Meme stolen from everyone

[gryfndor_godess]

Finally caving and doing this because I want a distraction from studying:

Comment with any ship (romantic or platonic or maybe even non-existent!) from a fandom that you know I have some knowledge about, and I will rant about aforementioned ship. This may be incoherent gushing or exclamations of disgust, depending on your ship of choice.

Fandoms I can gush/rant about: Harry Potter, BtVS, Angel, HIMYM, Bones, The Big Bang Theory, Castle, Cougar Town, BSG, Friends, Firefly, Dollhouse, The Guild, Arrested Development

Comments

[smells_corrupt.livejournal.com]

Fred/gunn!

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

Fred/Gunn are adorable! I confess that I have never rewatched AtS S3 and S4, so I don't remember many details of their relationship. However, in the big picture, I think they had chemistry, I thought their attraction to each other was believable, and I thought their break-up was contrived and offensive. While I consider them 'cute,' in no way do I mean that in an infantilizing or juvenile way. I wish we had seen more of them as a couple on-screen, as opposed to their status as the-secondary-characters-couple-who-occasionally-kiss-to-remind-viewers-they're-dating. Most of my F/G thoughts are a direct comparison to Fred/Wes, which I don't like in and of itself as well as because of how it destroyed Gunn and Wes's friendship. I am ambivalent about Fred and Gunn's friendship in S5. I don't think we got to see enough of the main cast interacting, and I dislike how by the time she's died, Gunn is no closer to her than any other man and puts her on the same pedestal; he doesn't act like an ex-bf who genuinely loved her for the woman she was.

Those aren't very coherent, but that's all the word vomit on F/G I can think of at the moment! :)

[smells_corrupt.livejournal.com]

TRUTH. I loved them together! They were a believable couple, low on the angst until the end. I would have love to see more of the them. I also must confess that I haven't rewatched the second part or three, or any of 4/5. Although I'm about to rewatch five over the summer. Bu anyway, Fred/gunn = love.

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

Heh, I've never done a consecutive rewatch, but I watch certain episodes of S5 quite frequently because of Spike. I know that season better than any other AtS season, which is a bit unfair since 1 and 2 are actually quite good.

[snickfic]

Ooh! Topher-Adelle, plz.

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that's a tricky one. In chronological order... They have a wonderful dynamic in real time (i.e. before the Epitaph episodes) and are very charismatic. I like that she has to, well, not defer to him, per se, but that she can't just order him around like she would anyone else because he's the brains behind the operation. That means he can challenge her and be snarky and get away with it, and they're very fun to watch. I like how she's perceptive of his loneliness in that birthday scene with Sierra; it seeds stuff for the Epitaph future.

As for the Epitaph future, I like the idea of their relationship a lot, but I am ambivalent about the actual execution. It doesn't really inspire emotion in me, and that is for two reasons: (a) the personality shifts are so glaring. I can understand why Topher goes crazy from guilt, but it's one of those things where I understand it rationally but can't connect emotionally with the new characterization. Adelle's personality shifts strikes me as even more bizarre. I can see the seeds of her maternal instinct in real time if I squint real hard, but mostly Epitaph Adelle seems like a watered-down version of herself. I also think there were other, more exciting Adelle relationships that needed more closure than Adelle-Topher- namely, Adelle/Dominic.

(b) is that I thought the ending was dumb. Topher's a genius and he really can't figure out any way to remote detonate the bomb? I don't buy that. Again, I understand why he might want to stop living, but it seems stupid to me that she let him sacrifice himself when the new world clearly needed all the brain power it could get.

(although as I write this and remember the scene, I think I did cry, so I guess it moved me some.)

So overall I like them together, but they don't make me flail, and I think I would have enjoyed their Epitaph dynamic more if there had been more build-up to it. And now I'm going to watch his death scene on Netflix...

[bluemage55.livejournal.com]

Angel/Spike!

Your call whether you rant about them as a romantic, platonic, or crack!ship. :P

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

I LOVE THEM. And a good way to sum up my opinion is that I don't think you can just talk about them in platonic or romantic terms. They've meant so much to each other over the years that I think you have to consider both. Granted, it's not a romantic love as in "I would choose you over anyone else to spend the rest of my life with," but I think they do love each other, would die for each other, and there's certainly a sexual undertone to their chemistry (as Spike admits in "Power Play"; they totally did it when they were evil, and more than once). We mostly get snarking in S5 because their presence in each other's lives is so new and unexpected and they're used to acting like they despise each other, but once they become accustomed to each other and remember what they have in common, you see that they really do care. Frex, Angel automatically refers to Spike as a fellow champion in TGIQ.

From individual perspectives, I think Spike truly did loathe Angelus as much as he looked up to him, and I think he looks up to Angel more than he would admit. He certainly sees Angel's flaws (and points them out) more than most people, but he also understands the choices Angel has made.

I think Angel also cares about Spike more than he would admit and views him as family. There's a father-son vibe as well as a brother vibe, and if Angel and Spike were stuck together post-NFA, I think Angel's protectiveness would come out a lot more as time went on. This beautiful fic, http://cindergal.livejournal.com/11571.html, though AU, is how I think Angel would eventually feel/act.

So, yes, I adore them. I adore S5 specifically because of Spike and how fantastic he and Angel are (JM and David Boreanaz are on fire together), and I will never understand the complaints that Spike ruined the season- he pretty much singlehandedly saved the show after the trainwreck that was S4, imo. I adore their arguments in "Just Rewards," I salivate over the epic fight in "Destiny" and the William-Angelus flashbacks, the astronaut-caveman argument makes me giddy, I love when Angel admits to liking Spike's poetry, and TGIQ makes me flail incoherently. I love them together. They're not my OTP, of course, but they're the only ship that I think might possibly have equal, or more, chemistry than Spuffy (that is how much I love them). And if Buffy were unavailable, I'd want Spike and Angel to be platonic-romantic life partners.

[smells_corrupt.livejournal.com]

*butts in with an inane comment*

I now have to start looking for other ships to refer to as "platonic-romantic life partners." just so I can use "platonic-romantic life partners" in a sentence. :)

*this has been an inane comment. Back to work everyone.*

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

Haha, I like your inane comment. That description is totally an oxymoron, but I think it fits them accurately. You'll have to let me know if you find other ships. :D

[smells_corrupt.livejournal.com]

If I can't find ships, I may just use it on real people.
RL friend: the new guy at work is so cute! We have so much in common!
Me: you should be platonic-romantic life partners!
RLF: yeah! Wait. What?
Me: *grins*

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

Lol, DO IT.

[bluemage55.livejournal.com]

We mostly get snarking in S5 because their presence in each other's lives is so new and unexpected and they're used to acting like they despise each other

I wouldn't be too surprised if they kept up the snarking for all eternity, post-romance or not. :P

This beautiful fic, http://cindergal.livejournal.com/11571.html, though AU, is how I think Angel would eventually feel/act.

"His boy" expresses it quite nicely. Thanks for the lovely fic rec, and the rant!

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

I'm sure they would snark forever. Keeps the magic alive.

My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed the fic, too. :)