pondering on pairings

[xparrot]

How can you like a pairing when you hate one character in the pairing? Do any of you do this? I often have my favorite characters in a pairing (sometimes to the point that I'll stray from my OTP to see my favorite with others - for all I am obsessively McSheppist, I will on occasion indulge in Rodney/various-others, because it's fun to see Rodney getting love.) But even when I have a favorite, I'll still like the other character, else I wouldn't be able to understand what they see in each other. I don't think I've ever had a preferred pairing (not just romantic, friendship, either) that I actively disliked one member. How do you manage it, if you do? How do you explain your favorite char's tastes, if you can't see the appeal yourself? I'm genuinely curious; I can't figure out how it would satisfy me to read or write something like that (break-up fics aside. And I only like writing break-up fics, I don't like reading them...)

(...Brought on by a discussion with another SGA fan who detests Rodney but apparently reads McShep.)

(...while I'm at it, did anyone see The Scene in "Miller's Crossing" as Rodney selfishly and deliberately dumping the problem of feeding Todd onto John? I'd never encountered that interpretation before, and it kind of boggles me. What with Rodney begging John to let him sacrifice himself, and then trying to sneak around John's back later anyway. Yes, Rodney can be an arrogant ass, it's part of his charm. But there's more to him than that. I always saw John as the selfish one in "Miller's Crossing", not allowing his teammate to give up his own life - and I love John for that crazy selfishness, even if it was Rodney's choice; I love that John couldn't. But I didn't suspect that Rodney expected that - I thought he went to John partly to get his affairs in order, but mostly because he needed John's help to do it. Without John's orders, the Marines would've shot Todd the moment he laid a hand on Rodney, and that wouldn't have helped anyone. Rodney went to John prepared for an argument - but not for John's flat refusal. And I think he probably struggled to come to terms with what John did, but in the end forgave John, because John needed his acceptance, and Rodney understood why John did it, even if he couldn't have done the same. It never crossed my mind that he was actually manipulating John to kill for him. I wonder how arrogantly selfish that makes him in "The Shrine," then, taking up John's valuable time demanding comfort and beer, just because he's losing his mind...)

Comments

[elandrialore.livejournal.com]

Huh. You know, at times, I've hated Clark as they portray him on SV, but I'm a die hard Clexer. I think it's because my interpretation of Clark is, well, I was going to say better, but that sounds egotistical so I'll say more palatable. I have to work to like him in canon, but in my fic I gloss over the parts I don't like, I guess. And when I read other people's fic, it seems that they either do the same thing, or they've come up with an explanation for his behavior that actually makes sense.

If I hadn't like him initially - and maybe if I didn't like Tom too - then I probably wouldn't be reading fic about him, because why read things I don't like? And why put a character you love with a character you hate unless you really like angst?

On the other question, that interpretation never even occurred to me. I guess because, well, first Rodney's not that good at manipulating people because he can't really lie very well, but also because even if Rodney was able to lie that well how the hell would he be able to predict that John would find a scapegoat and not just sacrifice himself? 1) It's not like he led John to the idea of picking the other guy, 2) he seemed genuinely shocked when he tried to sneak in an found out what John did and 3) it's not like John hasn't set a precedent of being willing to sacrifice himself.

I just...If he really wanted to 'dump' the problem on John then he wouldn't have come up with the option of letting Todd feed on him, at least not that readily. He would have babbled and blathered and said, "I don't know, and what do you think," and then come around to the idea of, "Maybe I should just let him feed on me." He wouldn't have laid it out like a plan, and he wouldn't have pleaded with John like he did.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's the thing - I like the Clark in my head, even if I don't like Clark as he's become in canon. (Heck, I don't much like canon-Lex these days either, but I still love *my* Lex!) And I do try to see the positive things Clark does in canon; I don't seek out the worst explanations for all his behavior. Usually I just write off anything annoying he does as bad writing!

Rodney's not a manipulator, no - and I don't think he would've gone to John at all had he suspected that John might sacrifice himself. I agree with friendshipper above that Rodney subconsciously might've gone to John hoping for another solution - but I think the main reason he went to John was because he was counting on John finding a way to let him do what needed to be done. I don't think Rodney fully grasps Sheppard's double standard when it comes to self-sacrifice - that he's allowed to do it, but his team is not. Rodney thought Sheppard would understand (and if John had been SG-1, he might've; but this is John!) What cinches it for me is after John refuses him, Rodney tries to break into the lab anyway - he was going to go through with it anyway. Which I think John understood, and that's why he moved so fast...