A Different Kind of Hero

Romance heroes these days are pretty straightforward. They’re big and buff and usually dark and dangerous. They have penetrating gazes [and other things] and they usually walk around shirtless – at least on book covers.

Normally I’m enamored of the science fiction or paranormal hero. Jon Crighton of Farscape, David Boreanaz’s Angel and even Smallville’s Clark Kent fit the bill and often fuel my writing fantasies.

But how about a different kind of hero? Someone without the swagger and the super powers, someone whose gift is cerebral and his manner is genteel. He’s not a gun or fang-wielding crusader and he can’t fly without an airplane but he’s heroic nevertheless.

I’ve been catching up on episodes of CSI: Las Vegas lately [I’m on Season 2 – and I have a real dilemma. Do I start watching Season 8 this September or hold off until I’ve caught up on the five intervening seasons??] and I find myself fascinated by the lead character.

William Peterson’s Gil Grissom has me enchanted. He’s smart, wryly funny and usually plays the calm in the middle of a storm surrounding his team’s murder investigations. He doesn’t do much hand to hand combat, or scooping up women and carrying them off to safety, but he’s just cool enough to be mysterious and completely intriguing.

Any CSI fans here? If not, who’s your ‘different kind of hero?’

Pictures are from the following sites:

http://billypetersen.com/TheGallery/index.php

http://home.att.net/~jo.an/

What Makes a Hero Sexy?

I hear the word bandied about an awful lot - sexy. Nowadays cars can be sexy. Shoes can be sexy. I've even heard of mixed drinks being called sexy. Sure, there's that elusive quality when someTHING is hot, sleek, new...whatever. But one of the things that has always drawn me to romance and romance novels is the sexy hunk between the covers [of the book that is].

No one can argue I suppose, that sexy is a physical thing. Bulging biceps, a smoldering glance, a come hither smile...sure. But I find real sexiness a little more complicated. This picture above, which I found on the back of the booklet that comes with the Season 5 Smallville DVD set [just bought it yesterday!] got me thinking about this topic. To me, it's classic sexy.

Why? There are no bulging biceps. Other than Clark's hands, there's no exposed flesh, no writhing bodies, no glistening sheen of sweat on straining male muslces...[excuse me a minute, I need a cold drink]

Now, where was I? Oh, yeah. Why is this picture so sexy? Well, Clark is undeniably good looking for starters, but more importantly, he's playing the hero full out here. He looks mussed - like he's been in a fight. I abhor violence in RL, but in fiction, damn that's sexy. He looks indignant - angry. He's mad as hell that someone hurt his woman. [Okay, so Chloe isn't 'his woman' - dammit, she should be. You all know how I feel about that.] It's terribly sexy that he's mad as hell. His got his arms around her, protecting her, cradling her...sigh. Gotta love it. And you know damn well, he's going to save her if it takes everything he's got. That's sexy in spades.

Now, I'm not here to debate the 'damsel in distress needs to be rescued' angle. I'm a bit old fashioned and I think it's sexy when a man rescues his woman. Not that in the 21st Century she always needs to be rescued. But he should at least try. He should be capable and willing to risk his life for her and he should be mad as hell if someone tries to hurt her. Chivalry may be ailing but it ain't dead. Chivalry is sexy.

So there you have it. Sexy traits in a hero: Mussiness. Indignance. Protectiveness. Mad-as-hell-ness. Not an eleoquent list, I know. And not complete. What do you think makes a hero sexy?