I adore Yassen Gregorovich. More than any other book character. More than is probably healthy. But I was wondering if the attraction Yassen has is actually my subconscious response to the fact that he's an assassin (you know, like how every living woman loves James Bond). Do you think that that holds any credence, or am I just a crazed fangirl with no excuse?

Haha, if you're a crazed fangirl, then I am too :P I think it's a bit of both actually.... So basically, anyone who a)likes Yassen Gregorovich to start off with and b)likes James Bond/assassin types has no hope! We're all doomed to be fangirls :P

*sighs* I had a sinking feeling that was the case. . . . :-) But then the real question is, which type of assassin is sexier: the cold, calculating type like Yassen (which, for some reason unkown to me always happen to be blond and blue-eyed) or the charming, sauve, dashing type like pre-Casino Royale James Bond (which always happen to be tall, dark, and handsome)?

I'm not really rabid enough to be here - and I never thought I'd get to say that; normally, I'm the one slavering away while everyone else is backing away and talking about soothing drinks - but, meh. Looked fun.

Which is the sexier assassin? Me, I'm blonde, and I have to say, I don't find blond people that attractive (anyone got any ideas why?), so I'd go for the tall, dark and handsome. On the other hand, going strictly on what we know about the pair of 'models' we have here, Bond is the womaniser and Yassen, I think, would be more faithful. Plus, he's Yassen. I think I could probably make an exception to my general rule of not going for blonds.

Not to mention, I can't imagine Yassen would react well to a set down. "Wanna go out?"

"No, thanks, I'm good."

"Oh. OK. Well, just stand therer one second, I have to kill you now." ^_^

Sorry. He might be cold and calculating, but he'd probably be an awesome boyfriend. Very faithful, and probably very sweet too...

...and I'm going to be late for work if I don't go and put my face one, so I'll love and leave you with that thought. Oh, you lucky, lucky people. :D

-amitai

Ah well, you're welcome here anyway. :-) It must make you get warm fuzzies inside to be the sane one this time around.

(Ooh! I have a theory. I think it's a subconscious urge form the primal side of our nature to give our offspring a diverse background and therefore avoid complications caused by inbreeding. That's my scientific shot at explaining 'opposites attract'.) Yes, Bond is a womanizer, but we all love him anyway. He's just so darn attractive! You'd better make an exception for Yassen -- you'd be certifiable if you didn't.

Why would any woman in her right mind turn down Yassen for a date?

I think Yassen would be much better than Bond as a boyfriend if he could ever get over himself long enough to try to secure a bona fide relationship.

Yes, I feel all warm and snuggly at being the normal one. It's such an unusual role for me!

Certifiable if I didn't make an exception for Yassen? Dearest, I'm already certifiable, that boat sailed *years* ago. :D

Bond is indeed very attractive. On the other hand, Fleming's Bond - because I was a total Bond geek when I was younger, and read every book I could get my grubby little hands on - is every bit as cold and ruthless as Yassen when he needs to be. He doesn't hesitate to kill in the name of - well, Great Britain, actually ^_^ - and though he does have a conscience of sorts, it only comes out to play when it doesn't cause problems for him... and frankly when it's convenient for Fleming to make it look as though his character is 'good'. Other times, it's strictly "left at home" when Bond is on a job.

On the other hand, leaving that to one side, he doesn't have the emotional detachment from his job which Yassen seems to have - and you have to concede that canon!Yassen is a much less developed character than James Bond. Bond, we have a shedload of books on. Yassen appears twice in two books, and he's not the main character. So it's difficult to compare them, when we know more about one than the other... But from what we've read, it seems like Yassen can leave the emotional baggage from his job (if either of them have any emotional baggage!) at the door, while Bond can't. He makes the odd exception - like Tiffany Case (what a name!) - but he treats women like he treats his job, and tends towards the "love 'em and leave 'em" attitude, which Yassen doesn't seem to.

God knows Yassen isn't a warm and fuzzy kinda guy, but we get to see him being warm and loving towards Alex (kinda). And that's more attractive to me than Bond's rather hard good looks.

Woah, that's a real essay up there. Oopsie.

The opposites attract theory is a good one - much better than I've ever managed to come up with! - though sadly my theory doesn't work for everyone. A blonde friend of mine finds dark-haired people totally uninteresting, so there's that theory gone! But when it does work, that sounds like the most plausible reason for it.

I'mna leave this here before I write another of my typical essays. *blush*

Basically, Yassen over Bond, I think. Anyone else agree? *runs off to hide*

-amitai

Haha, as AssortedJellyBeans knows, I'll agree with you with the Yassen over Bond thing any day... But I do think it's important to realise how little Yassen was developed in the books... And we all know what a tragedy and horrible mistake that was on Anthony Horowitz's part :P

Wow, I feel like I'm such a slacker with my short little postscript answer compared to you guys XD

Hmm, well I supose anyone here isn't exactly the poster child for sanity. We are, after all, self proclaimed fanatic stalkers.

I never said Bond has morals. Because in fact, I don't think he does. If he were able to get recruited by some organization like Scorpia I don't htink he'd have any qualms over switching sides. We see AHORZ making Yassen look 'good' in both Stormbreaker and Eagle Strike, though, showing that he does have some sort of twisted conscience, so that's not really a fair thing to peg Fleming on. (However, even though Yassen and Bond are udeniably not the most moral of men, I have a hard time envisioning them gunning down women and children, even if that was their assignment.)

The turh is, canon!Yassen is hardly a character. (Or he won't be until that 'Yassen' book AHORZ is coming out with! OMG *fangirl squeal time*) He just doesn't appear enough times to actually have, well, characteristics. I don't actually think Yassen does leave his emotional baggage behind, though, at least in the case of Alex. (All that misinformation about John at the end of Eagle Strike -- I've gotta believe that's firmly lodged in Yassen's mind when he takes actions that concern Alex.) I think what might be labeled Bond's 'emotional baggage' is actually just the spark of humanity Yassen seems to lack. :P Yeah, I certainly can't fully picture Yassen as a womanizer -- or at least not a womanizer on the job. I think he's smarter than Bond in that way. (We just have to re-watch Die Another Day for the thousandth time to see what trouble chicks are to assassins.)

I'm of the personal belief that Yassen would have the total package if he ever let loose and opened up: good looks, dry wit (all Russians seem to have it), intelligence, and that subtle kindness we see being played out with Alex. I know he'd probably never be the ruggedly handsome gentleman type that has women swooning left and right, but in that AR book that encompasses AHORZ notes from the screen play he describes Yassen as 'attractive' (which, on a note bit off subject, is a little strange, because it seems that every relatively young man Alex knows is describes as 'good-looking' or 'attractive' or some variation of 'hot').

I AGREE WITH YOU!!! :D

Now if we only had someone else here to not agree with us so we could have the conflicts and ensuing arguments that I seem to thrive on in the AR forums.

Yes, dammit, there's not enough conflict here!!! ^_^

At this point, normally, I'd leap in with some inflammatory comment like "Actually, I think Yassen's character is total shite", but I don't think I'd pull it off, do you? *grin*

One thing I DO disagree with is saying that Bond could have been recruited by some organisation like Scorpia - because I can't see that happening. Ever. Maybe if they'd caught him young, sure, but... well, taking book!Bond rather than film!Bond (and disregarding the parody which was 'Die Another Day', because, really, invisible-car-because-of-cameras-reflecting-the-outside? Yeah, pull the other one, it's got bells on), he's very, very patriotic. I mean, Fleming was a relatively high-clearance member of the Secret Service, and he wrote Bond in the Cold War era, so book!Bond is very British, and would never do anything to compromise British security, ever. Film!Bond is slightly different, because they've updated him, and that kind of patriotism doesn't go down so well with a modern audience - and we see that in the mockery of Bond's half-catchphrase in 'Goldeneye' - "For England, James?"

Technically, Bond was Scottish, but... meh, details. ^_^ (Side note - anyone got a favourite Bond? Please don't hurt me for subverting the comm...)

Anyway, yeah. It's very possible that the Bond in some of the later films would go Dark Side (!), but even now, with the most recent Casino Royale, he doesn't go 'bad', he just... goes. He won't compromise English interests for his own, which is something Yassen lacks.

Yassen as a member of MI6, that I could see. I just see him being a slightly loose cannon, an fantastic asset, but someone they have to watch like a hawk. Isn't that a yummy visual?

As for the Yassen-as-an-non-character... yeah, that was a shame. ('AHORZ'? I've seen that a couple of times... when did that happen?! :D) I said, on a different forum, that I felt that canon-Yassen and fanon-Yassen were two different things - I think it was a slash forum, and y'know, if you feel you're missing any pearls of wisdom, feel free to look that up! *grin* It's just... yeah, we've built him up to be this fantastic character, based on very little "real" book time. And while fanon-Yassen is awesome, you've really got to be careful writing about him. It's like fanon-Wolf. A lot of people take his name to be James, and accept that he's Spanish, when we get none of that info from the books - we've built up a character around Wolf which doesn't exist in the books. And that's awesome, but it does make it tricky to write about either of them.

At least we have a real name for Yassen, though.

....or is it!? Mwahahah!

...sorry.

It sounds terrible, but - and I've said this elsewhere, too - I'd actually be a little disappointed if Horowitz brought Yassen back to life. I mean, the slasher in me, the stalker in me, would be screaming and jumping for joy. But it would seem a little bit like a cheat to bring him back after three books. A bit too convenient, you know? It's a sad waste of a character, but he's gone, and bringing him back would - it would seem too much like a ploy to get people reading the books again. Writing a book about his past? AWESOME!! Writing him into the next 'Alex' Alex Rider book? A charlatan's trick to get people buying the book. We fic writers can do it - we're not being paid, and what else is ff for? But it's a bit too glib for him to do, don't you think?

Y'know, most people disagree with me on that. *blush grin*

Yassen seems to let down those impressive emotional shields around Alex, doesn't he? You've gotta wonder what's in his past which makes him so... guarded. And what about Alex disarms him. But we certainly don't see any of the humanity in darling Yassen that we do in good ol' Bond, probably because we see less of him, and there's much less chance for him to show any humanity. With everyone else, then, let's say, he can detach himself very firmly from the situation. Alex just - worms his way in past those shields.

You know what? I can see Yassen being a fantastic dad. Very protective, very loving, very patient. A shit husband - I mean, there's no respect for human life/foibles there, is there? I love the guy, and I think he'd be both a faithful and a conscientious husband, but lacking the patience for mistakes you need to be a good partner, and a basic ability to interact with people his own age. They're not his equals, and he's given up expecting them to be. With children, they're patently not equals in any sense of the word, and he's free to treat them with the kindness and patience and affection adults very quickly prove themselves to be unworthy of.

OK, this comment is both very long and very silly, and is getting to the point where I'm beginning to psychoanalyse a fictional character. I'm starting to feel just the tiniest bit sad.

...OK, then, sadder than usual. ^_^ I'mna stop here, I think. Please, someone answer, I feel stupid otherwise, writing a very long comment about bugger all...

*wanders off, hoping someone replies*

-amitai

Haha, I wish someone would be contrary as well, it's a little monotonous when every single person in here is agreeing... At the same time though, I might turn very catty and nasty if someone full on starting bagging out Yassen, so maybe it's safer if things are this way... Hehe, no one like a scary, psycho me...

I was actually thinking that Bond could have been working for an organisation like Scorpia, but when you brought up his patriotism and his original time setting, I had to shut up, sit down and realised that you were so right! A modern Bond perhaps could have been swayed, a younger Bond perhaps (as you've said), but you're right, the Cold War Bond from the original books by Ian Fleming, never. I'm glad you pointed that out, because I quite like delightful logic such as yours being brought to my attention :)

Hehe, I wouldn't feel bad about sidetracking and asking for our favourite Bonds... It's a fair enough question. I personally love Pierce Brosnan (sp?) and Daniel Craig... I know that a lot of people did not like Craig, but I actually found him delicious *slightly perverted grin*

Hmm, it's rather interesting that you brought up Yassen belonging to MI6 because that actually has to do with the 'secret' surprise ending of my new fic 'Sighting'... It makes me think you're reading my mind 0_o hehe, not really...

But seriously though, I see him as being a little unreliable in the respect he might act outside mission parameters and such in his own interests (money????) and occasionally not be the most loyal agent. However, I think that beneath these surface flaws, I can also see him as being an agent of excellent quality, especially if given the right motivation.

Ergh, I feel like I should respond to the rest of the previous message, but I'm too lazy -_-' I will say however, amitai, that I wouldn't worry about psychoanalysing a fictional character... I do it sooooooo much that I really scare all my friends and make them think I'm deluded XD

(Just to let you know, in case you're suddenly like 'OMG! Who is this person?!', I changed my PenName from AssortedJellyBeans to suibhan. Now that that's out of the way, down to business:)

See, I'm a bad Bond fangirl: I've never read the Fleming novels *gasp, choke, die* so I'm making all my comments based on purely film!Bond, who doesn't strike me as the most patriotic of men, as you pointed out. So I'll take your word for it that Bond could not be swayed to the dark side by a plate full of cookies.

He was??? Damn . . . why don't I know this? Heheh, I'm pretty normal: Sean Connery with Pierce Brosnan as a close second. Daniel Craig was cool, but not Bond. He wasn't nearly suave enough, and seriously: he was blond. Bond is not blond. Bond is the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome.

. . . I would volunteer to watch Yassen like a hawk. I mean, honestly, getting paid to keep tabs on a hot blond man would be heaven. I could totally see Yassen working for MI6. He's so beautifully ambiguous that way. And then he could be all, 'Gregorovich, Yassen Gregorovich' and women would swoon.

(Heheh, yeah, 'AHORZ'. I first saw it on my yassen/alex community on livejournal [I saw you on there amitai!], but I dunno where it comes from.] Yeah, that was on the slash forum -- you argued with me about why wolex (or whatever) is no less plausible than yasex. But that's why I love fanfiction. Tony cut us short making Yassen roll a seven like that, so we get to continue out beloved assassin's legacy through rose-tinted glasses.

*snorts* Yeah, it's a real name. AHORZ told us he stole it from a Norwegian children's books illustrator.

As much as I would love to see Yassen come back, I have to agree with you that it would be cheating on AHORZ's part. The stupid jerk should've just never killed him off in the first place. I can't wait to read the book about his past though. I wonder how many angry fangirls' letters it took AHORZ to make that executive decision to give us more Yassen? He won't tell us when it's coming though. I swear that man will get himself impaled with a pitchfork one day.

Oh, as much as I hate to admit it I do agree with you. I'd love for Yassen to come back, but it would just be pathetically implausible at this point.

I think the only reason we never really get to see Yassen's humanity is because the only times AHORZ brings him into the story is on the job, and obviously he can't shown favoritism or compassion toward Alex or anyone else when he's suppsoed to be helping blow people's brains out. Well obviously it's a hereditary trait among the Riders, 'cause John seemed to do the same thing. (Which makes you wonder, 'Just what exactly is it that the Riders do that makes a hardened assassin melt?' *coughslashcough*)

Yeah, I think Yassen would make a great father. That's what makes these half-assed attempts at father!Yassen fics so painful to read. No one seems to grasp the depth of his paternal side. (Except you, vampassassin, obviously -- but that's, like, 1 fic out of 5.) Of course, as I was discussing with vampassassin earlier, Yassen's gonna get really screwy in the head being alone for so long. Defying nature (i.e. living without a significant other) will start messing with his mind sooner or later. As they say, 'his best would not be enough' when it comes to being a husband. I think you're right about him generally not connecting with him peers. I think we have Scorpia to blame for that particular character defect. It could also have to do with the fact that growing up in Russia, until he cut loose and joined the Mafia, he was probably discouraged from a young age to trust and make friends. I can only imagine his ideas of making friends were seriously skewed by the dynamics of social contact within his country.

Lol, we all do it (which may not be a huge comfort to you, but just know you're not alone in your . . . whateverness). Besides, what fun are fictional characters if you can't test out your amatuer therapist skills out on them?

Okay, super random question unconnected to anything that I desperately need the answer to... Is Harlesden a dodgy London suburb??? I just really need the name of a super dodgy suburb in London... I didn't know where else to ask -_-'

Umm, I think so. I stole this from Wikipedia, though, for your perusual:

Though being one of the UK's most deprived areas it has been praised for its vibrant Caribbean culture. The population is primarily made up of people of Afro-Caribbean heritage but also has a large number of Irish Catholic and Brazilian. Though being dubbed the UK Murder Capital and being notorious for Yardie Gang culture, the area is known for being the Reggae capital of London. Prince William and Jesse Jackson have visited the area due to the high levels of crime.

So that sounds pretty dodgy to me, but you can make up your own mind about it.

Well, dammit, I live in London and I should know the answer to this question - but my mind is a funny thing, and it does that which it out not to do, and does not do that which it ought.

Some dodgy London suburbs... Deptford isn't the nicest... um... let's see...EAST FINCHLEY!!! Heh. Sorry. Um...Camden has a reputation for being a little bit - um, a few paving stones short of a pavement, let's just say, but it's also got a kind of off-the-wall cool going for it. Like suibhan said, Harlesden is high crime, high culture, so you're going for broke with both of 'em. There's an eritrean area near where I live...

...and I'm being stunningly useless here, so I'mna shut up, but, yeah. Harlesden is good for what you're looking for, I think. ^_^

Back on topic - suibhan, you HAVEN'T READ THE BOND BOOKS?! *le gasp* How dare you!! *smacks upside head with a copy of 'Diamonds are Forever'* I hope you're feeling suitably chastened.

I only read them because my local library had all of them on audio tape - it was a while back, and I didn't know how CDs really worked *blush* - and I used to fast-forward through all the 'sexy stuff'. What a naive ten year old I was! *grin* They're fun, though. The spy stuff, though very Cold War, is timeless, but some other parts of them really do make you stop, stare, and think 'WOAH, say what now?!' Real products of their time.

My favourite Bond? Hmm... I do love Sean Connery, with his wry grin, and his quick little quips, and his cardboard sets. ^_^ In some of the films, it's like that spoof of Doctor Who - "Don't show the Third Doctor the turkey while it's wrapped in foil still, you know all his villains were made out of foil!" (any other Doctor Who fans among us?). And Pierce Brosnan was awesome till he got just that bit too old to make it believable. Him and Halle Berry in 'Die Another Day'? You can't tell me I was the only one with raised eyebrows during THAT last scene. :D

Daniel Craig (I know my AR obsession has gone too far, I nearly called him Damian Cray o.O) was good, I think, because the Bond of Casino Royale is a very young Bond; only just been given his double-o licence to kill, and he's a bit rough around the edges... it will be interesting to see whether Craig manages to pull off Bond slowly gaining that refinement which gives Bond the edge in the sexy-spy area. *grin* If not, then, yeah, I agree, not a good Bond. But he might. The blond thing did nag, but... I forgave him that. I'm a very forgiving person when it comes to people with pretty eyes, and I liked his eyes.

Shallow, me? Never!

Bringing Yassen back to life is AWESOME in fanfiction - if only people would do it well... some people carry it off brilliantly, and some, you're left banging your head against a wall going "But WHY!!! WHY!? MY EYES, MY POOR INNOCENT EYES!!! MY BRAIN!!! IT'S MEEELLLLTING!!!"

...I react badly to bad fanfiction. ^_^

I love how Yassen goes all mushy around Riders. Comparatively speaking, o'course, because I really can't see the guy spouting love poetry, but... yeah. Seriously, though, I love that idea... the idea of Yassen raising Alex is a lovely one, though you do have to wonder whether or not Alex would turn out the same way. Ian trained him to be a spy, and with Yassen, Alex would be trained, but he wouldn't think the same way, you know? Nature and nurture. Alex is naturally intelligent, naturally daring. But it was living with Ian which moulded the way he thought, and I almost wonder whether Alex would be as - 'hard' - after living with Ian, and being the sole focus of all the unconditional love we fangirls know Yassen has to offer.

*sighs*

*melts*

Oook. You know what? I'm going to leave that there. Yeah. *coughs* Sorry 'bout that. *scuttles off*

-amitai

*shakes head* that last bit was a bit confusing. I meant to say "I wonder whether Alex would be as "hard" as he is after living with Ian, if he lived with Yassen." See, Ian was a good guy - and Lord, I have a fic planned for "the Early Years" which has a cute factor that'll rot your teeth if you look at it too long - and an affectionate guardian, but he kept himself very distant, you know? And Yassen has all that unconditional love that he's never found anyone to give it to - being the focus of that would make Alex a different person, you know? If he had a 'dad' he knew adored him, however cool and distant the man might be in public... that would create a different Alex Rider to the one we know - don't you think?

...I hope that was a little clearer. Sorry 'bout that.

so, yeah. I just wanted to come and offer that eternal cry of the fangirl up to the living (or, well, dead now, I suppose) god that is Yassen Gregorovich. I mean, seriously? Hot guy who can be totally ruthless but also has a very well-hidden and slightly twisted conscience? It makes me want to set to baking cookies so, just in case he ever comes to kill me, I can offer him cookies first.

oh, and by the by, I have sort dark, ashy-hair, and guys with sandy or red hair are the most amazing things ever. Dark hair isn't always bad--say, 1 out of every 10 dark-haired guys. I think it actually more has to do with build, for me. All my friends go for the geeky types, guys who can "outsmart them, aren't they just the best thing ever?!" I'd rather have a guy who isn't book-smart and could, you know, lift the like, 100-pound irrigation pump.

Just in case that assists in your ::ahem:: research about attration, etc...

Yassen is so obviously more awesome than James Bond - I think prefer dark hair generally, but COME ON, Yassen has startlingly blue eyes, what more do you want? I know we have never actually heard his thoughts regarding women, but we KNOW that dear Jamie doesn't respect them at all, he thinks they can't drive, refers to 'the golden hair' and 'the firm breasts' - not linking them to the individual but thinking in purely physical terms - and he NEVER doubts that a girl will want to leap into bed with him, so when Tilly Masterson turns out to be a lesbian he thinks: 'oh, how silly' and decides he hates her.

I think the reason we are attracted to Yassen the assassin is because danger is attractive, as has often been noted, and we feel challenged by his lack of interest (even though he is only a fictitious character. Blimey we're obsessed. Does AH even know about all the fangirls his Russian creation has?) Plus he has a Russian accent (faint) and the body of a dancer. What's not to like?

Gosh I'm glad this forum was made so we could talk our(mine?) fan girl feelings out.

To me, Yassen is better than Bond because like what "True Colours" said, Bond would have this attitude through out the books and movies that he could just wave his little finger and 9 different girls would jump right into bed with him. Yassen would probably not show his emotions straight out at first, but he would be caring and subtly kind to who ever he would be with.

CAN'T WAIT for the Yassen book to come out. Good books always seem to take forever to come out.

Gosh I'm glad this forum was made so we could talk our(mine?) fan girl feelings out.

To me, Yassen is better than Bond because like what "True Colours" said, Bond would have this attitude through out the books and movies that he could just wave his little finger and 9 different girls would jump right into bed with him. Yassen would probably not show his emotions straight out at first, but he would be caring and subtly kind to who ever he would be with.

CAN'T WAIT for the Yassen book to come out. Good books always seem to take forever to come out.

I can't help feeling that the 'Yassen' book is doomed from the start (though I'm going to read it obsessively, of course) because Yassen's innate sex appeal and general awesomeness comes from his air of mystery, and if his whole childhood is spelled out for us he will lose that. Also, does any normal person really understand what's going on inside the heads of cold and phycotic people? So I can't help feeling that any attempt to explain why Yassen is the way he is is going to a) be depressing and b) fall flat.

Actually I've also just remembered that Bond has blue eyes as well, but they are described as 'rather cruel.' SO he can't even keep his emotions under wraps like Yassen, he feels the need to make his hardness and untouchability appear on his face, rather than just letting them be self-evident.

So yeah. Yassen is cooler. Anthony Horowitz is writing where Ian Fleming led and his work is consequently better, as Fleming made all the mistakes first time round.

I agree. But then again, if his childhood was all dark and awesomish like that, then it'd still be cool. =D Angst is cool.

As for the Bond Vs. Yassen thing, I can't really have a say in this, since I've never actually WATCHED the movies or read the book. Or is there more than one book? o.O But my mom said the movies were too old-fashioned for me, so I'm not allowed to rent them. =(

....Is it weird for a 13-year-old to be stalking a 35-year-old fictional character? o.o And think he's insanely hot? o.o

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