bickering couples in various fandoms.
Don't you love bickering couples? I know I do. A ton of my favourite OTPs are bickering couples, people who clash and argue and generally don't get along but of course love each other deep down.
Some examples, starting with the one that made me think of making this post in the first place.
Corner With Love - Taiwanese drama, where the OTP of Qin Lang/Xin Lei is all about clashing and arguing and bickering (at least thus far that I've witnessed). They pretty quickly also find friendship but it doesn't stop them from clashing thanks to the circumstances and their vastly different backgrounds - she's a spoiled little princess whose family has always been richer than rich, he's a boy who's always had to come by with very little. Their arguing is hilarious and makes the chemistry between the actors really sparkle - otherwise I wouldn't think Alan Luo and Barbie Xu would have as good chemistry as they do.
Harry Potter - Ron/Hermione, duhh! With them it's more about being teenage. He likes her, he can't admit he likes her, he teases her, she thinks he's an idiot, but likes him anyway.. You know, it's very typical, but it's also very sweet, and even though it gets sort of extreme in the later books what with the jealousy and all that, it's still one of my absolute favourite things about the books. Hanging out in fandoms that aren't HP has really made me appreciate the connection between the two characters - HP shippers can be so adamant and batshit but really, I just love the two characters and this pairing. Best romance ever? I dunno. But adorable in context and in good fic? Absolutely.
Bones - Brennan/Booth, the ultimate bickering couple. What's so great here is that these are two people who come from two vastly different perspectives and it's because of this that they clash but eventually they learn more about each other and form this really deep partnership (non-romantic thus far). But that doesn't really mean the end of bickering. They still clash over principles but they're also learning to compromise with each other a little more. Their bickering is no longer serious character conflict, it's more like banter to pass the time. But this can be argued over, of course.
I could probably think up more examples but I'm beginning to get sort of tired. Here are some questions I thought of, though, regarding bickering couples.
1) Do they clash because it's a fundamental way of communication for them? OR
2) Do they clash because they're getting used to each other slowly and can't immediately grasp each other?
It makes me think because I once read a fic for a pairing that I did NOT consider a bickering couple. I saw them as people who argued when they met, because they didn't get each other, but once they did, they fell in love and all was well. After that I imagined their relationship as functional, not constant arguments and glitches but them finally having learned how to deal with each other (and make each other happy).
And I keep thinking, are all of these bickering couples like that? Do they just clash because they're strong personalities, is it like an alternative way for their feelings to manifest themselves or something? Does any couple get together and REMAIN bickering, or is that considered dysfunctionality?
I could imagine Qin Lang & Xin Lei remaining bickering but since I've not finished Corner With Love, it's difficult to say. I think if Brennan and Booth were to remain bickering, their bickering would gain some dysfunctional/unhealthy flavors along the way which would damage their relationship a bit. On the other hand, their bickering could evolve from somewhat serious, character conflict type of bickering to sweet, cutesy lovers' bickering. I suppose the same is a possibility for Ron and Hermione.
It's also interesting regarding shipping because we seem to fall in love with pairings who banter and bicker and clash, but once they get together, is it healthy for them to always argue as they did when they weren't together? Can we keep writing them as such or does the relationship need to change? These are all rhetorical questions, by the way. My thoughts are usually more questions than statements.
But I guess the core of the 'problem' is just that - are bickering couples fundamentally bickering couples OR is the bickering just "stage 1" in their long journey together? If it's the first option, then it's okay to always write them as bickering.. But then again the bickering is usually written in the form of - the characters meet & clash. It's assumed they find love and calm down, or learn to care for each other, or something.
Of course some bickering is clearly just a form of flirtation, though right now I can't think of such examples.
I mainly wrote this down because I cannot wait to watch Bones S2 finale tomorrow morning. & Now I'll go watch more Corner With Love.
Some examples, starting with the one that made me think of making this post in the first place.
Corner With Love - Taiwanese drama, where the OTP of Qin Lang/Xin Lei is all about clashing and arguing and bickering (at least thus far that I've witnessed). They pretty quickly also find friendship but it doesn't stop them from clashing thanks to the circumstances and their vastly different backgrounds - she's a spoiled little princess whose family has always been richer than rich, he's a boy who's always had to come by with very little. Their arguing is hilarious and makes the chemistry between the actors really sparkle - otherwise I wouldn't think Alan Luo and Barbie Xu would have as good chemistry as they do.
Harry Potter - Ron/Hermione, duhh! With them it's more about being teenage. He likes her, he can't admit he likes her, he teases her, she thinks he's an idiot, but likes him anyway.. You know, it's very typical, but it's also very sweet, and even though it gets sort of extreme in the later books what with the jealousy and all that, it's still one of my absolute favourite things about the books. Hanging out in fandoms that aren't HP has really made me appreciate the connection between the two characters - HP shippers can be so adamant and batshit but really, I just love the two characters and this pairing. Best romance ever? I dunno. But adorable in context and in good fic? Absolutely.
Bones - Brennan/Booth, the ultimate bickering couple. What's so great here is that these are two people who come from two vastly different perspectives and it's because of this that they clash but eventually they learn more about each other and form this really deep partnership (non-romantic thus far). But that doesn't really mean the end of bickering. They still clash over principles but they're also learning to compromise with each other a little more. Their bickering is no longer serious character conflict, it's more like banter to pass the time. But this can be argued over, of course.
I could probably think up more examples but I'm beginning to get sort of tired. Here are some questions I thought of, though, regarding bickering couples.
1) Do they clash because it's a fundamental way of communication for them? OR
2) Do they clash because they're getting used to each other slowly and can't immediately grasp each other?
It makes me think because I once read a fic for a pairing that I did NOT consider a bickering couple. I saw them as people who argued when they met, because they didn't get each other, but once they did, they fell in love and all was well. After that I imagined their relationship as functional, not constant arguments and glitches but them finally having learned how to deal with each other (and make each other happy).
And I keep thinking, are all of these bickering couples like that? Do they just clash because they're strong personalities, is it like an alternative way for their feelings to manifest themselves or something? Does any couple get together and REMAIN bickering, or is that considered dysfunctionality?
I could imagine Qin Lang & Xin Lei remaining bickering but since I've not finished Corner With Love, it's difficult to say. I think if Brennan and Booth were to remain bickering, their bickering would gain some dysfunctional/unhealthy flavors along the way which would damage their relationship a bit. On the other hand, their bickering could evolve from somewhat serious, character conflict type of bickering to sweet, cutesy lovers' bickering. I suppose the same is a possibility for Ron and Hermione.
It's also interesting regarding shipping because we seem to fall in love with pairings who banter and bicker and clash, but once they get together, is it healthy for them to always argue as they did when they weren't together? Can we keep writing them as such or does the relationship need to change? These are all rhetorical questions, by the way. My thoughts are usually more questions than statements.
But I guess the core of the 'problem' is just that - are bickering couples fundamentally bickering couples OR is the bickering just "stage 1" in their long journey together? If it's the first option, then it's okay to always write them as bickering.. But then again the bickering is usually written in the form of - the characters meet & clash. It's assumed they find love and calm down, or learn to care for each other, or something.
Of course some bickering is clearly just a form of flirtation, though right now I can't think of such examples.
I mainly wrote this down because I cannot wait to watch Bones S2 finale tomorrow morning. & Now I'll go watch more Corner With Love.