Video Game Pairings {master list}
Aug. 28th, 2012 02:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ashkirynNote: Because my Kingdom Hearts section is going to be so massive, it gets its own post. And if I have crossover pairings with that series (like how, technically, Kairi/Kadaj is, for instance), they'll be listed in that post.
F I N A L F A N T A S Y V I I
And then the end of Crisis Core absolutely breaks my heart when it comes to these two, as it does for all the characters around them seemingly caught up in a gigantic tangle of unrequited love. But seriously, my heart broke so fucking much for poor Zack. I mean, I give Aerith the hugest props in the world for moving on from Zack, but the fact that she believes that Zack had just run off and ditched her for some random girl, when in truth Zack had been captured by Hojo and experimented on for FOUR YEARS, and that he died right outside of Midgar because HE WAS TRYING TO GET BACK TO HER??!! I mean, I totally don't really blame Aerith for thinking what she does, but I can't help but be upset at the fact that Zack pretty much got completely fucked over--even his memory has to be dishonored. He died a hero, and no one even knew this for such a long time. And I feel even worse still, because while Aerith had time to get over Zack, he didn't get the same. And so he ends up on the losing end of the Zack/Aerith/Cloud triangle. Poor guy never catches a break.
Kunsel/Zack:
The character that breaks my heart the most in Crisis Core though is Kunsel, aka the fucking amazing guy that you will never hear of again. Seriously, Kunsel is like the best friend in all of the world, and he gets absolutely zero appreciation from Zack. For all that Zack is toted as being able to befriend all living things, at least in fandom, he is truly a terrible friend to Kunsel from what you see of their interactions in CC. And my heart breaks the most at that, because it seems to be fairly obvious that Kunsel is packing some serious unrequited love for Zack. Not only does he know absolutely everything about Zack ever, but all he ever wants and tries to do is to help him as much as possible, and then Zack just blows him off, and I'm sorry, but no matter how much my heart breaks for him at the end of the game, fuck you for that Zack. You should have been damn grateful that you had such an outstanding friend like Kunsel, and you could have had another ally at the end if you would ever pick up your fucking PHS and answer Kunsel's messages, damn you. Seriously, Kunsel's "Tell me they're lying" message made me burst into tears, and I wanted to reply back so fucking bad. The point of this paragraph is to explain to you that Kunsel deserves all the happiness in the world, and thus I ship Kunsel/Zack. I mean seriously, Zack will never, ever find a person more dedicated to him than Kunsel. I can only hope that Zack realized what a dick he was in the Lifestream, and that he apologizes to Kunsel (who, to my horror, was probably one of the random Shinra mooks you gunned down in the original game).
Tseng/Aerith:
Oh wait, this game doesn't have enough tragic pairings yet? Well, here's a serving of this pairing! I know that some people don't like him, but I'm actually quite taken with Tseng in CC, and I want him to be my best friend. And therefore his unrequited love for Aerith makes me want to cry into my pillow forever and ever. Seriously, this poor guy, having to watch Aerith fall in love with two guys, one of which that he was actually also friends with himself (Zack). And then having the said friend ask him to take of Aerith for him, and saying that Tseng was the only one he could trust (UM ZACK WHAT THE FUCK ABOUT KUNSEL, HUH?!). And even though you know Aerith being in love with Zack had to be tearing Tseng apart, he still tried so hard to save him and to give him Aerith's 88 other letters, and then he failed...only to watch Aerith then fall in love with Cloud. UGH, TSENG, MY HEART BLEEDS FOR YOU SO MUCH. And yeah, in the original game, Tseng comes across as a major dick to Aerith, but I do believe that he was honestly trying his hardest to keep her safe, just like he's done for most of her life. I mean, Aerith says herself that they were childhood friends, and he kept her out of the Shinra Building and out of Hojo's clutches for as long as he could, albeit under surveillance. And Aerith was actually crying when the group thought that Sephiroth had killed Tseng. I mean, we didn't even see her cry about Zack's death, or at any other time, but she cried when she thought Tseng was going to die? Very interesting, I say. Plus, in CC, he is the only one to respect Aerith's privacy, when he refused to tell Zack anything about Aerith that she herself didn't, and wasn't ready to, tell him.
Tseng/Rufus:
*headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk* *repeated headdesking* Damn both of them and this pairing. This another one that I really didn't understand the appeal for, but then once I'd read the right story, I can't get it out of my head. And apart from the obvious Tseng/Aerith love that I will always and forever bear, no other pairing apart from this one stands out to me in the fic, "Death is Part of the Process". It just works so fucking well in the context of that story, and I'm sorry, but damn if it isn't just plain hot elsewhere. *headdesk* Stupid Tseng, making me love him so much that I just want him to be happy. And stupid freaking Rufus--he's too damn attractive for his own good. Like, I'm usually partial to dark hair, but out of all of the FFVII characters, especially in their Advent Children CG appearances, I think Rufus is the best looking of the lot. (What are you doing to my brain, Rufus, I hardly ever see blond guys as being so attractive.) I'm still unsure at this point as to whether I'm fully on board with them outside of "Death is Part of the Process", emotionally speaking, but if there's anyone who can handle Rufus's mindfuckery, and not be afraid to put him in his place, then I suppose that person would be Tseng. And plus, Rufus is always in control, so it's nice to see him not be in total control of something for once in his life. Tough luck, Rufus, but I suppose that's what happens with someone who's known you all your life, ever since you were a child, and who has some authority over you as essentially your chief bodyguard. And I don't think I can read Rufus with really anyone else. Gah. *headdesk*
Genesis/Sephiroth:
Like, OMG, these two guys. What’s fascinating about this pairing is that, before the Nibelheim incident in the latter part of the game, it’s Sephiroth that would be the stable half of this pair. Genesis is so much more volatile than Sephiroth (at least at first; it’s arguable which one then becomes more deranged); he’s hot-tempered and competitive and sharp-tongued and ready to trounce the ass of anyone who thinks he’s a pansy because of his poetry reading/gayness (and he is so very gay. I’m sorry, but he is. Just try to deny it). And then you flip his bi-polar coin, and I bet Genesis would make a friendly, lively acquaintance. Sephiroth, by contrast, is very aloof and seemingly cold, and carries himself with a dignified grace. He’s serious and focused about his missions and his eventual job as General. Seph’s only two friends are pretty much Angeal and Genesis, and Angeal shares a lot of Sephiroth’s work ethic, offset by a congeniality that Seph doesn’t have/show very often. Sephiroth needs someone who would get him to lighten up, and regardless of whether there is romance or not, I think this role fell to Genesis. Sephiroth would return this favor by reining Genesis in from his more destructive tendencies. And I found it interesting that Genesis was pretty much the only person who could provoke a rise out of Sephiroth, causing the stolid Angeal to step in between. This suggests to me sparks, and possibly romantic spice at best, and a destructive inferno burning everything around them, including themselves, at worst. (And during that sparring scene between Gen and Seph, I think that was our first clue of them both and their relationship would veer towards the worst.) And as a quick light-hearted moment that yet is also underlined by ironic tragedy, AWWW Seph wanted to be the donor to cure Genesis. Adorable. Anyway, and then you get towards the Nibelheim incident, which was basically caused by Genesis insisting that Seph know the truth (or what they thought was the truth, anyway). I felt there was an interesting subtext to that scene, ala X-Men First Class, Erik/Charles’s ‘Divorce’/Beach Scene: the whole ‘I want you on my side’ and pretty much saying ‘Don’t be an idiot and let them use you’, with a dash of ‘You’ve been lied to, I can tell you the truth.’ And then Seph takes a running leap off into the deep end and goes batshit. I’m not quite sure how it all ends yet, BECAUSE SQUARE IS SUCH A FUCKING TEASE. I don’t know if it’s just me, but at that point I get the feeling that Seph and Gen switched roles in their relationship: Sephiroth is now the volatile, unstable one, and Genesis is now the grounding, sane force.
Cloud/Sephiroth:
In other news, Dissidia opened my eyes to why this pairing is so popular. Like, if you’re not adverse to such things, is there some sort of spell on FFVII and any game where these two face off and are the main protagonist/antagonist, that makes this pairing strangely compelling? Like, that’s where I am right now—I can almost feel a literal pull towards these two. And I don’t get that feeling in KH or Crisis Core—probably in CC because Cloud doesn’t have that huge of a role. But in a game when these two are in prominence, then BAM! Anyway, I’m starting to explore this pairing more thoroughly, but as far as canon goes, I just can’t see this pairing as being anything other than a destructive romance, what with Seph insisting on calling Cloud his ‘puppet’. And the example my brain jumps to is Tanis/Kitiara in Dragonlance. Basically, Cloud and Seph are enemies, obviously, yet Cloud can’t help but being drawn in by Seph’s seductiveness, and even though he knows that this kind of lust/love/hatred is burning him to ashes from the inside out, he still wants more and can’t get enough of it. In my opinion, Happier Fun Times with this pairing can be found with certain...additions, but whatever floats your boat, and I'm perfectly fine with just reading the two of them by themselves.
Genesis/Cloud/Sephiroth:
.....And speaking of those Happier Fun Times, there's this threesome pairing. Shut up, it's not my fault that it's addictingly awesome. But really, if there's to be any sort of a healthy relationship between Genesis and Sephiroth, there has got to be a mediator of some sort. In all honesty, Gen and Seph are too much of alpha males to survive for very long on their own. They probably have some great sex, but more often than not, they'd probably end up killing each other. Before Seph fucks him up in canon, Cloud is far more stable and balanced than either Gen or Seph (especially as this is before he gets Jenova cells), and Cloud can be a stubborn force of nature if you push him to be. Plus, this just seems to be the way with Square Enix pairings. Can't decide between shipping Sephiroth with Genesis or Cloud? That's okay, JUST PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER. And this is what is threatening to be my solution in those situations. Trust Square to be ridiculously easy to do so in.
*Note: the above is also basically the reason why I ship Angeal/Genesis/Sephiroth; Gen and Seph just need someone to mediate if they're going to have a healthy relationship, and with or without the romance, I think this is the function that Angeal performed in canon. I just like shipping Cloud more than I like shipping Angeal. :P
Angeal/Genesis:
For some reason, for a while there I had this block about shipping Angeal with someone. Who the hell knows why. I'm sure I'll take the time to psychoanalyze my own behavior, but that'll be at a later date. Anyway, you can pin the blame for my shipping of this pairing (and the start of my shipping ASGZC in general) on a story called "The Mission" (it's in my favorites list; this story also has the most fantastic in-character Genesis I've yet read). Anyway, this story helped me realize that while Genesis and Angeal were both Sephiroth's best friends, ultimately, Angeal was Genesis's best friend, and vice versa. They've known each other the longest, were raised together. Genesis is the reason why Angeal ends up abandoning ShinRa. And Genesis makes a comment in that story, about how Angeal's the one who's supposed to know him better than anyone. And I think that he's right--and that Genesis would then be the one to know Angeal better than anyone else (when Angeal says at one point that he hasn't said or accused Genesis of anything, Genesis replies, "You didn't have to."). Genesis is a prickly person to deal with, extremely passionate, and prone to getting carried anyway. Angeal is a steady (and sane) presence in his life, and if you remove all of the degradation shit that happens to them in canon, then Angeal and Genesis are the only members of the ASGZC that can really have a truly healthy relationship by themselves (as they probably did before the others came into the picture). Following canon, of course, just makes everything turn into a tragedy all across the board. And even if/when I pair these two off with other people, I still think that they're the most important person in each other's world.
Angeal/Sephiroth/Genesis/Zack/Cloud (OT5) :
If you see all the initials in some fashion like this 'ASGZC', then it's this fivesome pairing, just to forewarn you. I just...this just amuses me more than it has a right to. And in the hands of a talented author, this...fivesome...can actually be quite beautifully done, even seriously so. It's only when you put them all together that you can actually kind of see that really, without all of them mixed in, the relationship is kind of off-kilter, in a way. The maximum balance is achieved when you've got all of the components together, and you're not missing anything. And, you know, it's kind of nice, not having to choose, when you can just glomp them all together. Just...yeah. Guilty pairing status that has transcended my wildest imaginings. Let me indulge.
Lazard/Cloud:
*headdesk* Damn Tobirion (on ffnet) for being such a good writer. But in all seriousness, Lazard is a character that manages to make it onto my top 5 list of the most tragic characters in Crisis Core. My heart just hurts for this guy. I mean, I can't imagine that being anyone's bastard kid is pleasant, but when your dad is the President of Shinra himself, and he steadfastly refuses to acknowledge your existence, even though you're standing right fucking there in front of him? Not to mention having a half-brother like Rufus, who's lived in the lap of luxury all of his life, and gets named VP with hardly any effort involved, while you, on the other hand, grew up in the Slums with your mother and worked your fucking ass off to get where you are? And said position that you worked your ass off to get is being the Director of SOLDIER, which basically means that your job is to send people off to die, and you know that only too well? And then you get turned into an Angeal Copy and die? Dude, Lazard's life sucks. And you just know that he suffers from some serious fucking depression, and damn it all, I want this dude to be happy. I want something to go right for him for once in his life. So why Cloud? Well, first thing to keep in mind is that if you're making this in-universe, then this is before Cloud has all of that Traumatic Shit happen to him that turns him into the moody and angsty bastard that most people know him as. And Cloud in the beginning of Crisis Core is such a fucking sweetheart, and I can see him as being just the right person to take care of Lazard's mental health. Cloud at that point isn't completely jaded, but he still understands what it's like to have a shitty life and basically zero friends and people that you can be open with and talk to about your problems (which is another thing about Lazard that adds to his SAD factor--he basically has no friends). Cloud isn't the kind of person who would be looking to take advantage of Lazard in some way, who would understand Lazard's passion and caring for the people of the Slums. Lazard is also equal to Cloud physically, as neither when they knew each other were SOLDIERs (and then at the end, Lazard was an Angeal Copy to Cloud's being doped up on mako). And technically, Lazard was mortally wounded and then died from protecting Cloud. ;) They're just sweet together. Not that there is apparently much of a fanbase for this pairing, or seemingly for Lazard in general. *grumbles*
Cloud/Aerith:
Alright, let's see if I can pull my head out of the...yaoi (*cringes at the term* I don't know why I hate the way that word's pronunciation sounds, but I do. YAOI. ugh. *headdesk* I don't have nearly the problem with how 'yuri' sounds...and it's quicker to type than 'femmeslash' at any rate.)...hole that I've fallen into so that I can (finally, sheesh Kiryn) talk about my decision to officially throw my weight into the support of shipping Cloud/Aerith. Now, I haven't exactly gotten around to reading a lot of Clerith stories yet, but mostly that's because the 'Tifa vs. Aerith' debacle that apparently still flares up in the fandom from time to time scares the shit out of me, and subsequently I burrow deeper into my ASGZC, Seph/Cloud, and Gen/Cloud fics. It's safe there, damn it. But anyway, I still support Cloud/Aerith. I had to come around to the idea of shipping it, as when I first saw them together was a scene in KH2, and it struck me as a weird pairing mostly because Aerith's KH2 VA is appallingly bad. Really, the first Cloud pairing I came to like at all was Leon/Cloud, and otherwise I was pretty indifferent with who Cloud ended up with. Tifa, Aerith, Sephiroth, it was all the same to me, and I didn't feel any particular inclination towards any of them. Dissidia ruined me on the Seph/Cloud front, and that one story "The Mission" ruined me even further, and firmly descended me into shipping that pairing. For her part, Tifa still hasn't brought anything to the table to incline me towards CloTi, or even really anything to pull her out of Neutral Character Status. Clerith, on the other hand, has definitely managed to cement itself onto my 'sailing' list. Realms of Destiny was the first person to actually push me into really thinking about the pairing at all, and then, with this questioning mindset, I read "Bandages". And yes, you've heard of this fic before from me. It's what got me into Valenwind. The funny thing is that it isn't even a Clerith fic at all (it eventually becomes something like Cloud/Seph), but it still managed to deliver a fatal blow that cemented me into shipping the pairing. What did it do? It equated Clerith in my mind to being highly reminiscent of the Sora/Namine pairing in KH. A lot of people say that Cloud only 'loved' Aerith because of Zack's memories, but the thing is, and that "Bandages" spelled out in heartbreaking clarity, that just because Cloud was channeling Zack's memories, it didn't mean that Cloud felt them any less. Like Sora with his fake memories in CoM, Cloud came to know that it was all a 'lie', but he still felt them as if they were his own. And besides...in order for Zack to influence Cloud, there needs to be something there to influence in the first place. And yeah, Aerith dies, but..."Lost love is still love. It just takes a different form, is all...Life has to end. Love doesn't." (From The Five People You Meet in Heaven; full quote farther down my profile) And as always, the tragedy factor only ends up helping its cause. ;) Plus, I just flat out like Aerith as a character better than Tifa (sorry Tifa), and think she's better for Cloud. Really, in FFVII canon, Tifa is far more insecure and shy than Aerith, who in contrast is plucky, optimistic, fierce, and she seems to have the best success on getting through to Cloud and make him put away his emo-angst ball when no one else can. Clerith probably bops around in third place, after Zack/Aerith, for my favorite Aerith pairings. First place however, no contest, belongs to Tseng/Aerith. I'm quite happy to let the two of them pair up and leave Cloud to play with the boys. ;)
Reno/Scarlet:
Because despite myself, I kind of like Scarlet--now that I think about it, she's sort of like Larxene, huh?--and because, for some reason, I just can't picture Reno in a healthy relationship with someone. And these two would totally needle and backstab each other and have extremely loose morals, and yet would keep coming together for great sex or something. They just aren't healthy relationship people, you know? I can see them sleeping together to get dirt on each other's agendas, and totally knowing exactly what the other's doing, and yet they both enjoy this weird, fucked up battle of wits that they've got going on.
Rude/Elena:
Rude, on the other hand, I can see having a semi-healthy relationship, at the least. And thus, for him I ship Rude/Elena. Anyway, for some reason, even though I'm usually a sucker for unrequited love--see Tseng/Aerith--I just don't like Tifa with Rude or Tseng with Elena. And so...they go together, initially to potentially comfort each other, but then they realize how much they work well together. Rude is a steadying influence on Elena's excitability, and Elena can get Rude to lighten up some, although she's not as insane as Reno is. Also, both being Turks, they would be able to understand why they would ultimately put their job ahead of most everything else.
Weiss/Nero:
Yes, really. You can note that this pairing has the distinction of being the third incest pairing that I ship (the first two being Blackcest in HP and Hikaru/Kaoru in OHSHC). So, yes, I know that they're brothers. But I will back this ship up because it...well, in canon and their specific world context, it just makes sense. These two guys are both severely fucked in the head, and have lived most of their entire lives in almost complete isolation in Deepground, where they were chosen to be part of Hojo's experiments. I mean, apart from the scientists who keep pumping them full of mako, the only other people they have had any contact with for decades were Shelke, Azul, and Rosso. Shelke's pretty much an autobot, Azul clearly has no particular inclination towards loyalty for people (as he's quite willing to kill Shelke, even when she was still clearly on his side), and all Rosso cares about is killing people and bathing in their blood (literally). For Weiss and Nero, each other is all that they've got left. Of course they would turn to each other for comfort. And besides...NO ONE is more dedicated to protecting Weiss (who is possessed by Hojo and is becoming Omega) than Nero is. And dude. Come on. The Ho Yay in their scenes almost blinded me. Never before have I ever seen it so...blatant. I mean, for heaven's sake.
Yuffie/Shelke:
I actually really like this pairing a lot, and I'm probably going to start shipping it as one of my main Yuffie pairings, for several reasons. Firstly, it's a yuri pairing. AND THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE YURI IN THIS WORLD, DAMN IT. Thus, a plausible yuri pairing crossing my path? I'm snatching it. Secondly, Shelke was really one of the very few characters that I actually liked and felt much of anything for in DoC. I liked her character development, how she starts out as a complete autobot, and how she learns to start feeling emotions again, and I felt sorry for her, because she just clearly was so lost and couldn't really comprehend such things (the trigger of all this, of course, being her sister's fierce love for Shelke, and her subsequent sacrifice to save Shelke's life). Shelke is a person who is finally free to really live for the first time...but it's in a world that she hardly understands. Yuffie would be good for her, I think, because she's very much the opposite of Shelke--ruled by emotions, flighty, impulsive. Yuffie's fierce and strong, and she'd be able to take care of Shelke, whose body is stunted in growth forever. Yuffie is also used to seeing weird things, and so Shelke being all doped up on mako wouldn't faze her, and despite Shelke being stunted, she and Yuffie are actually the same age (19 in DoC), so that works out for those that don't like age gaps. I can see Yuffie dragging a bewildered Shelke along, giving her adventure, helping her to discover what it's like to live. And once Shelke really comes into her own, she'd be able to rein in Yuffie's...less than stellar personality traits, and be a calming sort of influence on her. I just think that the two would get more out of this relationship than they would with anyone else.
F I N A L F A N T A S Y X I I
Balthier/Fran:
Because their relationship is just so fucking gorgeous, no matter what. I’m seriously convinced that Fran owns Balthier’s soul. They are two sides of the same coin, two halves that make the whole, and the bond they share comes to them as easily as breathing. I can’t imagine that they would ever need anyone else, so long as they have each other. So much love for these two. Annnnd this is probably one of the shortest explanations I've ever had for a pairing, especially an OTP that I love as much as this one. But really....do I need to explain?
Balthier/Ashe:
These two have undeniable chemistry between them, and I adore the way that Balthier challenges the prickly Ashe and any pre-conceived notions that she has, and makes her grow and see a clearer picture of the world around her. For Ashe, Balthier has an allure to him, he has something that, deep down, maybe she wants: freedom. He cut all his chains, all his responsibilities, and while she could probably never really imagine doing that, I think it would fascinate her. And obviously he grows to mean something to her, if the way she reacted when he was on the Bahamut and she thought he died was any indication. And yet, in the ending scene, when Ashe gets her ring back from him, I feel like there’s a kind of peace that she finds. Closure, I suppose would be the word. To me, that ring symbolizes the end of their chapter together, that he’s relinquishing his hold on any part of her that he may have had, so then they can both move on with their lives.
Basch/Ashe:
The previous then kind of leads into this pairing. I quite adore them, you see, because I can just see the way this would develop. Basch is kept a prisoner for so long, that when he finally gets out, I think he would be disoriented, thinking he had no purpose. And so he latches onto protecting Ashe, and by extension through her Dalmasca, and I think he would admire her indomitable willpower and strength, possibly fall in love with her for that. As for Ashe, Basch is another person that challenges her perceptions of the world, who forces her to see that things aren’t black and white, and makes her grow as a person. And once she let go of her hatred of him, I could see her wanting to find out who the real Basch is. While Balthier is more like a fantasy, Basch is a steady, grounding presence, and a rock to support her.
Larsa/Penelo:
I just...I just can't help but like this pairing, because it features all of the particular selling points that I look for in couples: they come from very different walks of life, and are thus forced into shifting their pre-conceived notions of each other and things, they make each other grow into better people. Once Penelo gets to know Larsa better in the game, she doesn't let him stand on airs or anything--she treats him like a normal person, and Larsa in return treats her with an interesting, balanced courtesy. Larsa acknowledges her feminity, which Vaan doesn't really do, as she grew up as pretty much one of the boys, but Larsa doesn't make this recognition a bad thing, and doesn't disrespect her ability to take care of herself in battles. Vaan is Penelo's best friend and all, but Penelo doesn't strike me as someone who wants to spend the rest of her life going off on adventures; Larsa is a person she could settle down with. And they are just so, so, so cute in the game.
Vaan/Mjrn:
While Penelo is the type to want to settle down, Vaan isn't. And so, for his pairing I have decided upon Vaan/Mjrn. Because both of them look up to Balthier and Fran, respectively, I can see Vaan (in a more AU situation, obviously) coming across Mjrn, who's decided that she's tired of taking both of her sisters' bullshit, and so has thus left Eruyt, but not gone to seek Fran, because she wants to prove to herself that she'd be able to make it well enough on her own just like her sister did. Vaan would be able to offer her the adventure that she's been looking for all of her life, and they both have a fierce sense of justice that would probably have the pair of them trying to right wrongs in their own way. Plus, Mjrn seems to be pretty young by Viera standards, and Vaan's young as well. They can both be adorably awkward through the final stages of puberty and teenager-hood together.
F O R T E H L U L Z F I N A L F A N T A S Y S H I P S
Dr. Cid/Lucrecia:
Because, really, Lucrecia, if you have to hook up with a mad scientist, at least pick the one that's actually hot and awesome, and, well...not the completely sick fuck that Hojo is. You know what I'm saying, girl? And oh God, the stepfamily union would just be too much...because then Balthier and Sephiroth would be step-brothers. That image is going to make me laugh forever.
Vayne/Jote:
Because...can you even imagine how much the two of them would butt heads if they ever actually met? Vayne is all revolutionary and right along with Dr. Cid up there in "putting the reins of history back in the hands of man" and is all DOWN WITH THE GODS/OCCURIA and eventually turns himself into some sort of mechanical entity. Jote would then be outraged at such blatant blasphemy and be all, "BITCH, THE GREEN WORD IS THE WAY OF LIFE." Annnnd it's clear that my brain needs sleep at this point. ;)
S O U L C A L I B U R
Cassandra/Lizardman:
Yes, really. Honestly, without a hint of humor at all. The thing is, I feel absolutely terrible for Lizardman, or Aeon, which is his proper name. Like, I just really feel so fucking sorry for him and his fate, because his life is pretty much just 100% suckfest. I mean, this guy set out on a Holy Quest for Hephaestus, and then he gets cursed into this Lizard/monster form and is brainwashed into committing more atrocities, and when he finally gets into his right mind again, he realizes--where the fuck was his god when he really, really needed him? Dude, that brutal kind of loss of faith hurts, and causes my heart to feel a lot of sympathy pain on his behalf. And then he goes after Soul Edge/Calibur, first to get revenge on Hephaestus, and then to simply regain the human soul that he is progressively losing, as he becomes more and more like the monster that he didn't want to be? Good Lord, but how can you not feel sorry for him? Cassandra, for her part, also has issues with Hephaestus and his treatment of her sister, and so I think she would totally understand Lizardman's plight, and yet unlike him and his crisis with his humanity, Cassandra has a ton of self-confidence, and in the end doesn't need to put so much faith into otherworldly deities. Cassandra, I feel, would infinitely help Lizardman, because she can remind him of what humanity is, since she is a very human character: she's ruled by emotions and motivated by love for her sister, she's brash and loud and confident, free-spirited and full of determination. I want Lizardman to find some peace and be happy, damn it, and I think Cassandra could give it to him, and she could possibly grow to become just as protective of him as she is of Sophitia. Hell, this whole pairing is highly reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, if you will.
Siegfried/Kilik:
Now, there's this Thing about Kilik and the Soul Calibur fandom at large. It's that pretty much the universal OTP is Kilik/Xianghua. I'm probably one of the few people in the world who dislikes this ship. Firstly, it is precisely because of it being stupidly popular that ultimately turns me off of it. I mean, yes, I do in fact ship some popular pairings (case in point: Axel/Roxas in KH). But my problem with Kilik/Xianghua--fuck it, my problem with the Soul Calibur fandom at large is that there is little to no variety when it comes to pairings. You see just the same basic couples over and over and over again. And Kilik/Xianghua is at the head of this pack. Thus, its immense popularity does this pairing no favors in my book, and quite frankly, its status as being practically the only canon pairing doesn't help it either. In case you haven't gotten this about me yet (and if you haven't, I question your comprehension skills), the "canon-ness" of a pairings does not ultimately hold much sway for me. I will either like pairing and think it works or I will not, canon be damned. And in this case, I am damning canon (as convoluted as this series' is). And to go more in depth about Kilik and Xianghua, the biggest thing that doesn't sit right with me about them is the fact that Xianghua is blood sister of Kilik's adopted sister. Yes, it's technically not incest, but it's pretty much emotional incest, which isn't much better in my book. I don't care that they are unaware of this fact--I'm aware of it, damn it. And Xianghua reminds Kilik of his 'sister' (that he ended up killing, no less) anyway--how does this not make more people uncomfortable? I don't mind them being close or anything, but fuck any romantic relationship. And lastly, I just plain don't care all that much for Xianghua, and certainly not enough to approve of her being with my Kilik, who is my favorite SC character. As my favorite character, I want Kilik to be happy, and I just can't imagine that he would be happy with Xianghua, because whenever he looks at her he is riddled with torment and guilt because she looks exactly like the sister he was forced to kill. That does not make for a happy Kilik, and is thus fail in my book.
So therefore, I have Siegfried/Kilik. I honestly want to smack myself for not thinking of this sooner. Seriously, how did I not think of this, and had to have my sister point it out for me?! I mean, they're my two favorite characters! But anyway, in all seriousness, I think they work astonishingly well together. After Siegfried is freed from Nightmare/Soul Edge, he wants to atone for all of the atrocities he committed as Nightmare, and so he purposefully shuns people because he feels that the only thing left for him is to destroy the Sword(s), and he doesn't want to be distracted from this goal, and this compounds with the fact that everyone shuns him anyway, because they don't see him as any different from Nightmare and they refuse to forgive him. Kilik is one of the only characters that doesn't have any beef with Siegfried or Nightmare in particular--just with Soul Edge, and Kilik really doesn't have any room to talk when it comes to committing atrocites while brainwashed and crazy, seeing as he killed a whole bunch of people in his temple and ended up killing his adopted sister. Kilik is one of the few characters that really understands even a small part of the horror that Siegfried is experiencing. And like Siegfried, Kilik believes that he basically should live alone or die or some such noble, self-sacrificial thing. On a personality level, Kilik is gentle, quiet, and shy, with a strong will, and Siegfried, who used to be selfish and arrogant, is now trying to atone for his sins. I think Kilik is the sort of person who would soothe Siegfried, and show him that with enough dedication and practice, it is possible to control and balance whatever energies are in your body. By the end of SCIV, Kilik either a) dies (!!!) or b) is determined to seal himself away from the world and feels that he can't ask anyone to give up living their lives to stay with him (i.e. Xianghua). This wouldn't be a problem for Siegfried, because it's really not like he has anything to live for beyond destroying Soul Edge, the world at large hates him...I think he would like being a hermit with Kilik, and to have a chance to search for his inner peace, and he wouldn't turn Kilik into an even bigger angst-bucket than he already is, and we are all good.
