Come on now everyone: don't be shy! We all have that one character or characters that simply make us swoon whenever we see their precious drawn faces pop up on our screen or on the next page of the book in our hands. I mean, let's be honest: how can you resist?!
I have had a crush on a number of ElfQuest characters and I will share a few of past and present with you guys. Oh my God this is soooooo embarrassing I can't believe I'm spilling all of this.
My very first crush, when I initially began reading EQ, was on the beloved treeshaper Redlance. Something about watching him suffer at the hands of the tribal human servants of their deity Gotara, be rescued so diligently by his tribe mates, try to mask his pain from his lifemate, and even risking his own life so the rest of the tribe could make it to the safe mountains of the desert swiftly and not slow them down, just made my heart melt. I found him so attractive and handsome looking, and still so innocent. The passion he had for his lifemate - even though they were un-Recognized - made my heart swell. The love they had for one another had been chosen by THEM. They took their life into their own hands. To me Redlance was a gentle and nurturing soul - he was a comforting breath of fresh air amidst the often unforeseen dangers that so regularly struck his people. He was not a hunter, nor killer (save for the time I can recall when he saved Bearclaw from the sabre-tooth and thus went from "Redmark" to "Redlance". As well as that desperate moment in the Go-Back's den when the children were under attack by the mountain trolls - which, let me add, his look of guilt and horror made me cry) My feelings for Redlance however eventually faded from "romantic" (HAHAHAHA) to "amused" as time passed - though he still holds a dear place in my heart. (I'm not particularly fond of his face fur though. :( )
My second crush in the EQ universe was none other than Rayek. He was a jerk, a prick, a total asshole...and yet I found myself grinning at his arrogance, and my heart fluttered for his desire to claim Leetah. I knew he loved her, truly loved her, and that caused me to ache for him. When Rayek disappeared he was immediately thrust out of thought; for at that young of an age I was certain I'd never see of him again: or if I did, it would be a tragic story of how he died alone and heartbroken at the loss of his one true love and people. But when he reappeared again with the Go-Backs I could barely contain my joy! My feelings for the Sun Folk hunk fluctuated between then. His bond with Ekuar was pleasant and revealed a softer side of him that I did not think none but Leetah could bring up from the depths. Yet, when he began tapping into his powers, when his pride and stupidity and blindness cost Cutter his family, I hated him. Yes. I HATED him! I wanted him to spend an eternity locked away in the Palace and shunned. I felt betrayed. I giggled in dark glee when Leetah made him the victim of her first ever "hurting". It took a while for my heart to melt yet again for him - which thanks to Venka, and thanks to the self-less beating he allowed himself to receive by the blood of ten chiefs, was not hard to conjure up. I pitied him when he took the Black Snake into his body and mind. My feelings for Rayek have not changed since then. He is still on my "love list"; and I honestly hope he too does not die because he has a special place in my heart for putting me through such a horrific yet enduring emotional roller coaster.
My third crush was, and trust me, this one is a doozey: Two-Edge. I can see many of you scrunching up your noses at that thought but its not all that bad. My infatuation, or perhaps the best term for this feeling would be "interest", in Two-Edge started when he was first mentioned by Picknose. A creature that hid within the walls, that no one had ever seen, that mysteriously forged brilliant trinkets and weapons of metal, possibly mad, and whispered to be the child of a troll and elf? I HAD to learn more! Even when they first revealed him in drawing I must admit that I did not find him hideous. He had what I liked to call "rough neck appeal"; the tragedy of a life he lived by Winnowill's hand did not make the sway to his interest any more difficult either. Now that he is free from the games of his mother I wish Two-Edge nothing but happiness - in fact, I often find myself shipping Venka and he quite feverishly.
Mender held a brief spot in my heart as crush number four. I found him incredibly attractive, and fan-girled at his blooming romantic bond with Ember. But...I don't know if it was the introduction of Teir, or the fact that Mender liked a good brawl a little bit TOO MUCH that made me fall away from him but I eventually did. He's gotten a bit wiser in the newer releases of ElfQuest, and the time he spent under Leetah was beneficial (which may I add, his respect for her and his loyalty towards Cutter does please me A LOT). But I suppose two fiery spirits such as his and Ember's would have been too hot a fire even for me. I hope that he stops messing around with the occasional human girl (you guys remember THAT issue! hahaha), and perhaps settles down. Maybe with Yun? Though she annoys me a bit as well....hmmmm. I still think he was incredibly hot piece of elf meat.
Ahhhh Treestump. I don't even have to write anything for him. Ya know why? Because he's FRIGGIN TREESTUMP! <3 He proves that OLD can be so enchantingly hot. I wish him the best in his new relationship with Clearbrook. It's about time he received some happiness romance wise. He deserves it.
And who could forget Teir? Ahhhh Teir. Mysterious childhood, dancer with animals, wolf father, sexy long black ponytail, gorgeous eyes, so gentle it makes your heart wanna burst - Teir. I really like Teir. You can tell because I don't think there's any female good enough for him. That's right Ember, I'm calling you out! But I suppose it is his deep and passionate love for his K'Chaiya that made my heart swoon to begin with. His demeanor is so soft and reserved, so pained and frightened - and yet in spite of that he has found love. I wish it was with someone other than fire hair though (Ember and I have been having some problems for the past few years in case you haven't noticed.) He is still most definitely a current factor for me. Teir is #3 in my top 3 crushes.
Next is Strongbow. Ya know, that says enough too! My first encounter with Strongbow was filled with annoyance. I understood that he believed and kept to "The Way" and "Now" of wolf-thought. But his ideologies and actions and constant challenges of his chief seemed self-righteous religious to me and I initially shut him out. But when Cutter grew older, when they got into their fight in Sorrow's End, when he lost and still held his chief's hand in respect and love when Cutter was preparing to go away: my emotions went AHKJSSLKSDLKAJLJLKAFHJDUEJFKLSJ!!! I loved him instantly. Even though the elder still had his moments of "too deep religious" - it was hard not to see where he was coming from and perhaps even accept that in some aspects he was right. And when he got that face fur? Oh lawd!!! Hahaha. His love for Moonshade is...incredibly passionate - almost animalistic but with a powerful depth of Elf emotion that I have not seen in most of the other elves. They are truly the keepers of the Way - even in the furs. ;) Strongbow is #2 in my top 3 crushes.
Nightfall. Yep, I'm going to admit it. I have a thing for Nightfall. She's gorgeous, loyal to her lifemate and her chief (whom we could safely say is her best friend since childhood) and his lifemate. Another thing I liked about Nightfall was her ability to balance out the inner she-wolf huntress killer warrior woman in her, and the compassionate, caring, wise, and secure counselor that her friends and loves could rely on her to be. To me, Nightfall is the epitome of what a Wolfrider (not just a female Wolfrider) should be physically and emotionally. She was my favorite character immediately when I started reading ElfQuest. I suppose I could tie her with Strongbow. I also like Leetah, Dewshine and Krim, but I've already mentioned one female ElfQuest crush: mentioning three more might be a bit much for some people. I'd put Leetah, Krim, and Nightfall all on the same pedestal.
And Finally: CUTTER. OMG how can you not love Cutter?! He is smexeh! Especially with that face fur omgkalkasdkaskdjlkjoiioediflsklkamslclaksdklskgorejlkjfljlsfk!!!! Cutter's love for his tribe and family, his determination to bring the nations together, his ability to seek counsel and lead and accomplish great things. I didn't realize how much I loved Cutter until a little bit later in the EQ Universe, and once it hit me, it hit me HARD. Cutter is without a doubt my number one crush. NO! HE IS MY ONE TRUE ELFQUEST LOVE!!!! OMG my fangirling is getting out of control I cant even do anymore typing! Hahahaha
So, who's your ElfQuest crush/es? I've shared mine. Now share yours. ;p
Shade and sweet water and dreams of your EQ true love,
Nightfall She-Wolf
ps: sorry if the paragraphs got shorter and seemingly less in depth. I've really gotta start planning these posts out better and NOT start them when I'm about to collapse from exhaustion.
