Friday, July 8, 2011

YA Crush Tourney: Daniel vs. Tod (Match #4) goes to Tod


And the winner is...


Tod Hudson



Some general rules before we begin:


There may be some spoilers in the following post. We've tried to keep it fairly general, but overall, this Tourney will not be spoiler-free. So beware.


Secondly, You are welcome to write your own comments about either character in the comments section, but we will not tolerate rudeness. The minute it crosses over from logical argument into character bashing, your comments will be deleted and your vote canceled.


Alright folks, Today we’ve got an brooding and beautiful fall angel vs. an intriguing and handsome grim reaper. What happens when an immortal faces death? Hmmm… we shall see.

Daniel Grigori (Seed 13)

Daniel is from the Fallen Series by the amazing Lauren Kate (who we’ve had the privilege of meeting, so trust us, she is amazing). You can learn more about it here. Daniel is represented by Lacey.

Personality
Daniel Grigori is mysterious and alluring. He is fiercely loyal to his only love. He is sweet and almost perfect, yet he still has flaws that makes him lovable. If my crush was perfect it would be hard to picture myself with him, but Daniel has flaws that make me love him more and makes him feel more approachable. His mysterious personality leaves you wanting more and more of him. At the beginning of Fallen he seems rude but he was just trying to keep Luce for falling for him and eventually dying.

Looks
Daniel has gray-violet eyes (hello gorgeous!), deep golden hair that falls over his eyes, high cheekbones, tall and he's mindblowingly gorgeous. He wings are very large and white.

Talents
superb fighter, intelligent, great strength

Special Attributes
Immortality, flight,

What makes Daniel better than Tod?
Daniel is the best because of his never-ending, incredible love. He's given up everything for Luce and is devastated every time she dies. In this current reincarnation of Luce, he tries everything in his power to not let her fall for him. He is trying anything to make her live longer and not have to go through dying. Where as Luce dies every 17 years and forgets her past for most of that time, Daniel has to live everyday knowing that she's out there and remembers all the times he has lost her. His never ending love of her is the perfect love. He tried to put her well-being and health above his happiness. Honestly who would you rather be in love with, an angel or a reaper? Tod pushes dangerous tasks onto Nash and Kaylee without thinking about who else it will effect as long as Tod gets his way. Plus Tod is constantly flirting and teasing Kaylee, which is his brother’s girlfriend. I wouldn't want my sister flirting with my boyfriend and if I caught them teasing each other and flirting like Kaylee and Tod do, there would be major problems! Daniel only has eyes for Luce and has for thousands of years!

Anything else you’d like to add?
My favorite quote from Torment:
""Would he find her?
Without question.
Would he save her?
Always.""

Just shows that no matter what happens, no matter what Luce does, he will always love her and always catch her when she falls. "

Tod Hudson (Seed 20)

Tod Hudson is from the Soul Screamer by Rachel Vincent. You can learn more about it here. And be on the lookout for a review of the series soon here at YA Sisterhood! Tod is represented by Rachel Clarke. You can reach her at any of the following places:

Blog: Fiktshun.com (But I'll be posting any tourney related posts on my blog annex Fiktshuns-ramblings.blogspot.com)
Twitter: @Fiktshun
Blog FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fiktshun/167196403318584



Personality
Tod Hudson may be a reaper, but he is anything but grim. And although he may look innocent, he is trouble. He is a reaper after all. Someone assigned to collect souls. Someone who takes a walk on the wild side and ventures into the Netherworld on occasion. And someone who is no stranger to the Hellions and Demons that call it home.

Now, he may not be your typical bad boy, I don’t know many reapers who are, but he is definitely not someone to bring home to meet the parents. Kaylee Cavanaugh’s Dad certainly doesn’t like him hanging around his daughter and they’re not even dating. Especially when he can just come and go as he pleases - any parents worst nightmare. And it seems to please him quite a bit to visit Kaylee. At night. Alone. In her room. Forever stuck at 17, Tod is an eternal boy.

But Tod has another side. And that one is charming, funny and sarcastic. He is mischievous and has one heck of a wicked grin for someone with such an angelic face. He likes to pop in at the most inconvenient times. And surprising Kaylee is one of his favorite things to do. Well... that and popping in on Kaylee and Nash when they don’t particularly want to be disturbed. Tod definitely has issues with boundaries.

The best thing about Tod isn’t his boyish charm or his sense of humor. If that were all Tod had going for him, he wouldn’t have made made my list of crush-worthy boys. It’s his loyalty. Tod is one fiercely loyal bean-sidhe turned reaper.

He will do anything in his power to protect those he cares about. It makes him brave and foolish and reckless to the point of stupidity at times, but his loyalty makes him completely swoon-worthy. What girl wouldn’t want a boy who would go to the ends of the earth to protect her, do whatever he can to make her happy, or cry for her when he can’t?

Tod quick facts: A total flirt, charming, mischievous, not one to play by the rules, funny, sarcastic, bad boy, loves a challenge, brave, reckless, chivalrous, vulnerable, loyal, self-sacrificing.

Looks
Tod is definitely mighty fine to look at. He may not be one, but he looks like an angel. Blond curly hair, bright blue sparkling eyes, super sexy thick boy-lashes, perfect full lips, strong, square chin which sports a small goatee. He is total eye-candy.

I usually tend to go for the dark, brooding, dangerous types, but over the course of this series Tod has definitely caught my eye. I’m thinking he’s a stone cold fox. He will be forever young. As a reaper he will never look older than 17. And even though he may be a reaper he has his soul. Just stare into those bright blue eyes and you will get lost. And that’s not from some powers of Influence.

But it’s those kissable lips that are quick with a smile, always ready to quirk up into a lopsided grin, that make Tod the ultimate crush-worthy boy in the looks department. His eyes may be magnetic, but it’s those lips that would be tough to look away from.

Tod quick facts: Angelic, bright blue eyes, sexy smile, perfect, full oh-so-kissable lips, with a lower lip he loves to bite while thinking, thick lashes, pale blond, curly hair, face that expresses his emotions.

Talents
Oh, Tod is one talented reaper. He can materialize wherever he wants, whenever he wants. And as he doesn’t need sleep he has a lot of free time on his hands to drop in, unannounced, on his friends and family. Whether they want him to or not.

This can come in handy when there’s trouble, but can be awkward when you don’t want company. And it makes for some quick travel options since he can take you along for the ride.

He can choose who he wants to see and hear him. And can appear to only some people and not others if he feels like it.

As a reaper he doesn’t need to eat, but he can taste and enjoy food. No problem with the pleasure sensors or taste buds in his mouth.

He doesn’t age, which practically makes him immortal. As he’s technically not alive, he can’t get older.

He also has the power to end a life and take possession of a soul. For some power-hungry reapers this can be a problem, but for one as good-hearted as Tod, this is nothing to worry about.

He can move between this world and the Netherworld. It may not seem such an important talent to me or you, but if you had to rescue someone’s soul from a demon who had them trapped, you’d want someone who could bring you in and out of that world as quickly as possible. Just sayin’.

A phenomenal kisser. That’s all I’ll say for right now, but for those in the know, you can back me up on that.

Tod quick facts: Instant teleportation, selective invisibility, ability to end a life and take a soul - yeah it’s grim, but it’s still pretty cool - no need to eat or sleep, ageless, awesome kisser and it’s not just because he has such perfect lips.

Special Attributes
Since I’ve included most of Tod’s attributes in the personality, looks and talents departments, I thought I’d just give a few examples of why Tod is so full of awesome and why he deserves the title, “Hero.”

*His first assignment as a reaper he saved the life of a little girl that was on the list.

*He sacrificed his own life to save someone he loved and kept it a secret so that they wouldn’t have to feel guilty. (If that’s not totally swoon-worthy I don’t know what is!)

*He turned himself corporeal to punch Nash for what he did to Kaylee.

*He watched out for Kaylee’s friend Emma when she was in trouble.

*He went to the Netherworld to try and save the soul of his ex-girlfriend.

*He told Kaylee what she needed to hear about Nash and Sabine, even if it would make her hate him.

*He is frequently willing to put his “life” on the line for those he loves.

*And he is always ready to fight for what he wants.

Tod quick facts: Hero. Seriously, do I need to say more here? He’s a hero in every sense of the word.

What makes Tod better than Daniel?
Okay, I will not Daniel bash. I love Daniel. Granted, I haven’t read Passion yet, but I can’t imagine his past history with Luce making him a total jerk. He is an angel after all.

They are both pretty remarkable. But Tod has at least one fairly major thing going for him that Daniel doesn’t. He is always there when people need him.

He is there for his family, his friends, and for those he loves. He doesn’t have to leave them for long periods of time for their safety. He doesn’t have to keep replaying lifetimes of mistakes, over and over. He doesn’t have to keep nearly as many secrets as Daniel does.

And as bean sidhes live a long time, Tod will be there for each of them, for all the many years of their lives.

Also, as a reaper he doesn’t really have a higher power he has to answer to. His job is fairly straightforward. He has a list, he has to reap the souls on the list. For the rest of the time he can stalk his friends, family, maybe even deliver a pizza or two for some extra cash. He doesn’t have to worry about some huge battle looming in the distance that may be the end to everything.

You’d think Tod’s life is pretty boring, but believe me, it’s not. Keeping an eye on Kaylee and Nash is a full-time job. Those two are magnets for trouble and Tod always manages to get caught up in their problems.

It’s difficult to say what makes one boy better than another, especially in two series that haven’t ended, when either can become less than perfect.

But Tod has the benefit of five books, and an entire novella devoted solely to him, showing just how much more lovable, honorable, brave, and loyal he becomes. Daniel only has been around for three. And we all know that anything can happen. Just look at Nash’s downfall since the first book in the series.

Yes, the fifth book isn’t out, but I have read it. And although I won’t give any specific spoilers to further my defense of Tod, what I will say is that Tod is all the things I’ve said before, but on steroids, in this book. And if I were to reveal what I know, Tod would win this match, hands down.

Tod quick facts: Ever present. Far less complicated job description. No higher power to answer to. No complicated history to overcome. A longer time period to showcase his awesomeness. A much better kisser.


Anything else you'd like to add?


I'd like to make a final plea for Tod. Those who've only read the first book or two of the series may not have gotten the warm and fuzzies over him. There may not have been any insta-love connection. I know it wasn't like that for me and Tod. I was a Nash fan all the way...

...All the way through the middle of the second book in the series when that slow anger toward Nash began building.

For those who have read all four books in the series and both novellas you may have a little more love for Tod, but still might not be fully convinced that he is crush-worthy. But let me tell you that he so totally is! And if this tourney was just a few months later, after the release of If I Die, I wouldn't even have to do anything to convince you here and now.

But Tod made me smile, he made me cry, he made me breathless and made my heart stop. More than once. If that doesn't make him crush-worthy I don't know what would.

Thanks so much, and I know that Tod would love your vote!


VOTING IS NOW CLOSED!