I hate sundays

[salinea]

So bored with sunday-ness I hunted my own archives looking for a cool meme to revive, haha.

1. Comment with any ship or character from a fandom that you know I like, or at least have some knowledge about.
2. I will ramble for 100 words about aforementioned ship or character. This may be incoherent gushing or exclamations of disgust, depending on what it is.
3. Put this on your LJ, if you are so inclined.

ETA:
Subaru for a_white_rain
Ned/Robert for redcandle17
Lucius/Narcissa for shelled_avenger
Zuko and Azula for solesakuma
Regulus Black for cygnus_hime

Comments

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

Subaru

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Subaru is an odd character. In a way he is, like Seishirou, half a person. He doesn't stand on his own, I mean that in the way that Hokuto feared that he didn't want anything for himself, and that no one human would be like this. Then Subaru meets Seishirou and that's when he starts. When he develops as a human being, even if a lot of this development is an exercise in breaking the cuties as they call it at TV tropes wiki XD. I think in some ways, Subaru's actually one of the most developped character by Clamp in that we see him undergoing a lot of changes while retaining the same core personnality.

As you were saying Subaru has some big unhealthy level of self-sacrificing ideas, even before Seishirou messed up with him, letting that woman take a shot at him because he doesn't see any worth in his own life. There's something very messed up there, and there must be a story behind it. I always wondered if that had to do with the sumeragi twins' mysterious parents who are never mentionned anywhere, liking maybe Subaru had interriorized some guilt about their death.

Of course there's everything else he had to assume, his responsability as the Head of Sumeragi Clan, his duty, coupled with his sensitivity and inborn compassion... of course that resulted in him feeling guilty many times over and almost naturally placing other people's well being above himself.

When Subaru eventually does want something for himself, it's still in submission to someone, in thinking of being the eyes of a blind Seishirou XD in avenging Hokuto, which quickly transforms into the all out negative wish of getting killed by Seishirou.

One of the thing I love about Subaru is the Hanged Man motif (I always love hanged men motives, it's my favourite tarot card). Like Subaru it's card about passivity and sacrifice, but it's also a card about finding power through those things, about freedom through binding. Seishirou bound Subaru, but he gave him a reason to live which Subaru lacked otherwise. I also like the other elements of Norse mythology, the sacrifice of the eye, the rainbow bridge (aka the Bifrost). Subaru doesn't really make a good Odin analog, but I really like that all those elements are there. And Odin is a god associated with death, ghosts, and magic, after all XD

Subaru's actually pretty hard to write and write well. I personnaly find him pretty hard to write (harder than Seishirou), but I'm also pretty picky about fics with him. I only find his voice when I'm feeling very depressed myself and I'm quite sorry I never managed to write the compagnion piece to my Seishirou Tarot fic for him. There's a sense of grace about him which is hard to define and to render. That mainly comes from his kindness and concerns about other people, it's not quite as shallow as any "nice" character. Subaru isn't that naive, really (!), and while he's extremely empathetic he never makes the mistake of thinking he knows what someone else is thinking. Another thing is that while Subaru is the most passive character ever, he's also stubborn as a rock.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

I personnaly find him pretty hard to write (harder than Seishirou)
It frequently freaks me out, but I don't usually have trouble writing Seishirou. >>

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

lol, likewise exactly.

[solesakuma]

Azula and Zuko.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Separately, as a ship, or just as their sibling relationship?

[solesakuma]

As siblings. *kinda has an incest squick*

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Ah, the joy of sibling rivalry!

You know, I don't think I'm much like Azula, but Zuko does remind me a lot of my big sister. Aries types, determined, angry, energic people who are self-centered not out of true selfishness but because of their tunnel vision. And someone proposed for Azula to be a Virgo the other day (I'm a Virgo), an idea which I kinda fell in love with because Azula is such a perfectionnist and she wouldn't be the masterplanner she is if she wasn't details orientated. And at the same time, of course, she's an utter dork.

To the point. Zuko and Azula were obviously children you hadn't the best relationship as children. Their parents didn't help, with Ozai favouring Azula so much, and Ursa doing the same with Zuko. Zuko's the older kid, and Azula got angry about it, of course, because Zuko's such an offensively clumsy dorks at times, and he gets forever to GET things; while Azula masters skills very very quicky, but despite this he never wants to just LISTEN to her explanations, so she just had to MAKE him listen. And despite all this he's still the older male kid who gets sent the cool knife as a gift whereas all she gets is a lame doll. Life is so unfair.

Oh, and it's very, very easy to play with his mind. Which is good but disapointing. She'd rather have a cool brother. Except she doesn't, because it's in her best interest to have an idiot as a brother for her ambitions. But, you know, she wouldn't have minded someone smart and impressive (like Dad) as a brother, really.

Azula doesn't hate Zuko (except when he's at his most frustrating), and she even has a soft spot for him, really. But only if he behaves himself. Only if he does what she wants him to do (wheels within wheel within wheels). Because Azula must always control things perfectly, and there's only one person who deserves to control more and Zuko never earned that right.

Zuko's a firstborn, he was pretty young when Azula was born, but still remembers the way she stole the spotlight from him and never gave it back. Azula was better at everything, and mostly Zuko remembers that feeling of humiliation and frustrationg about her. He'd have loved her if she had been a cute little sister needing protection instead of, well, a monster. But he never quite know on what foot to stand with her. If only he could beat her at just one thing.

[solesakuma]

I really, really like your analysis.
It's strange, because I've never seen Zuko as the Big Brother type. (I'm a Big Sis, a lot like Sokka.) ¨Well, maybe the whole honour/duty thing.

[redcandle17.livejournal.com]

ASoIaF, Ned/Robert

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

I find it hard to get a serious image of their relationship from canon to be honest, mainly because Robert is such an ass. I had never thought of the ship until that little fic you wrote for me ^_^ but it's definitly not an unlikely ship : they were very good friends while growing up, at an age where kids explore their sexuality. Robert liked sex, and while Ned is all honorable about women, it's not impossible he wouldn't think such things mattered so much with men (can't get men pregnant XD). Which, well, gives a whole new spin to Robert's love for Lyanna, too. That could be interesting to explore (OMG, Robert/Ned/Lyanna!). As a pairing they also don't have an uninteresting dynamic, between Robert's boisterous, assertive and hedonist personnality contrasted with Ned's shyness, thoughtfulness and carefulness. They could both bring out the best out of each others' flaws. As kids that could be a very cute dynamic to write about. When they're older, I'm afraid I'm very squicked by Robert's general ass-ness. But probably as far as the Greyjoy's Rebellion, I could see them being sexy and interesting.

[redcandle17.livejournal.com]

Plus Ned is so mournful about Robert's lost hotness. ;)

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

lol, yes, that too!

[shelled-avenger.livejournal.com]

The Malfoy marriage (HP).

Narcissa took over this one

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

They did marry for love, and they're still very much in love, thank you very much, even if their mariage had their up and down through the years. Of course, Narcissa knew from the beginning that Lucius was a very good party, and Lucius knew that catching a Black daughter as a bride would be a good way to reach some of his ambition. Still, it was love too. A love born of respect, appreciation for the others' cleverness and social skills as well as lust and convenience. They both were pretty passionate people, but who prefers to warp their passion in an icy veil of reserve.

Early on, there were ideals as well, they had visions of what the future could hold, of the way they could help shape the society's future. And while those visions tarnished, they never disappeared entirely. They were a partnership, in things of power, a duo, handling the scene they were the best at.

To be quite honest, Narcissa wore the pants, especially in everything that involved Draco. Especially after Lucius' trial after Voldemort's fall, when her testimony (she came to the witness' bar holding little Draco in her arms, a picture of motherly and wifely concerns and innocence...) was key in clearing Lucius. Even though she also always prefered to be more discreet and let Lucius handle more visibly the head of the house. That remained true after what she did to save their whole family in the second war.

You'll ask about faithfulness, they always do. Such a petit bourgeois concern. Well, they had their agreements, of course. Discretion paramount as always, and they were most likely to invite someone in both their bed. They had their good family friends. Then there was Bella which... well, the less is said about Bella the better it is.

They always had a lively sexual life, too.

Re: Narcissa took over this one

[shelled-avenger.livejournal.com]

she came to the witness' bar holding little Draco in her arms, a picture of motherly and wifely concerns and innocence...)

Loves.

[cygna-hime.livejournal.com]

Regulus Black.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Well, you know I love Regulus. He's the duller star, not quite as handsome, not quite as clever, not quite as brave and not quite as charismatic as his brother. Sure, he was his mother's favourite, always held as the example, but he knew he wasn't quite as good as Sirius, and it was Sirius who got all the attention, negative as it was.

He worshipped Sirius, too. He hated Sirius. He loved Sirius. He wanted to be everything that Sirius failed to be, but he knew he was just a lesser copy.

Regulus also had his own brand of charms, like every Black. It had a certain innocent, boyish appeal. He was a bit spoiled, I don't think he realised that. Still he was quieter, shyer than most Blacks. In many ways, he had more in common with Narcissa (she was his favourite cousin). He was a Seeker, a position held with quick-thinking, perception and sneakiness. Those were his strengths. He was also a bit interested in obscure subjects, related to souls and necromancy which is how he knew to recognize a horcrux for what it was.

Regulus cared about his family, perhaps more than anything else. He felt that his family had been shattered by Andromeda and Sirius' feuds and fugue. Felt guilty about it and would have done anything to fix it. Somewhere in his mind, he blamed it on Muggleborn influences, so that's how he justified Voldemort's agenda to himself. It was a way to fix to heartbreaks and division, to keep to the old values that had been spoiled by the people who had stolen Sirius and Andromeda away from them.

But Kreacher was family too.

He was much braver than he ever thought, but he was sneaky about that part too. Which is probably why I love him so much ^^

[anenko.livejournal.com]

Katara & Sokka (siblings, not 'shippy!)

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I have a lot of things to say about them. I do like them both a lot, and I like that their relationship as siblings is loving but also with some bickering and arguing. Of course they've learned to take care of each others because of the absence of their parents, and that sense of responsability and caring is very important to their relationship. I did love Sokka's speech about Katara in the Runaway, and Katara insisting that Sokka go see their father in the S2 finale. I think they both grew a lot, in this, through the series.

[anenko.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I'd like to see a bit more interaction between the two of them, actually. I'm really fond of seeing how family relationships are handled in different series.

[bitterfig.livejournal.com]

Can I do two? They're maybe, sort of similar in a bizarre dysfunctional way (is their any other?).

Revolutionary Girl Utena: Anthy/Akio
Princess Tutu: Mythos/Rue (Princess Kraehe)

[indigestible.livejournal.com]

Daenerys Targaryen (with or without Khal Drogo, as you like).