Okay, so this one has been brewing for a while.
This just in: I still fucking love lists. I need to go back and make a tag for all the entries in which I say that. Anyway, I'm supposed to do my "Top five" for these five things and I've had a very hard time picking top fives, because I just know that I'm forgetting stuff, but I had to put my foot down and make this damn entry already. The worst part is, I'm only half done! I have three more top fives after this.
SPOILERS AHEAD.
So, without further ado:
Top 5 Canon Romances
5. Shion/Allen
This pick is mostly for Allen, who is like a bucket full of cute with bunnies and kittens heaped on top. He's one of the saving graces of these games, as far as I'm concerned, and is the penultimate Nice Guy Loser Boyfriend. Not the douchey Nice Guy with an entitlement complex, but the actual, legitimate Nice Guy Who Is Nice. His valiant efforts to win the chief's love are incredibly endearing and they're the kind of couple I can really see working. There were a lot of contenders for 5th place, but cute factor won it for these two. Plus, I fucking hate Kevin.
4. Delita/Ovelia
So I'm sure that as with all things Delita, you could debate the veracity of his feelings, but I've always felt that one of Delita's strongest redeeming traits was the depth and sincerity of his love for Ovelia. It was absolutely convenient that they fell in love, but I don't think that made it any less true - but it did certainly make their ending much more tragic. Their ending pains me so. Ovelia deserved some happiness, and, uh, it would be in everyone's best interests if Delita settled down, I think.
3. Zidane/Garnet
If FFVIII was about their story, then maybe they would have sold me on the theme being love. These two actually grow - the drama isn't completely contrived, and our leading lady isn't comatose for half the game (though she is mute for a quarter of it!). For a "We must put the leading lady with the leading man!" type romance, I feel these two have a lot of chemistry and compliment eachother very well. They spend the game building on one another's strengths and weaknesses and relying on eachother, and the parting and ending always makes me tear up.
2. Gwendolyn/Oswald
The easiest way to explain these two is to say that they're a better (and cuter) version of Siegfried and Brunhilde who don't dissolve into catastrophe. There's very little I don't love about them. One of my favourite things about this couple is how much it absolutely should not work, and yet it does. They are both very wounded people who are on the path to healing together - plus, they're a really kickass battle couple, too!
1. Alucard/Integra
And now it's canon, hooray! Or... is it? I'd count that as something positive - "It's complicated" is the sum of their relationship. I love these two mostly for everything that they don't say - that's where most of the relationship is, if you ask me. It's also why I prefer the gonzo anime to the OVA. Both go to shit plotwise, might as well pick the one with plenty of Alucard/Integra interaction and development.
Top 5 Parent/Child Relationships
5. Jenova/Sephiroth
Do I have to explain this? Just look at them. You get the most emoting out of Sephiroth when he's in front of Jenova. His expressions then shift from BATSHIT CRAZY to "OMG ILU SO MUCH MOM." I know they're not even technically a proper mother/son pair, but I just... Come on. How could I not include them on my list? Look, I made a slightly non-canonical AMV and everything.
4. Kururu(Cherie)/Cornet
These two are really touching. Not only does Cornet's mom die to save her, she comes back from beyond the grave to inhabit a puppet named Kururu until Cornet finds true happiness. The two are best friends and Cherie acts like more like an awesome big sister than a mom, though she always watches over Cornet and helps her rescue her Prince In Distress. Here, have some sweet songs. Warning: Sap, bad vocals and general muzak. But still sweet.
3. Ziggy/Momo
Okay, you guys get an AMV instead of a picture because I really like that one and I think it sums up their relationship nicely and brings Juli The Reluctant Mom figure into the picture. Ziggy, Momo, Juli and Alby seem to form a sweet but reluctant family at the end. They've all been very hurt, but both Ziggy and Juli put aside their own pain to step up and be surrogate parents to MOMO. They're just awesome people like that. And who wouldn't want a daughter who pilots better than Anakin Skywalker? Answer: no one.
2. Iroh/Zuko
Iroh wins the prize for Best Dad/Uncle/Mentor/Relative/Whatever ever. No contest. So far I've been going with relationships that really touched me, and this one, like many of the others, has pretty much brought me to tears. It's so hard to believe Zuko ever went astray with someone like Iroh on board, but his style isn't to preach, I suppose. Either way, I was among those shrieking at Zuko during the S2 finale and cheering when they reunited in S3. I've always felt that this relationship is the strongest in the entire show and I actually would have liked to see it end with Iroh and Zuko rather than Katara and Aang. Yes, they had an important relationship, but shipping inflated that importance and Iroh/Zuko is more poignant anyway.
1. Kreia/Exile
(Skip to 4:30, or just the end if you don't care about context)
(Skip to 2:11)
Again, you get videos! Though I'm using them mostly as refresher courses for people who have played the game. Kreia is like the antithesis of Iroh - she preaches, she imposes her philosophy on you in order to make things clear, and she wishes to maintain a certain degree of control over you while simultaneously teaching you to stand on your own two feet. She manipulates you, lies to you, uses you, and ultimately forces you to make an impossible decision, but... It's impossible to say that you don't learn from her, that you don't come away wiser for it. This relationship is really all about Kreia. She holds all the cards, whether you know it or not, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Despite being a manipulative traitor, Kreia is the exile's mother figure, and she will go to the ends of the earth for her. In her own way, she loves the exile - maybe not for who she is, but certainly for what she is.
If you want to make your own top five lists, comment on how many lists you want to make and I'll give you your topic.
SPOILERS AHEAD.
So, without further ado:
Top 5 Canon Romances
5. Shion/Allen
This pick is mostly for Allen, who is like a bucket full of cute with bunnies and kittens heaped on top. He's one of the saving graces of these games, as far as I'm concerned, and is the penultimate Nice Guy Loser Boyfriend. Not the douchey Nice Guy with an entitlement complex, but the actual, legitimate Nice Guy Who Is Nice. His valiant efforts to win the chief's love are incredibly endearing and they're the kind of couple I can really see working. There were a lot of contenders for 5th place, but cute factor won it for these two. Plus, I fucking hate Kevin.
4. Delita/Ovelia
So I'm sure that as with all things Delita, you could debate the veracity of his feelings, but I've always felt that one of Delita's strongest redeeming traits was the depth and sincerity of his love for Ovelia. It was absolutely convenient that they fell in love, but I don't think that made it any less true - but it did certainly make their ending much more tragic. Their ending pains me so. Ovelia deserved some happiness, and, uh, it would be in everyone's best interests if Delita settled down, I think.
3. Zidane/Garnet
If FFVIII was about their story, then maybe they would have sold me on the theme being love. These two actually grow - the drama isn't completely contrived, and our leading lady isn't comatose for half the game (though she is mute for a quarter of it!). For a "We must put the leading lady with the leading man!" type romance, I feel these two have a lot of chemistry and compliment eachother very well. They spend the game building on one another's strengths and weaknesses and relying on eachother, and the parting and ending always makes me tear up.
2. Gwendolyn/Oswald
The easiest way to explain these two is to say that they're a better (and cuter) version of Siegfried and Brunhilde who don't dissolve into catastrophe. There's very little I don't love about them. One of my favourite things about this couple is how much it absolutely should not work, and yet it does. They are both very wounded people who are on the path to healing together - plus, they're a really kickass battle couple, too!
1. Alucard/Integra
And now it's canon, hooray! Or... is it? I'd count that as something positive - "It's complicated" is the sum of their relationship. I love these two mostly for everything that they don't say - that's where most of the relationship is, if you ask me. It's also why I prefer the gonzo anime to the OVA. Both go to shit plotwise, might as well pick the one with plenty of Alucard/Integra interaction and development.
Top 5 Parent/Child Relationships
5. Jenova/Sephiroth
Do I have to explain this? Just look at them. You get the most emoting out of Sephiroth when he's in front of Jenova. His expressions then shift from BATSHIT CRAZY to "OMG ILU SO MUCH MOM." I know they're not even technically a proper mother/son pair, but I just... Come on. How could I not include them on my list? Look, I made a slightly non-canonical AMV and everything.
4. Kururu(Cherie)/Cornet
These two are really touching. Not only does Cornet's mom die to save her, she comes back from beyond the grave to inhabit a puppet named Kururu until Cornet finds true happiness. The two are best friends and Cherie acts like more like an awesome big sister than a mom, though she always watches over Cornet and helps her rescue her Prince In Distress. Here, have some sweet songs. Warning: Sap, bad vocals and general muzak. But still sweet.
3. Ziggy/Momo
Click to viewOkay, you guys get an AMV instead of a picture because I really like that one and I think it sums up their relationship nicely and brings Juli The Reluctant Mom figure into the picture. Ziggy, Momo, Juli and Alby seem to form a sweet but reluctant family at the end. They've all been very hurt, but both Ziggy and Juli put aside their own pain to step up and be surrogate parents to MOMO. They're just awesome people like that. And who wouldn't want a daughter who pilots better than Anakin Skywalker? Answer: no one.
2. Iroh/Zuko
Iroh wins the prize for Best Dad/Uncle/Mentor/Relative/Whatever ever. No contest. So far I've been going with relationships that really touched me, and this one, like many of the others, has pretty much brought me to tears. It's so hard to believe Zuko ever went astray with someone like Iroh on board, but his style isn't to preach, I suppose. Either way, I was among those shrieking at Zuko during the S2 finale and cheering when they reunited in S3. I've always felt that this relationship is the strongest in the entire show and I actually would have liked to see it end with Iroh and Zuko rather than Katara and Aang. Yes, they had an important relationship, but shipping inflated that importance and Iroh/Zuko is more poignant anyway.
1. Kreia/Exile
(Skip to 4:30, or just the end if you don't care about context)
(Skip to 2:11)
Again, you get videos! Though I'm using them mostly as refresher courses for people who have played the game. Kreia is like the antithesis of Iroh - she preaches, she imposes her philosophy on you in order to make things clear, and she wishes to maintain a certain degree of control over you while simultaneously teaching you to stand on your own two feet. She manipulates you, lies to you, uses you, and ultimately forces you to make an impossible decision, but... It's impossible to say that you don't learn from her, that you don't come away wiser for it. This relationship is really all about Kreia. She holds all the cards, whether you know it or not, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Despite being a manipulative traitor, Kreia is the exile's mother figure, and she will go to the ends of the earth for her. In her own way, she loves the exile - maybe not for who she is, but certainly for what she is.
If you want to make your own top five lists, comment on how many lists you want to make and I'll give you your topic.