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22 May 2013

My Speculative Fiction Swoons



I realized while I was putting together this list that I really love a person who is not what he or she seems. So, my crushes all come down to character development, I guess. It's no surprise, since I'm a writer who writes with characters at the core. I can't write a scene that doesn't revolve around a conversation or inner monologue. Anyway, seeing a character with a total flipside makes me love their real personality that much more, not to mention the creator of their characters. So let's get started.

I've been in love with the Wasp ever since Marvel did an animation of The Avengers called "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" where the Wasp featured pretty prominently. I love the modernization of Jan VanDyne, mostly because she knows where her power lies, money-wise (she pays for all her boyfriend's research) and superpower-wise. Let's check her out - I love how tiny she is, and how much damage she can still cause.

Next up is Chuck Bartowski. This show was kind of sci-fi biopunk - the basic premise is that this guy, Chuck, accidentally downloaded a top-secret government computer into his brain. So a CIA agent gets tasked to keep him safe, and, of course, hilarity and love ensue. I just...I really swoon over Chuck. He's tall, geeky, funny, reasonably built, and, as you'll see, romantic and a good kisser. What's not to love?

Johnny Storm, AKA the Human Torch, is just...I don't even know. But I need smelling salts every single time, you guys. His boisterous overconfidence combined with that kick-butt power? I mean, he's literally hot.

I know I share this next crush with a LOT of people. I think Peeta Mellark was the real hero of the Hunger Games. He used his brains to make it through. I don't think his crush on Katniss was ever fake, but he definitely put a different spin on it depending on which situation he was in. Just watch both these clips and tell me the combination of his brains, voice, and face don't make you swoon in completely different ways.

Here's a COUPLE I have a crush on. Daredevil and Elektra. Their combative introduction in the 2003 movie is just adorable to me, and what I really love is the way Elektra handles herself. Not to mention that the brilliance of Daredevil's "blind justice" when the dude is actually blind? I just love it. Also, Ben Affleck's shoulders. Enough said. 

Next up is Gambit. He's a lesser known Marvel hero, an X-man. Most of his relationship with Rogue seems to consist of Gambit making over-confident, Cajun-accented advances on Rogue and her screaming at him and/or throwing him out of her car. And while I would normally not condone this kind of behavior from a guy, Rogue both seems to genuinely enjoy it and is plenty strong enough to handle herself. So this comes off as adorably over-confident? Maybe?  Not to mention that, watching as an adult, I'm realizing that his dirty jokes are HILARIOUS.

Last, the ultimate of my spec-fic swoons - Jean Grey. She's a class-five, or Omega-level, mutant. There are only like six of those in all of Marvel canon. In non-geek speak, she's bordering on goddess territory. Despite this, she mostly works as a scientist, and is ballsy enough to go by her own name - no superhero names for her. She's just always been my favorite. Hands down, no competition. 

What about you guys? Who are YOUR biggest swoons from speculative fiction, and why?




Leigh Ann Kopans is May's Affiliate Blogger. To find out more about our guest author positions here at the League, click here.


Raised on comic books and classic novels, Leigh Ann developed an early love of science fiction and literature. As an adult, she rediscovered her love for not only reading, but also writing the types of fiction that enchanted her as a teen. Her debut novel, ONE, is about a girl with only half a superpower, the boy who makes her fly, and her struggle to make herself whole.


Leigh Ann, her husband, and four children live in Columbus, Ohio. When she’s not immersed in the world of fiction, you can find her obsessing over the latest superhero movie or using her kids as an excuse to go out for ice cream (again.)

Twitter: @LeighAnnKopans

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One
by Leigh Ann Kopans

When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak.
It makes you a One.

Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover.

If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances.

Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other.

Merrin's mad chemistry skills land her a spot on the Hub's internship short list, but as she gets closer to the life she always wanted, she discovers that the Hub’s purpose is more sinister than it has always seemed. Now it’s up to her to decide if it's more important to fly solo, or to save everything - and everyone - she loves.

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