My Naughty Thoughts : Is Bad Ever Good?

So a while ago I wrote a post Yummy Baddies in which I practically drooled over how hot bad guys were getting and how sad it made me to watch such fine specimen of male anatomy die. I complained about how it was getting harder to not root for the bad guy because truth be told, I am a bit (truth: really really) shallow. (What...I like eye candy). But in the end, I knew he was the villain of the story and he was never a character I could sympathize with or relate to. I mean who could sympathise with Luck Evans in No One Lives? He was a sadistic psycho, but come one, the guy is hot (I'm drooling again...sorry).

Suddenly a new breed of baddies are appearing. The ones that play on our sympathies and make us say to ourselves...I can see myself going down that dark path....or I completely understand.  

For example Regina a.k.a the Evil Queen from Once Upon A Time who, as the seasons progressed, I watched transition from a sweet young woman full of love to a vengeful and bitter evil queen. I found myself yelling at young Snow White (well the tv) to shut her trap when she blabbed to Cora about Regina's love indirectly causing his death and agreeing with Regina when she made the comment that she should have let Snow White die (is that bad). A broken heart can lead you down a dark path and I'm sure some of us can relate. (Regina's still my favourite character from Once Upon A time. I'm was so pissed at Emma at the season finale...lol).

While the writers of Once Upon A Time are having the characters make a distinction between Regina and the Evil Queen like they're two individual people (perhaps to make it easier to sympathise with Regina), Maleficient is one very bad, very vengeful fairy. Not only is this character a villain, but she's the title roll. How could I not cheer on her vengefulness after the brutal way she was betrayed by someone she considered a friend? Shouldn't I have been cheering on her friend a.k.a the king as he tried to save his daughter's life by destroying Maleficient. Of course by the end Maleficient had a restorative transformation to good like Regina did which made my struggle between good and bad a moot point.

Recently I watched the trailer for Dracula Untold (psst Luke Evans is in this one again...yum...so you know I'm going to watch it). Isn't Dracula a bad guy? The trailer is making him out as as father who'd do anything, including selling his soul to the devil, to protect his family. How can you fault a guy for that?

Or what about Walter from Breaking Bad? I've never watched that series so I don't have much I can say, but as I understand from the tidbits I've gleamed, Walter was a chemistry teacher, who after being diagnosed with cancer, turned drug dealer in the hopes of ensuring his family's financial security after his death. Another character doing something bad for the good of his family. Is that shade of grey to the Walter character what made him so popular? An upstanding citizen driven by circumstances to do things he otherwise never would have. It kind of reminds me of the Gerard Butler character in Law Abiding Citizen. I tried to have sympathy for some of his victims (not the killers) but having understood what drove Clyde to his depth of depravity it was a little hard (sorry Jamie, I was rooting for him to kill you too, you were such an insensitive jerk for a good guy).

There are also the characters who we know are good, but are just plain bad. They can be mean and surly, say vulgar and despicable things, and make you feel like smacking them. In essence there're not your stereo typical good guy. Because I watched this movie last night, I'm going to use the autobot Crosshair as an example. He advocated living the humans to fight the decepticons on their own, abandoning a seventeen year old girl and letting Bumblebee and Drift kill each other so he can take over without a fight. At times he was a jerk, but never once did he let his fellow autobots down. Through all his "jerkiness" he was a good guy.

In short, are the bad things some "villains" do ever good? And are those characters always "villains" just because they do bad things? And just how big of a douche bag can a good guy be?

These types of characters are so much more complex than the cookie cutter good guy or even bad guy. When they make you stop and think...wait...is he/she good or bad...

And that's my naughty thoughts on the bad...good...bad guy.

Later Loveys

P.S. Don't forget to share/google+ this post if you liked it

Once Upon A Time....The End

So the season finale of Once Upon A Time was two days ago, so my feels on this tragedy is obviously late. But I'm still stewing over the ending so I thought I'd post it anyway.

To those of you who missed it...never fear...you missed nothing....well...actually...I'm lying....It was awesome!! 

Since our current villain was vanquished in the previous episode and with one left to go, I wondered what juicy tid-bit the writers had in store for us. And as usual they never fail. 

Emma finally got to feel a connection to the life she should have lived, while almost screwing up her very existence. I held my breath the entire episode, constantly cursing the television screen for the near misses and bungles.

And the climax of all climaxes....a double cliff hanger....

Cliffhanger #1 - (no spoilers here) The newest addition to Storybrook. Her story is barely out on dvd and already she's making her appearance on Once. The real question is whether she's good or bad. Does being a prisoner of Rumpelstiltskin mean she's bad or will I see that sweet, reserved girl she played in her movie. After all, I always thought Peter Pan was the good guy. Can't wait to see.

Cliffhanger #2 - (and this is what has me stewing) Does Regina ever get her happily ever after? WTH!!! I've always been a fan of the evil queen. The writers and Lana Parrilla did a great job of making her relateable. I can understand where Snow White's big mouth costing her her first love and constantly feeling like a second class citizen to her could sour Regina's outlook on life. So I've always rooted for her form season one. And I was so happy when she finally found love again. But for the writers to do this to her. WTF!!!!

So now I'm already impatiently waiting for the new season to begin. AHHH!!!!!!

Salem.....My Take on Witches

So I've had my nose up in the air for the pass few weeks every time the promos for the newest WGN television show aired. As much as I've developed a taste for paranormal television programming, a show about one of the most ridiculous eras in history didn't spark much of an interest in me.

Last night after enjoying my Sunday night ritual of Once Upon A Time (still one of the best shows on TV) and realizing Drop Dead Diva wasn't in the line-up for tonight, I found myself aimlessly flipping through the stations for something else to watch. I landed on WGN with a three minute countdown for the premier of said show.

I was about to flip the channel, after all I'd decided that I wasn't interested in following the new show, when I remembered...there was nothing else to watch. So I thought, eh...why not. I snuggled deeper into my fluffy pillows and waited, rather patiently for me, the three minutes. Truth be told, I was ready to hate the show. I'd made up my mind. I was just proving to myself that it was going to be mind numbing drivel about holier than thou religious fanatics accusing innocent women of being love slaves to the devil. Nothing supernatural, just ordinary people with god complex. 

So the three minutes were up and the show begins, and an hour later the credits roll. Was it worth it?

Hell yeah! I cannot remember the last time I watched a television show with bated breath. I remember thinking, what the hell's going on, what's gonna happen next, and damn another ad. The story had me captured. From the beginning it was fast pace get to the point. By the end of the show battle lines were drawn. You knew who the "bad guy" was and who the "good guy" was, and the unlined love affair between the two will be an interesting storyline to watch unfold in coming episodes.

When it came to the characters themselves, I didn't really get a sense of the innocence of the Mary Sibley character before her turn to the dark side, but I can understand her need for revenge prompting her to do something she probably never would have done otherwise. So far she sends chills down my spin. I can't gage just how evil she really is.

As for the John Alden character, I don't like Shane West and I'll probably be bias. So I'll leave it at that.

So would I follow the show? Does that question even need an answer?

And that's my naughty thoughts on Salem.

Later Loveys

P.S. Don't forget to share/google+ this post if you liked it

Cover Reveal: No Prince Charming

Book Blitz - Awakening by Laura Greenwood

About the Book: 

Cursed before she was even born, Keira is destined to either be the greatest Queen that the Kingdom has ever known...or the Worst. On her 18th birthday she falls into a deep sleep, if she awakens naturally after 100 years then she will be as human as she was before, but if she was awoken before then the consequences will be vastly different...

When her destiny is one of two opposites, which path will Keira's life take her down. And what choice will she have in the direction.

Sleeping Beauty with a paranormal twist!

Goodreads - Amazon US -Amazon UK

About the Author: 

Laura is a self confessed book and tea addict, you will rarely find her without one or the other (and often times both) even when she should be doing work towards her degree! Laura's been reading from a young age, and has been writing for years, though Awakening is the first thing she has had the courage to publish! 

You can follow Laura on her blog trips down imagination road, Facebook or Twitter

Short Story

The Dark Queen Rises

Avangrey, my domain, my home. I can see its expanse for miles from this tower. This is my sanctuary, my haven, where I find peace from the burdens of my crown. Rising more than sixty feet, it is the tallest of the six towers connecting the inner walls of my castle, giving me a clear view of all that is mine. From here I can cast a watchful eye on the servants scurrying about their duties within the inner ward, the soldiers training in the outer ward, and those patrolling the battlements of the thick walls that protected me from outside dangers.

Further past the dark water of the murky moat that surrounds those walls lie the rolling fields and village of Avangrey. The land stretches for miles pass mountains, lakes and cliffs before it finally meets the northern border and the Kingdom of Tou beyond. My eyes scan the western horizon and the thick tall trees of MonRok Forest in the distance pass which is the Kingdom of Kraig. To the east was the never ending desserts of the Wastelands, a dry and deadly barrier between my kingdom and the Kingdom Sim Ra. The monster infested waters of Argon Sea to my back separate Raule from Avengrey. The five kingdoms of Talvan, Avangrey my home, Tou, Kraig, Sim Ra and Raule. Soon they would all be mine. 

"My Queen we have found it." 

My thoughts are interrupted by the grizzly voice of Lord Rowan, my captain of the guards. I take a breath and one last look at my kingdom before turning my full attention to him. With a hurried gait I approach, eager to see that he hasn't failed me. I wouldn't be happy if he did, nor forgiving. The expression on his face said little, always stoic. The small wooden box he held out to me was nondescript, except for the small golden latch that sealed its contents from the outside world. I recognize the ruin symbols carved into the cold metal, placed there by a very powerful but long dead witch to prevent it from being opened by mortal hands.  I could feel my heart rate spike and a small smile curves my lips. I can barely contain my elation. 

At last. 

I reach for the box and savoury the feel of the wood against my skin. The force of the ancient power radiating from every grain of the timber makes my flesh tingle. I am so close to my goal. Perched in the palms of my hands, I lift the container close to my lips and whisper a few ancient words to the latch. A spell just for this lock, to demand it to release its contents to me. The small click of the latch freeing itself echoes though the silent chamber and I realized I had been holding my breath, not at all sure the spell would work, and even more uncertain that my prize was inside. Slowly I flip the lid open, and I feel that small smile widen to near jubilation. 

"Bring her to me." 

I hear my captain retreating from the chamber, but my attention is fixated on the object before me. I reach in and pull out the gem within. It's beautiful. Even more than I'd imagined. It was no bigger than my fist, fitting comfortably within the palm of my hand. The smooth edges of stone caught the light, and the blood red colour contrast sharply with the paleness of my skin. I stare spellbound at this treasure that I'd worked so tirelessly to obtain, that I'd sacrificed so much for. Soon it will all be mine. The box, it's worthless and I toss it to the floor. It ignites before it can hit the cool marble bursting into flames at my silent command.

My Naughty Thoughts : Love at First.....Second Sight

Do you believe in love at first sight? I read about it enough. Personally, I'm a bit of a cynic when it comes to falling in love quickly. Well "a bit" may be an understatement to describe my view on it. Can you really fall in love with someone you've only known for a while?

In my post Five Minutes to Sex, I asked about the heroines who sleep with the heroes after knowing each other for all of five minutes. I wondered aloud if that style of writing was meant to tap into some hidden fantasy of the reader. That fantasy of throwing caution to wind and having unbridled sex with a hot stranger. Who knows....(side note: something happened and I finally get it)

In the end, having sex with someone you barely know is still just physical. Love....now we're into the emotional. How realistic are the heroines who go cuckoo for coco puff from the first instance they lay eyes on the hero?

I've read books where the characters don't confess their love for each other until the last page, some where they do it mid book and it feels like you're along for the happily ever after, you know...the what happens next feeling. Then they're the ones that do it so early I'm like...what..did I miss something? ? How'd they go from hello to I love you in the span of fifty pages?

Maybe it's the idea of love. That heart pounding, breath stealing feeling that can be like a drug that allows us to fall and maybe even overlook the fact that the main characters don't even know each other, how can they be in love already. How well do you even have to know someone to be in love?

And why is it if your best girl pal came to you and said she was in love with a guy she met last week you'd wonder if she was crazy, but it's ok for the heroine in your romance novel? Yes it's make believe, candy for the heart, but still, I like a little reality in my novels. I relate better.

Personally I don't like books that drones on for chapter after chapter about all the tedious and useless to the plot things the lead characters do before they finally find love, (get to the point right) but I also can't relate to characters who say they're in love one chapter into the book. Lust I understand, but love....

What do you think? Do you believe in love at first sight?

And that's my naughty thoughts on love at first sight.

Later Loveys

P.S. Don't forget to share/google+ this post if you liked it