You stole what was left of the sky
I've been working on this for a loooong time, mostly because I've had to cut down my long-winded explanations. Anyway.
Five Ships I Completely Adore, and Five I Almost Do (+ a little picspam)
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
OTP: Buffy/Spike
Why?: I guess the truth is I dig the whole unrequited love thing. The really agonizing, heartfail kind, with a million angst-y rejections. In a lot of ways, even though these types of relationships tend to have a lot more drama (especially in a series like Buffy, where we are talking about a vampire and a Slayer, here), they’re more realistic than anything else. Because most of the time, love is one-sided, or unavailable, or has the wrong timing or meaning or place. The confusion Spike and Buffy have between lust and love and pain is always interesting to watch - the first time they’re together is such an intense scene, with the house falling down around them. And the way Spike’s character changes is incredible (and, to be honest, one of the reasons I love Joss Whedon and his crew so much), because the way it’s written he’s almost never out of character. The development rarely seems implausible or wrong, just…like someone altered by love. Which isn’t such a supernatural thing, in the end. At the same time, Spike’s done bad things. There’s no getting around that. Refraining from killing doesn’t change that, getting a soul again doesn’t change that, falling in love doesn’t change that. There’s no way for anyone to believe that he “didn’t mean it,” because he did. Vampires, at least in the Buffyverse, are essentially demons. They have evil in them that’s not going to go away just because they decide they’ve moved on. Spike, however, has more human in him - more of William, the bad poet and devoted son - than he knows what to do with. It’s a conscious choice - good over evil, and maybe he can’t change what he’s done, but he can certainly change what he’s going to do. Love can be your future, and maybe that’s what makes it so hard to give up. Maybe that’s what makes it real.
Runner-up: Buffy/Angel
Why?: Well, for starters - what, you think I’m gonna go with Riley? And before Spike, who wasn’t an Angel shipper? They are the most painful, can’t-ever-be-together pair of star-crossed lovers since Romeo and Juliet, and it works, in a really masochistic, hurts-to-watch kind of way. And I’ve always had a weakness for the broody, dark-haired guys (which sounds like I’m making it into a self-insert thing, but, honestly, when you’re shipping a couple you can’t help but let a little bit of your own tastes slip in). Angel himself is a really interesting character, and the dynamic and chemistry between them makes their relationship something you get really invested in. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a first love, either.
All You Really Need to Hear:
Spike: I've been alive a bit longer than you, and dead a lot longer than that. I've seen things you couldn't imagine, and done things I'd prefer you didn't. I don't exactly have a reputation for being a thinker…I follow my blood, which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain. So I make a lot of mistakes. A lot of wrong bloody calls. A hundred plus years, and there's only one thing I've ever been sure of: you. Hey, look at me. I'm not asking you for anything. When I say I love you, it's not because I want you, or because I can't have you - it has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try...I've seen your kindness, and your strength, I've seen the best and the worst of you and I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman. You're the one, Buffy.
Fandom: Twilight
OTP: Jacob/Bella
Why?: I could spend hours - and pages - explaining this. One of the big reasons is that, even with all the angst that’s eventually put into the ship, the truth is that they’re happy together. Before the heartbreak, before the fighting, there was Jacob-and-Bella, and they made each other better people. They learn from each other’s strengths, help each other when there’s no one else around. They work better together than they ever worked apart, but not so much that they need each other to survive. Not so much that it’s dangerous or unnatural, just enough to mean that they each glow brighter when they know who they are (when they know how to live). There’s also the whole aspect of choosing life, and that is a big part of it - that’s what Jacob stands for, after all. That’s the reason he’s there. He’s the other choice, the could-have-been, the would-be. If you strip down the exterior, Jacob Black is not a person, but a thing. He’s literally the sun. The thing that Bella wants but won’t have - can have, but doesn’t choose. The unrequited aspect is played in, too, but I think what I like most about this ship is that they were friends first - learning to trust and laugh and live, which actually does happen in real life, minus the paranormal stuff. Sometimes people get to know each other and they fall in love…and even if it’s not all fainting-from-kisses, knew-it-from-the-first-time-I-saw-you, it’s still real. Probably realer, because it’s not perfect and it’s not trying to be, but it’s still the right choice. If any of that makes any sense at all.
Runner-up: Jacob/Rosalie
Why?: ‘Cause everyone knows that hating someone is sometimes the first step to loving them. And you would totally be able to cut the sexual tension with a knife, if either of them ever acknowledged it. The image of Jacob making blonde jokes in between kisses and snarls is priceless, and kind of beautiful in a totally fucked-up way.
All You Really Need to Hear:
“I’m in love with you, Bella,” Jacob said in a strong, sure voice. “Bella, I love you. And I want you to pick me instead of him. I know you don’t feel that way, but I need the truth out there so that you know your options. I wouldn’t want a miscommunication to stand in our way.”
Fandom: Gilmore Girls
OTP: Rory/Jess
Why?: Some big part of me still imagines that these characters are out there, grown-up, and the timing is right. That Rory finally saw that it wasn’t just teenage lust, and Jess was ready to try it for real. Yes, their relationship was dysfunctional, and definitely not perfect, but anyone watching the show knew that, in a really strange way, that’s what made it great. And when you looked past the learning they both needed to do, you knew that once they caught up to each other, it would be explosive. They got each other - that’s what made ‘em so great. Jess with his dark hair and misfit attitude, hating everyone but the girl he loves. Rory with her 4.0 average, every mother’s dream. And yet, they work. They like to argue about books and visit old record stores, they’re both older than they want to be and a lot younger than they seem. They both need a person who understands them, and they both need to know what it’s like to be alone. And neither of them was lying when they said they were in love - they just weren’t ready to understand what that meant. Which is okay. Because sometimes, it takes time. It just sucks that we’ll never get to see them get it right.
Runner-up: Lorelai/Luke
Why?: I would pick another Rory ship, but even though I don’t exactly hate on Rory/Dean and Rory/Logan, neither of them really work to me. Lorelai and Luke are like the epitome of “the natural path,” the Bella/Jacob ship before Jake and Bella were around. They were friends with that wonderful sexual tension, the joking and the growing and the changing - they cared about each other before they even knew each other’s names, and when they realized that, at some point, the looks and almost-dates had turned into love, they were scared. And they had problems and fights and mistakes, but that was never enough to keep them apart. Sometimes, love wins, just because it’s stronger.
All You Really Need to Hear:
Jess: I moved back.
Rory: What?
Jess: I moved back.
Rory: But - what - why?
Jess: Just…wanted to.
Fandom: Bones
OTP: Booth/Brennan
Why?: From the very first episode, it was there. Cutesy nicknames aside, Booth and Brennan were made for each other. They have the attributes that the other lacks, and a magnetism that brings them together even when they don’t want to be. I guess there’s not that much to say, because, really, some people just fit. The way that the sun sets and the Earth turns, some people have hearts that fit together like they never came apart. Booth and Brennan are totally different and completely the same, and they trust each other, need each other enough that love is something they’re too afraid to start. Brennan still has things she needs to work out on her own - she doesn’t believe in love, can’t rationalize it, can’t fathom the idea that logic can take a backseat to heart. She doesn’t understand that it’s not love she’s really looking for - because she’s already found it. It’s just…herself. Booth will wait, because sometimes being near someone, as painful as it is, can be enough to make you realize that it doesn’t matter how long it takes, only that it is. That it will. Everything happens eventually.
Runner-up: Booth/Brennan
Why?: Bones is the only show that I find it impossible to ship anything but my OTP. I guess that makes it my only OTP, but, to be honest, I think you can appreciate another ship without…shipping it, if that makes any sense. And I just can’t do that with Bones. I don’t really think I ever will.
All You Really Need to Hear:
Brennan: You know, I'm just…I'm just one of those people who doesn't get to be in a family. That's...
Booth: Listen, Bones. Hey, there's more than one kind of family.
Fandom: Firefly/Serenity
OTP: Wash/Zoe
Why?: So, like I said, I dig angst. Meaning that my favorite pairings generally don’t work out - either they break up or they break, they barely happen or they never do. Besides Bones/Booth - and this is only because they haven’t actually gotten together yet - none of them are permanent. And when I’m not shipping broken couples, I’m going for non-canon, especially the really impossible kind. It’s strange for me to ship something that’s actually whole, that’s accepted as a strong, canon ship, that most people don’t look twice at because it’s taken for granted that they’ll be together. The thing about Wash/Zoe is that, despite having a very big incline towards scary, dangerous love, I love them because they’re like…the ideal. If I ever found someone - if I was ever in a relationship that matched theirs, even with the bickering, even with the problems and the disagreements, I would be so incredibly thankful. To have someone who’s your equal without being boring, who’s your best friend and your lover, who you trust and laugh and cry with, and have a partnership with them that, sure, has its issues - because no real relationship doesn’t - but to know at the same time that there is nothing you can’t do, together…I guess the truth is that you don’t need death and conflict and world-ending declarations of love to be happy. You just need someone who understands you. And it’ll be enough.
Runner-up: Kaylee/Simon
Why?: They are so freakin’ adorable I can’t help myself. I love them both as characters so much - Kaylee, this perky but powerful girl who doesn’t quite know her strength, and Simon, who would do anything for the people he loves but isn’t exactly socially competent - and the way that they’re so alike despite it all. I love that Simon acts like a teenager around her, and vice versa, I love that they would probably never have noticed one another if it hadn’t been for Serenity. They’re a total feel-good ship, and I love it.
All You Really Need to Hear:
Zoe: Sir? I’d like you to take the helm, please. I need this man to tear all my clothes off.
Wash: Work, work, work…
Side note: I've started friend-locking my more personal posts. Just for the record.
Five Ships I Completely Adore, and Five I Almost Do (+ a little picspam)
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
OTP: Buffy/Spike
Why?: I guess the truth is I dig the whole unrequited love thing. The really agonizing, heartfail kind, with a million angst-y rejections. In a lot of ways, even though these types of relationships tend to have a lot more drama (especially in a series like Buffy, where we are talking about a vampire and a Slayer, here), they’re more realistic than anything else. Because most of the time, love is one-sided, or unavailable, or has the wrong timing or meaning or place. The confusion Spike and Buffy have between lust and love and pain is always interesting to watch - the first time they’re together is such an intense scene, with the house falling down around them. And the way Spike’s character changes is incredible (and, to be honest, one of the reasons I love Joss Whedon and his crew so much), because the way it’s written he’s almost never out of character. The development rarely seems implausible or wrong, just…like someone altered by love. Which isn’t such a supernatural thing, in the end. At the same time, Spike’s done bad things. There’s no getting around that. Refraining from killing doesn’t change that, getting a soul again doesn’t change that, falling in love doesn’t change that. There’s no way for anyone to believe that he “didn’t mean it,” because he did. Vampires, at least in the Buffyverse, are essentially demons. They have evil in them that’s not going to go away just because they decide they’ve moved on. Spike, however, has more human in him - more of William, the bad poet and devoted son - than he knows what to do with. It’s a conscious choice - good over evil, and maybe he can’t change what he’s done, but he can certainly change what he’s going to do. Love can be your future, and maybe that’s what makes it so hard to give up. Maybe that’s what makes it real.
Runner-up: Buffy/Angel
Why?: Well, for starters - what, you think I’m gonna go with Riley? And before Spike, who wasn’t an Angel shipper? They are the most painful, can’t-ever-be-together pair of star-crossed lovers since Romeo and Juliet, and it works, in a really masochistic, hurts-to-watch kind of way. And I’ve always had a weakness for the broody, dark-haired guys (which sounds like I’m making it into a self-insert thing, but, honestly, when you’re shipping a couple you can’t help but let a little bit of your own tastes slip in). Angel himself is a really interesting character, and the dynamic and chemistry between them makes their relationship something you get really invested in. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a first love, either.
All You Really Need to Hear:
Spike: I've been alive a bit longer than you, and dead a lot longer than that. I've seen things you couldn't imagine, and done things I'd prefer you didn't. I don't exactly have a reputation for being a thinker…I follow my blood, which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain. So I make a lot of mistakes. A lot of wrong bloody calls. A hundred plus years, and there's only one thing I've ever been sure of: you. Hey, look at me. I'm not asking you for anything. When I say I love you, it's not because I want you, or because I can't have you - it has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try...I've seen your kindness, and your strength, I've seen the best and the worst of you and I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman. You're the one, Buffy.
Fandom: Twilight
OTP: Jacob/Bella
Why?: I could spend hours - and pages - explaining this. One of the big reasons is that, even with all the angst that’s eventually put into the ship, the truth is that they’re happy together. Before the heartbreak, before the fighting, there was Jacob-and-Bella, and they made each other better people. They learn from each other’s strengths, help each other when there’s no one else around. They work better together than they ever worked apart, but not so much that they need each other to survive. Not so much that it’s dangerous or unnatural, just enough to mean that they each glow brighter when they know who they are (when they know how to live). There’s also the whole aspect of choosing life, and that is a big part of it - that’s what Jacob stands for, after all. That’s the reason he’s there. He’s the other choice, the could-have-been, the would-be. If you strip down the exterior, Jacob Black is not a person, but a thing. He’s literally the sun. The thing that Bella wants but won’t have - can have, but doesn’t choose. The unrequited aspect is played in, too, but I think what I like most about this ship is that they were friends first - learning to trust and laugh and live, which actually does happen in real life, minus the paranormal stuff. Sometimes people get to know each other and they fall in love…and even if it’s not all fainting-from-kisses, knew-it-from-the-first-time-I-saw-you, it’s still real. Probably realer, because it’s not perfect and it’s not trying to be, but it’s still the right choice. If any of that makes any sense at all.
Runner-up: Jacob/Rosalie
Why?: ‘Cause everyone knows that hating someone is sometimes the first step to loving them. And you would totally be able to cut the sexual tension with a knife, if either of them ever acknowledged it. The image of Jacob making blonde jokes in between kisses and snarls is priceless, and kind of beautiful in a totally fucked-up way.
All You Really Need to Hear:
“I’m in love with you, Bella,” Jacob said in a strong, sure voice. “Bella, I love you. And I want you to pick me instead of him. I know you don’t feel that way, but I need the truth out there so that you know your options. I wouldn’t want a miscommunication to stand in our way.”
Fandom: Gilmore Girls
OTP: Rory/Jess
Why?: Some big part of me still imagines that these characters are out there, grown-up, and the timing is right. That Rory finally saw that it wasn’t just teenage lust, and Jess was ready to try it for real. Yes, their relationship was dysfunctional, and definitely not perfect, but anyone watching the show knew that, in a really strange way, that’s what made it great. And when you looked past the learning they both needed to do, you knew that once they caught up to each other, it would be explosive. They got each other - that’s what made ‘em so great. Jess with his dark hair and misfit attitude, hating everyone but the girl he loves. Rory with her 4.0 average, every mother’s dream. And yet, they work. They like to argue about books and visit old record stores, they’re both older than they want to be and a lot younger than they seem. They both need a person who understands them, and they both need to know what it’s like to be alone. And neither of them was lying when they said they were in love - they just weren’t ready to understand what that meant. Which is okay. Because sometimes, it takes time. It just sucks that we’ll never get to see them get it right.
Runner-up: Lorelai/Luke
Why?: I would pick another Rory ship, but even though I don’t exactly hate on Rory/Dean and Rory/Logan, neither of them really work to me. Lorelai and Luke are like the epitome of “the natural path,” the Bella/Jacob ship before Jake and Bella were around. They were friends with that wonderful sexual tension, the joking and the growing and the changing - they cared about each other before they even knew each other’s names, and when they realized that, at some point, the looks and almost-dates had turned into love, they were scared. And they had problems and fights and mistakes, but that was never enough to keep them apart. Sometimes, love wins, just because it’s stronger.
All You Really Need to Hear:
Jess: I moved back.
Rory: What?
Jess: I moved back.
Rory: But - what - why?
Jess: Just…wanted to.
Fandom: Bones
OTP: Booth/Brennan
Why?: From the very first episode, it was there. Cutesy nicknames aside, Booth and Brennan were made for each other. They have the attributes that the other lacks, and a magnetism that brings them together even when they don’t want to be. I guess there’s not that much to say, because, really, some people just fit. The way that the sun sets and the Earth turns, some people have hearts that fit together like they never came apart. Booth and Brennan are totally different and completely the same, and they trust each other, need each other enough that love is something they’re too afraid to start. Brennan still has things she needs to work out on her own - she doesn’t believe in love, can’t rationalize it, can’t fathom the idea that logic can take a backseat to heart. She doesn’t understand that it’s not love she’s really looking for - because she’s already found it. It’s just…herself. Booth will wait, because sometimes being near someone, as painful as it is, can be enough to make you realize that it doesn’t matter how long it takes, only that it is. That it will. Everything happens eventually.
Runner-up: Booth/Brennan
Why?: Bones is the only show that I find it impossible to ship anything but my OTP. I guess that makes it my only OTP, but, to be honest, I think you can appreciate another ship without…shipping it, if that makes any sense. And I just can’t do that with Bones. I don’t really think I ever will.
All You Really Need to Hear:
Brennan: You know, I'm just…I'm just one of those people who doesn't get to be in a family. That's...
Booth: Listen, Bones. Hey, there's more than one kind of family.
Fandom: Firefly/Serenity
OTP: Wash/Zoe
Why?: So, like I said, I dig angst. Meaning that my favorite pairings generally don’t work out - either they break up or they break, they barely happen or they never do. Besides Bones/Booth - and this is only because they haven’t actually gotten together yet - none of them are permanent. And when I’m not shipping broken couples, I’m going for non-canon, especially the really impossible kind. It’s strange for me to ship something that’s actually whole, that’s accepted as a strong, canon ship, that most people don’t look twice at because it’s taken for granted that they’ll be together. The thing about Wash/Zoe is that, despite having a very big incline towards scary, dangerous love, I love them because they’re like…the ideal. If I ever found someone - if I was ever in a relationship that matched theirs, even with the bickering, even with the problems and the disagreements, I would be so incredibly thankful. To have someone who’s your equal without being boring, who’s your best friend and your lover, who you trust and laugh and cry with, and have a partnership with them that, sure, has its issues - because no real relationship doesn’t - but to know at the same time that there is nothing you can’t do, together…I guess the truth is that you don’t need death and conflict and world-ending declarations of love to be happy. You just need someone who understands you. And it’ll be enough.
Runner-up: Kaylee/Simon
Why?: They are so freakin’ adorable I can’t help myself. I love them both as characters so much - Kaylee, this perky but powerful girl who doesn’t quite know her strength, and Simon, who would do anything for the people he loves but isn’t exactly socially competent - and the way that they’re so alike despite it all. I love that Simon acts like a teenager around her, and vice versa, I love that they would probably never have noticed one another if it hadn’t been for Serenity. They’re a total feel-good ship, and I love it.
All You Really Need to Hear:
Zoe: Sir? I’d like you to take the helm, please. I need this man to tear all my clothes off.
Wash: Work, work, work…
Side note: I've started friend-locking my more personal posts. Just for the record.