Like any slasher and/or person with an unusual ship, I fully expected canon to blow my OT3 out of the water at some point. Eventually, you just have to stick your fingers in your ears and blah blah blah, canon, schmanon. That's just how things are when you're not invested in a traditional--usually het--ship that gets all sorts of nice, healthy canon play. We know it's fiction-within-fiction, so we're adept at handwaving things that get in the way, or going out-and-out AU. So, I was certainly prepared to do this for my lovelies this time with s4/5.
Only I didn't have to. Um. Whoa?
Beyond the whole hardcore Abby/Connor stuff, which is only an issue if one assumes het/monogamy, there have been no canon barriers to them being together, which is quite seriously gobsmacking for me, because I really, really didn't expect that.
Among the roadblocks I expected:
-One or more dies, leaves the team, etc.
Nope! And I am so chuffed about that.
-One or more makes a statement making it clear they don't live together.
Abby mentions "coming home" but that's it; no mention of who else might be there. Also no further indications of them living with Jess beyond those first few eps, and a certain amount of implication that they did move out.
-Some moment of conflict or something indicating they're arm's-length, at best, a la the "yer not gonna hug me now, areya?" thing with Matt in 4x01.
Closest we came to this is Becks being a bit snarky about Connor's gadgets. Which is basically normal banter for them anyway. And the Abby/Connor conflict was quite easy to work into my story.
-Some indication that Becker's not privy to one or the other (whether living together or not.)
Abby and Connor both had big secrets they kept from each other, and would reasonably have been expected to keep those from everyone else, too. But beyond that, there was no sense that he wasn't otherwise in confidence with either of them. On the contrary, he and Abby kept getting paired up as a fantastic, instinctive team throughout both series.
-A confirmed Becker/Jess hookup.
Nada. Not even any actual flirting. Just him being very sweet and comforting with her when she needed it. Ehm. Much the same as he did with Emily... *koff* Truly, he treats Jess like an annoying-but-cherished kid sister and/or fag hag, and not like someone he wants to have a mad shag with.
-Confirmed monogamy and/or straightness.
This is probably the closest thing to a roadblock I'd have, due to two conversations: The 5x01 "never look at another man" bit, and Jess asking Abby in 5x03 if there's "someone else." However, both of those things could easily be amended with an unspoken "besides Becker," especially given that my canon has Jess aware of the trio. Likewise, with the marriage proposal, there's a simple explanation for that, which I went over well before it happened (in Something Borrowed.) A/C has always been the primary core of the trio, and Becker's not just OK with that, but wants it that way. When they get married, he'll be right there beside them, happy as a clam.
And as far as the straightness thing goes, we don't even have canon confirmation for that with Becker after a direct question about it. Um. Holy crap? Did my canon actually deliberately leave his orientation ambiguous? Eep!
So... Yeah. Good to go on all counts. :)
I also got to thinking about the plausibility of some of the other non-canon ships. Given that this show is a such a big lovefest in the first place, I wanted to see how my ship stacked up against the others on that measure. Not comparing them on a positive evidence basis (They hugged! Clearly they're fucking!) but on a negative one, as with the roadblock list above: What--if anything--has happened that makes it clear this particular combo is NOT fucking? With how close and affectionate everyone is on this show, I fully expected my ship to be just one of many quite-plausible combinations.
But oddly enough, there actually are several barriers for most of the other possibilities. Huh.
OK, so leaving aside Lester for the moment (will get to that later), there are the two consummated canon couples: A/C and Emily/Matt, and the mostly-one-way-as-yet Becker/Jess thing. Canonically, of course, ain't nuthin' else going on. But if there was, how possible would it be within other canon restraints? (This assumes no cheating, FWIW.)
So, let's take these one ship at a time:
-Matt with Abby/Connor: Not possible
He would've been honest with Connor about his mission, and wouldn't have been so quick to push Abby to spy. Also several conversations on that storyline that indicate he's not involved in their relationship. And then there's the Emily thing.
-Matt with Becker: Highly unlikely
Same deal with Connor: He'd have been honest about his background. Becker didn't know this until the end of 5x04. Also, other indications that they're not close. They could be fuckbuddies, but that's about it.
-Emily with Abby/Connor or Becker: Highly unlikely
She's a package deal with Matt. See above. Possibly some potentiality for a fling or two in s4 before she really hooked up with Matt (such as the bachelorette party threesome I did), but she doesn't particularly have chemistry with any of them before then anyway.
-Emily and/or Matt with Jess: Plausible, but tricky
Jess definitely has chemistry with both of them, but there isn't any indication that she's particularly close with Matt. Not close enough to be dating, at least (the secret thing; unless you assume he'd lie to a partner, Matt can only be dating Emily.) Once Matt's secret is out and he stops being an emotionless wonder, however, sure. Jess and Emily clearly adore each other, and I could see Emily proposing to Matt that they bring Jess home. And Matt, now that he's let his hair down, would likely agree to it wholeheartedly.
That said, it would definitely take some world-building to make this happen, because there isn't much canon to go on, and it would also require building all three pairs plus the trio all at the same time. Much easier to add a third to an established, confident relationship than to negotiate a multiple-path dance like that as it all coalesces into a trio. So, I'll call this possible, but not likely. That said, I may try to give it a go anyway, just as an exercise. Might even find a way to place it in the A/B/C universe. Two trios: one m/m/f, one f/f/m. Sure. Why not? ;)
Basically, anything involving Matt and/or Emily would have to be late or post-s5, purely because of Matt's secret, and incorporating someone else into the fresh Emily/Matt relationship then might be very difficult.
-Jess with Abby/Connor: Not possible
During that 5x03 scene I mentioned above, it's clear she's an outsider to Abby and Connor's relationship. She has good chemistry with both, but any actual hookups would have to happen late s5+, and at that point, you could also have Becks involved, anyway.
(And I must say, I do have a bit of non-A/B/C fanon that she asks the "someone else?" question because she's seen how close Abby and Becker are, and is afraid they're having an affair. She looks relieved well beyond the "oh, good, Abby's not cheating" thing, because it means her Becks is still available. *snort*)
Which leaves...
-Lester with anyone: Nah
I know most people read his relationship with Jess as a fatherly one. Not sure I do, actually. I think he's a naughty-minded lech sitting up there in his office watching her bend over in those tiny little skirts while his wife harangues him on the phone for leaving the toilet seat up. However, he's also a man of honor, and regardless of how henpecked he feels, I can't see him cheating on her--with anyone. He's the type to have an extremely active fantasy life and a stash of softcore porn a mile high, not the type to actually go banging the secretary.
There is one other possibility, however:
-Puppy pile!: Post-s5? Hell, yes
I was actually joking that that happily-ever-after hero walk was preceded by Matt asking A/B/C if they wanted to join him and Emily back at their place for an orgy. Add in Jess after she's done minding Lester, and badabing. ;)
FTR, none of the above blather should be construed as being against those pairs/groups in any way. I'm not at all out to sink anyone else's ship. I'm just kind of marveling at the fact that I don't have to do the bailing-out-the-lifeboat thing with mine, because I'd totally expected to have to do that.
With the exception of Handrew's RL relationship, everything that happens on this show between anyone is purely fictional, and thus, anything else written about these people is, too. Being canonically correct is hardly a requirement. Hell, this fandom writes about canonically dead characters getting it on with ones they never even met. Handwaving little roadblocks like the above ain't nuthin', and we all do it instinctively.
The biggest roadblocks to most non-canon pairings are, of course, the usual cultural ones: orientation and monogamy. Those are things we writers usually just ignore as a matter of meta-fandom course. Outside of folks who only write het monogamy (and/or canon ships), the world of romance/adult fanfic is one in which most everyone is bi and poly on some level, and to a far greater degree than one would find in the real world.
But beyond that, I must say that I consider it a fun challenge to try to weave non-canon relationship/personal drama in with the existing canon in a way that is at least somewhat plausible. I actually like rewatching stuff and incorporating my own story into what's happening on-screen to extend the existing canon world. So the fact that canon in this case has virtually no moments in which I have to suspend my disbelief beyond the usual is actually pretty damned cool for me.
If we do get a s6+, it's entirely possible/likely that this happy accident won't continue for some reason or another. But because there's at least a year, prolly more before that happens, I have quite a while to happily sit here and bask in the glory of my beautiful OT3 every time I watch an episode. And that? Is freaking awesome.
Only I didn't have to. Um. Whoa?
Beyond the whole hardcore Abby/Connor stuff, which is only an issue if one assumes het/monogamy, there have been no canon barriers to them being together, which is quite seriously gobsmacking for me, because I really, really didn't expect that.
Among the roadblocks I expected:
-One or more dies, leaves the team, etc.
Nope! And I am so chuffed about that.
-One or more makes a statement making it clear they don't live together.
Abby mentions "coming home" but that's it; no mention of who else might be there. Also no further indications of them living with Jess beyond those first few eps, and a certain amount of implication that they did move out.
-Some moment of conflict or something indicating they're arm's-length, at best, a la the "yer not gonna hug me now, areya?" thing with Matt in 4x01.
Closest we came to this is Becks being a bit snarky about Connor's gadgets. Which is basically normal banter for them anyway. And the Abby/Connor conflict was quite easy to work into my story.
-Some indication that Becker's not privy to one or the other (whether living together or not.)
Abby and Connor both had big secrets they kept from each other, and would reasonably have been expected to keep those from everyone else, too. But beyond that, there was no sense that he wasn't otherwise in confidence with either of them. On the contrary, he and Abby kept getting paired up as a fantastic, instinctive team throughout both series.
-A confirmed Becker/Jess hookup.
Nada. Not even any actual flirting. Just him being very sweet and comforting with her when she needed it. Ehm. Much the same as he did with Emily... *koff* Truly, he treats Jess like an annoying-but-cherished kid sister and/or fag hag, and not like someone he wants to have a mad shag with.
-Confirmed monogamy and/or straightness.
This is probably the closest thing to a roadblock I'd have, due to two conversations: The 5x01 "never look at another man" bit, and Jess asking Abby in 5x03 if there's "someone else." However, both of those things could easily be amended with an unspoken "besides Becker," especially given that my canon has Jess aware of the trio. Likewise, with the marriage proposal, there's a simple explanation for that, which I went over well before it happened (in Something Borrowed.) A/C has always been the primary core of the trio, and Becker's not just OK with that, but wants it that way. When they get married, he'll be right there beside them, happy as a clam.
And as far as the straightness thing goes, we don't even have canon confirmation for that with Becker after a direct question about it. Um. Holy crap? Did my canon actually deliberately leave his orientation ambiguous? Eep!
So... Yeah. Good to go on all counts. :)
I also got to thinking about the plausibility of some of the other non-canon ships. Given that this show is a such a big lovefest in the first place, I wanted to see how my ship stacked up against the others on that measure. Not comparing them on a positive evidence basis (They hugged! Clearly they're fucking!) but on a negative one, as with the roadblock list above: What--if anything--has happened that makes it clear this particular combo is NOT fucking? With how close and affectionate everyone is on this show, I fully expected my ship to be just one of many quite-plausible combinations.
But oddly enough, there actually are several barriers for most of the other possibilities. Huh.
OK, so leaving aside Lester for the moment (will get to that later), there are the two consummated canon couples: A/C and Emily/Matt, and the mostly-one-way-as-yet Becker/Jess thing. Canonically, of course, ain't nuthin' else going on. But if there was, how possible would it be within other canon restraints? (This assumes no cheating, FWIW.)
So, let's take these one ship at a time:
-Matt with Abby/Connor: Not possible
He would've been honest with Connor about his mission, and wouldn't have been so quick to push Abby to spy. Also several conversations on that storyline that indicate he's not involved in their relationship. And then there's the Emily thing.
-Matt with Becker: Highly unlikely
Same deal with Connor: He'd have been honest about his background. Becker didn't know this until the end of 5x04. Also, other indications that they're not close. They could be fuckbuddies, but that's about it.
-Emily with Abby/Connor or Becker: Highly unlikely
She's a package deal with Matt. See above. Possibly some potentiality for a fling or two in s4 before she really hooked up with Matt (such as the bachelorette party threesome I did), but she doesn't particularly have chemistry with any of them before then anyway.
-Emily and/or Matt with Jess: Plausible, but tricky
Jess definitely has chemistry with both of them, but there isn't any indication that she's particularly close with Matt. Not close enough to be dating, at least (the secret thing; unless you assume he'd lie to a partner, Matt can only be dating Emily.) Once Matt's secret is out and he stops being an emotionless wonder, however, sure. Jess and Emily clearly adore each other, and I could see Emily proposing to Matt that they bring Jess home. And Matt, now that he's let his hair down, would likely agree to it wholeheartedly.
That said, it would definitely take some world-building to make this happen, because there isn't much canon to go on, and it would also require building all three pairs plus the trio all at the same time. Much easier to add a third to an established, confident relationship than to negotiate a multiple-path dance like that as it all coalesces into a trio. So, I'll call this possible, but not likely. That said, I may try to give it a go anyway, just as an exercise. Might even find a way to place it in the A/B/C universe. Two trios: one m/m/f, one f/f/m. Sure. Why not? ;)
Basically, anything involving Matt and/or Emily would have to be late or post-s5, purely because of Matt's secret, and incorporating someone else into the fresh Emily/Matt relationship then might be very difficult.
-Jess with Abby/Connor: Not possible
During that 5x03 scene I mentioned above, it's clear she's an outsider to Abby and Connor's relationship. She has good chemistry with both, but any actual hookups would have to happen late s5+, and at that point, you could also have Becks involved, anyway.
(And I must say, I do have a bit of non-A/B/C fanon that she asks the "someone else?" question because she's seen how close Abby and Becker are, and is afraid they're having an affair. She looks relieved well beyond the "oh, good, Abby's not cheating" thing, because it means her Becks is still available. *snort*)
Which leaves...
-Lester with anyone: Nah
I know most people read his relationship with Jess as a fatherly one. Not sure I do, actually. I think he's a naughty-minded lech sitting up there in his office watching her bend over in those tiny little skirts while his wife harangues him on the phone for leaving the toilet seat up. However, he's also a man of honor, and regardless of how henpecked he feels, I can't see him cheating on her--with anyone. He's the type to have an extremely active fantasy life and a stash of softcore porn a mile high, not the type to actually go banging the secretary.
There is one other possibility, however:
-Puppy pile!: Post-s5? Hell, yes
I was actually joking that that happily-ever-after hero walk was preceded by Matt asking A/B/C if they wanted to join him and Emily back at their place for an orgy. Add in Jess after she's done minding Lester, and badabing. ;)
FTR, none of the above blather should be construed as being against those pairs/groups in any way. I'm not at all out to sink anyone else's ship. I'm just kind of marveling at the fact that I don't have to do the bailing-out-the-lifeboat thing with mine, because I'd totally expected to have to do that.
With the exception of Handrew's RL relationship, everything that happens on this show between anyone is purely fictional, and thus, anything else written about these people is, too. Being canonically correct is hardly a requirement. Hell, this fandom writes about canonically dead characters getting it on with ones they never even met. Handwaving little roadblocks like the above ain't nuthin', and we all do it instinctively.
The biggest roadblocks to most non-canon pairings are, of course, the usual cultural ones: orientation and monogamy. Those are things we writers usually just ignore as a matter of meta-fandom course. Outside of folks who only write het monogamy (and/or canon ships), the world of romance/adult fanfic is one in which most everyone is bi and poly on some level, and to a far greater degree than one would find in the real world.
But beyond that, I must say that I consider it a fun challenge to try to weave non-canon relationship/personal drama in with the existing canon in a way that is at least somewhat plausible. I actually like rewatching stuff and incorporating my own story into what's happening on-screen to extend the existing canon world. So the fact that canon in this case has virtually no moments in which I have to suspend my disbelief beyond the usual is actually pretty damned cool for me.
If we do get a s6+, it's entirely possible/likely that this happy accident won't continue for some reason or another. But because there's at least a year, prolly more before that happens, I have quite a while to happily sit here and bask in the glory of my beautiful OT3 every time I watch an episode. And that? Is freaking awesome.