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I'm making a meme. Because I need this documented and it's fun :D Do as you wish with it!!
Five OTP Pairings
.crowley and aziraphale
"I'd just like to say," he said, "if we don't get out of this, that . . . I'll have known, deep down inside, that there was a spark of goodness in you."
"That's right," said Crowley bitterly. "Make my day."
I guess I should leave my top pairings until the end but hey, they're all good. First, Crowley and Aziraphale - a demon who did not so much fall as saunter vaguely downwards and an angel who owns and (occasionally) sells rare-books. Canonically there are the closest anti-friends that exist in any fandom I've found. The most famous (and with good reason!) quote from Good Omens is this;
Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide. Two of these were wrong; Heaven is not in England, whatever certain poets may have thought, and angels are sexless unless they really want to make an effort. But he was intelligent.
Yep. Canon proof that Aziraphale can choose his gender. Or sexual preference. Or whatever. Neil and Terry have both expressed their amusement at Az/Crowley shippers over the years, stating that as long as they don't have to read the fic then it's fine. And pretty much canon, because come on 6000 years with just each other is bound to create some sort of UST. :D The thing I love about Crowley and Aziraphale is that they really do need each other by the time that the book ends. They rely on each others advice and opinions. They get drunk and talk about dolphins. It's really quite delightful.
In addition, during the course of the book they spend time together: they eat dinner at the Ritz, and, along with spies of all nations, regularly feed the ducks in St. James' park. Crowley twice refers to Aziraphale as "angel." Anathema Device, a woman whose bike Crowley runs over, notices Crowley referring to Aziraphale as 'angel' and mistakes them for a gay couple.
Wikipedia
I think my favourite bit in GO is when Crowley talks about being lonely. Poor Aziraphale, distracted but his love of books and all things old and dusty runs out of Crowley's car in a rather dispassionate sate of mind, leaving Crowley to go home alone, and that simple sentence talking about how alone he actually is makes you really realise his fondness for the angel. We also see the closeness between them in two other moments in the book, where Crowley is worried that Aziraphale has been killed. It's really quite sweet :D
- [p. 374/262] "They went to the Ritz again [...]. And, [...] for the first time ever, a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square."
A reference, you may notice, to the song "A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square."
That certain night, the night we met,
there was magic abroad in the air.
There were angels dining at the Ritz,
and a Nightingale sang in Berkley Square.
SO, MUCH. LOVE.
And then of course there's the ineffable script of the movie that will, hopefully, still be made. Don't even get me started on the blatant slash in the movie script. Incidentally in 2006 Gaiman and Pratchett released Aziraphale's and Crowley's Resolutions, with Crowley's ending in, "Resolution #8: Stop Googling myself."
I love my favourite book. ♥
.jack and ianto
Jack: This is Ianto Jones. Ianto cleans up after us and gets us everywhere on time.
Ianto: I try my best.
Jack: And he looks good in a suit.
Ianto: Careful. That’s harassment, sir.
Never more have I felt like this is my pairing. I read SGA authors and Potter authors, and as much as I love the characters I can never really write them. With Jack and Ianto I feel as though they're a part of me. Why, you ask? (Well, you probably don't because I mention them every five seconds but...) Because they're human. Okay, Jack isn't actually human but whatever, the point is that the breathe, and they live, and they fuck, and they cry, and they get hurt, and they see the worst things about life, but at the end they come back to each other. If you're a human (and most of you are) then you can relate to them. Perhaps not the cyber-girlriend in the basement but yep. I love them.
So let's find some lovely quotes instead of just waxing lyrical about them.
Gwen: I don't know anything.
Owen: Not who he is, not where he's from, not anything. Except... him being gay.
Gwen: No he's not. Really, do you think?
Toshiko: Owen does, I don't.
Ianto: And I don't care.
From the beginning we get this whole set up that Ianto and Jack are very much the separate, bantering work colleagues. Ianto's there to look pretty, Jack's there to boss him around, and no questions are asked. They are ambiguous. Ianto's very discrete about his feelings, and I think that's why so many people don't like Jack/Ianto - because of this "out of the blue" feel to their relationship. But if you've been watching hard enough the chemistry between them is there all the time. I think it's the perfect start to a love story.
Jack: Are you hiding anything else in the basement!?
Ianto: Like you'd care. I clean up your shit, no questions asked and that's the way you like it:. When the last time you asked me about my life?
(later)
Jack: Execute her, or I'll execute you both!
Ianto: You think you're some kind of hero, but you're the biggest monster of them all!
I like that Jack will charm and cajole everyone in the team apart from Ianto. He does those things, but they're never with the same tone, the same manner. They're always done with a hint of respect and caution. It's a clever, clever thing. When we find out about Lisa it's wonderful to see this new Jack, a Jack who for once realises that people have feelings. He can see Gwen has them, but Ianto's the one to show him how to feel. Ianto's the one to teach him. From then on there's a wonderful set of character changes in Jack, especially regarding the concern for his team. I'd like to think that was because Ianto made him realise that there's a life outside of Torchwood, and Jack could be a part of it if he wanted. He'll always tell Jack what he thinks, even if it's done with respect, and that's perfect.
Jack: You shouldn't be here.
Ianto: Neither should you.
The beginning of 1x05 is beautiful in its quietness. They haven't forgiven each other but they still haven't quite missed that there is chemistry between them. Ianto's hurting for Lisa, yet he knows that Jack is someone whom he could easily fall for. Jack knows Ianto's hurting, and he doesn't think there's a future there. It's all rather lovely. Episode 6 is also stunning. Refusing to admit that Jack brought him back to life with a kiss in the 4th episode, Ianto doesn't confess that Jack was his last kiss. That look that Jack gives him is heart breaking. It's so full of anger and jealousy. And of course we have Ianto's return glare which carries a "couldn't-care-less" attitude. Eep.
Ianto: If you're interested, I've still got that stopwatch.
Jack: So?
Ianto: Well. Think about it. Lots of things you can do with a stopwatch.
Jack: Oh yeah! I could think of a few.
Ianto: There's quite a list.
Jack: I'll send the others home early. See you in my office in ten.
Ianto: That's ten minutes, and counting.
Yep. The ol' classic ending of 1x08. Which, in the light of 2x01 is pretty amusing now. And the lovely thing about this dialogue is the follow-up on the bbc website, in which Jack and Ianto have an IM conversation discussing how Ianto's over Lisa and how he's happy to be with Jack. There's a lot happened in 4 episodes obviously! In episode 11 we have a gorgeous scene with Jack and Ianto just talking in the cells, not really anything shippy going on but I love that they just spend time together. And then Jack takes him on his first mission! Of course it's all leading to;
Ianto: Jack needs me!
Owen: In your dreams, Ianto. In your sad wet dreams, when you're his part time shag maybe.
i really hated Owen here. Go Ianto for shooting him! But it showed the changing dynamics in the relationship, one that was obviously blatant enough for the team to pick up on. And then we have the stunning kiss in the finale wherein you can tell Jack just wants Ianto to know that he's his and that in Jack's own way, he's loved. Of course now Season Two has started we get the proper relationship blooming. But I think that'll be the topic for the majority of the next three months so uh, I'll leave it there :D Let's move onto...
.remus and sirius
"Professor," Harry interrupted loudly, "what's going on --?"
But he never finished the question, because what he saw made his voice die in his throat. Lupin was lowering his wand, gazing fixed at Black. The Professor walked to Black's side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a lover.
Yeah yeah. Okay. Fine. It says brother. But eh, same difference, right? Seriously, I really really thought Lupin/Black (Lupin/Black? I've never said that in my life,) Remus/Sirius was canon until the marriage-that-shall-not-be-named. SO MUCH can be read into canon. The school days, the lack of women, the pining and then the overwhelming joy at being together again, the living together, the sending joint christmas gifts, the sitting together reading the newspaper when Harry floo's in, the canine references... you get the gist. I really, really thought they were a couple. And I still think that they were bi. I mean, Remus went for Sirius's cousin after he died. Bless him. And even then it was only to look after her. She is one fit character. No one should have regrets about marrying/sleeping with a fit bird like Tonks. Anyway,
ʹI havenʹt seen anyone from the Order all weekend, theyʹre all busy. Itʹs just been Kreacher and me here."
There was a definite note of bitterness in Siriusʹs voice.
That's my bit of canon evidence for Remus spending time with Tonks instead of Sirius :D There is a whole load of backstory I could go into here, but for the moment I'll stick to my own little fantasies. I think it's not hard to believe that Sirius and Remus could live quite cosily together. They've been best friends for over 30 years. It's hard not to love someone after that time, even mutually.
With another shock of excitement, Harry saw Sirius give James the thumbs‐up. Sirius was. lounging in his chair at his ease, tilting it back on two legs. He was very good‐looking; his dark hair fell into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance neither Jamesʹs nor Harryʹs could ever have achieved, and a girl sitting behind him was eyeing him hopefully, though he didnʹt seem to have noticed. And two seats along from this girl ‐ Harryʹs stomach gave another pleasurable squirm ‐ was Remus Lupin. He looked rather pale and peaky (was the full moon approaching?) and was absorbed in the exam: as he reread his answers, he scratched his chin with the end of his quill, frowning slightly.
In one sentence we get this gorgeous imagery of the three best friends as young boys. It really makes the reader view their relationship in a somewhat more real light. And the banter;
ʹDid you like question ten, Moony?ʹ asked Sirius as they emerged into the Entrance Hall.
ʹLoved it,ʹ said Lupin briskly. ʹGive five signs that identify the werewolf. Excellent question.ʹ
And of course the most heartbreaking line in any book ever...
ʹSIRIUS!ʹ he bellowed. ʹSIRIUS!ʹ
`He canʹt come back, Harry,ʹ said Lupin, his voice breaking as he struggled to contain Harry. `He canʹt come back, because heʹs d‐ʹ
`HE ‐ IS ‐ NOT ‐ DEAD!ʹ roared Harry. ʹSIRIUS!ʹ
Whether it be a friendship or relationship Remus and Sirius are still a couple of my most favourite ever wolves. I love them to pieces, and always will.
.harry and draco
You'd better hurry up, they'll be waiting for 'the Chosen Captain' - 'The Boy Who Scored'- whatever they call you these days.
So many people dislike Draco/Harry. I do not understand!!! What's not to love about the cracktastic love that is two enemies loving each other?!!? Draco and Harry were easily my favourite couple for about 3 years, and I can't quite abandon them. There's some intoxicating about narcissistic, envious, jealous, wanting-what-you-can't-have love. Especially reading good fic wherein they're older and working for the ministry. Um. Yes. I was saying something. Right, yeah. Draco and Harry.
"Someone's dead," said Malfoy, and his voice seemed to go up an octave as he said it. "One of your people...I don't know who, it was dark...I stepped over the body...I was supposed to be waiting up here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in the way.."
(Later)
"You don't know what I'm capable of, you don't know what I've done!"
Yes, okay I admit, fandom Draco has a more attractive personality in fanon, but he's still a complex character. In some ways I wish we had more dialogue to prove this, but I definitely believe that he wasn't as bad as most people believe. He was just proud and protective of everything he'd grown up believing in, and that includes family. Harry provides that wonderful contrast of goodness vs evil, yet still has Draco's need to always do the right thing. The right thing, however, is different for both the boys. And that's where the fun begins. The rescue of Draco via Harry in the seventh book was a lovely touch to this relationship, after all that had happened in the bathrooms in book six. Altogether it's hard not to love this Shakespearian relationship. Ah boys <3
mckay and sheppard
McKay: In the grand scheme of things we're good, aren't we?
Sheppard: Rodney...
Um, hello guys. You lovely, lovely men of great squishy goodness. Ah, Sheppard and Mckay, how I love thee. Seriously these two make me laugh so much. I love them. There are complete opposites and yet complete perfect together. Probably due to said opposition. Anyway, QUOTES. (I'm allowed to have tons because Mcshep is tehawesome.
[Weir interrupts McKay and Sheppard "testing" an Ancient shield]
Dr. Weir: I'm still trying to understand how you thought it was a good idea to test this device by having someone throw you off a balcony.
Dr. McKay: Oh, believe me, that's not the first thing we tried.
Maj. Sheppard: [proudly] I shot him.
One of my favourite things about Rodney and John is that they bicker, and argue, but when either of them gets hurt they just have the most amazing portrayal of hurt and fear. They always protect each other, whether it's through science or strength. As the seasons go on we get this rapport between them, this growing closeness. They seem to have that Crowley/Aziraphale thing where, no matter what, they must tell each other their problems first, even before their higher authorities.
Dr. McKay: You have no idea which way to go, do you?
Maj. Sheppard: Just trying to get my bearings.
Dr. McKay: Translation: "I'm lost." They were very clear which route to take.
Maj. Sheppard: I prefer a straight line.
Dr. McKay: Yes, of course, 'cause everything's a shortcut in Sheppard's world.
Dr. McKay: I'm picking up a strange reading from right over there.
Maj. Sheppard: Define 'strange'.
Dr. McKay: You don't know what 'strange' means?
(Later)
Dr. McKay: The reading's stronger this way.
Maj. Sheppard: What kind of reading?
Dr. McKay: [sarcastically] A palm reading.
O! the humour. How it amuses me so.
Maj. Sheppard: The dead people were a dead giveaway.
Dr. McKay: Dead people? What were you doing?!
I love that Mckay is genuinely concerned about his boyfriend's activities when he's not with him. At least it wasn't women, eh Rod?
John: Alright, we’re done with the living quarters. Moving on.
Rodney: [over radio] Woah-woah-woah-woah-woah-woah. Before you go - you see anything better than our current quarters?
John: A few. Some of them are pretty nice, actually.
Rodney: Well, what kind of square footage are we talking about?
John: What am I, your realtor, Rodney?
I'm sorry. Did Mckay just say our quarters? :D Talking about quarters, I love that you get to see John and Rodney visiting each other the most. We've seen so much of John's bedroom! Of course you know I'm talking about Tao of Rodney, the shippiest episode in the whole of shippydom. And then straight after we get an episode that implies John and Rodney spend their free time together, alone, with nothing but video games. Ah show <3
Lt. Col. Sheppard: You dating anyone?
Ronon: You mean like a woman?
Lt. Col. Sheppard: Or a man.
Ronon: No.
You can't say John isn't open-minded! :D I love the slashy innuendo in this program. It's well-known that the SG-1 and SGA writers know of the fondness for slash. They so exploit that knowledge to play wickedly with us.
Lt. Col. Sheppard: Shouldn't you guys be bickering or something?
Dr. McKay: Ah, we've got nothing to bicker about. He's run out of bad ideas... finally.
Dr. Zelenka: [sulkily] If we survive this, I'm putting in for a transfer.
Dr. McKay: Oh, please. We both know that you've done your best work under me.
Dr. Zelenka: Under you?! I'm my own department head, you know.
Dr. McKay: Please! We both know that department is a joke.
Dr. Zelenka: What?!
Lt. Col Sheppard: Why don't you two just make out and get it over with?
See?!! And I'm very happy to say that the latest series is just as shippy, if not ever MORE shippy than previous seasons.
Dr McKay: I want you to land this city gently, like a leaf, kissing the surface of a pond!
[Sheppard is in the control chair, trying to land Atlantis on M35-117, and crash lands. People fall down because of the crash land]
Dr McKay: Nice, kissing!
Ha! Taken out of context that is the best thing ever. Oh wait... no it isn't. JOHN VISITING RODNEY'S DREAMS IS.
[Sheppard and McKay are in McKay's dream, rowing towards Atlantis]
Lt. Col. Sheppard: You know? This really isn't as strange as you made me believe.
Dr. McKay: Oh yeah? What about that?
[McKay points to a clown that appeared behind them]
Lt. Col. Sheppard: I hate clowns.
(later)
[Talking about John's dreams]
Dr. McKay: I thought there'd be more girls.
Lt. Col. Sheppard: So did I.
Ha! No girls because Rodney is the only person of John's dreams. Hee. Canon dream love. And of course we have the awkward (fake!) straight relationship...
Jeannie: [about Katie Brown] So, are you gonna marry her?
Dr. McKay: I don't know.
Jeannie: You've been dating over a year now.
Dr. McKay: [irritated] I'm aware of that, thank you!
Jeannie: You think you're gonna find someone better?
Dr. McKay: No, it's not that.
Oh Rodney. Admit that John's your wife and be done with it. Silly Rodney. Anyway, I think it's safe to say that I just about adore these two. Yep yep.
notable mention
.charles and sebastian
"I have been here before," I said; I had been there before; first with Sebastian more than twenty years ago on a cloudless day in June, when the ditches were creamy with meadowsweet and the air heavy with all the scents of summer; it was a day of peculiar splendour, and though I had been there so often, in so many moods, it was to that first visit that my heart returned on this, my latest.
Omg, Charles and Sebastian. Perhaps one of the greatest fictional couples of all time. A beautifully contrived story of two best friends who fall in love with each other in a society where the "gravest of sins" would be frowned on. Evelyn Waugh is such a magnificent author, mainly I believe due to the amount of his own feelings and beliefs he input into the story.
But I was in search of love in those days, and I went full of curiousity and the faint, unrecognized apprehension that here, at last, I should find that low door in the wall, which others, I knew, had found before me, which opened on an enclosed and enchaned garden, which was somewhere, not overlooked by any window, in the heart of that grey city.
Charles and Sebastian are the epitome of English love between males in the 1920's. It's a love story, but it's not. If you get the chance to read the book, do, because it's one of those that sticks with you and seems to develop your perspective on life that bit more. This is my favourite paragraph possibly of any book I've read;
"On a sheep cropped knoll, under a clump of elms, we ate the strawberries and drank the wine.... we lit fat, turkish cigarettes and lay on our backs, Sebastians eyes on the leaves above him, mine on his profile.....the sweet scent of the tobacco merged with the sweet summer scents around us and the fumes of the sweet, golden wine seemed to lift us a fingers breadth above the earth and hold us suspended. "Just the place to bury a crock of gold" Sebastian said. "I should like to bury something precious in every place that I've been happy and then, when I'm old and ugly and miserable, I could come back and dig it up and remember."
Of course I can't quote the book without quoting the mini-series. I loved the series so much because a lot of the dialogue is lifted directly from the books, a refreshing change for so many remakes.
"I could tell him, too, that to know and love one other human being is the root of all wisdom. But I felt no need for these sophistries as I sat before my cousin, saw him, freed from his inconclusive struggle with Pindar, in his grey dark suit, his white tie, his scholar's gown; heard his grave tones and, all the time, savoured the gilly flowers in full bloom under my window. I had my secret and sure defence, like a talisman worn in the bosom, felt for in the moment of danger, found and firmly grasped. So I told him what was infact not the truth, that I usually had a glass of champagne about that time, and asked him to join me."
I love Charles' character, one that is so defiant in a love that he really has no understanding of. Sebastian seems to understand what that love means, yet is too careless in life to do anything about it until it's too late. He gets caught up in his own world that before long he's lost the very man which makes that world turn.
“Now, that summer term with Sebastian, it seemed as thought I was being given a brief spell of what I had never known, a happy childhood, and thought is toys were silk shirts and liqueurs and cigars and its naughtiness high in the catalogue of grave sins, there was something of nursery freshness about us that fell little short of the joy of innocence.”
Of course the classic;
"Oh dear, it's very difficult being a Catholic."
"Does it make much difference to you?"
"Of course. All the time."
"Well, I can't say I've noticed it. Are you struggling against temptation? You don't seem much more virtuous than me."
"Oh my dear Charles, I'm much much wickeder."
And finally a quote by Evelyn Waugh himself, because he truly was an amazing man;
There are no poetic ideas; only poetic utterances.
There's more to come including top 5 het/slash/obscure pairings, but that's me done for the night. Sweet dreams! <3
Five OTP Pairings
.crowley and aziraphale
"I'd just like to say," he said, "if we don't get out of this, that . . . I'll have known, deep down inside, that there was a spark of goodness in you."
"That's right," said Crowley bitterly. "Make my day."
I guess I should leave my top pairings until the end but hey, they're all good. First, Crowley and Aziraphale - a demon who did not so much fall as saunter vaguely downwards and an angel who owns and (occasionally) sells rare-books. Canonically there are the closest anti-friends that exist in any fandom I've found. The most famous (and with good reason!) quote from Good Omens is this;
Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide. Two of these were wrong; Heaven is not in England, whatever certain poets may have thought, and angels are sexless unless they really want to make an effort. But he was intelligent.
Yep. Canon proof that Aziraphale can choose his gender. Or sexual preference. Or whatever. Neil and Terry have both expressed their amusement at Az/Crowley shippers over the years, stating that as long as they don't have to read the fic then it's fine. And pretty much canon, because come on 6000 years with just each other is bound to create some sort of UST. :D The thing I love about Crowley and Aziraphale is that they really do need each other by the time that the book ends. They rely on each others advice and opinions. They get drunk and talk about dolphins. It's really quite delightful.
In addition, during the course of the book they spend time together: they eat dinner at the Ritz, and, along with spies of all nations, regularly feed the ducks in St. James' park. Crowley twice refers to Aziraphale as "angel." Anathema Device, a woman whose bike Crowley runs over, notices Crowley referring to Aziraphale as 'angel' and mistakes them for a gay couple.
Wikipedia
I think my favourite bit in GO is when Crowley talks about being lonely. Poor Aziraphale, distracted but his love of books and all things old and dusty runs out of Crowley's car in a rather dispassionate sate of mind, leaving Crowley to go home alone, and that simple sentence talking about how alone he actually is makes you really realise his fondness for the angel. We also see the closeness between them in two other moments in the book, where Crowley is worried that Aziraphale has been killed. It's really quite sweet :D
- [p. 374/262] "They went to the Ritz again [...]. And, [...] for the first time ever, a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square."
A reference, you may notice, to the song "A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square."
That certain night, the night we met,
there was magic abroad in the air.
There were angels dining at the Ritz,
and a Nightingale sang in Berkley Square.
SO, MUCH. LOVE.
And then of course there's the ineffable script of the movie that will, hopefully, still be made. Don't even get me started on the blatant slash in the movie script. Incidentally in 2006 Gaiman and Pratchett released Aziraphale's and Crowley's Resolutions, with Crowley's ending in, "Resolution #8: Stop Googling myself."
I love my favourite book. ♥
.jack and ianto
Jack: This is Ianto Jones. Ianto cleans up after us and gets us everywhere on time.
Ianto: I try my best.
Jack: And he looks good in a suit.
Ianto: Careful. That’s harassment, sir.
Never more have I felt like this is my pairing. I read SGA authors and Potter authors, and as much as I love the characters I can never really write them. With Jack and Ianto I feel as though they're a part of me. Why, you ask? (Well, you probably don't because I mention them every five seconds but...) Because they're human. Okay, Jack isn't actually human but whatever, the point is that the breathe, and they live, and they fuck, and they cry, and they get hurt, and they see the worst things about life, but at the end they come back to each other. If you're a human (and most of you are) then you can relate to them. Perhaps not the cyber-girlriend in the basement but yep. I love them.
So let's find some lovely quotes instead of just waxing lyrical about them.
Gwen: I don't know anything.
Owen: Not who he is, not where he's from, not anything. Except... him being gay.
Gwen: No he's not. Really, do you think?
Toshiko: Owen does, I don't.
Ianto: And I don't care.
From the beginning we get this whole set up that Ianto and Jack are very much the separate, bantering work colleagues. Ianto's there to look pretty, Jack's there to boss him around, and no questions are asked. They are ambiguous. Ianto's very discrete about his feelings, and I think that's why so many people don't like Jack/Ianto - because of this "out of the blue" feel to their relationship. But if you've been watching hard enough the chemistry between them is there all the time. I think it's the perfect start to a love story.
Jack: Are you hiding anything else in the basement!?
Ianto: Like you'd care. I clean up your shit, no questions asked and that's the way you like it:. When the last time you asked me about my life?
(later)
Jack: Execute her, or I'll execute you both!
Ianto: You think you're some kind of hero, but you're the biggest monster of them all!
I like that Jack will charm and cajole everyone in the team apart from Ianto. He does those things, but they're never with the same tone, the same manner. They're always done with a hint of respect and caution. It's a clever, clever thing. When we find out about Lisa it's wonderful to see this new Jack, a Jack who for once realises that people have feelings. He can see Gwen has them, but Ianto's the one to show him how to feel. Ianto's the one to teach him. From then on there's a wonderful set of character changes in Jack, especially regarding the concern for his team. I'd like to think that was because Ianto made him realise that there's a life outside of Torchwood, and Jack could be a part of it if he wanted. He'll always tell Jack what he thinks, even if it's done with respect, and that's perfect.
Jack: You shouldn't be here.
Ianto: Neither should you.
The beginning of 1x05 is beautiful in its quietness. They haven't forgiven each other but they still haven't quite missed that there is chemistry between them. Ianto's hurting for Lisa, yet he knows that Jack is someone whom he could easily fall for. Jack knows Ianto's hurting, and he doesn't think there's a future there. It's all rather lovely. Episode 6 is also stunning. Refusing to admit that Jack brought him back to life with a kiss in the 4th episode, Ianto doesn't confess that Jack was his last kiss. That look that Jack gives him is heart breaking. It's so full of anger and jealousy. And of course we have Ianto's return glare which carries a "couldn't-care-less" attitude. Eep.
Ianto: If you're interested, I've still got that stopwatch.
Jack: So?
Ianto: Well. Think about it. Lots of things you can do with a stopwatch.
Jack: Oh yeah! I could think of a few.
Ianto: There's quite a list.
Jack: I'll send the others home early. See you in my office in ten.
Ianto: That's ten minutes, and counting.
Yep. The ol' classic ending of 1x08. Which, in the light of 2x01 is pretty amusing now. And the lovely thing about this dialogue is the follow-up on the bbc website, in which Jack and Ianto have an IM conversation discussing how Ianto's over Lisa and how he's happy to be with Jack. There's a lot happened in 4 episodes obviously! In episode 11 we have a gorgeous scene with Jack and Ianto just talking in the cells, not really anything shippy going on but I love that they just spend time together. And then Jack takes him on his first mission! Of course it's all leading to;
Ianto: Jack needs me!
Owen: In your dreams, Ianto. In your sad wet dreams, when you're his part time shag maybe.
i really hated Owen here. Go Ianto for shooting him! But it showed the changing dynamics in the relationship, one that was obviously blatant enough for the team to pick up on. And then we have the stunning kiss in the finale wherein you can tell Jack just wants Ianto to know that he's his and that in Jack's own way, he's loved. Of course now Season Two has started we get the proper relationship blooming. But I think that'll be the topic for the majority of the next three months so uh, I'll leave it there :D Let's move onto...
.remus and sirius
"Professor," Harry interrupted loudly, "what's going on --?"
But he never finished the question, because what he saw made his voice die in his throat. Lupin was lowering his wand, gazing fixed at Black. The Professor walked to Black's side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a lover.
Yeah yeah. Okay. Fine. It says brother. But eh, same difference, right? Seriously, I really really thought Lupin/Black (Lupin/Black? I've never said that in my life,) Remus/Sirius was canon until the marriage-that-shall-not-be-named. SO MUCH can be read into canon. The school days, the lack of women, the pining and then the overwhelming joy at being together again, the living together, the sending joint christmas gifts, the sitting together reading the newspaper when Harry floo's in, the canine references... you get the gist. I really, really thought they were a couple. And I still think that they were bi. I mean, Remus went for Sirius's cousin after he died. Bless him. And even then it was only to look after her. She is one fit character. No one should have regrets about marrying/sleeping with a fit bird like Tonks. Anyway,
ʹI havenʹt seen anyone from the Order all weekend, theyʹre all busy. Itʹs just been Kreacher and me here."
There was a definite note of bitterness in Siriusʹs voice.
That's my bit of canon evidence for Remus spending time with Tonks instead of Sirius :D There is a whole load of backstory I could go into here, but for the moment I'll stick to my own little fantasies. I think it's not hard to believe that Sirius and Remus could live quite cosily together. They've been best friends for over 30 years. It's hard not to love someone after that time, even mutually.
With another shock of excitement, Harry saw Sirius give James the thumbs‐up. Sirius was. lounging in his chair at his ease, tilting it back on two legs. He was very good‐looking; his dark hair fell into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance neither Jamesʹs nor Harryʹs could ever have achieved, and a girl sitting behind him was eyeing him hopefully, though he didnʹt seem to have noticed. And two seats along from this girl ‐ Harryʹs stomach gave another pleasurable squirm ‐ was Remus Lupin. He looked rather pale and peaky (was the full moon approaching?) and was absorbed in the exam: as he reread his answers, he scratched his chin with the end of his quill, frowning slightly.
In one sentence we get this gorgeous imagery of the three best friends as young boys. It really makes the reader view their relationship in a somewhat more real light. And the banter;
ʹDid you like question ten, Moony?ʹ asked Sirius as they emerged into the Entrance Hall.
ʹLoved it,ʹ said Lupin briskly. ʹGive five signs that identify the werewolf. Excellent question.ʹ
And of course the most heartbreaking line in any book ever...
ʹSIRIUS!ʹ he bellowed. ʹSIRIUS!ʹ
`He canʹt come back, Harry,ʹ said Lupin, his voice breaking as he struggled to contain Harry. `He canʹt come back, because heʹs d‐ʹ
`HE ‐ IS ‐ NOT ‐ DEAD!ʹ roared Harry. ʹSIRIUS!ʹ
Whether it be a friendship or relationship Remus and Sirius are still a couple of my most favourite ever wolves. I love them to pieces, and always will.
.harry and draco
You'd better hurry up, they'll be waiting for 'the Chosen Captain' - 'The Boy Who Scored'- whatever they call you these days.
So many people dislike Draco/Harry. I do not understand!!! What's not to love about the cracktastic love that is two enemies loving each other?!!? Draco and Harry were easily my favourite couple for about 3 years, and I can't quite abandon them. There's some intoxicating about narcissistic, envious, jealous, wanting-what-you-can't-have love. Especially reading good fic wherein they're older and working for the ministry. Um. Yes. I was saying something. Right, yeah. Draco and Harry.
"Someone's dead," said Malfoy, and his voice seemed to go up an octave as he said it. "One of your people...I don't know who, it was dark...I stepped over the body...I was supposed to be waiting up here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in the way.."
(Later)
"You don't know what I'm capable of, you don't know what I've done!"
Yes, okay I admit, fandom Draco has a more attractive personality in fanon, but he's still a complex character. In some ways I wish we had more dialogue to prove this, but I definitely believe that he wasn't as bad as most people believe. He was just proud and protective of everything he'd grown up believing in, and that includes family. Harry provides that wonderful contrast of goodness vs evil, yet still has Draco's need to always do the right thing. The right thing, however, is different for both the boys. And that's where the fun begins. The rescue of Draco via Harry in the seventh book was a lovely touch to this relationship, after all that had happened in the bathrooms in book six. Altogether it's hard not to love this Shakespearian relationship. Ah boys <3
mckay and sheppard
McKay: In the grand scheme of things we're good, aren't we?
Sheppard: Rodney...
Um, hello guys. You lovely, lovely men of great squishy goodness. Ah, Sheppard and Mckay, how I love thee. Seriously these two make me laugh so much. I love them. There are complete opposites and yet complete perfect together. Probably due to said opposition. Anyway, QUOTES. (I'm allowed to have tons because Mcshep is tehawesome.
[Weir interrupts McKay and Sheppard "testing" an Ancient shield]
Dr. Weir: I'm still trying to understand how you thought it was a good idea to test this device by having someone throw you off a balcony.
Dr. McKay: Oh, believe me, that's not the first thing we tried.
Maj. Sheppard: [proudly] I shot him.
One of my favourite things about Rodney and John is that they bicker, and argue, but when either of them gets hurt they just have the most amazing portrayal of hurt and fear. They always protect each other, whether it's through science or strength. As the seasons go on we get this rapport between them, this growing closeness. They seem to have that Crowley/Aziraphale thing where, no matter what, they must tell each other their problems first, even before their higher authorities.
Dr. McKay: You have no idea which way to go, do you?
Maj. Sheppard: Just trying to get my bearings.
Dr. McKay: Translation: "I'm lost." They were very clear which route to take.
Maj. Sheppard: I prefer a straight line.
Dr. McKay: Yes, of course, 'cause everything's a shortcut in Sheppard's world.
Dr. McKay: I'm picking up a strange reading from right over there.
Maj. Sheppard: Define 'strange'.
Dr. McKay: You don't know what 'strange' means?
(Later)
Dr. McKay: The reading's stronger this way.
Maj. Sheppard: What kind of reading?
Dr. McKay: [sarcastically] A palm reading.
O! the humour. How it amuses me so.
Maj. Sheppard: The dead people were a dead giveaway.
Dr. McKay: Dead people? What were you doing?!
I love that Mckay is genuinely concerned about his boyfriend's activities when he's not with him. At least it wasn't women, eh Rod?
John: Alright, we’re done with the living quarters. Moving on.
Rodney: [over radio] Woah-woah-woah-woah-woah-woah. Before you go - you see anything better than our current quarters?
John: A few. Some of them are pretty nice, actually.
Rodney: Well, what kind of square footage are we talking about?
John: What am I, your realtor, Rodney?
I'm sorry. Did Mckay just say our quarters? :D Talking about quarters, I love that you get to see John and Rodney visiting each other the most. We've seen so much of John's bedroom! Of course you know I'm talking about Tao of Rodney, the shippiest episode in the whole of shippydom. And then straight after we get an episode that implies John and Rodney spend their free time together, alone, with nothing but video games. Ah show <3
Lt. Col. Sheppard: You dating anyone?
Ronon: You mean like a woman?
Lt. Col. Sheppard: Or a man.
Ronon: No.
You can't say John isn't open-minded! :D I love the slashy innuendo in this program. It's well-known that the SG-1 and SGA writers know of the fondness for slash. They so exploit that knowledge to play wickedly with us.
Lt. Col. Sheppard: Shouldn't you guys be bickering or something?
Dr. McKay: Ah, we've got nothing to bicker about. He's run out of bad ideas... finally.
Dr. Zelenka: [sulkily] If we survive this, I'm putting in for a transfer.
Dr. McKay: Oh, please. We both know that you've done your best work under me.
Dr. Zelenka: Under you?! I'm my own department head, you know.
Dr. McKay: Please! We both know that department is a joke.
Dr. Zelenka: What?!
Lt. Col Sheppard: Why don't you two just make out and get it over with?
See?!! And I'm very happy to say that the latest series is just as shippy, if not ever MORE shippy than previous seasons.
Dr McKay: I want you to land this city gently, like a leaf, kissing the surface of a pond!
[Sheppard is in the control chair, trying to land Atlantis on M35-117, and crash lands. People fall down because of the crash land]
Dr McKay: Nice, kissing!
Ha! Taken out of context that is the best thing ever. Oh wait... no it isn't. JOHN VISITING RODNEY'S DREAMS IS.
[Sheppard and McKay are in McKay's dream, rowing towards Atlantis]
Lt. Col. Sheppard: You know? This really isn't as strange as you made me believe.
Dr. McKay: Oh yeah? What about that?
[McKay points to a clown that appeared behind them]
Lt. Col. Sheppard: I hate clowns.
(later)
[Talking about John's dreams]
Dr. McKay: I thought there'd be more girls.
Lt. Col. Sheppard: So did I.
Ha! No girls because Rodney is the only person of John's dreams. Hee. Canon dream love. And of course we have the awkward (fake!) straight relationship...
Jeannie: [about Katie Brown] So, are you gonna marry her?
Dr. McKay: I don't know.
Jeannie: You've been dating over a year now.
Dr. McKay: [irritated] I'm aware of that, thank you!
Jeannie: You think you're gonna find someone better?
Dr. McKay: No, it's not that.
Oh Rodney. Admit that John's your wife and be done with it. Silly Rodney. Anyway, I think it's safe to say that I just about adore these two. Yep yep.
notable mention
.charles and sebastian
"I have been here before," I said; I had been there before; first with Sebastian more than twenty years ago on a cloudless day in June, when the ditches were creamy with meadowsweet and the air heavy with all the scents of summer; it was a day of peculiar splendour, and though I had been there so often, in so many moods, it was to that first visit that my heart returned on this, my latest.
Omg, Charles and Sebastian. Perhaps one of the greatest fictional couples of all time. A beautifully contrived story of two best friends who fall in love with each other in a society where the "gravest of sins" would be frowned on. Evelyn Waugh is such a magnificent author, mainly I believe due to the amount of his own feelings and beliefs he input into the story.
But I was in search of love in those days, and I went full of curiousity and the faint, unrecognized apprehension that here, at last, I should find that low door in the wall, which others, I knew, had found before me, which opened on an enclosed and enchaned garden, which was somewhere, not overlooked by any window, in the heart of that grey city.
Charles and Sebastian are the epitome of English love between males in the 1920's. It's a love story, but it's not. If you get the chance to read the book, do, because it's one of those that sticks with you and seems to develop your perspective on life that bit more. This is my favourite paragraph possibly of any book I've read;
"On a sheep cropped knoll, under a clump of elms, we ate the strawberries and drank the wine.... we lit fat, turkish cigarettes and lay on our backs, Sebastians eyes on the leaves above him, mine on his profile.....the sweet scent of the tobacco merged with the sweet summer scents around us and the fumes of the sweet, golden wine seemed to lift us a fingers breadth above the earth and hold us suspended. "Just the place to bury a crock of gold" Sebastian said. "I should like to bury something precious in every place that I've been happy and then, when I'm old and ugly and miserable, I could come back and dig it up and remember."
Of course I can't quote the book without quoting the mini-series. I loved the series so much because a lot of the dialogue is lifted directly from the books, a refreshing change for so many remakes.
"I could tell him, too, that to know and love one other human being is the root of all wisdom. But I felt no need for these sophistries as I sat before my cousin, saw him, freed from his inconclusive struggle with Pindar, in his grey dark suit, his white tie, his scholar's gown; heard his grave tones and, all the time, savoured the gilly flowers in full bloom under my window. I had my secret and sure defence, like a talisman worn in the bosom, felt for in the moment of danger, found and firmly grasped. So I told him what was infact not the truth, that I usually had a glass of champagne about that time, and asked him to join me."
I love Charles' character, one that is so defiant in a love that he really has no understanding of. Sebastian seems to understand what that love means, yet is too careless in life to do anything about it until it's too late. He gets caught up in his own world that before long he's lost the very man which makes that world turn.
“Now, that summer term with Sebastian, it seemed as thought I was being given a brief spell of what I had never known, a happy childhood, and thought is toys were silk shirts and liqueurs and cigars and its naughtiness high in the catalogue of grave sins, there was something of nursery freshness about us that fell little short of the joy of innocence.”
Of course the classic;
"Oh dear, it's very difficult being a Catholic."
"Does it make much difference to you?"
"Of course. All the time."
"Well, I can't say I've noticed it. Are you struggling against temptation? You don't seem much more virtuous than me."
"Oh my dear Charles, I'm much much wickeder."
And finally a quote by Evelyn Waugh himself, because he truly was an amazing man;
There are no poetic ideas; only poetic utterances.
There's more to come including top 5 het/slash/obscure pairings, but that's me done for the night. Sweet dreams! <3