Picspam/Meta: We Open Up Our Hearts
For whedonland's end-of-phase Crazy Fest!
Ship wars getting you down?
Feeling like shippy fanfic is a regurgiation of the same ol' stuff in canon?
Have I got the thing for you! It's called MULTISHIPPING.
Let's take a close look at Buffy, the most notorious denizen of the Jossverse. Angel vs Spike shipping wars are tiresome, and let's be honest -- they're both bad-guy-turned-good, vamp-with-a-soul types. Maybe you even like Riley, but are afraid to say so for fear of being run out of fandom entirely.
The logical answer, of course, is to just not ship Buffy with anyone. But then Buffy gets lonely, and that's no fun for anyone. Your only recourse, then, is to swing radically in the opposite direction: ship Buffy with EVERYONE. Buffy/Giles? Sure! Buffy/Jonathan? Why not?! Buffy/messy eater guy who really likes mustard? HECK, YEAH!
I understand, however, that at first glance, these pairings might be a bit mind-blowing. 'But how?!?!' you may think. I'll tell you: it's actually quite simple. All you really need to do is find one little commonality that two characters might bond over. The rest, you can make up as you go along.
Under the cut are explanations/examples for 8 likely candidates. (No, sadly not Giles, Jonathan, or the mustard guy.)
Buffy/Faith
This is a pairing that's widely embedded in fandom, and for good reason. Buffy is supposed to be the Slayer, the one girl in all the world. It turns out that, thanks to a strange quirk of fate, slayers are now two of a kind. This means a massive rivalry between Faith and Buffy -- but it also means that they understand each other like no one else on Earth can. At least until the end of season 7. And no matter how hard they try, they cannot get rid of one another; their fates are linked. The fact that they are slayers keeps drawing them back to one another.
One of the main flaws in Buffy's relationship with Riley is that he simply cannot keep up with her, making him feel inadequate. Her other two longest relationships were with Angel and Spike -- who also have superpowers, but are vampires, the very thing Buffy is supposed to stalk and righteously kill. Faith, though, is quite literally Buffy's equal. There are lots of "she has what should be mine" jealousies on the part of both women throughout the course of their relationship, but at the end of season 7, they start learning to live with it -- in 'Empty Places', Buffy gets kicked out of the house and, when approached by Faith, has only words of encouragement for her. And in 'End of Days', Faith readily (though grudgingly) cedes possesion of the scythe to Buffy.
Buffy/Gunn
Buffy and Gunn are both true blue Angelenos. They come from opposite sides of town, but their stories are actually not all that dissimilar. Each of them had the knowledge of evil in the world forced upon them at a young age. And they were forced not only to face it, to fight it, but to become generals in that fight and lead other teenage boys and girls into battle to die. And, for them, being a general isn't about just tactics in a battle; either Buffy or Gunn would sacrifice her/himself in an instant to save anyone on her/his crew.
Specifically, Buffy mentioned in one episode that she knows that, as a slayer, she comes with an "expiration date". She doesn't want to die as a teenager, but she never expects to make it into her twenties. Every night could be the night she dies, and that's something she lives with every day. And Gunn sold his soul in exchange for a pickup truck that would better his crew's odds in the fight against evil. The reason he did so was because he was sure he wasn't going to live long enough for the demon to cash in on that debt.
Buffy/Lindsey
On the surface, there's nothing very similar about Buffy and Lindsey. The answer, though, is a pretty darn simple one: Angel. Andrew's appearance in season 5 of Angel shows that Buffy has at least peripheral awareness of what Wolfram & Hart do, and you know Lindsey would be chomping at the metaphorical bit to meet the girl who managed to put the fang back into Angelus' bite.
Also, Lindsey has a thing for strong women. Especially strong, blonde women. Extraspecially strong blondes who happen to also be Angel's exes. (See also: Darla's "It's not me you want to screw. It's him." comment in the 'Darla' episode.)
Buffy/Mal
Oh, for chrissakes, look at the pictures! Buffy & Mal are both Righteous with a capital R, and Loyal with a capital L, and Stubborn with a capital S, and... really, they are both all caps. They are BUFFY and MAL. Their mama-bear and papa-bear tendencies might lead to an initial clash of personalities, but I have to believe that these two are so alike, they would eventually grow to at least grudgingly respect one another, no matter under what circumstances they meet.
I mean, sure, he does look like that one guy she split in half one time with her scythe, but, hey! that could just be the jumping off point you need to get your fic/music vid/fanmix started.
Buffy/Bennett
Ah, Buffy and Bennett. Two sweet, fresh-faced college coeds looking to make new friends.
Both of them feel lost and alone at times, and their sort of opposing personalities could actually complement each other. Buffy is friendly and outgoing and up to date on all the trends and goings-on of pop culture, though somewhat lacking in academics. Bennett, however, is all academics and no social niceties. Together, they could make a complete unit.
Of course, if that's too cotton candy sweet for you, there's always scarred, disillusioned Wishverse!Buffy who's been hung out to dry by the Watcher's Council, and disillusioned Bennet, who's been hung out to dry by Caroline, and only has the use of one arm. They also both hate Eliza Dushku Faith/Caroline. A little bit of "the enemy of my enemy..." action, anyone?
Buffy/Sweet
Okay, so he's killed a few people. So he's a little bit evil. He was still willing to call it a draw and head out of town, which makes him a hell of a lot smarter than almost every single one of the other demons Buffy has faced, as well as a worthy adversary.
Also, remember the part where Buffy offered to take Dawn's place as Sweet's bride in Hellsville? I don't know about you, but that sure spells out textbook Freudian sublimated desire to me...
Buffy/Pink Pummeler
The day Buffy moves in with the Pink Pummeler is the day that Mr. Gordo finally gets some new friends. (Haven't you seen Toy Story? No? Not even one of them? Don't you know that JOSS worked on the first one?!) It would be about time, too; I imagine he's pretty lonely in that wasteland, with only a pile of stakes and a few bottles of holy water to keep him company.
You know that the Pink Pummeler is never going to have his masculinity threatened by Buffy, no matter how powerful she is. And that's shown not just with his cute pink boxing gloves and sweet little pink bedroom filled with plush animals, but also through his association with Moist, showing he is most likely a fellow hencher. He probably likes taking orders. But not in a wussy way. I mean, he is the Pummeler, after all.
Buffy/Buffybot
What Buffy and the Buffybot have in common is stunningly obvious. The Buffybot's existence on the show started out as gross and exploitative and wrong, because Spike built her as a Buffy substitute for playing checkers sex. But she became so much more than that.
So what happens if the Buffybot grows able to make a consensual choice on her own, and the person she's with isn't using her as a Buffy substitute? Is that still morally reprehensible? Where is the line where morally black starts turning into morally grey? And wouldn't you like to explore this scenario in the form of fic?
I hope you enjoyed reading this little field guide. Be sure to carry it with you for reference whenever you go about on your travels. You are now ready to strike out on your own. Maybe you will even discover a new species or two! Also, be sure to wear sunscreen, and to pack a lunch, just in case.