Can a bad boy, such as a demon, be a hero?
Many of us like the man who seems to be…well, troublesome. He’s hot, blunt, daring, and a rule breaker. He doesn’t mind stepping on the toes of others or hurting one’s feelings. He may be selfish, greedy, lacking compassion, rude, and disrespectful. This doesn’t sound like someone to like. Does it? Yet, this selfishness can be a good thing. It can drive the bad boy to do things that help others, which makes him look like a decent person, somewhat anyway. And perhaps a hero.
In my Soul Catcher series, I have a bad boy demon who is just as I described above. Yet, when he meets my half-demon and agrees to help her, he changes a smidge. He’s selfish with one thought on his mind—getting into her pants—but he’s willing to help her in whatever way he can. If he has to save a life, so be it. If he has to sacrifice his life for her, he will. His goal is clear and he makes it known to her, which brings some intense and interesting conflict since she’s more interested in a vampire. But he ultimately aids the protagonist so she can complete her jobs, which is to send evil spirits to Hell. In the end, good prevails and the bad boy demon appears as a hero. Not bad, eh?
Gosh, I’m feeling the urge to write about some more demons now. Hmm…
Feel free to share your thoughts on the matter and answer the topic question.
If you’re wondering why I selected the Lost Boy’s photo of Kiefer Sutherland, the answer is he has the perfect bad boy look. Don’t you think so?
About Mary Abshire
Absolutely, bad boys make the best heroes– you get to do the whole “he really has a heart buried in there. It’s deep but it’s in there” thing.
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Bad boys can make great, and sometimes unwilling heroes. That’s why they’re so fun to write about. And, oh…I do love Kiefer in The Lost Boys!!
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Yep- bad boys make the best heroes. An extra bad boy who falls in love is especially appealing. Damon in Vampire Diaries and many of the heroes in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series come to mind.
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Definitely. I love bad boys. Haven’t tackled anyone too bad yet – just your garden variety motorcycle riding, leather wearing, tattooed hellion – but there’s an incubus in my future. I’m looking forward to him.
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Those bunch of bad boys in Armaggedon were pretty damn cool. And kind of hot. Saved the planet too. Bruce Willis sacrificed his life – that was damn heroic!
Love a bad boy with a sense of honour.
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Kiefer makes a very good bad boy! How about the baddest of bad – Spike! Murderous, selfish killer – who saves the world from the Hell Mouth! What makes Spike SO good is the way J brings out his vulnerabilities. The vampire is a cast iron softie =)
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Mary Abshire Reply:
July 7th, 2012 at 5:36 am
Oh, good one. Can’t forget Spike! Thanks for the reminder
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I’m not a Keifer fan, though I did like The Lost Boys. He was a good villian, but I don’t think he’s the least bit hot. I do like Spike though. He’s funny and just plain cute.
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I’m with Amy. Bruce Willis and his band of renegades… but John Travolta in Pulp Fiction runs pretty close.
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