Book Pairings {master list}

[ashkiryn]

All of the various pairings I ship in the books that I read. OTPs in bold.

{I haven't quite decided yet whether Harry Potter will be getting its own post. I'll be deciding after I finish the series.}



A M E R I C A N   G O D S

Ibis/Jacquel (aka Thoth/Anubis) :

Fuck yes. They are displaced Egyptian gods in America, and they lead this thoroughly domestic life by running a funeral parlor, and they are totally awesome. This falls into more bromance territory, because they come off as asexual, and they're old men, but they have a totally loving relationship with each other, and it's quite sweet. Also, because you first meet Jacquel/Anubis as a talking black dog, he reminds me of Sirius, and Ibis/Thoth is a total professor-y nerd who reminds me of Remus, and then they just get a billion times more awesome for reminding me of my ultimate OTP. So yes, total win.

Shadow/Laura:

Whoo, and here we have teh canon. They were happily married, Shadow goes to prison for three years, and then Laura dies in a car accident a few days before he's due to be released. Throughout the rest of the book, she comes back in what's the most accurate portrayal of a zombie that I've ever seen, and consistently works to protect her husband from the otherworldly forces around him. While she herself is dead. But it wasn't really until the end of the novel, in the climax, that I truly felt the love that these two have for each other, even though they can never be together again, and in particular, Laura's love for Shadow really shined, and she was thoroughly kickass.

Bast/Shadow:

After Laura's death, she's the only one who seems to give him any sort of true emotional support (which includes canon sex), and Shadow honestly needs it. Also, he trusted her to make a decision for his afterlife. I think that says something of the effect she's had on him, that he trusts this woman he only briefly knew, and mostly as a cat. He trusts her almost instantly to not steer him wrong. Plus, the price she takes from him is his heart. Uh-huh, no double meaning in that at all.

Easter/Horus:

Because she keeps him lucid. Horus is kind of going bugfuck, and chooses to stay as a hawk most of the time and eat roadkill, and Easter's the only one who can get him to have extended conversations in human form with her, which is something that not even his fellow Egyptian gods can do. Plus, he's now really skittish and shy in human form, and Easter's quite gentle and loving with him, and they make up the awesome Shadow Rescue Team, so yeah.

Shadow/Sam:

I adore their canon relationship, and how despite their canon kiss there's really not any sexual side to it. Sam's a badass, and I love her, and I love their friendship, odd as it is.


A V A L O N   H I G H

Will/Ellie:

Go go canon. Well, they are pretty adorable together, just so you know. But the best thing that I like about this couple is the...allegorical idea of it, I suppose. The book, after all, is about the modern day reincarnations of the Arthurian legends, so really, this couple is actually reincarnated!King Arthur/Lady of the Lake, and that's the part that truly fascinates me about this pairing. The book only briefly taps into the history that these characters shared in their past lives, but I think it'd be interesting to explore. Because as of now, I don't really believe in the strength of Ellie's feelings for Will, not without seeing any of the buildup from when she was the Lady of the Lake. Of course, I'll never get to see that, because that's not the point of the book, but still. They're cute anyway.

Jennifer/Lance:

And the canon is continuing to canon. Hmm. The only canon pairing I don't have is Will/Jennifer. Anyway, I think these two deserve each other (and not in a bad way, either). I mean, these two are the reincarnated Guinevere and Lancelot, so.

Ellie/Jennifer:

I don't know what it is about these two, but I can't help but adore it. Seriously, with Ellie's constant refrain that she could never hate Jennifer, even though she's hurting Ellie's love interest Will and is dating him when Ellie wants to, and how Ellie constantly goes on and on about how beautiful Jennifer is, and the odd sort of comfort and support that they give each other....and how Jennifer distinctly says that Ellie reminds her a lot of Will, the boy that she'll always partially be in love with....I mean, for heaven's sake. They've just got chemistry, and they jump out at me. So, I like King Arthur/Lady of the Lake, but I love the reincarnated Ellie and Jennifer getting together more.

Ellie/Marco:

They have the interesting dynamic of being the only two among their peers who have any real idea of what's going on, or that can see the big picture. Granted, they're on opposing sides, with Marco trying to ruin Will versus Ellie protecting him, but still, they're interesting. Plus, Ellie is the only one that Marco's really genuinely nice to at all, and is the only one to have any bonding moments with him. And until he proves her wrong, she's the only one (apart from Will, kind of) who was willing to give him a chance to be whoever he wants to be, and to help him fight against his destiny of being the reincarnated Mordred.

Jennifer/Marco:

Because she's the only one who can make Marco listen to her when it truly matters, and without sticking a sword in his face. All Jen had to do was use the power of her voice alone to get Marco to listen to her.


T H E   P R I N C E S S   B R I D E

Buttercup's Mom/Buttercup's Dad:

It's a pity that they never get named. But seriously, I think these two may rank as the second best parental unit in existence, after Mufasa and Sarabi from the Lion King. They keep a tally and running score of their arguments, they're hardly good at anything, and they're rather physically unattractive, and they keep saying that they're going to divorce each other or whatever, and yet, throughout it all, they're so in love with each other that it's ridiculous. It's practical and totally un-romantic, and I love it to pieces. The detail of that when Buttercup's Dad died, her Mom didn't know what to do with herself now that she didn't have him to argue with anymore broke my heart. Even if you read no further, I highly recommend that you read the first chapter of this book, because these characters were sadly cut out of the movie. But forget the rest of the story, the scenes with Buttercup's parents were my favorite. They absolutely rock.

Fezzik/Inigo:

Their rhyming is so cute, and there's so much love, acceptance, and support between these two, and I just love it dearly. Their dedication to each other is really quite touching, and how they've always managed to stick together. So, bromance, at the least.

Valerie/Max:

My second favorite couple, their interactions are just a treat. The support they give each other, the fact that Valerie's not afraid to kick Max's ass when he needs it....it's all great, and they're almost as amusing as Buttercup's parents.


T H E   L O R D   O F   T H E   R I N G S

Gimli/Legolas:

This OTP happens to be of the bromance variety. Meaning that I like Gimli and Legolas to be pretty much in a romantic relationship, but for there to be no sexual aspect of it, really. Or at least, for no sexual aspect to have developed in their relationship. Which, I suppose you could say that this is a platonic shipping, and that would be kind of true, but the term 'platonic' doesn't quite hit the mark. For me, platonic's more of a family relationship, while this...it's bromance. Romance without the sex. So, anyway, let's move on to the actual subject here, Gimli and Legolas. The bromance they've got going on in the LOTR books is one of the most beautiful things about in the series, I swear. Lord Almighty, these two are just endlessly beautiful together. They have just about every hallmark that I look for in romantic couples of any kind: they broaden each other's horizons, push each other to grow as individuals (bonus points because they change for the better), and their personalities balance each other out (Legolas, for instance, can be rather flighty and has a hard time taking a few things seriously; to contrast, Gimli is far more grounded than Legolas, but that also means that he can have a bit of a hard time opening up and can be resistant to change, though Gimli's pretty mellow as dwarves go about that). And the way that they've always got each other's backs is endlessly adorable. Legolas immediately goes on the defensive when Eomer threatens Gimli (Aragorn needed to step in to diffuse that situation). Gimli hates riding on horses, but doesn't mind riding on the same horse with Legolas (the only other person he's ever ridden with is Eomer, which was in tribute to their truce about a fight they had about Galadriel, and Gimli only went with Eomer once he was sure that Legolas would be fine with it). Legolas and Gimli both start a competition in Helm's Deep to see who can kill the most Orcs: Legolas loses by one point, but isn't bitter or upset at all about it, even though he can be a bit petty at times (and let me tell you, I know from experience that it can be DEEPLY UPSETTING TO LOSE BY ONE FUCKING POINT), simply because he's relieved that Gimli's alive, and he tells Gimli so to his face. They both make a promise that, after the War of the Ring is all over, that they'll go off on some adventures and learn more about each other's cultures by visiting places of great significance to the both of them. And at the very end of it all, Legolas takes Gimli with him in a boat to Valinor, even though no dwarf has ever gone there before, simply because Legolas could not bear to leave him behind. And then the Appendices specifically call the relationship between the two of them as a "great love". SERIOUSLY, IT IS JUST BEAUTIFUL AND AWESOME, and for now, THEY ARE MY FAVORITE BROMANCE.

Frodo/Sam:

Jesus Christ on a stick, now if we're talking about the most devoted fucking couple in practically all of existence, this is it, right here. At least most certainly as far as Sam goes. Like...this is the real deal, right here. These two characters literally pulled each other through Hell and back, and you'd have to be blind to miss the purest love ever that's between them. Seriously, I don't think you can even put a label on this relationship. It's just...LOVE. A love that transcended absolutely everything else, and made the story possible, really. Frodo inspired a love in Sam that is what gave Sam the strength to get them all the way to Mount Doom, and Sam's love for Frodo is what helped him to hold together his fractured sanity. And how Sam ALWAYS stuck by Frodo no matter what, whether it was in the face of drowning in a river because he couldn't swim, but he was still going to try to go with Frodo anyway, to facing down Shelob, to storming the Tower of Cirith Ungol, to sacrificing his food and water for Frodo's sake, to literally carrying Frodo up Mount Doom---just, come on. Then there's the fact that Sam specifically says that he loves Frodo several times, a sentiment which Frodo reciprocates, and that they're each the most important person to each other...it's just endlessly beautiful. Which makes the ending of the book itself completely heartbreaking, when Frodo states that Sam "can't always be torn in two", referencing to his love for Frodo and his wife, Rosie, and how Frodo departs the Gray Havens...and then how, after Sam's wife dies years later, Sam follows Frodo into the West anyway. It's all just fucking gorgeous, man.

Basically, LOTR is one of the only things in which I ship all canon. Like, the way I ship everything is all how it is in canon. The Gimli/Legolas bromance (seriously, apart from Frodo and Gandalf, these are the ONLY other two characters that never get married to anyone else SO WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU, HUH (oh, and Boromir, but he doesn't count because he died and all)) and Frodo/Sam love, and Aragorn/Arwen (I choose to believe that Arwen is the awesomest ever because my Aragorn deserves nothing less) and Elrond/Celebrian (because damn it all, ELROND DESERVES ALL THE HAPPINESS IN THE WORLD, but he DOESN'T GET IT. so not fair), and Galadriel/Celeborn, and Faramir/Eowyn (awwww Faramir is such a freaking sweetheart). So, yeah, canon for the win in this case! The above two I expanded upon are just my ultimate favorites. Especially Gimli/Legolas, those two slay me.


G O O D   O M E N S

Aziraphale/Crowley:

Oh come on, how can you not? They are an angel and a demon who've known each other better than anyone else for six thousand years, and they go to a park to feed ducks together for fuck's sake. They're like a ridiculously old married couple, and so very, very canon. Angels just don't have a sex unless if they "really want to make an effort". Riiiiiiiiight.

Anathema/Newt:

Because they amuse the hell out of me. Just...oh gosh, but it was the little things in the context of the story that they did for each other. Like, how Anathema asks Newt about the joke behind his car's name that nobody had ever asked before---that doesn't seem like much, but although it was a little thing, this was something that Newt really wanted people to ask him, and I think it subtlely speaks to the underlying understanding that they have of each other, that she asks a question that he needs to be asked. And then how Newt manages to help her move on and live her life without the Prophecies....it's just really quite nice. Subtle and weird, but nice. Oh, and come on---it's really funny.


T H E   P R I N C E S S   A C A D E M Y

Miri/Britta:

I absolutely adore the relationship these two share, and feel that they have the most well-developed one in the entire book. Seriously, how they become friends, how determined Miri becomes to teach Britta and make her feel included and welcome in the village, how she never forgets to grab Britta's hand when she can't communicate with her in quarry-speech...it's really quite beautiful, and it's easily the most important relationship in the entire book. If most fiction ever wasn't so firmly heterosexist, I think that romance would have been a natural progression for these two.

Steffan/Esa:

Because Esa's the one that I wanted him to pick as Princess, and I think that that could have been very thematically beautiful. I can't help but feel that Britta was right in the beginning, that the prince should really choose a true Mount Eskel girl to prove the world wrong about their prejudices against the place. Even better, Esa's the crippled one---since when do crippled girls ever get chosen to marry a prince charming? In this canon, they don't, because they pull what I felt was an undeveloped plot twist with Steffan/Britta---but I still feel that Esa/Steffan could have done and meant beautiful, beautiful things. All of this is probably because I heavily sympathize in the plight of the disabled against a larger ableist society, but still; I think that this is more awesome than what ended up being canon.

T O R T A L L

Alanna/George:

Ohhhhhh my gosh. I swear, I fall more and more in love with this couple every time I read through the series. I just...ultimately, I am satisfied with the way that Tamora Pierce handles every relationship in her Tortall series, because really, they're all fantastically done. But I think that it's this relationship that she succeeded the most in creating. I seriously cannot imagine two people who compliment each other more perfectly than these two characters. Alanna's got a fiery temper and can be brash and headstrong and somewhat reckless and extremely stubborn, while George is far more laid-back and easy-going, but he gives back as good as he gets in his own, more subtle way, and he's definitely more than a match for Alanna. And from the very beginning, she just trusts in him so much, and he supports her so much---I mean, George is the very first person Alanna confides her secret in, he's the one she goes to for comfort, and he's always there to soothe her and support her just about better than anyone else does. Alanna shares things with him that she does with no one else, and best of all, unlike Alanna's other two main love interests, George never tries to change any part of who Alanna is. He understands and accepts so much of her, and he just respects the damn hell out of her so much that he's willing to wait. He respects her feelings, lets her go and be with other people, and never once does he act jealous of it either. He accepts what she's willing to give him, and never tries to force her into giving him more than that or into being anything less than all of who she is. And later on in the series, they make a completely kick ass parenting team. Best couple ever in the series, right here.