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Always the same 'ship, just with different couples...
I've been re-reading Gaudy Night (like you do), and one sentence suddenly stood out. Well a lot of them did, obviously, because it's a wonderful book, but I've been thinking about how Peter and Harriet are my 'shipping blueprint, and there is was, perfectly:
That, then, was what he wanted her for. For some reason, obscure to herself and probably also to him, she had the power to force him outside his defences.
Because that is it - the thing that runs through every couple I've ever shipped. Buffy/Spike (although there it is him forcing her out of her defences), Jack/Ianto, Doctor/River, and - with a slight variation, in that these couples are also very old - Spike/Angel and Doctor/Master. Heck you can add Cutter/Leetah to that list, and Howl/Sophie - or even Elizabeth/Darcy... (um, not me. The Austen version.)
To quote the book again (it makes more sense in context - there's poetry involved - but I think it works on its own):
He did not want to forget, or to be quiet, or to be spared things, or to stay put. All he wanted was some kind of central stability, and he was apparently ready to take anything that came along, so long as it stimulated him to keep that precarious balance.
It's not about the strength of their [~romantic~] feelings (how *do* you measure love, anyway?), or about making each other happy; indeed a lot of my 'ships have at various points tried to kill each other. But that connection is still there, that ability to force honesty from each other:
"And I can fool Giles, and I can fool my friends, but I can't fool myself. Or Spike, for some reason."
"It's not pretty, but it's real."
I could go on, but I think this speaks for itself pretty well. All thoughts welcome.
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promethia_tenk have you finished it yet? *looks hopeful* My ear is open like a greedy shark to catch the tunings of a voice divine...)
That, then, was what he wanted her for. For some reason, obscure to herself and probably also to him, she had the power to force him outside his defences.
Because that is it - the thing that runs through every couple I've ever shipped. Buffy/Spike (although there it is him forcing her out of her defences), Jack/Ianto, Doctor/River, and - with a slight variation, in that these couples are also very old - Spike/Angel and Doctor/Master. Heck you can add Cutter/Leetah to that list, and Howl/Sophie - or even Elizabeth/Darcy... (um, not me. The Austen version.)
To quote the book again (it makes more sense in context - there's poetry involved - but I think it works on its own):
He did not want to forget, or to be quiet, or to be spared things, or to stay put. All he wanted was some kind of central stability, and he was apparently ready to take anything that came along, so long as it stimulated him to keep that precarious balance.
It's not about the strength of their [~romantic~] feelings (how *do* you measure love, anyway?), or about making each other happy; indeed a lot of my 'ships have at various points tried to kill each other. But that connection is still there, that ability to force honesty from each other:
"And I can fool Giles, and I can fool my friends, but I can't fool myself. Or Spike, for some reason."
"It's not pretty, but it's real."
I could go on, but I think this speaks for itself pretty well. All thoughts welcome.
(
promethia_tenk have you finished it yet? *looks hopeful* My ear is open like a greedy shark to catch the tunings of a voice divine...)
no subject
THEIR LOVE IS SO PURE!
Total word. I so dislike this preoccupation with romantic love - as though its superior to other kinds when in actual fact, romantic love is the most fickle type of love there is.
Exactly. Although with Buffy and Spike there is clearly a *connection* from the word go, and something that is far from romantic. :)
(That said, I do think Buffy was in love with Spike, but that was quite secondary to the non-romantic love she had for him.)
*nods a lot* I think she was definitely falling (or on the verge of), but - like she said - 'Does it have do mean something?' It's a secondary issue. (Did you every read my 'It was... a hello'? It's my attempt at dealing with Buffy's hugely conflicting emotions in Chosen.)
Oh God, SO MUCH WORD.
Plus, since when did sex = happiness? I'm pretty sure she learned the fallacy of THAT idea during S6. Plus, you know - hundreds of dead Slayers! Good GOD I hate that story.
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Very true. Synergism. :D
Oh, I hadn't read that one, but I have now! “It could never be just a hello.” YESYESYES. I LOVE YOU. Also: Her love for him is like a desert flower - a seed that’s hidden until a sudden rainfall brings it out in bloom. It is now folding in on itself - laying in waiting until next time. If ever there is a next time. So perfect. I seriously can't think of a better metaphor for B/A. Oh Buffy.
Plus, you know - hundreds of dead Slayers! Good GOD I hate that story.
UGH. PREACH.
no subject
Or kyerumption. :)
Oh, I hadn't read that one, but I have now! “It could never be just a hello.” YESYESYES. I LOVE YOU.
Trust you to pull out the line that THE WHOLE FIC WAS WRITTEN AROUND! Once I began thinking about it, it was just SO OBVIOUS!
So perfect. I seriously can't think of a better metaphor for B/A. Oh Buffy.
Aw, thank you. And I actually have another metaphor here (plus metaphors for S/B and S/A) - VERY short. Anyway, I do think it's a neat image, and I was v. pleased when I thought of it.
UGH. PREACH.
Oh you ain't seen nothin' yet... *g*
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But yeah, no, you're totally right on that one though. Buffy and Spike... are complicated. Buffy's spent the last several years trying to deny their relationship meaning, because it means too many things. Angel represents a time of certainty; Spike forces her out of her comfort zone. "Does it have to mean something?" It's too complicated to define.
OMG. SPIKE AND ANGEL HAVE A TEDDY BEAR LOVE. :D :D :D
Day complete. (Oh yes, and the other two are quite fitting, too. *g*)
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Every time. :)
But yeah, no, you're totally right on that one though. Buffy and Spike... are complicated. Buffy's spent the last several years trying to deny their relationship meaning, because it means too many things.
It's one of the reasons I love it so. And re. the 'Does it have to mean something' here's what I wrote on a different occasion:
They shared something very important, they both acknowledge that. But what does that mean? It’s not the importance of the night that’s being questioned, but rather what the consequences are. Where do they go from here? Should they go somewhere? See it reminds me of another conversation. From ‘Storyteller’:
Xander: Yes. I still love you. I always will. I just don't know if that means anything for us anymore.
Anya: Well, I love you too. I don't know if that means anything either.
The Buffy/Spike conundrum is essentially the same. Was their night together a beginning or an end? Is there any point in pursuing something when the world is falling apart? Neither is sure of enough themselves to take that one last step - yet.
OMG. SPIKE AND ANGEL HAVE A TEDDY BEAR LOVE. :D :D :D
I KNOW!!!!! The other two were easy to work out, but Spike/Angel was tricky until one day inspiration struck and I was giddy with joy! (I can point out the specific place where it happened, oh yes.) It is so perfect that it still makes me all wibbly. (Darn, I'm going to have to dig up that hand-holding icon, aren't I?)
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Hee, I am curious about this exact inspiration-striking moment now.
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LOL! Yes. (And look at me being eternally optimistic.)
Hee, I am curious about this exact inspiration-striking moment now.
Well it was just walking down the road - I just happen to remember it vividly.
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Yeah, I have epiphanies about TV shows walking down the street too. *shakes head* What are we.
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You and me both. :)
Yeah, I have epiphanies about TV shows walking down the street too. *shakes head* What are we.
Obsessive fangirls! \o/