the pairings meme, days 4 + 5 + 6
Guess who fell behind on a meme! What a surprise.
Day 04 - The pairing with the most chemistry?
Full disclosure: I never finished the Fate/Stay night anime. The direction the Shirou/Saber pairing was going in started to annoy me, the lack of Archer wore on me, and I lost interest. I've also never played the game for more than a few minutes, because what little translation there is for it is clunky and dull. That said...
When I started watching Fate/Stay night, Tohsaka Rin and Archer took up residence in my head and started having sex all the time. They were one of the earliest pairings to push me to write something close to (het) porn.
I can't say, exactly, why they have so much chemistry to me. After all, in canon, neither of them ever expresses an interest in the other. Archer is probably still in love with Saber in a miserable, twisted way; Rin, if she falls for anybody, falls for Shirou. Of course, technically that means...well. The fact remains that they are Master and Servant in a canon where such a relationship is inevitably at least a little sexually charged (although the anime tries to mask it). And while some of the Master/Servant pairs try to ignore the elements of dominance and submission in the relationship, Rin and Archer scrap over them from day one. Rin literally commands Archer to obey her in a way no other Master does with their Servant. Archer snarks at her and undermines her when he can, yet still works with her.
And just out of sight, always, is the potential that the canon never explores, even in Unlimited Blade Works. The loneliness Rin feels after Archer vanishes. The way Rin has the strength of mind and spirit to be the only woman who can turn Archer's attention from Saber and even his own desire for self-destruction. All the possible spinoffs and alternate universes--
Rin gets lonely after the Grail War, resummons Archer, discovers his secret, and tries to deal with its immense implications.
Archer finds the closest thing he'll ever get to happiness with Rin.
Rin becomes a Caster after her death and finds herself working either with or against Archer in future Grail Wars.
And always, for no easily supplied reason, they are having sex in my head.
Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry?
I am not going to go on a spiel here about how all Zuko/Katara fans are evil and must be eradicated, because I don't honestly care, and I'm not a huge Aang/Katara fan either (I just think it's cute). But I cannot for the life of me get where in the series itself people see chemistry between Zuko and Katara--at least in most of the first two seasons, when the pairing first developed its followers. I can see where people might start to ship it after the end of the second season or after they finally get more time together in the third season. But until then? All I see is two people fighting over Aang.
Day 06 - The best kiss?
It's not a secret that my favored pairing for Yoko in Gurren Lagann is with Kittan. I love him being a dork at her, only to realize his potential for her in the end. I love how she knows when he needs support and how to give it to him. I love their understated partnership. But in the end, it's the kiss that seals it for me.
This is just me, of course. Other people would choose a different kiss, I'm sure. But this one hits my buttons like crazy. Kittan is about to go off to sacrifice himself, and you have to know how I feel about characters doing that. Yoko understands exactly why he's doing it and accepts it for both their sakes. Their expressions when it's over kill me, too. As moments in Gurren Lagann go, it's one of the more subtle ones, and it's beautiful.
Day 01 - What is your current favorite ship?
Day 02 - What was your very first ship?
Day 03 - A pairing that needs to happen now?
Day 04 - The pairing with the most chemistry?
Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry?
Day 06 - The best kiss?
Day 07 - The most heartbreaking scene?
Day 08 - The pairing with the most baggage?
Day 09 - The most believable relationship?
Day 10 - Why aren't these two married in real life?
Day 11 - What is your dream pairing?
Day 12 - Who had the best wedding?
Day 13 - What is your favorite television pairing?
Day 14 - What is your favorite book pairing?
Day 15 - What is your favorite real life pairing?
Day 16 - What is the absolute worst pairing?
Day 17 - A pairing you thought would never work out, but did?
Day 18 - What is the cutest pairing?
Day 19 - A pairing you've rooted for since the beginning?
Day 20 - The "can't stand the sexual tension anymore" pairing?
Day 21 - A pairing you like and no one else understands why?
Day 22 - A pairing you hate and no one else understands why?
Day 23 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out great?
Day 24 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out badly?
Day 25 - A pairing that was/would-be adorable, but could never work out?
Day 26 - A pairing that you hated and ended up loving?
Day 27 - A pairing that you loved and ended up hating?
Day 28 - A pairing that you will never understand?
Day 29 - What ship had the best proposal?
Day 30 - Your favorite ship forever and ever and ever?
Day 04 - The pairing with the most chemistry?
Full disclosure: I never finished the Fate/Stay night anime. The direction the Shirou/Saber pairing was going in started to annoy me, the lack of Archer wore on me, and I lost interest. I've also never played the game for more than a few minutes, because what little translation there is for it is clunky and dull. That said...
When I started watching Fate/Stay night, Tohsaka Rin and Archer took up residence in my head and started having sex all the time. They were one of the earliest pairings to push me to write something close to (het) porn.
I can't say, exactly, why they have so much chemistry to me. After all, in canon, neither of them ever expresses an interest in the other. Archer is probably still in love with Saber in a miserable, twisted way; Rin, if she falls for anybody, falls for Shirou. Of course, technically that means...well. The fact remains that they are Master and Servant in a canon where such a relationship is inevitably at least a little sexually charged (although the anime tries to mask it). And while some of the Master/Servant pairs try to ignore the elements of dominance and submission in the relationship, Rin and Archer scrap over them from day one. Rin literally commands Archer to obey her in a way no other Master does with their Servant. Archer snarks at her and undermines her when he can, yet still works with her.
And just out of sight, always, is the potential that the canon never explores, even in Unlimited Blade Works. The loneliness Rin feels after Archer vanishes. The way Rin has the strength of mind and spirit to be the only woman who can turn Archer's attention from Saber and even his own desire for self-destruction. All the possible spinoffs and alternate universes--
Rin gets lonely after the Grail War, resummons Archer, discovers his secret, and tries to deal with its immense implications.
Archer finds the closest thing he'll ever get to happiness with Rin.
Rin becomes a Caster after her death and finds herself working either with or against Archer in future Grail Wars.
And always, for no easily supplied reason, they are having sex in my head.
Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry?
I am not going to go on a spiel here about how all Zuko/Katara fans are evil and must be eradicated, because I don't honestly care, and I'm not a huge Aang/Katara fan either (I just think it's cute). But I cannot for the life of me get where in the series itself people see chemistry between Zuko and Katara--at least in most of the first two seasons, when the pairing first developed its followers. I can see where people might start to ship it after the end of the second season or after they finally get more time together in the third season. But until then? All I see is two people fighting over Aang.
Day 06 - The best kiss?
It's not a secret that my favored pairing for Yoko in Gurren Lagann is with Kittan. I love him being a dork at her, only to realize his potential for her in the end. I love how she knows when he needs support and how to give it to him. I love their understated partnership. But in the end, it's the kiss that seals it for me.
This is just me, of course. Other people would choose a different kiss, I'm sure. But this one hits my buttons like crazy. Kittan is about to go off to sacrifice himself, and you have to know how I feel about characters doing that. Yoko understands exactly why he's doing it and accepts it for both their sakes. Their expressions when it's over kill me, too. As moments in Gurren Lagann go, it's one of the more subtle ones, and it's beautiful.
Day 01 - What is your current favorite ship?
Day 02 - What was your very first ship?
Day 03 - A pairing that needs to happen now?
Day 04 - The pairing with the most chemistry?
Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry?
Day 06 - The best kiss?
Day 07 - The most heartbreaking scene?
Day 08 - The pairing with the most baggage?
Day 09 - The most believable relationship?
Day 10 - Why aren't these two married in real life?
Day 11 - What is your dream pairing?
Day 12 - Who had the best wedding?
Day 13 - What is your favorite television pairing?
Day 14 - What is your favorite book pairing?
Day 15 - What is your favorite real life pairing?
Day 16 - What is the absolute worst pairing?
Day 17 - A pairing you thought would never work out, but did?
Day 18 - What is the cutest pairing?
Day 19 - A pairing you've rooted for since the beginning?
Day 20 - The "can't stand the sexual tension anymore" pairing?
Day 21 - A pairing you like and no one else understands why?
Day 22 - A pairing you hate and no one else understands why?
Day 23 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out great?
Day 24 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out badly?
Day 25 - A pairing that was/would-be adorable, but could never work out?
Day 26 - A pairing that you hated and ended up loving?
Day 27 - A pairing that you loved and ended up hating?
Day 28 - A pairing that you will never understand?
Day 29 - What ship had the best proposal?
Day 30 - Your favorite ship forever and ever and ever?