Master List of Kiryn's Shippings Through the Fandoms {updated 7/18/12}

[ashkiryn]

SO. Let's kick this thing off, shall we? And as for what this 'thing' is...well. See, I kind of love the idea of having a...master list of ships, if you will. A place where I can keep track and record ALL of the pairings that I ship, for EVERY SINGLE fandom ever that I'm a part of. My fanfiction.net profile does a good job of having ENDLESS AMOUNTS OF MY SHIPPING RANTING, but I fear that my profile is getting too big for its britches, and that it has become so beastly that it's starting to break itself. I kind of can't help it, because I have lots of FEELINGS, and the semi-newfound need to EXPRESS them (incidentally, I think this need corresponds with the breaking of the dam of my repressed emotions, but there it is). But, I've been coming to the unhappy realization that I need to lighten the load over on my ffnet profile. Pick only a few fandoms to use that space to expand upon, and keep my master list elsewhere. Hence, this is where LJ comes in. Now, new as I am to this place, I have no idea what sort of limitations there could possibly be, if putting everything here would break LJ (although, if anyone can do it, I'm sure it's me, if I succeed with my plan to literally put every ship I ship into this entry eventually). But, I want to experiment. So, here we are. This is also my first completely public entry, because I'll want to link this in my ffnet profile, and I don't expect to put anything too terribly personal in this thing.

This is how I expect this to go down. I'm going to start off relatively small, and then as I work my way through all of my fandom's canons again (i.e, I plan to reread the Harry Potter series before I list those ships, replay the Kingdom Hearts games before they're put here, etc), I'll come back to this post and edit them in. In short, I'll actually put into motion here what I've been intending to do over on my ffnet profile, before I decided that it was reaching its breaking point. The title of the fandom will be underlined, OTPs and the like will be bolded (and because I can, I'll try to have one for every fandom), and then I'll probably write a short comment or explanation as to why I ship the pairing. As I get into ships for things like HP and KH, my two biggest fandoms, the explanations will be longer. But for some, like Remus/Sirius in HP and Axel/Roxas in KH, I will NOT be posting the full explanations of why I ship them, simply because they're too long. These exceptions may eventually get their own posts, if I decide to publish my rantings, but there it is. And for now, these will only be the pairings I ship. At the bottom, I may eventually add the sink list, or put it into another post. Also, I hope to eventually have a sister post to this one, for my favorite characters and such. But for now, I'm just going to be working on this ship list.

Alright? Okay, off we go! Remember, OTPs are in bold.


Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Disney)

Evil Queen/Prince (aka Queen Grimhilde/Prince Ferdinand) :

And yes, I tell you no lie. Those are their names. Anyway, I'm putting these two together because I detest the Prince for his uber-creepiness, and hope he falls into a pit of sadness, and so I would thoroughly not mind the idea of him being miserable with the Queen for the rest of his life. And since I'm ambivalent towards the Queen, I don't mind either way that I can see this relationship going, which is that either somehow against all odds they fall in love and change each other for the better, or she stays evil and gets pleasure out of torturing him (and Snow White by proxy of getting her Prince Charming) for the rest of eternity. It's all good with me. Plus, back in those times, it is totally realistic that they could have gotten married. Especially if the Queen had succeeded in her plot to kill Snow White, because then her kingdom would have been left without an heir. In any case, if I actually cared at all about these characters, or even decided to just experiment some day, I think a fascinating fic could be written trying to make this relationship happen.

Doc/Grumpy:

While I'm not going to force characters together where I cannot see them working out, I will nonetheless be trying to keep my eyes open for het and slash pairings and aim for equality. Anyway, when I watched the movie again a while ago, I kind of saw Doc and Grumpy as being the leaders of the dwarfs, and they kind of have this yin/yang thing going on of balancing each other out, with Grumpy being almost overly cynical and pessimistic to Doc's more lax and positive outlook. In essence, they're a Mom/Dad pairing, with Doc being the Mommy of the dwarfs to Grumpy's Dad. The scene where Snow White sends them out to go wash for dinner illustrates this quite well. Grumpy's all gruff and manly and proud of his dirt and ain't gonna let a woman push him around, while Doc gathers the others up and patiently instructs them on how to wash, and then directs the others to gang up on Grumpy to get him into the tub. Come on, those were total Mom/Dad vibes going on there, with the other dwarfs practically being their children. I think they're kind of adorable. Plus, I love Mom/Dad ships more than most things.

Snow White/Happy:

There's this academic article that I read last year that kind of totally changed my life. It talks about the ableism present in Snow White, and how really the only strength she has is her beauty, and how she's basically what society would have/had us believe is the ideal woman: she's beautiful, she's white-skinned, she stays in the kitchen and is motherly and kind, etc. And the essay goes on to point out the heterosexism and ableism that Snow White and the Prince represent. They're each other's only conceivable love interest, as the Prince especially could experience desire for only Snow White, and not any of the other men present (and there's no other women around for Snow apart from her stepmother the Queen), and how the dwarfs, who are not old men in every adaptation, could never be a love interest to anyone because, as dwarfs, they deviate from the 'norm' of physical beauty. Indeed, Snow White highlights this by treating them all as children, making the very idea of her desiring them as absurd. I'm not going to recreate this essay here, but basically, it bothered me, because it was really kind of true. And it's why I'm making such a point of having ships in this movie whereas otherwise I would have been happy to ignore it, and why I making a point of shipping the dwarfs and why I'm making a point of seeing if I think Snow White could work, emotionally speaking if nothing else, with the dwarfs. Because age certainly wouldn't have been a problem in their society. Thus, the first of these is Snow/Happy, because he is such a gentleman with her, and truly interacts with her the most, apart from Doc, Grumpy, and Dopey.

Snow White/Doc:

Hmm. He's the only one who seems to have any true idea of what she is or how to interact with her at all. He basically acts as the spokesman for the dwarfs at times, but he still takes an interest in her and asks her questions, and seems to be the one to look after her well-being the most.

Grumpy/Snow White:

Because he's the only one who is anything approaching her equal amongst the dwarfs. He's the only one that isn't her total doormat (though unfortunately he isn't allowed to completely escape that fate), and he's got something of a similar yin/yang thing going on with her that he does with Doc. Also, his grief when she was thought to be dead genuinely touched me the most out of the dwarfs. Basically, theirs is just the most believable relationship of all the ones she has with the dwarfs.


Mean Girls

Regina/Shane:

Honestly, I think Shane deserves an award for being The World's Most Understanding Boyfriend. I mean, seriously think about it. Regina dumped Aaron so that she could start going out with Shane, right, but then she starts going back out with Aaron again to hurt Cady. While she's still going out with Shane. So Shane, who's her real boyfriend, agrees to basically not be seen with her in public anymore, and become the boyfriend on the side. I mean, seriously? If that was me, that shit wouldn't have gone down well. But not for Shane, No, he puts up with Regina's sort of psychosis. Later, he's the only one who sticks beside her, when even her friends have abandoned her, and even when she's fractured her spine and such. I mean, Jesus, this dude is seriously dedicated, for all that he comes off for the most part as a typical brainless high school jock. And considering that she never tries to get rid of him either, I would think that Regina cares for him a great deal as well. At any rate, their relationship seems to be the most honest one that Regina has with anyone thoroughout the movie, and the one with the least amount of manipulation on Regina's part, putting aside the whole Aaron thing. 


Other than that, while there's a lot of femslash potential in this movie (i.e. Janis, Cady, Regina, Gretchen, and Karen with...any of each other), and then there's the other canon pairings (Aaron/Cady, Janis/Kevin, Gretchen/Jason, and Regina/Aaron), none of those really, truly interest me and hold my attention. Mostly this is because Mean Girls, for the most part, isn't really a movie that's about shipping or romance or anything like that for me. I think it's a brilliant satire/parody on the high school experience, and for girls in particular, and its ruminations as such are what intrigue me in this movie. Plus, it's one of the most quotable movies ever, and the quotations can practically be tailored to fit anything. So yeah, only one true pairing here for me. :)


Merlin (BBC)

Merlin/Arthur:

This pairing is kind of inevitable. Hell, what with the Great 'Slash' Dragon (as he's been nicknamed by the fandom) going on and on about how Arthur is Merlin's 'destiny', and how they're two sides of the same coin, and telling Merlin (after Merlin basically declared that he hates Arthur and wouldn't care if the prat died) that "A half cannot truly hate that which makes it whole,", and then with Merlin's mother getting onto the "two sides, same coin" bandwagon, and then both of them consistently going long out of their ways to save each other's lives, and how Merlin always sticks with Arthur no matter what tragedy or temptation befalls him, and that Merlin believes that Arthur's more important than anything, and how Arthur tells Merlin that he's the only one that Arthur can trust (notice how Arthur doesn't say anything about Gwen, his actual love interest here), and then there's this gem from Arthur in 4.13, when he was worried about Merlin, "I came back because you are the only friend I have and I can't bear to lose you," ....I mean, good Lord above. And for the pure pinnacle of it all, there's a scene where Merlin licks his lips before he uses magic to pull down Arthur's pants, and then wrestles with him while he's half-naked. Repeat: licks his lips. Seriously. What do you all expect from me, how can I not ship this? And if it hadn't been for fucking Gwaine, this would have been my OTP of the show. As it is, Merlin and Arthur are...well. They're two sides of the same coin. Yin and Yang, balancing each other out. Merlin's the only one who truly, consistently calls Arthur out on his bullshit (even though Arthur doesn't listen to him a lot of the time...the poor thing's a victim of Plot Advancement; hopefully he'll have learned his lesson in season 5, but we'll come back to this topic in a bit). As for Merlin...Arthur is his Reason, the one who gives his life a purpose, a way use all of his Specialness to its full potential. Arthur grounds Merlin, I suppose you could say...the Reason he has to keep going through all of the sucker-punches that life cruelly throws at him. I don't think Arthur is nearly supportive enough for poor Merlin, but since the writers have been doing their best to keep him out of the loop, re: Merlin's magic, it's kind of not his fault. But still, some more compassion on your part would be deeply appreciated, Arthur. You need to get over a few masculine pride issues, hon.

Morgana/Gwen:

You know, back in season 1 when canon practically had them as girlfriends; season 2 also counts. Basically, before Morgana turned evil. And I am not kidding you: they totally acted exactly like my lesbian sister and her girlfriend do. The two share an awful lot of lingering glances and contact, Morgana often strokes Gwen's clothes when she's nervous, Gwen is constantly bringing Morgana bouquets of flowers....and then there's the fact that Gwen, before season 3, is a major influence in tipping Morgana back and forth over whether to hate Uther or not. They're both cut very deeply whenever they lose each other, and Morgana seems to feel particularly betrayed when she finds out Gwen's true loyalties in the end of season 3. But before Morgana's dark side conversion, the loyalty between her and Gwen rivals that of Arthur and Merlin (which, see above). Arthur and Morgana care about their servants way beyond the ordinary, and Merlin and Gwen go far beyond the call of their duty as well.

And hey---back in Relatively Happy Fun Times, you can throw the whole lot of them together for an OT4 of awesomeness: Merlin/Arthur/Gwen/Morgana.

Merlin/Freya:

As portrayed in canon, in the first love kind of way. Had Freya actually lived, I probably wouldn't have liked it at all, not in the least because for most of the episode she appeared in, I was mentally screaming about how much of an idiot Merlin was being, what with him wanting to abandon everything to run away with Freya (thank heavens she had more sense than him on that count). In hindsight, I think it's rather brilliant that Merlin was acting that way, because the first love you have often makes you think and do incredibly stupid things, and it's often intense and slightly obsessive, and a part of you will never forget that first love, even when it doesn't last. In this case, Freya's kind of far more useful to Merlin dead than alive, sadly. In the long term, I don't think they could have worked out, because Freya is unfortunately needy, and Merlin already spends too much of his time worrying over everything. Merlin needs someone who could take the weight off of his shoulders; someone who could take care of him and be the support for a while, and Freya's just not it. Still, the solace she gave him for a short while was sweet.

Gwen/Lancelot:

These two make for an excellent side ship. In canon, I am thoroughly ignoring the farce that was their 'affair' in season 4, because I think that ended up being a total cop-out to what could have been a very interesting dynamic in the character relationship....but then, I keep forgetting that this is apparently ultimately a 'family show', so I suppose such complexity is considered unsuitable. Anyway, it's the 'what could have been' that attracts me to this pairing; not to mention the, in my opinion, unreasonable amount of hate that Lancelot gets in the fandom. I mean seriously---that whole so-called affair wasn't poor Lancelot's fault AT ALL, seeing as he was a fucking BRAINWASHED SHADE. aka NOT REALLY LANCELOT. So, I'm sticking with the underdog pairing that totally had way more chemistry than Arthur/Gwen has ever had. Besides, no matter what the Arwen shippers say, Lancelot DEFINITELY deserves some genuine happiness.

Gwaine/Merlin:

And here it is, my dearest OTP. I sincerely love Gwaine so fucking hard that it hurts a little. Now, before Gwaine came along in the show, my OTP used to be Merlin/Arthur. But then....Gwaine completely ruined me on that front, because he did something for Merlin, something that precious few have ever done for him (and 98% of which are now dead), and it was something that Arthur has not yet managed to do in all of 4 seasons, really. See, Gwaine supports Merlin. Yeah. Gwaine's the one that's there for Merlin, the one who Merlin always goes to for help on impossible quests, the one who supports Merlin when no one else does, and who checks up on how Merlin's feeling. Gwaine makes Merlin smile and laugh, and Gwaine's loyalty is to Merlin above everyone and anything else; Merlin, who is Gwaine's best friend. Not to mention the glorious, and adorable, hugs that the two share. But seriously---right after they've first met, Gwaine gets banished from Camelot because he beat up two knights in Merlin's defense. And don't forget that before that, Gwaine actually sat and helped Merlin, the servant, clean all of those freaking boots, even though he didn't have to. In the end, it's really down to Merlin that Gwaine's actually settling, instead of carrying on with his previous lifestyle. Poor Merlin has lost so many of the people who supported him over the course of the series, but I'm grateful that he's still got Gwaine, whose support of Merlin is really second only to Lancelot's, and that's mostly due to the knowledge that Lancelot has over Gwaine. But yeah, Gwaine thoroughly stole my heart away from Merthur, and now I can never unsee the Gwaine/Merlin goodness.

Morgause/Morgana:

Yes, I am very much aware of the fact that they're half-sisters. But it's not like incest was uncommon in the Arthurian legends themselves, and if Arthur can shack up with Morgause and Morgana, then they can as well. Besides, I really just can't ignore the amount of...vibes that I get off of them. Mostly Stockholm Syndrome vibes, but in Morgause's quest to make Morgana happy and to feel accepted and loved...yeah. I can see the potential for some lines to be blurred here. Not to mention that Morgana is totally Morgause's Morality Pet; you can tell that the two genuinely care about each other. I suppose that I'm happy on some level that Morgana's found the acceptance that she was looking for with Morgause...I just wish that she didn't have to become a fucking snake in the grass in the process. :/

Merlin/Arthur/Gwen:

Balance for the win! Seriously, when Arthur doesn't listen to one of them, he'll listen to the other one. And sometimes, he really does need them both to tag-team him. Plus, this is how I like Merlin with Arthur best---when Merlin's got Gwen there for the emotional support that he needs; plus, she gives that to Arthur as well. Merlin and Gwen's relationship is more platonic than anything, but I don't think their love is any less deep than either Merlin/Arthur or Arthur/Gwen. If Gwen wants to be with Arthur, she kind of has to accept the fact that a gigantic piece of him belongs to Merlin (who is, after all, 'his other half'). And I honestly think she would; that she and Merlin could totally share Arthur, because they clearly care for each other deeply as well. It's just all kinds of beautiful, and it's how I like both Gwen and Merlin best with Arthur, really. (And then we can throw Gwaine, Lancelot (when he's alive), and good!Morgana in here as well to have a true party, eh? :D)

Tristan/Isolde:

Lack of true character development aside, I can't help but love the equal partners thing that they've got going on. Like, these two have a thoroughly well-balanced, equal partnership (which really, is amazing, when you consider the fact that this is technically taking place back in the Dark Ages). Neither one is truly dominant over the other. They listen to each other, and actually have honest, open communication, which is kind of a true rarity in fiction. They had a relationship that felt the most real out of any in this show, and I'm sad that, with Isolde's death, we won't be seeing it anymore in season 5.

Lancelot/Merlin:

Heavens above, these two are practically canon boyfriends. I swear, I will be forever kind of stunned at what Lancelot's character arc ended up being, given that, for a major player in the Arthurian legends, he showed up in all of SEVEN GODDAMN EPISODES out of 52. But when he showed up again, I immediately remembered why I missed him so much, which is because, unlike any other character in the entire series, Lancelot supports Merlin. Seriously, this is what Lancelot is the absolute best at doing. He is one of the few people that Merlin could be completely comfortable with, because he was one of the only ones who knew about Merlin's magic (and like almost everyone else who has known about Merlin's magic---Will, Freya, Balinor, not to mention various enemies---he ended up dead. In fact, I think the only people who are left are Hunith, Gaius, Gilli, Alator, the dragons, and the Druids (which I suppose includes Mordred). Hmm). Consequently, Lancelot's one of the only ones who actually acknowledges all that Merlin does, and is someone that Merlin can share things with, doesn't have to keep secrets from, and, moreso than Gaius can, who can truly help Merlin in the thick of a crisis. And while you can say that, yes, Lancelot sacrificed himself for the greater good, for Arthur, for Gwen, and all of that---but mostly, I think Lancelot did it for Merlin. Because if all Lancelot cared about was Gwen or Arthur or any of that, then he would have let Merlin go through with his plan. But he didn't. So, I argue that that sacrifice was totally for Merlin's sake. And then, when Morgana summoned back Lancelot's shade, Merlin was acting more like he's gotten his boyfriend back than just his friend, and he just looks absolutely crushed when he realizes that it's not truly Lancelot. Not to mention the fact that he gives Lancelot a funeral ceremony that is exactly like Freya's, who is Merlin's only canon love interest. There's just this undercurrent to their relationship, and it's so tender and fucking beautiful, and I adore it. Mostly, I think I would categorize this ship as bromance, but...yeah, I love them, in any form that comes my way. Lancelot, you will be sorely missed.

Arthur/Mithian:

I really wish that they had pursued this plotline for longer than just that one episode, because Mithian is thoroughly kickass and awesome; really, she is FAR more awesome than Arthur deserved, being at the height of his awkwardness as he was. Yeah, I know Arthur was busy with some well-justified angst regarding Gwen, since so far as he knew, she'd cheated on him with Lancelot the day before their wedding, but....dude, Arthur, Mithian is the kind of gal that you only get once in a lifetime. In some ways, I think Mithian's...kind of perfect for Arthur? I mean, seriously, the fact that she clearly respects Merlin as much as she does, and the fact that, really, being a noble as she is, she goes long out of her way to be nice to Merlin, who by all rights should be beneath her notice. But no, she totally recognizes just how much Arthur cares about Merlin, and is straight up honest with Merlin about wanting a chance to be friends. Mithian calls Arthur out on being a dick to Merlin, and the way she handled Arthur having his foot stuck in his mouth the entire time (aided by Merlin) was completely amazing. If Gwen hadn't come back, or if this was a universe in which she didn't exist...I think Arthur could have come to love Mithian (or he damn well should have). I have nothing against Gwen or anything, but....ARGH, Arthur, whhhhhhyyyyyy, how could you have let someone like Mithian walk out of your life?! In any case, I firmly believe that Mithian deserves happiness, and am thoroughly sad that, as of now, she doesn't appear in any fanfics. Mithian rocks hardcore.

Uther/Ygraine/Nimueh:

I know what you're probably thinking....wtf is this, am I right? Well...this would never have occured to me, except because of this AMAZING fanfic that I read. So, to dissect this then...If there's one thing that cannot be denied about Uther, it's that he clearly loved his wife, dearly. I mean, anyone with even the tiniest grasp on his character can see that. And the guilt and grief that he felt over her death is what drove Uther into creating the Great Purge; as such, you can tell that he's never really been able to get over her death. Another fact: Uther and Nimueh very clearly had a History, even beyond the whole bargain-that-resulted-in-Arthur thing, not to mention chemistry. So, here's the way that this played out, and that I loved: Uther and Ygraine were, obviously, married. Nimueh came to Camelot, perhaps got a place at Court, because of her considerable powers. Ygraine took Nimueh as a lover, and unabashedly let Uther know this. Uther and Nimueh eventually developed a kind of strange bond, but it works because Nimueh wouldn't be afraid to call Uther out on his bullshit, but Ygraine's the glue that binds them all together, and with her death, everything falls apart. See, I believed Nimueh, when she told Uther that she didn't know that Ygraine would be the one to die for Arthur to live; an interesting theory I've heard is that Nimueh didn't realize that Ygraine's body was truly, physically unable to give birth to a baby, and so by forcing it to do so, Ygraine's body basically tore itself apart, and thus she was the one to die. At any rate, thanks to that one story, I can never unsee this, and I just think that this is a highly fascinating grouping.

Supernatural

Dean/Castiel:

Obviously. Yeah, I sincerely believe that it is impossible to not ship these two. For Christ's sake, Castiel literally sacrifices absolutely everything for Dean. It's because of Dean that Castiel begins to feel and express emotions, so much so that Castiel's superiors get worried about how much of an influence that Dean's having on him, and thus demote him and then forcibly remove him from his vessel and then back into Heaven to punish him. And it turns out that they were right to be worried, because all it takes is for Dean to declare that "we're through" and for him to mean it that makes Castiel so distressed that he full on rebels against Heaven for Dean's sake. Castiel dies twice, loses his Grace, is forced to turn his back on his family and kill them, and everything he does, he does it all for Dean. Not to mention the whole mess with Purgatory in seasons 6 and 7, which all comes about because he tries to stick it all out on his own because he wants Dean to be at peace and feels he can't ask more of him. And as for Dean's side....well, let's face facts: Dean is really, really, really fucked the hell up. And it's not his fault, and I also suspect that it's not his fault that he's too far gone to try to open up to other people about it, but...there it is. But the fact is that no matter how hard he tries, he just can't have a normal relationship anymore. The poor thing needs someone to take care of him for a change, someone who's strong enough to shoulder his burden for a while, or to at least help him bear the weight. And really...Castiel is the only one that can do that. Cas is the only one who's literally seen Dean at his worst (torturing souls in Hell), and who has still always believed in his goodness, that he's worthy of salvation. The other relationships that Dean's tried to have just don't work out because, for one reason or another, they can't handle his lifestyle (not that I'm blaming them for that, but...), or else he just can't find it within himself to let them in. He doesn't have that problem with Cas, because again, Castiel's practically been through everything with him already. And Dean especially seemed to be cut up by Castiel's betrayal in season 6, plus....then there's the matter of Sam, Dean's brother. Fact: Sam is THE most important person in the world to Dean, the axis around which his universe revolves. Therefore, you do not hurt Sam, or Dean will end you. So I figure that Cas has got to be someone special to Dean, because he hurts Sam, and yet Dean still shows signs of still being willing to forgive him for the unforgiveable...not to mention the whole almost-destroying-the-world thing.

Basically, I love Dean Winchester so fucking hard that it hurts, and I just want this poor guy, who's suffered so much, to be happy, and Cas is literally the only chance at romantic happiness that he has, as all the others (Cassie, Jo, Lisa, Anna) do not turn out well. It also really helps that Dean and Castiel have chemistry that practically leak out of every pore, the epic amounts of eye-sex that the two have (seriously, 90% of the time that these two are on-screen together, they're staring soulfully into each other's eyes), the fact that Castiel has no sense of personal space when it comes to Dean (he just loves standing inches away from Dean), how they balance each other out, and how everyone and their dog lampshades it ("Castiel? He has this weakness. He likes you." -Uriel; "I'm sorry, you have me confused with the other angel. You know, the one in the dirty trenchcoat who's in love with you?" -Balthazar; then there's Cas stating to Sam that he and Dean "share a more profound bond", and on and on it goes....), and how Castiel is always referred to as "Dean's angel", how when Castiel's at his lowest point in season 5, he seeks comfort from Dean, but rebuffs Sam's efforts, how Dean carries Cas's trenchcoat with him everywhere in season 7 when he thinks Cas is dead, despite everything...not to mention how it's practically the collective fandom OTP...can I really be blamed for shipping these two?

Sam/Jessica:

I suppose that this is why Supernatural is practially tailored to appeal to me...so much tragedy, so little time. It's actually kind of surprising, how much depth the show's managed to get out of this relationship, considering that Jess is killed off in the very first episode, and most decidedly does not end up coming back from the dead. But yeah. I think Sam's life could have gone so much better, if he'd been allowed to keep her in it. There's just so much what could have been in this relationship, and the show definitely milks it for all it's worth...like how it's revealed that Sam had been planning to ask her to marry him and all, and how it's clear that even though Sam's practically lived through several lifetimes, he still loves her, and that a part of him will always love her. It's just....this was the healthiest relationship that Sam's ever had on the show (though I guess that's what you get when your other two biggest love interests are a werewolf and a demon (who, as it happens, is mostly interested in using you to unwittingly bust out Lucifer)), and it's pretty much been made really, really clear that what he had with her is something that he's never going to have again. And wow, does that really suck for poor Sam. Anyway, I genuinely liked Jess, and think fondly of how things could have gone....and when it all gets to be too depressing, well...that's what AUs are for, right? ;)

Dean/Lisa:

Jesus Christ, these two....all the freaking tears, man. I loved their relationship so damn much, and Lisa really deserves an Awesome of the Year award, because bless her for trying. Bless her for trying to handle and put up with all of Dean's bullshit and trying to be fair to him, and yet keeping enough self-respect to know when to tell him to shove it up his ass and that he's crossed the line. And while I want there to be ONE FREAKING PERSON IN THE UNIVERSE THAT DOESN'T END UP LEAVING DEAN AND THUS RAMPING UP HIS ABANDONMENT ISSUES, I also can't blame her for finally calling it quits, because she is 100% right. She's right in that Dean needs to let someone in, that he needs someone to confide in, that no matter how much he wants to, he can't keep the supernatural out of his life, and that if he can't let her in on that aspect of his life, then they can't make a relationship work. Lisa completely hits his nail on the head. But unfortunately, Dean can't/won't open up to her, and thus Lisa's right to tell him to let her move on with her life, because he won't let her really help him. In any case, even though their falling out makes me want to scream and rage, becaue DAMN IT UNIVERSE WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET DEAN BE HAPPY, it makes sense, and I completely respect it. And I adore the platonic aspect of it too, and how Lisa's the one that's there for Dean when he thinks he's lost Sam forever. And if there's a canon romance in the show that makes me cry, it's this one. How Dean tells her that when he pictures being happy, it's with her and her son, how he ultimately ends up saying goodbye to them in season 6...again, ALL THE TEARS IN THE WORLD ARE NOT ENOUGH. So, yeah, Dean/Cas may be my OTP, but I love the Dean/Lisa relationship.

Sam/Sarah:

Sam, darling? Please take Dean's advice on this one, and marry this girl. Because damn is she just about perfect for you. Seriously, I adore Sarah; she's totally empathetic and sympathetic to Sam's feelings and situation, but at the same time, she does not put up with his bullshit, and especially in later seasons, this is something that Sam desperately, desperately needs. I mean, the guy has good intentions and all, but...well, he doesn't do much to steer his road away from Hell, shall we say. Let's face it: Sam, especially at the end of season 4, is an arrogant dick, and Pride is definitely the most prominent of his sins. And in looking back, even in season 1, the seeds of this problem are already planted. And Sarah's really one of the only people who's been successful on calling Sam out on his shit, so I feel that she could only have been a good influence in the long run. Plus, she is fierce, handled herself pretty damn well in a terrifying supernatural situation (because fuck, but that ghost threw her over a desk or something), and she didn't run off screaming into the night. I feel that Sarah could definitely have gone places as a character, and that these two would ultimately have done each other a world of good if they'd have gotten together for a long haul.

Dean/Castiel/Jimmy:

*headdesk* The fact that I ship this pairing is completely the fault of a fic called "Take The Wheel" (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7859423/1/Take_The_Wheel). I'm pretty sure that it's impossible to not feel sorry for poor Jimmy Novak, and his entire character arc in canon just makes me so deeply uncomfortable. I mean, it's so easy to forget that that is not Castiel's body that he's cruising around in, and then it'll just hit me all over again that, oh, yeah, that body actually belongs to this guy named Jimmy, who in canon has a wife and a young daughter that are never going to see him again, who gave up his entire life to be an angel's meatsuit in the service of Heaven, WHICH BY THE WAY would originally have probably been rewarded with the deaths of his family, as the Apocalypse would have wiped out most of the planet. And on top of all the shit that Cas has put that body through? God, I kind of hope that Jimmy still isn't in there in canon, the poor thing. ANYWAY, I ship this because I want Jimmy to have some semblance of happiness, damn it, and the way it plays out in that fic is about the only way that I can see it going for him at this point. But seriously, this guy has earned it a thousand times over, so as for the other two participants in this ship....Cas, move over, it's Jimmy's body for fuck's sake, and Dean's a pretty generous lover (either romantically or platonically), so I don't see him having much hardship in helping Jimmy out for once. And in any case, this is technically going on if you've got a Dean/Cas ship anyway.

Dean/Jamie:

Oh God, but I just love Jamie so much. She is just....so incredibly sassy and fierce and full-stop awesome, and in the episode she appeared in, SHE'S THE ONE THAT ACTUALLY SAVED DEAN AND SAM AND SLAYED THE MONSTER. Seriously, the change up in the usual dynamics of the show is so incredibly refreshing, especially when it's a complete flip of the usual gender roles that unfortunately seems to happen. And maybe it's because at this point Dean is not so jaded, but she actually gets him to open up and talk a little bit, and is a sort of impetus for maintaining a more positive outlook on his life (or for a while anyway, more's the pity). Apart from Lisa (and perhaps, in some ways, even more so than Lisa), this is the only relationship that Dean has with a woman that I can see working at all. Plus, it's nice that she finds out about his real job, and that while she doesn't run screaming out into the night, she still spots the utter suckage and unfairness of his life. Not to mention that in the episode Jamie seemed to be quite happy to help Dean out with his state of being "re-hymenated".

Lucifer/Sam:

I swear that hallucination!Lucifer (or 'Hallucifer') is simply THE BEST EVER. Funnily enough, depending on how the rest of season 7 goes, he may wind up into my top favorite character list (and what I've seen so far looks very promising). Seriously, even as it's horrifically depressing, Sam's brain is a truly genius thing, especially when you consider the fact that Sam spent over 180 YEARS IN THE CAGE with Lucifer, and so he HAD to have gotten to know him well, or enough so that Sam has trouble distinguishing what's reality. And the best line ever by Hallucifer: that he made Sam his bitch in every sense of the word. Not to say that I want Sam to run off to Lucifer and there'll be puppies and rainbows and sunshine or anything, because, no. I just think that this twisted, dark pairing is completely canon, from the way that Lucifer was practically treating Sam like his unhappy bride in "Swan Song", to the fact that the first interaction Lucifer has with Sam is when he's impersonating Jessica and makes out with Sam, to all this Stockholm Syndrome-y stuff that happened in the Cage (in this last case, it's kind of like Dean with Alastair---there's no way that those kinds of things didn't happen. I just like Lucifer/Hallucifer way better than Alastair, and Dean's pain hurts too much for it to be fascinating to me, whereas I really don't have that problem with Sam (not that I don't feel for the poor guy)). I just can't help but find the dynamic interesting, because really, Sam has spent more time with Lucifer than he has with anybody (with the possible exceptions of Michael and Adam, but Sam doesn't seem to be dwelling on them too much). There is just so much to explore in this relationship, you know?

Sam/Gabriel:

I can read this just fine as a side pairing in fics. I would prefer said fics to be AU, because unless if it's developed in a specific way, I really can't see Sam ever coming to feel that way about Gabriel in a canon 'verse setting. I mean, Gabriel's the one who murdered Dean in front of Sam over a hundred times, and unhinged the poor guy by making him live without Dean for six months. How could Sam ever get over that? Now, in canon, I can see the argument that Gabriel has a fascination with Sam, because otherwise, why bother trying to teach Sam any lesson at all? Yes, Gabriel had to have known that Dean and Sam were the Vessels of his brothers, but Gabriel's trying to stay out of his family's conflicts. So why take an interest in Sam when it practically goes directly against his goals? Now, in AUs (so long as Gabriel doesn't pull a canon and kill Dean), Sam's free to like Gabriel back, and I think the two kind of weirdly work well together, personality-wise. I mean, Sam needs someone sassy, bold, and outgoing like Gabriel to get him to take breaks from studying and such, and a person who wouldn't be afraid to call him out on his moments of being an asshole. Gabriel needs someone to rein him in and calm him down, who wouldn't be afraid to tell him that he's out of line at times either. Gabriel can keep Sam from starving to death on his diet of salads, and Sam can keep Gabriel from rotting all his teeth out. It just sort of works. Again, I mostly read this as a side pairing, typically accompanying Dean/Cas, but I can read the occasional oneshot focused on them.

Anna/Ruby:

Mostly, this is here because I like to have some femslash pairings to even things out a little bit, damn it. But seriously....Anna came around fairly quickly about Ruby. At first, she screams bloody murder if Ruby goes anywhere near here, and then the next time the Winchesters see her, she trades a look with Ruby, and says that Ruby isn't like other demons? Like, really now, Anna? For the most part, I liked Anna much better as a neurotic human, before she gets her angel mojo back, and I infinitely prefer season 3!Ruby over the season 4 version. But still, I think these two could work together (and I suppose they've got the whole angel/demon Foe Yay going on). I can easily imagine the two of them bonding before they met up with Dean and Sam again, and Ruby isn't one to pussyfoot around anyone, and I can see Anna as appreciating that, especially as she's spent the last few months as being thought of as crazy. And at least before she gets brainwashed, Anna's all about forgiveness and such...plus, I don't think Ruby was really lying about remembering her humanity, which is something that Anna coveted, got and loved, and then lost again. I could picture Anna coming to Ruby in all that downtime the demon apparently has, since she's really the only person that Anna knows and could semi-trust, besides the Winchesters, who could help her remember humanity. I dunno, they just fit, in my mind.

American Gods

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.


Avalon High

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.


The Princess Bride

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.


The Lord of the Rings

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.


Good Omens

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.


Princess Academy

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.

Comments

[raberbagirl.livejournal.com]

Huh. I never even thought about Regina/Shane; frankly - I don't remember her having a boyfriend besides Aaron, though I know she must have. XD I'ma have to pay attention to that the next time I watch Mean Girls.

Pfft, Karen was the idiot, right? XD I loved her.

And I think you're completely right about Mean Girls being way more about satire and not truly about romance and pairings. Which is interesting, considering how much influence teenage hormones have on the plot, but I like that observation.

[ashkiryn.livejournal.com]

Yeah...the fact that Regina was "cheating" on Aaron with Shane was a major part of the plot, as it's how Cady et al got rid of Regina's "high status man-candy" (aka convinced Aaron to break up with Regina).

"If you're from Africa...why are you white?" Lol, yes, that's Karen, the stupid one. XD

Thanks! And yeah, I think the movie's brilliant, but...I can't force a lot of shipping where I don't really see a lot of ships, you know? And when I'm watching other movies, I can focus on it AND pick up ship teasing, but not really with this movie. If that makes sense. Anyway, I'm glad you liked my observation! :)