kungfuwaynewho (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kungfuwaynewho) wrote2011-01-15 09:51 am
kungfuwaynewho) wrote2011-01-15 09:51 am
Entry tags:
Question about ships. (Not the sailing kind.)
I wrote this big long entry about how I haven't been able to write any fic in awhile, beyond a few crappy paragraphs here and there, but it was boring and whiny even to me. I was rereading for typos before posting and I was like, shit, this is the epitome of no1curr.
So instead I am going to ask a fandom-nonspecific question, in the hope that the answers will help me figure something else out. And, you know, be interesting to read besides.
What is your all-time favorite ship? Why? And what was the moment/scene/episode that made you feel really invested in that relationship? And if you can't narrow it down to one, just write about two or three. (But not, like, ten. Commit, you wishy-washy girl.) (Unless you're a boy.) (Do any boys even read this?)
It occurs to me that I should get the ball rolling. As much as I've greatly loved other ships since, and as much as it's hard to really be objective about the whole thing, I'd have to say that ship that meant the most to me in general - though certainly not right at this moment - would be Mulder and Scully from The X-Files. It wasn't my first ship (that would be Link and Zelda, tyvm), but XF in general was a show that aired at a critical time in my life. I was 11 when it started, and 20 when it ended. So many of my dramatic sensibilities were formed by that show - what kind of stories I enjoy, how I like them being told, my expectations as far as quality goes, my love of shows that can experiment and defy their own premise, and so on. But most of all, the relationship between Mulder and Scully was an important one for me. I prefer ships that start off with a foundation of respect, and trust, and actual friendship. I'll never be that interested in two people meeting who seem to immediately fall in love without even knowing each other, for instance. Or relationships that start with lust and proceed from there.
Most importantly, I think, Mulder/Scully for me is all about the absolute equality in the relationship. For every time he saves her from danger, she saves him right back. Where one is strong, the other is weak, and they hold each other up. They might have disagreements but they don't belittle each other, or treat each other cruelly. That's what I want to see in a ship, even if it means foregoing manufactured ship drama. (Actually, especially if it means forgoing any of that.) And the first time I really knew that I needed them to be together would have been the Duane Berry arc - Scully is abducted and Mulder cannot save her, and has to hope against ever increasing odds that she'll return to him alive. It was the first time that there was the sense that they didn't just respect each other and depend on each other, and maybe be attracted to each other - Mulder was lost without her. He could not function. And to need someone else like that is pretty heady stuff.
So instead I am going to ask a fandom-nonspecific question, in the hope that the answers will help me figure something else out. And, you know, be interesting to read besides.
What is your all-time favorite ship? Why? And what was the moment/scene/episode that made you feel really invested in that relationship? And if you can't narrow it down to one, just write about two or three. (But not, like, ten. Commit, you wishy-washy girl.) (Unless you're a boy.) (Do any boys even read this?)
It occurs to me that I should get the ball rolling. As much as I've greatly loved other ships since, and as much as it's hard to really be objective about the whole thing, I'd have to say that ship that meant the most to me in general - though certainly not right at this moment - would be Mulder and Scully from The X-Files. It wasn't my first ship (that would be Link and Zelda, tyvm), but XF in general was a show that aired at a critical time in my life. I was 11 when it started, and 20 when it ended. So many of my dramatic sensibilities were formed by that show - what kind of stories I enjoy, how I like them being told, my expectations as far as quality goes, my love of shows that can experiment and defy their own premise, and so on. But most of all, the relationship between Mulder and Scully was an important one for me. I prefer ships that start off with a foundation of respect, and trust, and actual friendship. I'll never be that interested in two people meeting who seem to immediately fall in love without even knowing each other, for instance. Or relationships that start with lust and proceed from there.
Most importantly, I think, Mulder/Scully for me is all about the absolute equality in the relationship. For every time he saves her from danger, she saves him right back. Where one is strong, the other is weak, and they hold each other up. They might have disagreements but they don't belittle each other, or treat each other cruelly. That's what I want to see in a ship, even if it means foregoing manufactured ship drama. (Actually, especially if it means forgoing any of that.) And the first time I really knew that I needed them to be together would have been the Duane Berry arc - Scully is abducted and Mulder cannot save her, and has to hope against ever increasing odds that she'll return to him alive. It was the first time that there was the sense that they didn't just respect each other and depend on each other, and maybe be attracted to each other - Mulder was lost without her. He could not function. And to need someone else like that is pretty heady stuff.
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a) Their story. How fortuitous it was -- like, they never would've given each other the time of day if things hadn't gone just right (er, wrong). And how sad.
b) How realistic it was. Not only was the chemistry believable, but the way their relationship grew was one of the most believable things I've ever seen onscreen. The writing was amazing (especially early on), the acting was top notch, and EJO & MM had legitimate chemistry. Did you know Eddie improvised the Res Ship II kiss?
c) I identified with Laura immediately, and Bill is pretty much everything I want in a guy. I don't think the mini could have done any better at getting me to sympathize with Laura from scene one, and Bill's super rough and strong and masculine and intimidating and noble and passionate and smart and relationship-oriented and literature loving and sexy-voiced and tender and so incredibly GOOD. I'll stop here before I go spazzy all over your page and start vomiting hearts and glitter.
d) The literature-sharing thing. This would be Holly-fodder even if Eddie's voice wasn't liquid sex.
e) I've always had a thing for old-people ships. IDEK, Shannon.
f) It was in a TV show but didn't feel like it. I've never super-gotten into tv -- I'm not usually willing to commit to keeping the same schedule every week, and I've rarely run into anything good enough to tempt me to do so, as much as I've enjoyed the occasional show. I've always been more of a movie person, and I've really gotten into movie pairings, but then two hours later, it's over. You can only dwell on it for so long. BSG felt like a movie to me, but it was hours... and hours... and hours long, so I had that much longer to stew in the glorious shippiness and get completely batshit over it before it was over. Best of both worlds!
As for scenes, I knew from the very beginning of the mini I was going to ship them. I knew A/R was a "thing" (I think from your blog) before I started, but it also had that "these two are going to be irresistably adorable" vibe from the very beginning, and I liked the way they interacted. Their personalities and the respect issue was tantalizing when they butted heads. So I was invested immediately, but I'd say my favorite scene was the Res Ship II kiss. :)
ETA: g) Also, they're really, really mature. I almost forgot how important that was to me. They never argued over stupid stuff, respect was important to them, their priorities were in order. A lot of romances are dramarama over miscommunications and lies and insecurities, and I lose respect and interest quickly. Like, I love Starbuck, and I understand that she was deeply and unfixably messed up, but I got so sick of her toying around with Leemo and Sam. Pick one and have the balls to stick with it, dammit.
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a) Their story. How fortuitous it was -- like, they never would've given each other the time of day if things hadn't gone just right (er, wrong). And how sad.
I never really think about it this way, but you're right. And, you know, I don't believe in fate in real life, but I quite like a smattering of it in my fiction, and there's obviously quite a bit of that in the BSG universe. What are the odds that you find the love of your life out of 50,000 survivors of a genocide?
Did you know Eddie improvised the Res Ship II kiss?
I did know that! I think RDM brings it up in the podcast for that episode. That and "cut the wire" are my favorite EJO adlibs.
d) The literature-sharing thing. This would be Holly-fodder even if Eddie's voice wasn't liquid sex.
I DON'T WANT TO CRY ABOUT HIM READING HER THAT BOOK. OKAY. SO JUST SHUT UP ALREADY.
e) I've always had a thing for old-people ships. IDEK, Shannon.
Hee! Do you consider Picard/Crusher an old-people ship? If not, who are your others?
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What was the "cut the wire" thing? And there was the original SSWA, and smashing up the (oops! rented!) model ship, which I think was my favorite story for the lulz. Any other cool ones?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5OVFss399w
Heeee, yeah, Picard and Crusher. Um, I'm having a hard time coming up with a list, but seriously, ask Cath. I have a reputation for having a soft spot for cute old people getting together -- like, when it's an option, I tend to ship it. The symbolic first (my first moment of fandom at all, actually) was when my mom showed me a '69 rom com called Cactus Flower, expecting me to be totally enchanted by the very young (and admittedly very charming) Goldie Hawn in her first movie role, and instead I went utterly batshit over Ingrid Bergman, who was about 54 at the time. She and Walter Matthau (49) got together, and I luv luv loved it [squee, squee] (although I wasn't particularly crazy about WM).
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Haha, I forgot about the ship. OMG, that's classic, too. And then he gets to joke about breaking it again when he has his old-man fight with Tigh.
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