Unconventional Giles Shipping, An Overview

[ebailey140@xxxxxxx]

Willow: "Giles! Glad you could make it."
Giles: "Hello, Willow... Um, what's going on?"
Willow: "Oh, we've been doing this series of unconventional shipping 
overviews, and it's your turn."
Giles: "Oh... W-well, I was referring to..." (Points to Buffy, Faith, and 
Cordy, who are laying around naked and have obviously been having a good time)
Harmony: "Oh, that... Well, at the end of the Cordy overview we just did, 
the Slayers decided to make a Seer sandwich."
Anya: "You've just entered a Fanfic Zone."
Giles: "Oh, yes... Where divergent realities meet, and those who enter 
remember all their experiences in the divergent..." (Starts remembering) 
"Oh, my..."
Harmony: "They've been at it for hours."
Tara: "Um, if we're going to do this... Well..."
Giles: "Yes, we need to stop them. Being... intimate with two Slayers for 
that long a period can be, well, dangerous..." 
Harmony: "You should know..."
Giles: "Um, Buffy..."
Buffy: "Giles!!! It's so good to see you...!"
Faith: "Hey, G-Man!"
Cordy: "Mmmm..."
Giles: "You have to stop this... You've been at this for so long, that 
you're running a risk of... well.. shagging Cordelia to death."
Cordy: "But what a way to go..."
Giles: "Cordelia, need I remind you that you have responsibilities to Angel 
and the Powers That Be..."
Cordy: "Oh yeah..."
Buffy: "OK!" (Jumps up, pushes Giles in a chair, and jumps on his lap)
Giles: "Buffy, I find it impossible to think when you do that... Could you, 
perhaps, at least put something on?"
Harmony: "Don't think Cordy could dress herself right now."
Faith: "Um, anyone see where we threw our clothes?"
Ethan: "Well, well, Ripper, what's going..." (Looks around) "On..."
Giles: "Bloody hell..."
Tara: "Um, Willow, it's your turn.."
Willow: (Staring longingly at Buffy and Giles) "My turn?"
Tara: "To do the intro.."
Willow: "Oh! Intro...

Title: Uncoventional Giles Shipping, An Overview
Writer: E
E-mail: ebailey140@xxxxxxx" (Harmony slips behind Willow, playfully 
snapping at her neck) "Stop that, it's annoying.
Spoilers: Various episodes and fanfic
Notes: Continuing the Unconventional Shipping series, following the Buffy, 
Me, Faith, and Cordelia ones. Stop that.
Disclaimers: E doesn't own these people. They're owned by Joss, Mutant 
Enemy, Fox, and those frog guys.
Archiving: Sure, just tell E. Stop that."

Yes, we're back for another look at unconventional shipping in Buffy fanfic, 
this time focusing on Rupert Giles, formerly Buffy's Watcher, who was fired 
for loving her too much, but has remained with her...

Ethan: "And I can see why. Damn, Ripper, I understand, now."
Buffy: "Am I gonna have to kick your ass?"
Giles: "Don't. Given your current state of undress, he'd enjoy it."

Giles has had a couple of conventional ships on the show. There was the late 
Jenny Calender, who was very popular and still lives in fanfic. There's also 
current on again, off again, girlfriend, Olivia...

Willow: "Hmmph."
Buffy: "But with him, I still come first."
Cordy: "Gotta love a man who does that, more concerned about your pleasure 
than his own..."

The two most prominant unconventional ships for the Watcher are the two young 
women he has always been closest to...

Giles/Buffy...

This is based on the idea that the relationship between the Slayer and 
Watcher is the foundation of the show, that the series is primarily their 
journey. There are many levels to this complex relationship, and given the 
chemestry and sex appeal involved, not to mention the ever present subtext, 
naturally there's going to be a lot of fanfic devoted to a romantic aspect. 
The G/B shipper maintains that they are each the most important person in the 
world to the other. As for the age difference, the G/B shipper points out 
that Angel is centuries older than Giles.

Anya: "They also both seem to react pretty badly when the other's dating 
someone."
Harmony: "It was ALL over the school... I mean, here was this pretty girl 
always with the hottie librarian, and we were always hearing about this 
boyfriend of hers that nobody ever saw..."
Ethan: "I always though something was going on, there..."
Giles: "No, you didn't! You were the same clueless pillock you always were!"

In much G/B fic, they bring out the wild sides in each other, Ripper being 
perfect for the rebellious, nymphomaniac, Slayer...

Faith: "I make one little comment in one episode..."

The other most prominant unconventional Giles ship is, of course...

Giles/Willow...

This is based on Willow's long standing crush on Giles, going back to the 
first episode. The G/W shipper thinks they'd be a perfect couple. They're 
both intellectual, a bit shy, dabble in magic, and each have a wild side. 

Ethan: "Does she, really?"
Buffy: "Keep your hands off her or I will personally rip out you spine.."
Giles: "He'd have to have a spine in the first place for you to do that..."

Other writers, however, want to pair him up with someone single, which is 
something neither Buffy nor Willow have been for very long periods. Going 
back to the complex relationship between Slayer and Watcher, we have...

Giles/Faith...

In these, Giles takes responsibility for the rogue Slayer, inviting her to 
live with him, and how long can Faith manage to live under the same roof with 
someone she's attracted to without boinking them?

Faith: "Not very long..." (Climbs into the chair with Buffy and Giles)
Ethan: "I'm seeing the light. I'm mending my ways..."
Giles: "Sod off..."
Willow: "Hey, leave room for the redhead!"

Others, however, pair Giles with the remaining, single, female Scooby...

Giles/Cordelia...

This is based on the idea that Cordy's attraction to Wes, whom she'd 
described as Giles, The Next Generation, was substitution for the real 
thing...

Ethan: "And you let that twit play with what was yours? I'm disappointed, 
Ripper... But then, you were pretty occupied..."

This being fanfic, though, writers aren't going to limit Giles to female 
Scoobies. So, we have...

Giles/Xander...

Tara: "Ewwww!"
Anya: "Hey! What's wrong with Xander?"
Tara: "Nothing, but... Just... the thought of two guys... Yuck!"
Cordy: "Oh, come on, if we can have all this femslash..."
Tara: "I know, and I like that, of course, and I can handle m/f fic.. 
But... That's GROSS!!!"

Well, not every pairing will appeal to everyone. The idea of Giles being bi 
is largely based on his past...

Ethan: "Heh heh..."

Giles/Ethan...

Ethan is the dark sorceror who Giles spent a lot of his misspent youth with. 
Their world was sex, drugs, rock'n'roll, and black magic. Given that this 
was during the Glam era...

Giles: "And may I point out that this is the REAL Glam era we're referring 
to, not that 80s hair band garbage.."

...that meant lots of sexual experimentation. Giles being a musician has 
naturally led to...

Giles/Oz...

Ethan: "Like them hairy, Ripper?"

In G/O fic, the two bond, with Giles understanding much of what the young 
guitarist werewolf is going through, trying to keep his dark passions in 
check. Then, of course, there was Giles's short term roommate...

Giles/Spike...

Ethan: "He's a bit cold, isn't he?"

The two British bad boys are a fun team on the show, so writers are natually 
going to extend that. There's even been...

Giles/Angel...

Cordy: "Um, isn't there a lot of bad blood, there?"

In fanfic, anything is possible. There's also, based on the Band Candy 
incident...

Giles/Joyce...

Buffy: "You know I'm not comfortable with this..."

Neither are the G/B shippers. The idea behind G/J is that Buffy is sort of a 
father figure to Buffy, anyway, so why not make him her step father? The G/B 
shipper counters that that would seperate him from the group. He wouldn't be 
one of the gang, any more, but in the background, as he would no longer be 
able to be involved with her Slaying activities to the same level.

Willow: "Not to mention, it would have messed up the fourth season finale."
Faith: "Yeah, his Slayers need to come first..."
Willow: "And the witch. Don't forget the witch..."
Ethan: "Well, I see things are about to get fun..."
Giles: "Would someone please show Ethan the door?"
Ethan: "Oh, come on, Ripper... For old times sake... DAMN!"