OTPs: Kurogane/Fai and Fakir/Ahiru...
So two of my otp's are runnin' against each other over at the ship_manifesto poll thingy... wtf, guys? I... I... I don't know if I can vote this time around.... I can't pick on over the other...
:o( :o(
Kurogane and Fai against Ahiru and Fakir???????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????
fuck.me.
Ok... so to sound it out, here's what I like about each of the pairings... and WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR BOTH SERIES!!
Kurogane/Fai
See, yes, I never expected to ship these to together. rockmytown showed Tsubasa to me, and she mentioned she shipped them. I watched, I thought, "Hey, maybe Kurogane and Tomoyo are cool together." But nope. I didn't get through 5 episodes before I realized Kurogane and Fai were basically MFEO.
Why? I shall try to explain, in a kind of condensed way... (I'm a bit tired, so it might not come out as perfectly as I would like it to...)
We're still waiting on Clamp to see if these guys are indeed canon. But in my opinion, they are as good as canon - in fact, taken into consideration another Clamp pairing that is Canon, Yukito and Toya, Kurogane and Fai are already canon because their relationship, and it's portrayal, is already very similar to that of Yukito and Toya. Fai is the ray of sunshine in the group at the start, and he appears to be just a goof ball, basically. But he's one of the smartest of the group. And Kurogane is the one who can see through the act Fai puts on. No, Fai is not all rainbows and sunshine. He's hiding something. Kurogane knows it. He watches Fai, and despite not knowing what Fai is hiding, and despite acting as if he can't stand the man, he's always making sure he doesn't fall.
They both make sacrifices for each other... BIG sacrifices. Kurogane chops off his own arm to bring Fai out of a trap, to take Fai with him from one world to the next (because "You desire to go together? Is that what your heart truly wishes?" are the exact words of the manga). Kurogane also kills Ashura for Fai, not only freeing Fai of that burden (Ashura was Fai's father/teacher figure) but also to save Fai's life (also the lives of the other members of the group as well). But in so killing Ashura, Kurogane loses the strength he has been so obsessed with gaining almost his entire adult (and kid) life. Fai gives up his remaining magic in order to give Kurogane an artificial arm. Fai also refuses to attack Ashura whole-heartedly until he sees Ashura attack Kurogane and he believes Kurogane is dead. (oh yeah... and I just have to add that Fai cries when he believes Kurogane to be dying... on two different occasions)
And they both accept each other. Kurogane even says to Fai that the past doesn't matter, so start living in the now, the present. And he means it. Yes, Fai might piss him off at times, but he's always there when Fai needs it.
Another big thing... trust. Kurogane has never really fought with anyone before. He's always been a one man fighting machine. A loner, I guess. But he fights together with Fai so seemlessly, and trusts him so implicitly, it's impossible to believe nothing at all exists between them. Both recognize the strengths and weaknesses in the other, and compensates for it, compliments it. When they are alone in Shura for 6 months, they had to fight in many battles... but Kurogane cannot kill (he does not kill) because the curse placed upon him will cause him to lose his strength if he takes another life. So it is assumed that Fai is the one killing for Kurogane... after all, Kurogane and Fai are known as two of the strongest fighters in their army... how could Kurogane never appear to kill and still be one of the strongest men in the army? Fai and Kurogane had to have trusted each other implicitly (especially since Fai could neither speak nor understand the native language).
Each is also made better because of the other. Fai never had any regard for his own life... his only driving force was to bring back life to his twin. Kurogane is the one to bring Fai out of that. It is only after Kurogane sees through Fai's mask that Fai admits that he doesn't see living as a bad thing anymore. And it is through Kurogane that Fai eventually admits "I won't hand over anything that amounts to giving my life away. Not anymore." Kurogane, on the other hand, was so driven to gain power he forgot the original purpose of gaining strength. When a child, he vowed he would become stronger. His father asked him, disappointed, if he would gain strength "simply for the strength to defeat others." And Kurogane's answer was no, that he wanted to gain strength for the sake to protect his mother and father, those he loved. And his father was happy with that answer. However, after his parent's death, killing for the sake of gaining strength alone becomes Kurogane's obsession. It is only through his dealings with the group, and especially Fai, that Kurogane realizes what true strength is again (and it is only with him killing Ashura to protect Fai, despite the fact that he knows he will lose some of his strength with that act, that he proves he has remembered what true strength is really for... protecting those precious to him).
Even if you don't think they are romantically suited to each other, this fact, and the sacrifices they make for each other, stand a testament to the deep bond between them.
Oh, and how can I forget... Kurogane agrees to become Fai's source of life... When Fai loses his eye and is on his death bed, Kurogane gets angry (very angry) that he is willing to die, and he offers to become Fai's source of food (and life) when Fai is transformed into a vampire... the bond between the is made into a physical thing, one depending on the other to live. And after everything, when Fai puts distance between himself and Kurogane, it is only because Fai believes he has to put distance between them in order to complete what he set out to do, because if he does not put distance between them, he knows he is bound to become just as close to Kurogane as they were before and he won't be able to complete his original mission... Kurogane is the first person he could ever tease, ever become close to (besides his twin, really, but even then the relationship is of a different nature), and he fully admits that.
Can I see either of them going their own separate way without the other after the series ends? No, I really can't. Even if I take my shipping goggles off for a moment, I can see them going to the same world at the end of everything. They have a bond that runs deep... romantic or not, it's undeniable.
Fakir/Ahiru
(sorry for the subtitles... didn't feel like looking for other pics)
Oh boy... where to start?
No matter what fandom I'm involved in, these two always come back, strong, for me. (A slight warning... I haven't watched the complete series for a while now, so I might be a bit rusty on some of my facts... I apologize if I make any mistakes in my babbling)
Granted, when watching Princess Tutu for the first time, I didn't like Mytho right away, and yeah, Fakir was pretty much awesome right from the get-go. But Fakir and Ahiru together? I'll admit, I was surprised at myself for shipping them together so fast... Fakir was a bastard at the beginning of the series. He was awesome... but a bastard. But despite his bastard ways in the beginning, he had a devotion that you couldn't missed (it was misplaced with Mytho, or, rather, he didn't know how to enact it, but it was still there). Later in the series, while he remains loyal to Mytho, you see a kind of transference onto Ahiru... Ahiru is the one whom Fakir will do anything for. Hell, he cries when he sees her story playing out and he can't help her. Self-mutilation (okay, so he just stabs his hand with a knife, but c'mon, that can't feel good) is also something he is willing to do for Ahiru. He teases her, mocks her, makes a fool of her at times, but he guards her, helps her, and rescues her as well. It's a total transformation...
Ahiru... well, I still don't like the fact that she likes Mytho so much at the beginning of the series, but I think there's a change at the end of the series to where her love for Mytho is different than the love she may, or may not?, recognize for Fakir. Where her love for Mytho might be devotion and self-sacrifice, I think her love for Fakir, while more understated, is more of a content, complete (and definitely a healthier) love. She cries for him (before she cries for Mytho, I believe?), even before the two of them have a deep-seated, trustful relationship. Oh, and if you aren't a believer that Ahiru and Fakir like each other in a romantic sense, the episode with Raetsul - sorry if I'm spelling her name wrong - will hopefully convince you otherwise ;o) The romantic aspect of their relationship is basically proven in that episode... it's implied that Ahiru sees Raetsul as a potential romantic partner for Fakir, and she's worried of that fact. And heck, Ahiru is young (I forget how old, really... 13ish????) and so what girl at that age would come out and confess her love? It's all subtlety... and the clues are all there.
And the scene in the lake of despair... Fakir is the one to raise Ahiru out of her darkest moment (as Ahiru was the one to raise Fakir out of his darkest moment). Neither can complete their task (Ahiru with returning the last heart shard, Fakir with writing the completion of the story) without the support and help of the other.
Oh, and my favorite clue for how canon these two are? No matter how hard Fakir tries to write Mytho's story, he can't. The only story he can write is Ahiru's. It's her story that comes to him easily, that he can finish. Why can he finish no one's but hers if there isn't something there? (I guess there could be another aspect of this... that Ahiru's story was the story that Drosselmeyer couldn't control, that her part in the story was only to appear briefly and then to vanish in a speck of light............ but.... I don't think that's it? My facts of the series are kinda fuzzy here, but I think what is important with Fakir being able to write Ahiru's story is the connection that the two of them have).
To sum it up...
Looking at all this now, It's kind of funny to see the similarities between the two couples. Yes, with both pairings there are always going to be people that don't see how the couple can be canon, but the subtleties are there that make both couples undeniably canon.
And with each couple, both characters are so absolutely perfect for each other. They fight, they argue, but they work together so seamlessly that it's hard to picture one without the other. Kurogane and Fai are Yin and Yang. Fakir and Ahiru are Beauty and the Beast (or yeah, they are Darcy and Elizabeth :oP lol...). Perfect pairings, all around.
So... how am I supposed to pick one over the other???? Oh, my life is hard, isn't it... :oP
:o( :o(
Kurogane and Fai against Ahiru and Fakir???????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????
fuck.me.
Ok... so to sound it out, here's what I like about each of the pairings... and WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR BOTH SERIES!!
Kurogane/Fai
See, yes, I never expected to ship these to together. rockmytown showed Tsubasa to me, and she mentioned she shipped them. I watched, I thought, "Hey, maybe Kurogane and Tomoyo are cool together." But nope. I didn't get through 5 episodes before I realized Kurogane and Fai were basically MFEO.
Why? I shall try to explain, in a kind of condensed way... (I'm a bit tired, so it might not come out as perfectly as I would like it to...)
We're still waiting on Clamp to see if these guys are indeed canon. But in my opinion, they are as good as canon - in fact, taken into consideration another Clamp pairing that is Canon, Yukito and Toya, Kurogane and Fai are already canon because their relationship, and it's portrayal, is already very similar to that of Yukito and Toya. Fai is the ray of sunshine in the group at the start, and he appears to be just a goof ball, basically. But he's one of the smartest of the group. And Kurogane is the one who can see through the act Fai puts on. No, Fai is not all rainbows and sunshine. He's hiding something. Kurogane knows it. He watches Fai, and despite not knowing what Fai is hiding, and despite acting as if he can't stand the man, he's always making sure he doesn't fall.
They both make sacrifices for each other... BIG sacrifices. Kurogane chops off his own arm to bring Fai out of a trap, to take Fai with him from one world to the next (because "You desire to go together? Is that what your heart truly wishes?" are the exact words of the manga). Kurogane also kills Ashura for Fai, not only freeing Fai of that burden (Ashura was Fai's father/teacher figure) but also to save Fai's life (also the lives of the other members of the group as well). But in so killing Ashura, Kurogane loses the strength he has been so obsessed with gaining almost his entire adult (and kid) life. Fai gives up his remaining magic in order to give Kurogane an artificial arm. Fai also refuses to attack Ashura whole-heartedly until he sees Ashura attack Kurogane and he believes Kurogane is dead. (oh yeah... and I just have to add that Fai cries when he believes Kurogane to be dying... on two different occasions)
And they both accept each other. Kurogane even says to Fai that the past doesn't matter, so start living in the now, the present. And he means it. Yes, Fai might piss him off at times, but he's always there when Fai needs it.
Another big thing... trust. Kurogane has never really fought with anyone before. He's always been a one man fighting machine. A loner, I guess. But he fights together with Fai so seemlessly, and trusts him so implicitly, it's impossible to believe nothing at all exists between them. Both recognize the strengths and weaknesses in the other, and compensates for it, compliments it. When they are alone in Shura for 6 months, they had to fight in many battles... but Kurogane cannot kill (he does not kill) because the curse placed upon him will cause him to lose his strength if he takes another life. So it is assumed that Fai is the one killing for Kurogane... after all, Kurogane and Fai are known as two of the strongest fighters in their army... how could Kurogane never appear to kill and still be one of the strongest men in the army? Fai and Kurogane had to have trusted each other implicitly (especially since Fai could neither speak nor understand the native language).
Each is also made better because of the other. Fai never had any regard for his own life... his only driving force was to bring back life to his twin. Kurogane is the one to bring Fai out of that. It is only after Kurogane sees through Fai's mask that Fai admits that he doesn't see living as a bad thing anymore. And it is through Kurogane that Fai eventually admits "I won't hand over anything that amounts to giving my life away. Not anymore." Kurogane, on the other hand, was so driven to gain power he forgot the original purpose of gaining strength. When a child, he vowed he would become stronger. His father asked him, disappointed, if he would gain strength "simply for the strength to defeat others." And Kurogane's answer was no, that he wanted to gain strength for the sake to protect his mother and father, those he loved. And his father was happy with that answer. However, after his parent's death, killing for the sake of gaining strength alone becomes Kurogane's obsession. It is only through his dealings with the group, and especially Fai, that Kurogane realizes what true strength is again (and it is only with him killing Ashura to protect Fai, despite the fact that he knows he will lose some of his strength with that act, that he proves he has remembered what true strength is really for... protecting those precious to him).
Even if you don't think they are romantically suited to each other, this fact, and the sacrifices they make for each other, stand a testament to the deep bond between them.
Oh, and how can I forget... Kurogane agrees to become Fai's source of life... When Fai loses his eye and is on his death bed, Kurogane gets angry (very angry) that he is willing to die, and he offers to become Fai's source of food (and life) when Fai is transformed into a vampire... the bond between the is made into a physical thing, one depending on the other to live. And after everything, when Fai puts distance between himself and Kurogane, it is only because Fai believes he has to put distance between them in order to complete what he set out to do, because if he does not put distance between them, he knows he is bound to become just as close to Kurogane as they were before and he won't be able to complete his original mission... Kurogane is the first person he could ever tease, ever become close to (besides his twin, really, but even then the relationship is of a different nature), and he fully admits that.
Can I see either of them going their own separate way without the other after the series ends? No, I really can't. Even if I take my shipping goggles off for a moment, I can see them going to the same world at the end of everything. They have a bond that runs deep... romantic or not, it's undeniable.
Fakir/Ahiru
(sorry for the subtitles... didn't feel like looking for other pics)
Oh boy... where to start?
No matter what fandom I'm involved in, these two always come back, strong, for me. (A slight warning... I haven't watched the complete series for a while now, so I might be a bit rusty on some of my facts... I apologize if I make any mistakes in my babbling)
Granted, when watching Princess Tutu for the first time, I didn't like Mytho right away, and yeah, Fakir was pretty much awesome right from the get-go. But Fakir and Ahiru together? I'll admit, I was surprised at myself for shipping them together so fast... Fakir was a bastard at the beginning of the series. He was awesome... but a bastard. But despite his bastard ways in the beginning, he had a devotion that you couldn't missed (it was misplaced with Mytho, or, rather, he didn't know how to enact it, but it was still there). Later in the series, while he remains loyal to Mytho, you see a kind of transference onto Ahiru... Ahiru is the one whom Fakir will do anything for. Hell, he cries when he sees her story playing out and he can't help her. Self-mutilation (okay, so he just stabs his hand with a knife, but c'mon, that can't feel good) is also something he is willing to do for Ahiru. He teases her, mocks her, makes a fool of her at times, but he guards her, helps her, and rescues her as well. It's a total transformation...
Ahiru... well, I still don't like the fact that she likes Mytho so much at the beginning of the series, but I think there's a change at the end of the series to where her love for Mytho is different than the love she may, or may not?, recognize for Fakir. Where her love for Mytho might be devotion and self-sacrifice, I think her love for Fakir, while more understated, is more of a content, complete (and definitely a healthier) love. She cries for him (before she cries for Mytho, I believe?), even before the two of them have a deep-seated, trustful relationship. Oh, and if you aren't a believer that Ahiru and Fakir like each other in a romantic sense, the episode with Raetsul - sorry if I'm spelling her name wrong - will hopefully convince you otherwise ;o) The romantic aspect of their relationship is basically proven in that episode... it's implied that Ahiru sees Raetsul as a potential romantic partner for Fakir, and she's worried of that fact. And heck, Ahiru is young (I forget how old, really... 13ish????) and so what girl at that age would come out and confess her love? It's all subtlety... and the clues are all there.
And the scene in the lake of despair... Fakir is the one to raise Ahiru out of her darkest moment (as Ahiru was the one to raise Fakir out of his darkest moment). Neither can complete their task (Ahiru with returning the last heart shard, Fakir with writing the completion of the story) without the support and help of the other.
Oh, and my favorite clue for how canon these two are? No matter how hard Fakir tries to write Mytho's story, he can't. The only story he can write is Ahiru's. It's her story that comes to him easily, that he can finish. Why can he finish no one's but hers if there isn't something there? (I guess there could be another aspect of this... that Ahiru's story was the story that Drosselmeyer couldn't control, that her part in the story was only to appear briefly and then to vanish in a speck of light............ but.... I don't think that's it? My facts of the series are kinda fuzzy here, but I think what is important with Fakir being able to write Ahiru's story is the connection that the two of them have).
To sum it up...
Looking at all this now, It's kind of funny to see the similarities between the two couples. Yes, with both pairings there are always going to be people that don't see how the couple can be canon, but the subtleties are there that make both couples undeniably canon.
And with each couple, both characters are so absolutely perfect for each other. They fight, they argue, but they work together so seamlessly that it's hard to picture one without the other. Kurogane and Fai are Yin and Yang. Fakir and Ahiru are Beauty and the Beast (or yeah, they are Darcy and Elizabeth :oP lol...). Perfect pairings, all around.
So... how am I supposed to pick one over the other???? Oh, my life is hard, isn't it... :oP