Daily Pilots Post: Kara or Lee?

[cosetteferaud.livejournal.com]

I’ve been pondering that when I became familiar with K/L fandom, one of the first things I noticed is that tendency among fellow shippers to define themselves as “Kara people” or “Lee people”, depending on the character we identify with more. And it occurred to me that it’s a fascinating phenomenon, since most of us seem to perceive the relationship through a certain POV --Lee’s or Kara’s—, even if we love their dynamic as friends/colleagues/lovers/siblings/soulmates to tiny bits.

So I find it interesting to dwell on how our special connection to one of them colors the perception of the whole relationship and all their interaction, since it really seems there are a lot of shades in the way the K/L shipperdom members approach the characters. That’s why today I’d like to talk about “classifications of shippers” and discuss how our perception of the ‘ship is different depending on our main focus of interest. And here there are some questions to ponder (and a poll!).

1. Being a shameless K/L shipper, you consider yourself...

*A Lee fan
*A Kara fan
*I can't choose, I love them both.

ETA. Damn LJ won't let me post the poll here. Answer in the comments, please!

2. Has your perception of “the other side” of the pairing changed since you fell for them as a couple? How?

3. In case that your favorite character is Kara,

a) Has there been a moment when you felt utterly disappointed/frustrated/angry with Lee because of his behavior towards her?

b) And a moment when you had your particular Lee!epiphany?

4. In case that your favorite character is Lee,

a) Has there been a moment when you felt utterly disappointed/frustrated/angry with Kara because of her behavior towards him?

b) And a moment when you had your particular Kara!epiphany?

Personally, I think I’ve reached a point where I can consider myself a “pure” shipper. I mean, I love both equally: Kara as my object of identification/admiration/sympathy –I am always drawn to strong female characters and can't watch a show without one--, and Lee as my object of desire and lust (although I also lust after Kara, but that’s another matter entirely ;P). But my crazy love for Lee has come as a result of a long process. Kara Thrace has always been my girl. She was the reason I started watching BSG in the first place and I fell head over heels with her and her charisma from the start. I always liked Lee –I loved his passion, his restrain and his smarts, and my love for him was fuelled in S1 by episodes like “Bastille Day” and “Hand of God”—, but I always found him more difficult to read and I certainly noticed him more when he was with Kara.

And yet, in S4, something changed. I still adored Kara but couldn’t connect with her the way I did before the Demetrius story arc. And there was Lee, becoming his own man and the President of the Twelve Colonies and taking charge of everything and holding Papadama while he drooled and fell apart and loving Kara no matter what she was… and something just clicked right then. I think that was my particular Lee!epiphany :). So right now, if I had to choose, I’d still choose Kara, but I honestly can't tell who I love more. I love them both.

And having said that, I love them even more as that beautiful, complex and tortured young couple we met --and their chemistry just blows me away. Their feelings and interaction with each other are my favorite aspects of them as characters, and I firmly believe that their bond was so deep that they were defined in many ways by their connection –personally, I can't conceive the one without the other. Together, they always were more than the sum of their parts. My favorite fictional couple ever, whithout any shade of doubt :).

Comments

[damao2010.livejournal.com]

I love them both dearly and I think they wouldn't be half as interesting without the other. I mean, one of the best things about their relationship is exactly the fact that they are so different and so flawed and yet they complement each other in the most adorable, endearing way.
Now, having said that, I am first and foremost a Lee fan. I loved him from the first scene in the mini when he was so obnoxious to the chief and when he could hardly contain all his bottled up anger and resentment towards his dad. In fact, it was his "daddy issues" that first drew me towards the character. Having them myself, I was able to relate to it right away and see through the obnoxious, cold, self-righteous façade. To me, his conflicted feelilngs towards his father and the fact that he would have to find a way to deal with them after being forced to serve under him due to the attacks would be more than enough to make him an interesting character. Then I loved the way he behaved towards Roslin, being the first to accep her as the lady in charge not only because it was the law (and the right thing to do) but because he saw the leader in her. The fact that he had such chemestry with Kara from the beggining was an added bonus.

Has there been a moment when you felt utterly disappointed/frustrated/angry with Kara because of her behavior towards him?
They both had their really bad moments and did hurt the other a lot. But the worst Kara moment regarding Lee was definitly when she left him after the night they spent together and got married. I can think of many reasons for that (and we have discussed them here before) but to forgive someone after that... OMG, it would be reaaaalllly hard.

And I agree with rayruz :"People in fandom forgive Kara her flaws so much more easily than they forgive Lee... I don't know why".

[cosetteferaud.livejournal.com]

Then I loved the way he behaved towards Roslin, being the first to accep her as the lady in charge not only because it was the law (and the right thing to do) but because he saw the leader in her.

I think that was my first Lee!squee moment :) I loved how he immediately recognized Roslin's leadership skills and stepped aside. I used to like the Lee and Laura's interaction in S1 early season 2 too. It's a shame that they didn't handled it properly... I always had the feeling Lee was too isolated as a character, being Adama and Kara his only meaningful relationships.

But the worst Kara moment regarding Lee was definitly when she left him after the night they spent together and got married.

It was Kara's lowest moment, that's for sure... But I just couldn't blame her... I felt so bad for the two of them, really.