Why am I writing this? Who's gonna read it? Why should you care what *I* have to say or which fics I recommend? Ah well, it's fun to make lists. (Disclaimer: I do not actually endorse all of these tv shows. :P) So, as you'll see, I tend to root for couples who don't end up together in canon. That's what I love about fanfiction...the chance to right the "real" writers' wrongs. ;) Also, fun alternate universes and parodies!

More concise list of fandoms & ships you can expect to find in my favorite fics links - so you can skip the longer rambling & reasoning. :)

Reign: Mary/Bash (for me the show ended after 1x12. Warning: Though I came to loathe canon-Mary/Francis, I do link to Frary fics by great writers I enjoyed discussing the show with, even when we disagreed. ;) Hell, I even wrote one for them, albeit a bit spoofy. :P)

Smallville: Chloe/Lex (what a great quantity & quality of fic out there, despite few canon scenes together. When I think of how the Mash fics dried up after Reign sank that ship, I'm even more impressed by the imagination & dedication of Chlexers.)

BTVS: Willow/Xander - Daria: Daria/Trent - Dark Angel: Max/Logan, Max/Alec - Dawson's Creek: Joey/Pacey - Felicity: Felicity/Noel - Gilmore Girls: Rory/Jess - TNLOCK: Chloe/Alek - Once Upon A Time: Emma/Hook - Stargate Atlantis: Elizabeth/Rodney, Jennifer/Ronon

Breakfast Club: Allison/Bender - High School Musical: Kelsi/Ryan - Little Women: Jo/Laurie - Sky High: Layla/Warren

Longer Ramble & Reasons for select ships:

Smallville: Chloe/Lex ...so little screentime together, and yet so much chemistry. And wasted potential. Idiotic showrunners overlooked their best actors (and most complex, sympathetic characters) because they lusted over certain other (non)actors. I tend to stick to the early seasons (Verbal Judo! Mutual life risking/saving!) and try to ignore the later character assassinations and horrible writing on the show. Fanfiction heals all wounds. Yes, Chlex still hurts, and fascinates, after all these years, probably more than any fictional (non)couple. I'd go into more gushy detail about why I love these two, but this profile is too long already, so just read my fav stories below - and my gushy reviews, if you *really* wanna know what I think. :P Then you'll understand. :) Or check out my Chlex fic? NO DON'T!

Buffy: The Vampire Slayer: Willow/Xander were adorkable & I'm a sucker for best friends falling in love, but Willow/Oz were sweet & I would've been fine with them ending up happy together. Too bad nobody gets to be happy in Whedon's world... Damn you, Joss.

Daria: Daria/Trent ...and damn you, Glenn. Don't care what the creator says - they'd be good together. Great conversations (once D got past initial tongue-tied-ness), shared sense of humor, plus physical attraction = love. She could inspire him to focus a bit, and he could get her to relax a bit. They had enough in common and enough differences to keep things interesting. Perfect!

Gilmore Girls: Rory/Jess ...bonding over books = love. Ditto with the great conversations/humor. She (who cares too much what others think & needs a backbone) could learn from Jess to stand up for herself and be less of a people pleaser. He (who makes no effort to fit in or be well-liked by the community) could be inspired by Rory to be a bit more considerate of others. They had enough in common and enough differences to keep things interesting. Perfect! (Whoa, deja vu!)

Dark Angel: I may be the only one ok with both Max/Logan & Max/Alec, in a shipper warzone. As with most fandoms, I choose which aspects of the characters/stories/seasons of the show I like best, and ignore the rest. I like the darker side of M/L who had a cool dynamic in season 1 (taking turns saving eachother's lives, the question of whether they're cynically using one another or not) - reminded me of Batman/Catwoman/Oracle in a Gotham-esque city. I also like the lighter banter & sparring of M/A; Alec was a humorous highlight of season 2, which was mostly crappy due to network interference. So, I can read M/A fic and believe in an AU version of them, where Max falls for Alec. But on the TV series, I don't see UST/love beneath her irritated attitude towards him. Even at their friendliest, I think they act more like siblings. Maybe I'm too aware of behind-the-scenes stuff. The stars were against the idea of M/A. The actors who played M/L were a couple in real life, and I think it shows, on-screen. But who cares about canon or actors' intent when looking for fun fanfic to read?

Reign: ...is awful, but it did inspire fans who interpret the characters better than the creator does! My own Reign fics were mainly an outlet for spoofing & snarking - although I wrote 'em back in what turned out to be The Good Old Days, aka the first half of season one. :P I've never seen a TV show go downhill so quickly. Insanely fast pace & time jumps rushed implausible character "development" and wasted some potentially interesting storylines. I tried to stay shipper-neutral (and am naturally cynical about the shallow, soapy tendencies of The CW), but unfortunately became emotionally invested in Mary/Bash. Because, once they were finally given screentime together, it was the most beautiful love story ever... for, like, three episodes. Too bad everything went to hell in 1x13. The actors' moving performances made us feel more than the writers intended, apparently (the showrunner favors Francis), so they killed all interaction between M&B and alienated viewers by stating outright that the ship is over. Sinking the ship (along with other off-putting writing choices) also sank the ratings, but hey it's The CW, where low-rated shows just...stay on the air. (Especially ones produced by CBS whose $ & goodwill they depend on. Thus, WB-produced shows with *higher* ratings get the axe instead.) No need to listen to our negative feedback, I guess. Anyway, Reign's writers enjoy torturing characters & viewers, so don't watch unless you're a masochist. And don't watch if you're a feminist (or sane person) who hates to see arranged/forced marriages & abusive relationships romanticized. Also might want to avoid Reign if you care about continuity, consistent characterization, believable arcs & emotional pay-off. Check out ABC's Once Upon A Time or BBC's The Musketeers instead. What a pity though. The way Bash looked at (and treated) Mary! Sigh.

Little Women: Ahh, Jo/Laurie, the first (unfulfilled) ship of my youth. :P Louisa May Alcott was (probably) historically the first in a long line of stubborn and contrary creators who refused to give in to shippers' demands. Beautifully written ship-sinking, so I wouldn't actually suggest not reading it. But I'd rather read fix-it fic than Alcott's sequels. Sorry, brilliant-but-misguided-author-with-daddy-issues! I still love ya. But Jo/Bhaer is pretty squicky when you consider the fact that Jo's based on Louisa while Professor Bhaer seems to be an idealized version of her poor excuse for a father. (LMA's own "fix-it fic" for her real life? ;)) Well, regardless of the author's life story, Jo/Laurie are just...perfect. Best friends who would've had a fun, creative, adventurous, passionate life together, dangit. Instead Laurie settles for the life he never wanted and "grows up" by turning into a boring businessman with a prim and humourless society wife? Horrors! (And no I'll never forgive Amy for burning Jo's book.) Jo also deserved more than her life of only occasionally writing while raising a million kids and sewing on her husband's buttons and cleaning his moustache, or whatever. :P No offense to those who devote themselves to child-rearing and moustache-grooming. I'm just not a fan of conforming to family/societal pressures and sacrificing your individuality & dreams. Jo and Laurie could've made beautiful music & books together and embraced a more unconventional path as rebellious free thinkers! (Look, I also wanted Mary/Bash on Reign to rebel against their even more stupid society's rules and expectations, so...yes, I'm a ridiculous, impractical dreamer.)

Road To Avonlea: Sara Stanley/Jonathan Ravenhurst Blackwell ...gotta use that full name. :P You know, the guy played by Robby Benson in that one episode? What? They had chemistry! I could see it, even as a kid. In my mind, the two corresponded & stayed in touch until Sara got older, then met again. Hey, if anyone out there miraculously finds - or writes - fic for them, feel free to send me a PM. :P

Once Upon A Time: Speaking of chemistry - how about those actors who played Elsa & Kristoff, eh? Maybe OUAT shouldn't have assumed *everyone* has seen Frozen (pretty sure even if I *had* I wouldn't be a slave to canon and oblivious to these actors) and therefore they didn't need to make an effort to give Anna/Kristoff any establishing scenes together to show us why we should give a damn about them. (Sure, Anna was missing then, but half this show's flashbacks anyway.) Meanwhile, E/K got to show off their chemistry and much more interesting dynamic. By the time A/K finally had scenes, it was too late. Not to mention I need to *like* both characters in a ship, as individuals, and I found Anna to be an annoyingly perky "perfect" Mary Sue-type who hogged too much screentime (OUAT has a huge cast and they are not always juggled & balanced successfully), plus I hated the way other characters (like David) were sacrificed to prop her up. Kinda sad that OUAT is known for putting their own spin on fairytales, but couldn't deviate from Frozen. Too recent or too popular? Bah. Weren't there parallels between Elsa/Kristoff and Emma/Hook though, at the start of season 4? Why *do* that if we're not supposed to ship E/K?! I thought there'd be a plot twist where E/K went on a journey to find their beloved sister/fiancée, reluctantly bonded & accidentally fell in love along the way, with Anna selflessly (she's such a saint y'know! :P) giving them her blessing in the end. Ah well. It's not likely I'll find any Elsa/Kristoff fics to link to (feel free to steal my idea and write an AU!) but I thought I'd take this opportunity to rant.

Oh, and why do I ship Emma/Hook? I tuned in to OUAT because I heard former Reign viewers/disappointed Mash shippers were taking solace in E/H (aka CaptainSwan), and it's true there are a few similarities (but more gradual & more satisfying character/relationship development on OUAT) with him supporting and respecting her skills/intelligence/courage, and *looking* at her in a pretty swoon-worthy way. Good news is, Emma reciprocates Hook's feelings, and got over her ex-who-treated-her-like-crap, more than Reign's writers allowed Mary to get over that jerk Francis and truly appreciate Bash. Geez, I can't seem to escape ranting about Reign when I try to talk about any other show/ship. Forgive me, I've been traumatized. :P Btw, silly CaptainSwan fans who complain the ship's not sailing fast enough, etc...Don't ever watch Reign. Or do. Then you'll be *very* happy with OUAT. ;) (But Elsa/Kristoff was still a waste, man!)

Breakfast Club: Allison/Bender ...I respect John Hughes and the idea of different groups having more in common than they thought & transcending social/peer/parental pressures. It would've sent a rather sad message to have the couples pair off in a "stick to your own kind...popular with popular, outcast with outcast" way. But I *still* prefer Allison & Bender together, dammit, since they're my favorite characters in the movie, plus Ally & Judd are the best actors. I can't warm up to Claire(Molly) or Andy(Emilio). They aren't as interesting or sympathetic, and I find those actors less likeable. Great movie though and I wouldn't change it (well, except for Allison's makeover, obviously. :P) I'll just imagine the couples breaking up *after* the movie. How many high school romances last anyway, right? ;)

High School Musical: Except, my ship here *will* last forever! Besides they only (kinda maybe) got together as they were graduating, so they don't count as a high school couple. ;) I somehow managed to ignore these movies when they came out, but being a fan of classic Disney & musicals, I recently gave in to curiosity. And much to my surprise fell in love with Kelsi/Ryan. They barely interacted 'til the 3rd film, which is a shame 'cause the actors had an adorable chemistry (apparently good friends in real life), and the characters just make sense together. Song & Dance! The Composer & The Choreographer! The Shy Girl (with a backbone) and Mr. Showbiz (with a sensitive side). I always prefer couples who have this blend of shared interests in common, and complementary differences, so they can challenge/inspire each other. Loved watching these two bond over their passion for music & theatre, and really grow as people over the course of the films. And they're just so darn cute. Too bad they weren't the stars of HSM - way more talent & charm than the leads. (I've gotta say, Lucas Grabeel as Ryan is by far the best singer & dancer in the cast and really wowed me with his Gene Kelly-meets-Danny Kaye-esque blend of athleticism and satirical comic flair.) Disney should've made a 4th movie, or even better, a TV series focusing on Kelsi & Ryan continuing their studies after high school, making music together, falling in love, and just being SO DARN CUTE. Could've been another "Fame" or "Dance Academy". Oh, why do I ship the ones who are ignored by The Powers That Be? :P But at least these two became a canon couple (sorta), with a happy ending and a hopeful future, unlike most of my ships.

My So-Called Life: The best TV series I've ever seen in every way: writing, acting, cinematography, music. So well-crafted & true-to-life. MSCL has spoiled me, decreasing my tolerance for shows where the writers have no plan and are obviously winging it, resulting in plot holes/character derailment/other inconsistencies - and that's *most* tv shows. :P One of my biggest peeves is when writers seem blind to a character's faults and try to force the viewer to like someone who's unlikeable. Not the case here! Everyone is realistically flawed and it's completely planned/acknowledged in the writing. Of course, I usually turn to fanfic because the show itself is flawed in some way, or goes in a direction I don't like. So I'm not compelled to seek out fic for MSCL, despite the unresolved (like real life!) ending. Just had to mention my favorite show here! As for shipping: although part of me wanted Angela to reciprocate Brian's feelings, another part feels she kind of deserves Jordan. ;) In an imaginary future in my mind (no fanfic required, which is just as well 'cause I doubt any exists) I'm rooting for the underdogs: Rayanne/Brian. 'Cause they're my favs. I really feel for those two and their issues, plus they have a funny & interesting dynamic and could challenge & learn a lot from each other...as with most of the ships I gravitate towards. Hey, look, I managed to not mention Reign! Oh, now I've wrecked it. ;) Well, Reign has the opposite effect on me that MSCL does. Reign is SO BAD it *increases* my tolerance for other shows. I've survived the worst, so nothing can hurt or disappoint me now! (Not much, anyway.)