Post by SLWatson on Nov 11, 2004 20:40:53 GMT -5
::chuckles:: You know, I've done my best to hold off on this one for as long as possible. In fact, Nick will tell you just how long I've been keeping my mouth shut on this particular fandom pairing, simply for the sake of not tipping my hand.
But, well... while I have a chance to weigh in (albeit late), I'd better take it. Before real life interferes anymore with my obsessions and fondnesses.
I don't think Buzz and Mira would make a good couple...
...I think they make a great couple.
Now, before you all drag out the flame throwers, grab the pitchforks and get ready to string me up, hear me out. What stories you have read of mine, you've all considered to be fairly good, in character and decently written, so you can bet when I make a claim like this, I'll at least be able to spell out the reasons why.
Let's start off with basic compatability.
Anyone who's ever been in a long-term, committed relationship knows that love is NEVER perfect. There is no such thing as a perfect romance; people in love aren't always going to be gushing all over each other and dragging out roses, white horses and otherwise. Part of the reason that Buzz and Mira work so well together is equal parts complimenting and contrasting personalities. They aren't polar opposites, but they aren't so much alike as to bore each other to oblivion.
To understand the basis for all of this, you have to look at certain things. First of all, Buzz is not as arrogant as everyone makes him out to be -- on occasion, he oversteps his bounds and lets his ego get the better of him, but most of the time he's more genuinely confident in himself than he is arrogant. He's a decent man, who works hard and has crawled his way up the ladder to his position. He's more typical of bachelors than most stereotypes would allow -- most stereotypes suggest that single men are messy, but that's a falsehood. In truth, single men are (for the most part) very neat and squared away, both in appearance and in their homes. He tucks his shirt in, he keeps his house neat (unless he's depressed), and has preached the rule of tidiness more than once.
He's intelligent, likewise beyond what most leading Disney males seem to be -- like most men, more of a hands-on thinker with good spatial sense and the ability to think on his feet and in motion. On the other hand, grasping large metaphysical concepts seems to be well beyond his basic abilities, and would take a lot of patience to explain.
He still cringes when he's being dressed down (by higher-ups, and amusingly enough, by Mira), but he's also strong enough to stand up for something even under extreme pressure if he believes he's right.
He owns up to his mistakes like a real man does, and has admitted when he was wrong.
He's good with kids, has a soft spot for animals, and while compromising does not come all too easily to him, he's entirely capable of doing it.
That's just a brief profile of our leading man. Now, if you all really want me to dig through the episodes again for point by point examples of the above, I'm more than willing to do so. ::grins:: I've done my homework.
And if you want me to write out a whole psych profile, I'd be willing to do that too. Again, citing my sources.
Now, our leading lady.
Mira's... well, terrific. She's likewise intelligent, and hard-working. She's more open-minded than her counterpart, and has the capability to think much more metaphysically. She's hard enough to stand up for herself, and possesses a temper that, as stated, even makes Buzz cringe (can I point out that very few people can make that man cringe? She's one of 'em.).
She's determined to make her own way, without relying on royalty, privlige or otherwise to see her through. Mira's a working girl, and proud that she's not relying on Daddy.
I don't believe she's as innately neat as Buzz, though I doubt she's a slob. Where he probably organizes the magazines on the doctor's end tables by date, in alphabetical order, Mira's the type who just reads what looks interesting and doesn't reorder the pile.
She's got a big heart, just like he does, and does her best to help people in need.
She's likewise willing to compromise, but again, it doesn't necessarily come easily to her.
Again, I could spend quite a bit of time giving you a complete psychological profile, but space and time is limited now. Still, if you want me to, I will.
Naturally, citing my sources.
Now, if you look at just the above stuff, you'll find more than enough common ground you could base a very good relationship on. You'd think I could stop there, but... well, I'm not going to.
Then you look in canon for examples! For example, Buzz is chronically attracted to strong, independant women, sometimes to his own detriment. But, for some reason, none of the 'romantic' interests given to him in the show work out... let's take a look at why.
Gravitina (sp?) -- well, aside the fact she's a villain and has a huge head, she comes on so strongly that I don't blame him for hiding behind a pillow, a table, or anything he possibly can hide behind. Just those two reasons alone make it impossible.
Sally -- that one might work, but it was never explored in any depth, and just faded away.
Bonnie -- way too young, and even more immature. Amusingly, though, it was Mira who gave him the proverbial smack upside the head and told him not to be insensitive.
And last, but not least: Furbanna.
She has all the proper hallmarks initially -- attractive, independant, intellegent. But that's where it ends. She has absolutely no give; her main concern is herself and her bugs. If Buzz were to end up with her, she would eventually wear him right into the ground; she'd break him in half, because he would try his hardest to make her happy and fall short every single time. And the worst part is, she's the type who has no problem making him believe he IS the problem.
So, you've got the main supposed romances.
Now, let's look at this man, famous for being insensitive, and ask... when has he EVER been insensitive to the one decent woman in his life?
Never.
He's gotten irritated with Mira, has even picked arguments with her just because of that irritation. He's gotten frustrated with her, and impatient, but he has never, not one time, disregarded her.
Some examples? I'd love to.
Starthought.
She loses the ship, and who is the first person there saying, "Well, let's go get it back"? Buzz. How he acts towards her through this entire episode is more telling than any amount of candy, flowers or white horses -- he's trying to make it better. He's trying to make it better for HER.
Planet Destroyer.
Nothing overt, but covert. He goes with her ideas; he believes in her. Not just a little, but enough to take chances like that, with nothing but her word and a hunch to go on.
Super Nova.
Just how hard is this man trying? Hello! Not only does he try to talk her out of it, but he does his best to fix it in the end. And the look when she tells him to mind his own business is absolutely worth a thousand words -- it bothers him. A lot. More than a little, a lot.
I could list something for almost every episode those two have a decent amount of interaction. Where this man is insensitive to everyone else in the universe (including the two other members of his crew), he's not insensitive to her. Not once. Nada.
While we're on the sensitivity subject, though, we have to see that it goes both ways.
Conspiracy.
She doesn't doubt him. Not even when he's holding a dang sniper rifle. She spent a whole episode, practically, torn between duty and Buzz, and who'd she choose in the end? Point made.
Opposites Attract.
If this isn't a prime example of Mira going way above and beyond, without so much as a pause, to try and protect Buzz, then I don't know what is. Even if you ignore that and call it 'helping a buddy', you can't ignore the expressions and voice tones.
Shiv Katall.
Once again, trying to protect him, until she figures out that he's what she's trying to protect him from.
I know there are more examples, but again, not enough time to go into them at the moment. But, as stated before, if anyone really wants me to, I'll sit down and do it.
So, now that we've addressed the sensitivity and protectiveness, let's look at general circumstantial evidence.
Enemy Without a Face.
They spend most of the episode fighting. (Insteresting note: When she insists on being the pilot, though, where anyone else would have probably been pitched across the bridge, Buzz takes it. He grumbles, but he takes it. He lets her have her way. Even though he's miffed.) They spend most of the episode fighting each other! If you add very heightened agression to unresolved feelings, that's just about what you'd expect. More telling, though, is how the look at each other when those things get frozen off of their necks and they realize how close they came to blasting each other into oblivion.
Rookie of the Year.
Before he gets the death glare from the other two, Buzz was saying that he couldn't imagine anyone deserving the award more than Mira. He stops himself only because he gets the death glare. Let's face it; arguing or no, he does hold her in high esteem.
Good Ol' Buzz.
What did the old Buzz say when he came back? That he spent DECADES building a time device to come back and save Mira. Not hours, weeks, months or years, but DECADES! And when the old Buzz sends her back to 42 while she's suffocating, the young Buzz is immediately asking where she is. Genuine concern.
Again, I could go on and on. I could fit every single piece of this particular puzzle together, just using CANON as my source. There are so many things, both little and big, that say just how well those two work. And, again, I'll be glad to sit down and type it all out... it might take me weeks, but I'd do it.
But, well... while I have a chance to weigh in (albeit late), I'd better take it. Before real life interferes anymore with my obsessions and fondnesses.
I don't think Buzz and Mira would make a good couple...
...I think they make a great couple.
Now, before you all drag out the flame throwers, grab the pitchforks and get ready to string me up, hear me out. What stories you have read of mine, you've all considered to be fairly good, in character and decently written, so you can bet when I make a claim like this, I'll at least be able to spell out the reasons why.
Let's start off with basic compatability.
Anyone who's ever been in a long-term, committed relationship knows that love is NEVER perfect. There is no such thing as a perfect romance; people in love aren't always going to be gushing all over each other and dragging out roses, white horses and otherwise. Part of the reason that Buzz and Mira work so well together is equal parts complimenting and contrasting personalities. They aren't polar opposites, but they aren't so much alike as to bore each other to oblivion.
To understand the basis for all of this, you have to look at certain things. First of all, Buzz is not as arrogant as everyone makes him out to be -- on occasion, he oversteps his bounds and lets his ego get the better of him, but most of the time he's more genuinely confident in himself than he is arrogant. He's a decent man, who works hard and has crawled his way up the ladder to his position. He's more typical of bachelors than most stereotypes would allow -- most stereotypes suggest that single men are messy, but that's a falsehood. In truth, single men are (for the most part) very neat and squared away, both in appearance and in their homes. He tucks his shirt in, he keeps his house neat (unless he's depressed), and has preached the rule of tidiness more than once.
He's intelligent, likewise beyond what most leading Disney males seem to be -- like most men, more of a hands-on thinker with good spatial sense and the ability to think on his feet and in motion. On the other hand, grasping large metaphysical concepts seems to be well beyond his basic abilities, and would take a lot of patience to explain.
He still cringes when he's being dressed down (by higher-ups, and amusingly enough, by Mira), but he's also strong enough to stand up for something even under extreme pressure if he believes he's right.
He owns up to his mistakes like a real man does, and has admitted when he was wrong.
He's good with kids, has a soft spot for animals, and while compromising does not come all too easily to him, he's entirely capable of doing it.
That's just a brief profile of our leading man. Now, if you all really want me to dig through the episodes again for point by point examples of the above, I'm more than willing to do so. ::grins:: I've done my homework.
And if you want me to write out a whole psych profile, I'd be willing to do that too. Again, citing my sources.
Now, our leading lady.
Mira's... well, terrific. She's likewise intelligent, and hard-working. She's more open-minded than her counterpart, and has the capability to think much more metaphysically. She's hard enough to stand up for herself, and possesses a temper that, as stated, even makes Buzz cringe (can I point out that very few people can make that man cringe? She's one of 'em.).
She's determined to make her own way, without relying on royalty, privlige or otherwise to see her through. Mira's a working girl, and proud that she's not relying on Daddy.
I don't believe she's as innately neat as Buzz, though I doubt she's a slob. Where he probably organizes the magazines on the doctor's end tables by date, in alphabetical order, Mira's the type who just reads what looks interesting and doesn't reorder the pile.
She's got a big heart, just like he does, and does her best to help people in need.
She's likewise willing to compromise, but again, it doesn't necessarily come easily to her.
Again, I could spend quite a bit of time giving you a complete psychological profile, but space and time is limited now. Still, if you want me to, I will.
Naturally, citing my sources.
Now, if you look at just the above stuff, you'll find more than enough common ground you could base a very good relationship on. You'd think I could stop there, but... well, I'm not going to.
Then you look in canon for examples! For example, Buzz is chronically attracted to strong, independant women, sometimes to his own detriment. But, for some reason, none of the 'romantic' interests given to him in the show work out... let's take a look at why.
Gravitina (sp?) -- well, aside the fact she's a villain and has a huge head, she comes on so strongly that I don't blame him for hiding behind a pillow, a table, or anything he possibly can hide behind. Just those two reasons alone make it impossible.
Sally -- that one might work, but it was never explored in any depth, and just faded away.
Bonnie -- way too young, and even more immature. Amusingly, though, it was Mira who gave him the proverbial smack upside the head and told him not to be insensitive.
And last, but not least: Furbanna.
She has all the proper hallmarks initially -- attractive, independant, intellegent. But that's where it ends. She has absolutely no give; her main concern is herself and her bugs. If Buzz were to end up with her, she would eventually wear him right into the ground; she'd break him in half, because he would try his hardest to make her happy and fall short every single time. And the worst part is, she's the type who has no problem making him believe he IS the problem.
So, you've got the main supposed romances.
Now, let's look at this man, famous for being insensitive, and ask... when has he EVER been insensitive to the one decent woman in his life?
Never.
He's gotten irritated with Mira, has even picked arguments with her just because of that irritation. He's gotten frustrated with her, and impatient, but he has never, not one time, disregarded her.
Some examples? I'd love to.
Starthought.
She loses the ship, and who is the first person there saying, "Well, let's go get it back"? Buzz. How he acts towards her through this entire episode is more telling than any amount of candy, flowers or white horses -- he's trying to make it better. He's trying to make it better for HER.
Planet Destroyer.
Nothing overt, but covert. He goes with her ideas; he believes in her. Not just a little, but enough to take chances like that, with nothing but her word and a hunch to go on.
Super Nova.
Just how hard is this man trying? Hello! Not only does he try to talk her out of it, but he does his best to fix it in the end. And the look when she tells him to mind his own business is absolutely worth a thousand words -- it bothers him. A lot. More than a little, a lot.
I could list something for almost every episode those two have a decent amount of interaction. Where this man is insensitive to everyone else in the universe (including the two other members of his crew), he's not insensitive to her. Not once. Nada.
While we're on the sensitivity subject, though, we have to see that it goes both ways.
Conspiracy.
She doesn't doubt him. Not even when he's holding a dang sniper rifle. She spent a whole episode, practically, torn between duty and Buzz, and who'd she choose in the end? Point made.
Opposites Attract.
If this isn't a prime example of Mira going way above and beyond, without so much as a pause, to try and protect Buzz, then I don't know what is. Even if you ignore that and call it 'helping a buddy', you can't ignore the expressions and voice tones.
Shiv Katall.
Once again, trying to protect him, until she figures out that he's what she's trying to protect him from.
I know there are more examples, but again, not enough time to go into them at the moment. But, as stated before, if anyone really wants me to, I'll sit down and do it.
So, now that we've addressed the sensitivity and protectiveness, let's look at general circumstantial evidence.
Enemy Without a Face.
They spend most of the episode fighting. (Insteresting note: When she insists on being the pilot, though, where anyone else would have probably been pitched across the bridge, Buzz takes it. He grumbles, but he takes it. He lets her have her way. Even though he's miffed.) They spend most of the episode fighting each other! If you add very heightened agression to unresolved feelings, that's just about what you'd expect. More telling, though, is how the look at each other when those things get frozen off of their necks and they realize how close they came to blasting each other into oblivion.
Rookie of the Year.
Before he gets the death glare from the other two, Buzz was saying that he couldn't imagine anyone deserving the award more than Mira. He stops himself only because he gets the death glare. Let's face it; arguing or no, he does hold her in high esteem.
Good Ol' Buzz.
What did the old Buzz say when he came back? That he spent DECADES building a time device to come back and save Mira. Not hours, weeks, months or years, but DECADES! And when the old Buzz sends her back to 42 while she's suffocating, the young Buzz is immediately asking where she is. Genuine concern.
Again, I could go on and on. I could fit every single piece of this particular puzzle together, just using CANON as my source. There are so many things, both little and big, that say just how well those two work. And, again, I'll be glad to sit down and type it all out... it might take me weeks, but I'd do it.
