Character Obsessed

IDEA THIEF ALERT!

This blog idea was done first (at least first today) by SIL, check out her Blog of leading men and, please, comment with your own lists!

So, it has recently come to my attention that I am in face, not nearly alone in falling love with fictional men. I'm pretty sure I fall for a guy in every book/series I read, so my list is rather extensive. These guys are my tops:

1. The men of Harry Potter: Fred and George Weasley, Severus Snape, Remus Lupin and Bill Weasley.

I am putting them all in one section because they all come from the same world, even though they are very different.

Severus Snape- His passion and dedication for the woman he loves is beyond any other, and he played the most dangerous role of all to perfection. I just want to love him and make him smile again.

Remus Lupin- How can anyone not love Lupin? His gentle nature is so at odds with his condition, yet he carries himself with dignity, and never stops thinking of others. Always willing to go the extra mile, so incredibly smart and open. He is comfortable and safe, and strong.

Fred and George- Such serious clowns, these two. Their carefree demeanor is undermined by their achievements and ambition. I love that they are always laughing, no matter what life throws at them. Eternal optimists, amazing big brothers, hard working, charismatic, undeniable.

Bill Weasley- Hey Mrs. Weasley raised some amazing sons. Bill overcame his injuries and his familial objections to be with woman he loved. He loves adventure and a challenge and I love that in a man.
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2. Colonel Christopher Brandon, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Oh, Brandon, so reserved. So overlooked, but always there, always loyal, and generous. He is the man you were secretly rooting for the whole time when you read this book or watched this film/miniseries. The quintessential gentleman, soft spoken, well bred, yet tragically lonely. He won't settle for just any woman to sate his loneliness, he wants the right woman, and he doesn't rely on his status to get her for him. He is almost painfully unsure around Marianne, and his nervousness and patience really show his true nature. He is a deep well of hidden passions, a brave soul, with a thirst for the world and to fulfill his purpose. He is the perfect man.

3. Tony Stark-Ironman/TheAvengers-Marvel Comics

I love me some Tony stark. Billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Witty, genius, suave, off the cuff. He is every dads nightmare. He is the guy you would never, ever, think of to save the world. He is selfish and egotistical, and always right (how annoying) but at the same time he really draws you in. He took the time to change the way he thought, to see the mistakes he made, and he put in the work to correct those mistakes. A man who not only knows when he is wrong, but ADMITS it AND works to put it right! How rare and exciting. He is the antihero, and he is sexy.

4. Finnick Odair-The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. 

Finnick is the perfect mix of Tony Stark and Colonel Brandon. He is sexy, charismatic and fun, but he is guarded and shy and deep. He overcomes everything to save his true love, to be with her, even if it was only for a few short weeks. The man is smart enough to know where the true value in his world is, how to stay safe, he is prepared to make painful sacrifices, and to help in any way he can. He seems vapid and shallow, but when you dig into him, you find out that he is the opposite and he is worth protecting.

5. Jasper Hale- Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyers

Ok, ok, yes, Twilight is terrible. Jasper Hale however, is anything but terrible. He fought the life he was given, both times, to do what he felt was truly right. Finding the inner strength to overcome his circumstances, to relearn how to survive. He is adaptable, protective, loving, formidable, safe, and a true southern gentleman.

The rest of my top ten are:

Faramir-The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
LeStat De Lioncourt-The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice
Macon Ravenwood-Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
Daryl Dixon-The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman
Jon Snow-Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

special mention to my almost top ten
Alex Karev-Greys Anatomy by Shondra Rhimes
Prince Caspian- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

and honestly, I could keep listing, but you would probably just get bored.

She told him with a little gesture he had never seen her use before. - John Updike

3 Minutes

She told him with a little gesture he had never seen her use before. He remembered how odd it had been, her laying her finger on her eye like that. The rest of those minutes were really very blurry, she collapsed, there was some twitching and a lot of blood. Someone screamed, her or him, maybe both of them. Her blue eyes just sort of winked out, he knew she couldn't see him anymore, couldn't hear him anymore, wouldn't speak to him anymore.  He knew it. He just didn't know why. 

The floor was sticky and slick, he fell, bouncing his head on the tiles. He had to get to her, that was all he knew. He called her name. She didn't answer. He knew she wouldn't. He smelled metal, but he couldn't figure out why. He slowly raised himself up on his arms pushing his way over the floor, feeling the liquid squish beneath him, hearing it squelching with every move. Nothing felt real. He knew what was going on, but he couldn't accept it. He refused to accept it, his mind was wrong, his eyes were wrong, his fingers were wrong, his nose was wrong. Everything was wrong. Everything.

Tears slowly rolled down his cheeks, the salt in them was sticking to his skin, they were warm and cold at the same time. They hurt. 

His fingers kept slipping, the floor was so wet, and thick....Why was it so thick? It was the wrong color too, it should have been white, not black. And it was moving, in waves, little waves, like at the beach, each one slower and smaller than one before it. The smell of salt and iron was so strong, he couldn't breathe. He was gagging, stomach convulsing, throat raw and contracting, tongue swollen and dry. 

His back arched, and chest heaved, he expelled the roiling bile from his gut into the gooey, thick, floor. It mixed in, changing the color from black to a brownish red, and it stank. Rotted and metallic and salty. He gagged again, falling into the mess, his arms shaking uncontrollably, legs refusing to function, he just lay in it. Face down. He wanted to die. He couldn't die. He had to get there. Get to her. 

He raised his face from the muck, gasping harshly, blinking bile and blood from his eyes. Tears streaming, blinding and cleansing. Inching jerkily through the mask of gunk stuck to his face. There was a strange sound now. A rushing, whooshing, mewling screech. Ragged, and painful, the sound filled the air, and his lungs emptied. He couldn't breathe, but the sound did not stop. Where was it coming from? Was it from him? Yes. It was. He was making that noise, and he couldn't stop. 

The scream was broken by hiccups as his body fought for air, and he slowly pulled himself closer to her. His fingers brushed her leg, it was cold.  Not corpse cold, but too cold. Too still. She didn't even twitch when he touched her. A bad sign. He grasped her thigh, he could see his hand now, it was red. Why was it red? He looked down, right, blood, blood is red. His hand is red. Blood red. Caught red handed. He began to laugh. 

The snot flowing from his nostrils began to pool in his open mouth, he spat, quickly, gagging as he did so. Why was he laughing?

He began to inch his way up her body, to her face. So beautiful. So far away, her plaid shirt was stretched and swollen. No, not her shirt, her belly. He walked his fingers shakily over her body to her face, stopping at her mouth, it was open slightly, but there was no air coming out. The sound began again. He chocked it off. Forcing his arms to support him, his legs to move, he came up to a crawling position. 

His face was over hers now. The horrible smelling mix he had slid through dripping onto her eyes, into her hair. He kissed her. Slowly, he lowered himself down, laying his head on her ample chest. He rested his hand on her belly. 

"They're both gone." he whispered, and the sound came from deep within again. There was no stopping it now. There was no reason to stop it. Let it go, and he would go with it.

Motivated and Inspired :)

See that skipping bear in the picture? Of course you do. That bear is awesome.

Moving on.

I have been participating in NaNoWriMo (aka National Novel Writing Month) for the past three years. The first year I didn't get past the outline (because I suck at outlines), the second year, a whopping 1000 words, and this past year a little over 3000 words. So yeah, I haven't actually completed the 50,000 word novel challenge yet. Partially because I never know where my novel is actually going, but mostly because NaNoWriMo happens in November. I am always busy in November. Always.

So, imagine my great and wondrous joy when I discovered that NaNo, does a "writers camp" twice a year! Woot! Here I come!

The first one is in April. My word goal is 35,000. I will writing a YA novel, no idea what it will be about yet, but expect updates as I figure it out (and contests for stuff).

But, to do this, I am going to have to write every day. So to get in the habit, I will be writing a short story every day. The first thirteen will be done with First Line Fiction prompts. These stories will appear here, on KeledaeSpeaks. For your enjoyment, consideration, critic(please), and praise. Seriously, comment on them and tell me what you think. I really do wanna know.

The first of these will appear tonight! Yay!

But since my writing time is from 10-12 every night, not for another couple of hours.

Looking forward to your feedback!

Hooray!