanagi has is arguably between her and Batou, who is also almost entirely cybernetic. However, Batou is still clearly a man inside his head, and, for instance, keeps lifting weights even though there is no physical benefit to be had from the exercise. I find Kusanagi extremely compelling both physically and psychologically.
Aeryn Sun (Farscape)
Aeryn started out as a total soldier grunt, so brainwashed by her Peacekeeper background that there was almost no personality attached to her gorgeous form. After joining the crew of Moya, Aeryn began her journey towards becoming an actual person instead of being merely an extension to her weapons. She is strong and capable (as are all my female crushes, and most of the men as well, it seems), and increasingly human, even though strictly speaking she isn’t. Her love for Crichton gives her added depth, and their relationship has definitely become one of my all time favourites in any fiction.
Sarah Connor (Terminator 2 & Sarah Connor Chronicles)
Sarah has devoted her entire existence to her son and by extension, the future of mankind. Whatever comes her way, her number one priority never changes. Her fight against the machines has almost made a machine out of herself. It doesn’t mean she is incapable of feeling, quite the contrary, but she is still stalwart in her purpose. Take away John Connor, and there isn’t much left of Sarah. However, she is still very much a woman and a mother. She loves so selflessly and unconditionally, it is impossible not to admire that. Plus, she’s hawt, in all her incarnations.
Lisbeth Salander (Män som hatar kvinnor)
Okay, Lisbeth is probably the most damaged person on my list. Her past is so dark, it’s pretty much impossible to consider her entirely sane anymore, and yet she is one of the most compelling and attractive characters I’ve ever come across. Having been victimised a lot in her life, she still refuses to be a victim, which shows remarkable psychological and emotional strength. She is both the hero and the villain, and still remains utterly believable. She takes my breath away.
So, that’s it, at least for now. Shall I throw the ball to your corner next?
