A Shipping Meme

[bofoddity]

Now, I don't tend to do either memes or shipping much, but since this one seems to be popping up again, I might as well give it a shot. FFVII.

One True Pairing Ship: Now, there really aren't absolute OTPs for me in this fandom, but I'm much more fascinated with Cloud/Tifa than I am with most others. There are just so many ways to approach this pairing (most which, sadly, aren't explored much), and unlike with most shippers, the ways this pairing could go wrong fascinates me most about it.

But since I'm a gen person at heart, I also have to mention that the most interesting relationship in the entire game is Sephiroth/Cloud, so I guess it's a Gen OTP for me rather than romantic one.

Canon Ship: Hojo/Lucrecia. I don't care what DoC tried to tell us, I think Lucrecia knew exactly what she was doing when she got involved with Jenova Project and I think she cared much more for Hojo than she ever cared for Vincent. Too bad that this pairing's only function in fandom is to prove how horrible Hojo is.

"If this happens I'll stab my eyes out with a fork" 'Ship: Cloud/Aeris. Squeenix has done many things wrong, but leaving the love triangle unresolved was definitely NOT one of them. This pairing interests me only as an unhealthy train wreck; rest of the fandom can have the other incarnations.

"You are one sick bastard" 'Ship: Fluffy Sephiroth/Cloud. NO.

"I dabble a little" 'Ship: Tifa/Aeris. This one is actually kind of funny: I used to think, and still do, that this is one of those femslash pairings that people 'ship just because the other alternatives are either scarce or nonexistent. And although I have managed to make it interesting to myself, I'm still not that much into it. But for some reason it's so far the only pairing that I've written more than once.

"It's like a car crash" 'Ship: Too many to list, so I'll choose Vincent/Lucrecia. Again, DoC means nothing to me. In my eyes this pairing is all about stalkery Vincent and snotty Lucrecia, a combination that will lead to no good at all. And it's interesting only when Hojo is tossed in the mix.

"Tickles my fancy but not sold quite yet" 'Ship: Reeve/Scarlet or Rufus/Scarlet. I wrote a short fic for the former once and have been itching to write a second one ever since, and while I can't see the latter ever actually happening, I do like the idea of mutual fascination and respect between Rufus and Scarlet.

"Makes no canon sense but why the hell not" 'Ship: Sephiroth/anybody? That is, only if I ever find something good with him, which doesn't tend to happen.

"Everyone else loves it but I just don't feel it" 'Ship: Sephiroth/Zack/Cloud, especially if Aeris is involved. Less said about my issues with this the better.

"When all is said and done" 'Ship: Even after seeing this meme more than once, I'm still not sure what exactly this part means (though the most likely option is 'finished' pairing), so I'll interpret this as a pairing I can see living happily ever afte and that would be Barret/Tifa. With a little stretch you can insert Cloud there, too.

Comments

[kimouski.livejournal.com]

Why you little whore. Zack/Tifa thought you loved it!

[bofoddity.livejournal.com]

Zack/Tifa defies categories! It didn't allow me to express my love.

[kimouski.livejournal.com]

You lie, Bof. Zack/Tifa would never put the gag on you like that. Zack/Tifa adores adoration.

[bofoddity.livejournal.com]

I don't know, sometimes I feel like it's out to test my love. I may be slutty, Zack/Tifa, but it doesn't mean that I don't care about you!

[delladella.livejournal.com]

I pretty much track along the same lines as you for a lot of your responses here. Surprise! Reeve/Scarlet, though? I’d never even considered! For me, my wtf pairing of choice is somehow Reeve/Tifa, which I share with bottle_of_shine.

I didn’t realize you’d written Aeris/Tifa. Call me attentive! But it sounds interesting. I’ll have to investigate!

Sephiroth/Zack/Cloud, especially if Aeris is involved. Less said about my issues with this the better.

Oh, man. Do I need to even say that I agree? Probably not. But the force of my agreement compels me!

Funny about Sephiroth in general, though. He’s such a fabulous asshole that sometimes, usually when I’m writing, I think he’ll overtake Cloud as my favorite. I didn’t think much of him when I played the game, so it’s interesting to see the act of participating in fandom change my mind about a character.

[bofoddity.livejournal.com]

Reeve/Scarlet is one of the more random pairings I've got attached to, but for some reason I just really like the idea. The dynamic I see between them is about Reeve feeling that he's better than Scarlet and Scarlet proving him that he really isn't, and in a certain way Scarlet is more sincere than Reeve is. She doesn't need to pretend that she's something else than she is, which Reeve envies. And eventually he ends up feeling reluctant affection for her.

Now I don't know how you or bottle_of_shine view Reeve/Tifa, but in their case I could see Reeve being attracted to this idealized view of Tifa first, but is later drawn to 'real' Tifa. Looks like I have lots of ideas about Reeve despite barely writing him!

I have two Aeris/Tifa-fics up at ffnet, so you can try those out if you're curious. The longer one is probably unintentionally hilarious due to being the first FFVII-fic I wrote in years, while other is drabblish, but got a Kim-seal of approval. /pimp pimp pimp

Oh, man. Do I need to even say that I agree? Probably not. But the force of my agreement compels me!

As it should! One day, though, I may actually say more about my issues with the OT3(4) of crap. Anyhow, I think Sephiroth is one of those characters than can become more interesting through writing, if they're treated right, and from what I've seen you have good touch for him. Not to mention that sometimes assholes are simply fun to write.

Also, I have to say I'm amused by how both you and Kim, despite not being into Sephiroth, have such interesting takes on him compared to rest of the fandom.

[delladella.livejournal.com]

Looks like I have lots of ideas about Reeve despite barely writing him!

SERIOUSLY. I don’t even know how that happens—except to say that Reeve’s a pretty interesting guy and guaranteed to be dealing with ambivalence on account of his crossed loyalties. He sort of reminds me of a lapsed liberal, somebody with a dream and vague ideas about goodness and decency who never thought he’d end up working for a soulless company like Shin-Ra. And yet, somehow, there he was.

Also, Scarlet! For some reason, I can’t begin to hate her, maybe because she’s such a two-dimensional bitch on wheels in the game. I can see how she’d be a fun character to flesh out in fic. Her bitch-slapping contest with Tifa goes down in my hall of fame.

I have two Aeris/Tifa-fics up at ffnet, so you can try those out if you're curious.

PRESSURE’S ON.

[bofoddity.livejournal.com]

YES. That's how I see Reeve, as this idealist who had a vision, and when he got a chance to pursue that vision, he leaped for it. Only it ended up biting him in the ass and hard. I also got the feeling from the game that the President had this paternal attitude towards him, and I can definitely see him pulling Reeve around from strings. "We're doing these awful things for greater good, Reeve." "I know you would like to do it this way, but surely you understand that doing it like this is more realistic?" And Reeve ends up accepting the bargain over and over again.

Scarlet doesn't have much depth in the game, but I see a lot of potential in her. How did she achieve the position she had? Did she have to bargain? Did she have a soul to sell? Most people just dismiss her as a slut, just because she dresses the way she does, although she seems to be more interested in weapons than men. She's a woman in position of power, and unlike Heidegger, I don't remember Scarlet ever getting mocked or dismissed the way Heidegger was, so there has to be more to her than her appearance.

[sairento-hiru.livejournal.com]

"Everyone else loves it but I just don't feel it" 'Ship: Sephiroth/Zack/Cloud, especially if Aeris is involved. Less said about my issues with this the better.

Anybody who puts Sephiroth/Aeris together should suffer a horrible death, imho. Not to mention a Sephiroth/Zack/Cloud... but all I've seen of that ot3 is fluff. As we've ranted before, Sephiroth=/=love.

[bofoddity.livejournal.com]

The endless fluff is what annoys me the most about the OT3. Sephiroth just isn't fluffy, at all, and I doubt being around LOL!Zack and "Look how my delicate eyelashes bat"!Cloud is likely to change him. Same for Cloud, although in a different way, and I actually don't think that Zack would be likely to push those two together in a first place. Sephiroth =/=love should be enough of an explanation for that.

Also, even if we ignore the bizarreness of Sephiroth/Aeris, getting Aeris involved doesn't even make any sense. I doubt Zack would be too eager to introduce her to his buddies at Shin-Ra Inc., considering that she's being hunted by Shin-Ra. And if fangirls have such problem with Tifa not saying a thing to Cloud about him not being a SOLDIER, then why would it be okay for Aeris to stay quiet if she had met him in the past? Get your facts straight, people!

[delladella.livejournal.com]

[...] I actually don't think that Zack would be likely to push those two together in a first place.

YES. GOD WHY IS THIS THE PREMISE OF SO MANY FICS. I mean—! Okay, deep breaths and all, but seriously. Supposing—just supposing—you were friends with two unstable and isolated people. Would you, as a friend, leap to the conclusion that it’d be a good idea to match up these two miserable bastards? Like, somehow wangst and wangst cancel each other out instead of bringing on the Wangst Apocalypse? I DON’T GET IT. What, are they supposed to commiserate while keeping up an emotionally stunted relationship? Oh, wait! I see: ZACK AND AERIS MUST TEACH THEM ABOUT LOVE! Only then is true balance achieved.

And if fangirls have such problem with Tifa not saying a thing to Cloud about him not being a SOLDIER, then why would it be okay for Aeris to stay quiet if she had met him in the past? Get your facts straight, people!

Have I told you lately that I love you?

[bofoddity.livejournal.com]

No kidding! The saddest thing is that in these fics, it's SEPHIROTH who's always seen as the more balanced one.. and why, exactly? Because he's tall? Because he doesn't give a fuck about most things? Of course, Zack and Aeris are always there to come to the rescue, but HOW LIKELY IS THAT? You'd think that bringing Cloud and Sephiroth together would be this big warning signal about things not being okay in Zack's head!

And bringing Aeris in.. it just doesn't make sense. On any. Fucking. Level. Unless Zack the Wonderful really is a slimy bastard. That's when it would make sense!

Have I told you lately that I love you?

Not much, sadly. But you're more than free to fix that! LOVE ME DELANEY.