Crushing On Fictional Characters

Or at least that’s what I like to tell myself every time I read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  Because of Cedric Diggory.

Of course when I read the book eleven years ago, Robert Pattinson wasn’t even a blip on my boy radar.  The future sparkly vampire was not the reason why I developed such a crush on Cedric Diggory.  I have to thank J.K. Rowling for that, for developing such a swoon-worthy character that when Cedric dies in the book, I was heartbroken.  I was upset that he was murdered by Lord Voldemort just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I was heartbroken because Cedric Diggory was gone forever.

I’m totally not afraid to admit that I’ve had lots of crushes on fictional characters in books.  I take it as a sign of good writing and of good character development.  If you find yourself not really caring about a character in a book, then that author hasn’t done a good job at writing about them.  When I find myself crushing on a boy from a book, that author is gold to me.

My Young Adult bookshelf: packed full of crush-worthy characters.

*Side note: I will only be covering characters from books, not movies or TV.  To me those don’t really count because you always have a face to put with the character, thus causing you to crush on the actor as well (i.e. Ferris Bueller / Matthew Broderick).  Crushing on book character forces you to use your imagination, something that is sorely lacking in this world today.

My first crush on a book character – and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one – was on Logan Bruno from The Baby-Sitter’s Club.  Logan had just moved to Stoneybrook, CT from Louisville, KY, which meant he had an adorable Southern accent, he was a total jock but NOT a jerk, he was blond-haired and blue-eyed, and – OMG – he liked to baby-sit!  But more importantly, he liked Mary Anne, the shy and quiet one (like me!), which proved that he was different from all the other guys.  And that made me love him!

Look how tan he is!

I’m a big fan of the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot, mainly because of the witty writing and the numerous pop culture references Cabot loves to throw in her books.  But I also love the books because I developed a big ol’ crush on Michael Moscovitz, the brother of the main character’s best friend.  He was against organized sports and loved computers and was in a rock band and had his own online magazine called Crackhead, all while having “a very nice chest” and  a “neck that smelled good”.  And he just kind of got dreamier and dreamier as the books went on, until I finally came to grips with the fact that I had a major crush on him.  Still do.

The book where they finally…um…fall in love.

I’m sort of split on the boys of the Twilight series.  When I read the first book, I totally wanted to marry Edward Cullen.  I mean, I knew where Bella was coming from with her whole obsession with becoming a vampire so she could spend the rest of her life with him.  Edward was amazing, he sparkled, and he loved Bella so much that he couldn’t even be around her.

Cold as ice, but oh, so sparkly.

But then Jacob came along, and his character became more and more important as the story continued.  And that’s when I started thinking Edward was a total pansy and that Bella should totally get with Jacob because, well, he wasn’t cold and sparkly.  He was hot – literally – and totally beefy.  My crush had now transferred over to the werewolf.  Edward may have been willing to die for Bella, but Jacob was willing to kill for Bella.  And that’s a little hotter, don’t you think?

When I started Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series, I wasn’t expecting to fall for any of the characters.  In fact, I wasn’t even sure I was going to like the series – I just picked them up at Borders because the store was closing and they were dirt cheap.  I didn’t even know what they were about.  But I was wrong about all that.  Not only did I love the series, but I met this guy:

Jace is your typical bad boy – a cocky jerk who’s a total asshole and thinks he’s the greatest thing in the world.  But this is where good writing comes in.  Cassandra Clare writes him so well that you can’t help but be totally attracted to him.  Because you know deep down he’s a good guy.  Deep down you know that Jace has issues, that he’s hurting, and that he desperately needs someone to help him.  To love him.

Well, I do.  I love Jace.  When a character that sexy has lines like this: “If you wanted to rip my clothes off, all you had to do was ask”, well, you can’t help but love him.

I’m saving the best for last…the character to whom I compare all the rest…The Boy with the Bread.

I’m of course talking about Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games trilogy.  If you were born yesterday and still haven’t read these books, please stop reading this blog and go to the library immediately to check them out.  Please.

Peeta is the second tribute picked to participate in the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with Katniss Everdeen, the book’s heroine. Peeta of course loves Katniss, and has loved her ever since he heard her sing on their first day of school when they were 11 years old. He’s carried that love for her all this time, and throughout the Games, and he’s always there for her whenever she needs him.  He comforts her at night when she can’t sleep, and he’s willing to sacrifice himself just so she can survive.

I know that people were split – Team Peeta / Team Gale – but I rooted for Peeta the entire time.  Never did my love for The Boy With the Bread waver.  And after three books, I got the ending I wanted.

I’d love to stay and chat more, but it’s time to go read about some more awesome guys that don’t exist in real life.

Happy crushing!