Two's Company: Raiding as a Pair

Roses among thorny skeletons.

There were quite a few posts circulating a while back on WoW couples and how to 'deal' with them. I had mixed feelings because I am part of a WoW couple - I met my boyfriend through this game and we have almost always raided together. Some of these posts were negative in tone, while others were positive and even discussed the types of people you might see.

Matticus wrote a post about WoW couples called "Handling Raiding Couples" which came across as extremely negative. 

At the end, Matticus goes on to say that,

"After a while, [he] realized then that some couples just aren’t worth having around especially not with such an overprotective attitude like that. GMs need to be able to deliver that honest feedback without a vulture jumping in and protecting every chance they get." (Emphasis mine) 

I get that perspective and I'd like to note quickly that it isn't just dating or married couples who are overprotective either. Pairs of friends will do this as well. But I was disappointed in the tone of the article at the beginning. There are mostly negative references to couples (I would hate to be referred to as a vulture) and a quick mention of 'mellow couples' in his guild at the time. I was angry, and then a new series came out on another blog.

Sheep the Diamond wrote a five (FIVE) part series on "Couples and WoW"

1. Part 1
2. Part 2
3. Part 3 
4. Part 4 "The Finalé"
5. Part 5 "Surprise Feedback Follow-up"

I really enjoyed this series. I thought it came across as informative and welcomed discussion from many folks in the comments. Stubborn talks about different animal pairings and how you might be able to apply them to couples in your guild.

I'd like to think that Chronis and I are "Penguins":

Penguins are really easy to deal with.  Penguins by nature don’t mind being separated in their tasks, so the best way to approach penguins is honestly and directly.  If you’ve only got one spot, just tell them that; don’t come up with excuses or stories to alleviate your guilt; they don’t mind parting for a few hours.

Then I found a post on the official WoW forums titled "Catering to Couples and Groups". Which is basically from someone who has had a hard time with couples or package deals and needed advice. Some people say that you have to treat everyone as a separate entity and others simply say that it isn't worth it.

This post "My perspective" by Askevar over on You Yank It, You Tank It is a good read and sounds very similar to my own experiences in WoW while playing as part of a pair.

All of these posts got me thinking; Am I part of that stereotypical feared/hated WoW raiding couple? Do I defend my partner if someone critiques him? Does he do the same for me?