The Pairing Meme
May. 27th, 2009 12:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
next_to_normalNow gakked from everyone: Name your 10 absolutely favorite couples (het/slash/canon/fanon) and ask people to see what trends they notice about your couples. Try to pick different fandoms.
My first reaction to this meme was much like![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
slaymesoftly's - I don't really ship much (in fact, the idea of watching a show and immediately sorting all the characters into pairings seems absolutely bizarre to me), so I figured it'd be hard to come up with 10 couples. But then someone pointed out that it's not "10 couples you ship," it's just "10 favorite couples." So, other than the first one (and a teeny bit the second), these aren't couples I ship. I don't look for fanfic about them, I don't talk about them in fandom, and in fact, I don't even think much about them when I'm not watching the show. They're just couples who, for one reason or another, I really enjoy watching their relationship.
1. Spike/Buffy (BtVS)
2. Logan/Veronica (Veronica Mars)
3. Jim/Pam (The Office)
4. Helo/Athena (Battlestar Galactica)
5. Matt/Julie (Friday Night Lights)
6. Eric/Tami (Friday Night Lights)
7. Hodgins/Angela (Bones)
8. Bartlet/Abbey (The West Wing)
9. CJ/Danny (The West Wing)
10. Marshall/Lily (HIMYM)
So... what are my trends?
My first reaction to this meme was much like
slaymesoftly's - I don't really ship much (in fact, the idea of watching a show and immediately sorting all the characters into pairings seems absolutely bizarre to me), so I figured it'd be hard to come up with 10 couples. But then someone pointed out that it's not "10 couples you ship," it's just "10 favorite couples." So, other than the first one (and a teeny bit the second), these aren't couples I ship. I don't look for fanfic about them, I don't talk about them in fandom, and in fact, I don't even think much about them when I'm not watching the show. They're just couples who, for one reason or another, I really enjoy watching their relationship. 1. Spike/Buffy (BtVS)
2. Logan/Veronica (Veronica Mars)
3. Jim/Pam (The Office)
4. Helo/Athena (Battlestar Galactica)
5. Matt/Julie (Friday Night Lights)
6. Eric/Tami (Friday Night Lights)
7. Hodgins/Angela (Bones)
8. Bartlet/Abbey (The West Wing)
9. CJ/Danny (The West Wing)
10. Marshall/Lily (HIMYM)
So... what are my trends?
no subject
Date: May. 28th, 2009 04:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: May. 29th, 2009 12:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: May. 28th, 2009 04:37 am (UTC)(I haven't seen FNL so not much to say there and I'm currently working my way through BSG)
So the one trend I'm seeing here is that the couples always challenge each other. The woman doesn't just sit quietly back and let the man lead, but she actively leads herself. Am I wrong in thinking that the women in these pairings almost seem too good for the men (superficially)? Buffy to Spike. Angela to Hodgins. Veronica to Logan. Abbey to Bartlet (which I know is like huh, but Bartlet himself treats Abbey like she's too good for him).
The other thing I see here is these are the relationships where things get messy. Where their world isn't perfect but it's real and their love for each other gets them through it.
no subject
Date: May. 29th, 2009 12:46 am (UTC)The other thing I see here is these are the relationships where things get messy. Where their world isn't perfect but it's real and their love for each other gets them through it.
Definitely. For a lot of these couples (particularly Helo/Sharon, Bartlet/Abbey, and Eric/Tami), the thing I admire about them is how strong and solid their relationship is. No matter what kind of shit life throws at them, they always manage to overcome it and it only strengthens their bond. It's the kind of marriage I'd want to have someday.