Hotties Of Lit

Soooooo...

This post is all about HOT GUYS. That's right, this totally random post is the brainchild of Marni Bates and several other YA authors (including yours truly) who really just wanted an excuse to post pics of hot guys and giggle and swoon over them. And so you may giggle and swoon over them as well.

So, onward to HottiesOfLit.

WARNING: Major, uber, unapologetic geekiness ahead. You'e been warned.

Okay, so here's the thing. I'm one of those weird, geeky girls who don't really swoon over many real guys. And by that I mean living people. Barring one exception, which of course would be...


BIN BONS (aka Ben Barnes)




























My love for Ben is nothing new. I've said for a long time that if I could choose my perfect Ash, Ben would be it. I mean, look how perfect he is.

















































Yep, that is my Ash, and there's no talking me out of it. ;)


















But, other then BinBons, I really don't have any living actors or hot guys that instantly jump to mind. In fact, if you want to meet the boys who give me the most inspiration, and the ones I've swooned over, you'll have to turn away from movies and television, and look to video games and anime.

That's right. Let me introduce you to:

MY TOP SWOONIEST BOYS OF ALL TIME


Swoony boy #1
Squall Leonhart
Final Fantasy VIII























I was obsessed, OBSESSED, with Final Fantasy VIII, mostly because of this boy here. Squall Leonhart, the angsty, taciturn, brooding lone wolf and reluctant hero. His story of how he went from a hostile, closed off soldier to a leader willing to sacrifice everything for the ones he loved was one of the most inspiring stories I'd ever experienced. And of course, the love story was fantastic.


More pics of Squall. It's okay, feel free to drool over a drawing.





















































And let me include one of the best moments of FFVIII. Final Fantasy fans, I'm sure you remember this. I'm sure you squee-ed over it as much as I did. That and the ending.






Swoony boy #2
Cloud Strife
Final Fantasy VII

Yes, its another broody angsty FF boy! Seriously, though, this game is what started my obsession with Final Fantasy. From the second Cloud leaped off that train, I was hooked. And when THAT moment came (FF fans, you know the one I'm talking about, the one with a certain flower girl and a one-winged devil) I screeched in shock along with the rest of the gaming world. More on THAT swoony man later. But here is Cloud, in all his angsty glory.



























Sob along with me, now. Oh, Aerith. *sniffles* The ending of Advant Children KILLED me. Ripped my heart out and stomped on it. It was absolutely glorious.






















Cloud being a bad-ass, because he is.



















Swoony boy #3
chaos
Xenosaga

















chaos isn't the type of boy I usually go for. He's not angsty, hostile, brooding, or tormented. He's the exact opposite, actually: kind, helpful, sweet, caring. He never complains, keeps his own council, and hangs back in the shadows, giving everyone else the spotlight. But he was the most mysterious character of the entire Xenosaga series, and the secrets he carried were staggering. (Seriously, once you knew who he really was, you were like WHAT?!?) He was a stoic and could appear melencholic at times, though he never burdened anyone with his secrets and always helped whenever he could. I fell hard for his character, which is why he earns a special spot in my swoony boy list, as the only one who is not a typical bad boy.



























A tiny hint as to chaos really is.





















HOT BOYS OF ANIME

Oh, ho, you thought we were done, didn't you? Nope, my list of swoony boys doesn't just include video games. I love the boys of manga and anime, too. Here are a FEW of my favorites.


(Note: I love most of these boys because of the stories that surround them, not just because they're nice to look at. Okay, so there's that, too.)



Tamahome
Fushigi Yugi









































One of the most epic love stories in anime. (Even though the "Miaka!" "Tamahome!" got a little grating after a bit.)


















Heero Yuy
Gundam Wing


"Omae o korosu."















































Uchiha Sasuke
Naruto














































Vash the Stampede
Trigun










































Love and PEACE!


















Sesshomaru
Inuyasha

Yeah, he's a villian and a (literal) demon, but he's so much more elegant and refined then that hot headed brother of his.













































Tooya
Ayashi no Ceres























A few pics of him and Aya, because they're adorable together.
























































































And, we come to the special mention of this post. The swoony hot guy who is probably the most infamous yet sexy villian in all of gamer-dom. He's so infamous, he has popped up not only in his original game, but a movie that came after it, and several other games, as the ultimate unbeatable bad guy. And he is sexy, there is no denying it.

Of course, I'm talking about...



The infamous Sephiroth.
Final Fantasy XII, Advant Children, Kindom Hearts, other





















Sephiroth was the inspiration for the villian in The Iron King. Ever wondered what Machina looked like? Wonder no further.



Yup, Sephiroth is a bad ass and he knows it.

















So that is my incredibaly geeky post on my favorite swoony boys of video games and anime. Its not the whole list, of course, because then we would be here all week. But these are a few of my standouts, the boys and the stories who inspire me, who make me sigh and laugh and sob and write heartbreaking, tragic endings to my novels. I hoped you had as much fun reading as I had writing this, and be sure to check out some of the other participating blogs and the hashtag #HottiesofLit on twitter for more pics of swoony hot guys.

Also check back later tonight to see who won the signed Immortal Rules arc!

Until next time,

Julie