Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do...

I like to think that I am a pretty healthy and well adjusted woman when it comes to relationships. I am drawn towards quality individuals: men that are kind-hearted, compassionate, loyal, honest, and overall have Godly character. However, I have had a startling revelation recently that when it comes to fiction, I have a serious thing for bad boys!  In just about every love triangle in books or television, I am rooting for the dark, brooding arse-hole (notice that when you say arse rather than ass it doesn't quite seem like you are cursing - it's more ladylike) rather than the upstanding good guy that one SHOULD root for.
I noticed it yesterday when watching the season finale of Glee. I got a little emotional when Puck hugged Mr. Schuester. I realized that in spite of his slushy-throwing days, I really like Puck. He is much more interesting than poor Finn, who is well.... kind of boring. Yeah, Puck is kind of a jerk, but a lovable one.

Lost is another good example. Kate's dilema: Jack or Sawyer. There is no question, Sawyer was a serious jerk for the first few seasons but being stranded on an island was good for him and in spite of himself he turned out to be a self-sacrificing leader (with muscles that would make anyone swoon). And Jack... he was just kind of whiney and annoying after a while. I think Kate chose wrong.

And then we get to the Vampires. Elena seems pretty set on Stefan but I don't know. Damon, in spite of the fact that he is a blood-thirsty killer with no conscience or soul to speak of, seems like he could be a honorable man if the right woman loved him. I am pretty sure the writers of the Vampire Diaries won't see it my way, but I say ditch Stefan and give Damon a chance. I bet he would rise to the occasion.

True Blood's Sookie Stackouse has a similar dilema: the honorable Civil War Veteran, Bill Compton or the barbaric Viking, Eric Northman. I am "Team Eric" all the way. Mainly in book four when he gets amnesia and forgets that he is supposed to be a bad ass and we see a glimpse of the kinder, gentler, vampire that he is deep down.

So really, when I think about it, I like the bad boys but mainly because of the glimpses of good that we are teased with. Maybe it is the mystery of it all, being privy to the secret gentleness behind the hard exterior. I honestly don't know what is more disturbing: the fact that I am am swooning over such jerks, or the fact that half of these examples are blood-sucking vampires, or the fact that they are fictional characters that don't actually exist! All of it boils down to the fact that I think I might need some serious help! Any suggestions?

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