You know that's right (Shawn/Gus, Psych)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

Title: You know that's right
Author: Jules (_harmlessthings)
Fandom: Psych
Spoilers: Up through season 5
Notes: All screencaps used are thanks to rawr_caps. ♥ Gifs found via delicious & tinypic, please let me know if they're yours so I can credit! (Thanks to vt_graphics for the last one!)



ABOUT PSYCH:

Psych is an hour-long show on the USA network starring James Roday as Shawn Spencer and Dulé Hill as Burton Guster. As a duo they have a detective company and solve crimes using Shawn's "psychic powers" (really, Shawn's eidetic memory and Gus's work ethic), drive around in Gus's car (the Blueberry), battle forces of evil, and eat a lot of pineapple.

CHARACTER PROFILES:

Shawn Spencer is ... a huge slacker who had never been able to hold down a job until Psych happened. His dad was a cop, and a good one at that, and his father expected him to follow his footsteps -- which, as you might guess, led to rebellion and more daddy issues than you can shake a stick at. Shawn has an eidetic memory which he uses to solve his cases and earn his living. He really likes ladies, and jerk chicken, and making 80s references, and harassing Carlton Lassiter (head detective). He also really likes Gus, who's been his best friend since childhood, and who is one of the few people who can tolerate him for long periods of time. He's childish, easily distracted, whiny, often self-absorbed ... and somehow ridiculously endearing.







Burton Guster (also known as Bruton Gaster, Gurton Buster, and a whole slew of other names Shawn invents for him at random) is ... a huge nerd and a pharmaceutical sales rep who generally plays by the rules. At the beginning, at least, he played the straight man to Shawn's crazy. In season 1 he was portrayed as kind of a buzzkill, but he's loosened up over the course of the show, although he still usually tries to keep Shawn from doing anything stupid (with varying degrees of success). He's absolutely terrible with ladies. He's academically talented and good at both his jobs. He thinks he's a lot smoother than he is. Things he likes include: comic books, tap dancing, televised music competitions, Spanish soap operas, videogame arcades, the gooey girl, and adorable animals (not bears, though).

WHY ONE SHOULD SHIP THEM:

1. THEY'RE PRACTICALLY MARRIED.

GUS: I make forty-eight grand a year, Shawn.
SHAWN: What is that, yen? Who needs forty-eight thousand dollars to live?
GUS: I need thirty-two. The other sixteen generally goes to you.
SHAWN: Don't be ridiculous.
GUS: I claimed you on my taxes, Shawn!
-- episode 3 x 01

GUS: I almost took Lassiter to the JapaDog stand ... but I felt like I was cheating.
-- episode 5 x 02

I don't really think you can watch two episodes of this show without coming away thinking that their relationship is close to the point of codependency. They spend every waking moment together (well, when Gus isn't at his pharmaceutical job. And even then Shawn usually finds ways to disrupt or distract him). They bicker over the most idiotic things, such as the number of Ashlee Simpson albums (Gus maintains there are three, Shawn claims there are two), and whether or not it's acceptable for Gus to be addicted to melodramatic telenovelas. They work around each other's schedules -- well, try to, but when Gus has a work conflict Shawn always seems to get him out of it (against Gus's will). Shawn is always over at Gus's home, and vice versa. They're so comfortable together that they can predict each other's movements or next words with frightening accuracy, and know the other person's tastes down to a T. Everyone's picked up on their closeness, too -- Gus's parents, Henry, Abigail, and in Season 2's Christmas episode, Shawn went out of his way to make a good impression on Gus's parents (aw, what a good son-in-law).

They have their spats, too, like any other couple, although they're usually back to status quo by the end of the episode. My favorite episode that, I think, really exemplifies how well Shawn and Gus work together is ep 5 x 02, "Feet Don't Kill Me Now", in which Shawn and Lassie switch partners on a case due to another domestic dispute Gus-Shawn spat -- by the end of the episode, all four characters unanimously agree that their usual partnerships function much, much better. I found that interesting, especially because Shawn and Juliet are presented on the show as the canon pairing, but even Shawn and Juliet seem to agree that Gus and Lassie, respectively, are better suited to them as "partners".

a. Isn't their level of codependency kind of unhealthy?

I'd say ... yes, probably, in real life. I mean, I honestly have trouble seeing how Shawn could survive by himself (has no concept of financial stability, steals all of Gus's food, can't seem to survive for more than a few days without Gus) but in fiction (and in a setting that is definitely not that realistic / many elements of their relationship are played for laughs)? I find their relationship pretty compelling. No, their relationship isn't completely healthy, but what can I say, I like my ships a little bit codependent.

b. What does Gus get out of their relationship?

Often, the Gus-Shawn dynamic appears very one-sided, a caregiver-dependent relationship -- Shawn is extremely selfish, arrogant and immature, and sometimes it's difficult to understand why Gus puts up with him (because really, the entertainment value that Shawn provides probably doesn't make up for all the times Shawn broke into his house, nearly got them killed, etc). But I think that Gus -- responsible, driven Gus, who often feels conflicted about his perceived lack of success in life -- really does enjoy being Shawn's caretaker and feels comfortable/competent in that role. Of course, it would be nice to see a more balanced relationship between them, and more scenes that show Shawn being actually appreciative of Gus, and I hope that the show heads more in that direction. (I'm optimistic about this, too -- Gus's character has been fleshed out a lot in the later seasons, and we've seen him being awesome on his own merits and not just playing Watson to Shawn's Holmes.)

2. THEY'RE HILARIOUS TOGETHER.

Okay, look at that picture. I dare you not to smile. I DARE YOU.

But really, a lot of casual Psych viewers I know say they don't give a damn about the actual mysteries -- which, admittedly, are often rather cheesy and predictable -- and only watch for the hilarious banter between Gus and Shawn. Dule Hill is fantastically talented, and the 'I-can't-believe-I-have-to-deal-with-this-again' faces he pulls whenever Shawn gets them in a fix are things of beauty. Often Gus loosens up enough to act like a straight-up dork along with Shawn, which just leads to bonus hilarity -- James Roday and Dulé Hill have this amazing energy/chemistry between them that make all their scenes an absolute delight to watch.

I mean, here's what they look like after discovering a dead body:



Seriously, their faces alone kill me. I mean just look



These are the types of antics they get up to in every. Single. Episode. I mean really, how can you resist their stupid faces?

3. EVERYONE ELSE THINKS THEY'RE MARRIED, TOO.

So I mentioned this in passing above, but I think some choice quotes from canon could say it all for me:

ABIGAIL: Oh, wait, I get it. You guys are dating. You're together. Everything makes sense.
GUS: We are not dating.
SHAWN: You kidding me? He was voted most likely to succeed. Think he's gonna date me?
-- episode 3 x 02

GUS'S MOM: Yes, [Shawn], you're very close ... so close I wonder if he wouldn't be married by now, if he wasn't spending so much time ... with you.
-- episode 2 x 10

Shawn and Gus are checking out a suspect's apartment that is up for rent.

SHAWN: You take cats?
DUDE: Uh, yeah, I guess so. You two guys have a cat?
SHAWN: We do, actually. (laughs) Sorta like our child.
DUDE: ... I see. How do you guys, uh, know each other?
GUS: We're partners.
Comprehension dawns on Dude's face.
DUDE: Ah, gotcha.
GUS (struck with horrible realization): Oh, no no no --
DUDE: No, it's fine, I'm totally fine.
GUS: No, we're partners in a private --
SHAWN: -- relationship. Believe it. It's been a while, and we've been each other's since.

(later)

SHAWN: Ooh, Gus! Good news. Shower for two.

(later)

GUS: Shower for two?
SHAWN: That was so I could see your face when I said it.
GUS: You know, you enjoy these things more than you should.
-- episode 1 x 05

I mean seriously, they couldn't be more obvious about the homoerotic overtones:

DUDE: "This pulls out into a bed, but that's all I got."
SHAWN: "Oh, no worries. What's a little spooning between old pals, huh, Gus?"

...

GUS: "You got the floor."
SHAWN: "Oh, we'll make it work. You don't mind if I nude up for the sleepover, right?"
-- episode 1 x 08

CASE IN POINT: EVERYONE ON THE SHOW SHIPS IT (including Shawn, it seems). SO YOU SHOULD TOO. ♥

4. They really, truly care about each other.

Despite all apparent evidence to the contrary, yeah. I think that Shawn really is devoted to Gus in ways that aren't completely selfish -- that don't boil down to Gus being his keeper / the only person who can put up with him.

In 2 x 11, we discover that Gus has been secretly married all this time. Predictably, Shawn doesn't take this news all too well. As a shipper I'd like to think his negative reaction was a product of jealousy, but it's evidenced that Shawn seems to really care about what's going on in Gus's personal life ("Your best man was a goat? Gus! I was supposed to be that goat!") and that all of Gus's romantic partners need to meet Shawn's stringent requirements (also see: 4 x 11, with Ruby).

In 3 x 02, Shawn makes a speech in front of their entire high-school class about why Burton Guster is the best person ever.

Shawn's considered hypothetical Gus-related situations that don't involve himself / their job:

JULIET: Lassiter is my partner. How would you feel if something happened to Gus?
SHAWN: Depends entirely on what happened to him. I mean, if he wakes up one day and he's Howard Jones, I'm like, "Dude, things can only get better." He wins the US Open, I'm openly weeping in the front row of the parents' box, between his mom and his dad. He leaves the cake out in the rain ...
-- episode 3 x 11

And in Ep 3 x 08 ("Gus Walks Into A Bank") Gus is held hostage, trapped in the room by a man with a gun, and as soon as Shawn discovers this he attempts to go straight to Gus without a second thought -- probably would have, too, if it weren't for Lassie and Jules. Risking his life for his friend and doing so instinctively -- that's true devotion right there.

I don't think I need to go into the many ways Gus shows his devotion to Shawn (which include: following him into a burning building, going along with his five million plus harebrained schemes, CLAIMING SHAWN ON HIS TAXES, having to put up with Shawn always stealing the free toy that comes with his fruity cereal, etcetera).

I leave you with a gif of Shawn and Gus's ridiculous dancing:



THE END!

FAN RESOURCES AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

shawn_gus is the Shawn/Gus LJ community!

Here are some fanfiction recommendations to get you started:
Head Wounds Are Only Part Of The Package by tuesdayfic -- the cream of the crop.
Gusnapped! by hackthis
Pretty Much a Humperdinck by shrift
The Curious Case of That Time with the Thing by GiddyGeek
Nine True Facts About Gus And Shawn, Detectives/Boyfriends by kyrafic
Serenade by trascendenza
What's The Story, Morning Glory? by liviapenn
Signs Point To by Basingtoke

tuesdayfic, hackthis and trascendenza have all written multiple Gus/Shawn fics that I totally recommend too.

A list of top 10 Shawn/Gus moments ♥♥♥

liviapenn's Gus/Shawn picspam contains lots of pretty eye-candy.
another Shawn/Gus picspam!
Shawn/Gus appreciation post!

Please let me know if you have more recs for Shawn/Gus-related fannish things!

Psych recently concluded its fifth season, and has been picked up for a sixth -- still not sure of the premiere date, though!

Comments

[rpowell.livejournal.com]

I wondered when someone was going to write about those two. You're right. They're practically married. They're one of the best bromances in television and movie history. Need I say more?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

right?! it's rare to see two boys on tv as close as these two. i love them. ♥

[freaky-nea.livejournal.com]

I love this pairing and this manifesto way too much! <3 Need to check out the fics!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

thank you so much! and you really should -- here's not much fic for the pairing, but what exists is high-quality!

[afullmargin.livejournal.com]

OMG. Thank you!! Any more I feel like the lone Shawn/Gus shipper and while I've fallen away from the fandom now I just... I want to come back. :)

*joins up and proceeds to fangirl her favorite stories*

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

yeah, i actually only started watching psych in the latter half of last year, and when i went looking for the fandom i was a little sad by how small it was! but still, there are a lot of good picspams/fic and a WEALTH of canonical subtext for them, so ... come back! :D

[afullmargin.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I'm on the way. Haha.

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

Aw, that was adorable! And very convincing! I've never seen this show, but always been curious. :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

aw, thank you! you really should check it out, if you want some fluffy fun comedy -- i don't know anyone who actually watches for the plots, haha.

[janedavitt.livejournal.com]

Although I love Shawn with Lassiter, Shawn/Gus is just so darn sweet and weird and constant, that I feel a sense of awe contemplating it. Those two are solid. Rock solid. Their plan to live next door to each other with a shared swimming pool says it all. They've never grown up, they never will, and thank God for that.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

shawn and lassiter definitely have some hilarious chemistry! my loyalties lie with gus and shawn/gus though, because yeah -- i have trouble seeing how they'd function without each other! like you said, they're so constant. ♥

everyone on this show brings me pure joy, though.

[lamardeuse.livejournal.com]

I love this whole manifesto. Thank you for writing it. :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

thank you so much!

[gwynevere1.livejournal.com]

Eeeek! You posted it! I am bouncing in my seat and cannot contain myself!

You have screen caps of CANON BUNNY-SNUGGLING!

This:

I found that interesting, especially because Shawn and Juliet are presented on the show as the canon pairing, but even Shawn and Juliet seem to agree that Gus and Lassie, respectively, are better suited to them as "partners".

Is is possible to want to hug a sentence?

Dule Hill is fantastically talented, and the 'I-can't-believe-I-have-to-deal-with-this-again' faces he pulls whenever Shawn gets them in a fix are things of beauty.

Dule's reaction shots are a thing of beauty and seriously underappreciated. Most actors don't bother to act when they aren't the ones speaking. Dule's ability to convey what his character is thinking even when the camera is not centered on him a rare gift.

One tiny typo: tuesdayfic, hackthis and have all written multiple Gus/Shawn fics that I totally recommend too.
The third author's name is not showing up for me.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

hurray! \o/ (your ICON.)

THANKS. wasn't that episode great for both shawn/gus and lassie/jules? i have to admit, though, that the lassie/gus partnership was kind of intriguing. but i'm happy they were all running into their real partners' arms in the end.

and yes, dule hill is fantastic -- i've actually never seen anything else he's been in, but i want to watch the west wing just for him when i have more free time; i think he has some seriously amazing acting chops. (and he can tap dance! a man of many talents.)

also -- fixed! thank you for pointing it out!

[gwynevere1.livejournal.com]

hurray! \o/ (your ICON.)

Thank you. It is by pinknylon from this set (http://community.livejournal.com/pinknylon/42911.html).

By the way, have your read Pineapple and Caramel (http://archiveofourown.org/works/138891) by (http://bring-me-sugar.dreamwidth.org/profile)bring_me_sugar (http://bring-me-sugar.dreamwidth.org/) AKA rise_your_dead (Teen And Up Audiences)? It's completely how canon should go (and does in my mind).

[svz-insanity.livejournal.com]

I HAD NO IDEA YOU LIKED PSYCH AND SHAWN/GUS. ♥ I have read all the fics you recced and plan on rereading them soon.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

I DIDN'T KNOW YOU LIKED THEM EITHER! HURRAY. SHAWN/GUS IS DEFINITELY ONE OF MY FAVORITE PAIRINGS EVER. and ~bruton gaster~ is on my top 5 dateable fictional characters list, haha. i love that guy so much it's ridiculous.

aren't those fics great? i haven't been able to find all that many, but i was very pleasantly surprised by what i did find.

[talitha78.livejournal.com]

Great manifesto!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

thank you! ♥

[silviakundera.livejournal.com]

I love this pairing and you really did it justice.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

thank you! ♥ they're my favorite.

[the-windowbird.livejournal.com]

I didn't really need any convincing, but, yay, this! :D

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

i love these two so much it's ridiculous. hurray. ♥

[heron-advocate.livejournal.com]

omg this. A+ manifesto. Shawn and Gus are amazing. I was watching 3x02 the other day and I actually cried at Shawn's little speech at the end. I CRIED AT PSYCH. But 3x01 is probably my favorite Shawn/Gus episode...maybe. It's hard to say because Shawn/Gus is everywhere.

Edit: Oh and as for credits, I believe the last gif was made by vt_graphics.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

shawn/gus is the best, and i loved that episode (for the movie references as well as the gus backstory). season 3 was pretty great for my otp!

also, thank you so much for the credit info!

[rise-your-dead.livejournal.com]

*SQUEAKS YES YES YES YES*

I'm seriously a multi-shipper in this fandom, but Gus and Shawn's love is an undeniable force, man, and so obvious in canon. I mean, THESE BEST MAN TOASTS:



In case it doesn't embed. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CCQF5N3H4w)

HE'S COMING HOME WITH ME <3 <3. So cute! This is win, and thank you for the recs!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

i know, all the members of this cast have such great chemistry and it's part of what makes the show really enjoyable for me! YESSSSS, that vid. ♥

thanks, i'm glad you enjoyed them!

[rise-your-dead.livejournal.com]

Right? They're all adorable :)

And you're quite welcome!

That video kills me forever <3

[gypsyjr.livejournal.com]

THIS. ALL OF IT.

I seriously don't get why more people don't ship these two.

You did forget one of my favorite Shawn/Gus moments. In "Scary Sherry," at the end of season 1, the creepy girl asks Shawn what he'd do if he ever lost Gus.. and for the first time ever, he's speechless. It's literally unthinkable.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

i think for one thing, psych just isn't a very popular show? although shawn/gus still isn't the prevalent pairing in the fandom ... i have nothing against shawn/lassiter, but c'mon, guys. shawn/gus is so shippable it hurts.

yeah, i was going to include that! ... and then got lazy, haha. that's one of my favorite shawn/gus moments as well.

[faorism.livejournal.com]

I just want to thank you so much for writing this, and doing such a terrific job with it. Easily one of the easiest to read, most hilarious manifestos I've read. I only sat down to watch this show once or twice, but between this essay and those AMAZING recommendations, I have officially been converted. I have started watching the series, and yet again, I would love to thank you for writing this up!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

THIS COMMENT MAKES ME SO HAPPY, I CAN'T EVEN. ♥ ♥ ♥ i'm so happy to have introduced someone to psych and these adorable characters! seriously, thanks a lot -- this is my favorite comment.

♥

[shingo-the-pest.livejournal.com]

The world would end if these two weren't together.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harmlessthings/]

couldn't agree more. :D

[ember-reads.livejournal.com]

I love this essay. I have been shipping them since the first season, but I felt alone as most ship Shassie. Your right, they are practically married. I have such a soft spot for best friends falling in love and Gus and Shawn so fit that description. I am so going to read all of your recs, finding fic for them is a little bit like a treasure hunt.

Thanks so much for drawing attention to this pairing!!

P.S.:)
I didn't see it on your list, but the following story is good, although it is basically a pwp(Rating:Mature). It's called Cabin Weekend by Neenabluegirl.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4922588/1/

[vulpesvortex.livejournal.com]

I barely ever watch this show, but when it pops up on my telly I'm generally like:

...I WOULD SHIP THAT.

[vulpesvortex.livejournal.com]

Forgot to say: lovely manifesto. :)

[applepips]

They are one of my favourite things about Psych. Never mind the fact that they are not in a relationship or anything but in my head, I cannot see them apart from each other. Best b(romanace) ever. :)