#and rarepairs abound in this!

[woofgang69]

Title: It could be weird, but I think I'm into it

Rating: T

Relationships: Kuriarare Kushimaru/Munashi Jinpachi, Kuriarare Kushimaru/Ringo Ameyuri, Kuriarare Kushimaru/Munashi Jinpachi/Ringo Ameyuri 

Tags: Canon Compliant, mostly jinpachi centric, Polyamory, polyamory discussions, fighting as flirting, Jealousy, No cheating, but also not great communication for most of it, Established Relationship, But also, Getting Together, alls well that ends well, kushimaru uses both he/him and she/her pronouns in this!

Summary: Growing up in Kiri meant Jinpachi assumed that fighting was the answer to all of his problems, but there were some things he couldn’t fight his way out of.

Alternatively, the one where Jinpachi almost has to talk about his feelings.

and 🔗: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45647995

Written for @misttiddies for @nart-rarepair-hellscape‘s exchange event!

[johnconstantinesdick]

A series of AAI2 headcanons

(biased towards Sebastian and using the unofficial translation names bc I am not emotionally adjusted to the new ones)

Kay bounces around between jobs for a while—she works under Lang at interpol for some time, and then spends a few years as a detective, and eventually settles into working as a PI. It gives her the free time to pursue her own investigations, and she can work with either the Prosecution or the Defense as she pleases. She does the full Yatagarasu intro every time she’s called in to testify. She adds special effects each time. No one knows how.

Kay also gets fuckoff tall. Just like. Fully over 6ft, and extremely buff to boot. Her vibes are very Gender and I can see her going on testosterone at some point, so maybe she has some scruff. Really emulating Badd.

Sebastian also gets tall. No concrete height but he must get taller than Edgeworth and Edgeworth must have a crisis about it. Full beanpole though, no muscle.

BIG fan of long hair Sebastian. Tied in an elegant little ponytail. He flicks it when he’s smug about making a point. It makes people want to punch him.

Relatedly, everyone on Team Edgeworth is a smug asshole. This is just canon. Edgeworth? Bitch energy off the charts. Franziska? She can and will mock you to your face. Small children hate her. Lang? Fantastic dude but you could NOT get through a conversation without wanting to deck him. Kay? Absolutely insufferable and she’s going to make it everyone’s problem. Sebastian? You may want to make him kind and soft because his dad sucks and he DOES care about doing the right thing and he cries a lot. However once he gets his confidence back he’s going to go back to being an arrogant bitch, except he’ll be right more often. Which is Worse. Ray is the closest to being straight up Nice. But at what cost.

Cape Sebastian. I rest my case.

Sebastian wears blue as his accent color for a long time, and actively avoids wearing red. It’s not until Edgeworth gives him a red cape that matches his suit that Sebastian puts red on again and feels like he earned it. It’s an emotional moment. Sebastian sobs through their entire shared lunch break.

Lang, Franziska, and Kay worked together really well in interpol, and went on some highly classified missions. They may or may not have smuggled political refugees out of Khura’in. Whenever anyone asks if they’ve been there, they give the exact same smile and copy-pasted response about it being a beautiful country and no of course they’ve never been! The Wright Anything lie detectors all blare alarms. Edgeworth doesn’t let them near Prosecutor Sahdmadhi when he’s in the country.

I actually think Franziska slowly leans more and more into her investigative duties for Interpol. Will she one day realize she’s more of a detective than a prosecutor? Who knows, but she fucking loves chasing down criminals. She and Lang are best friends. They will one day make friendship bracelets and cherish them for the rest of time.

Kay and Sebastian get platonic married. Kay arranged it for a case. Sebastian thought they were making a blood pact. They never get it annulled. (aro Kay and demi Sebastian ftw)

They are also SO gender and goofy with it. Kay is Sebastian’s husband. Sebastian is Kay’s wife. If Sebastian ever dates anyone (Blackquill/Sebastian my beloved rarepair), Kay is going to call them her wife’s mistress for the rest of time.

Sebastian and Edgeworth never have a formal conversation about it, but they consider each other family. They refer to each other as father/son only when the other isn’t present. Sebastian is in his will.

Sebastian and Courtney DO have a formal conversation about the same topic. There’s a lot of crying. John exclusively refers to Sebastian as his “weird brother”

Edgeworth and Courtney have a custody agreement. They meet weekly for lunches. They deny they’re friends but they ARE coparenting. Divorce rumors abound.

Conflicts of interest don’t exist in the ace attorney universe but if they did these two would have to declare one. Edgeworth would be like. Sorry I can’t work with one of three entire judges in our district. We’re coparenting a teenager together. And Justine would be like yeah. Also I think he’s a bitch :\

Sebastian goes into child welfare. He specializes in criminal cases with children as the victims or defendants, and often gets called in on cases where kids have to testify. In civil cases he acts as a Guardian Ad Litem (I like to think he was Trucy’s during the adoption proceedings!)

I see the Klavier and Sebastian highschool friends angle and I respect it but I actually think Klavier should have vastly complicated feelings about Sebastian, while Sebastian barely even thinks about him.

To expand: Sebastian is head of the class (Klavier is sporting about it but also jealous. They don’t really interact. Klavier has friends and Sebastian is an asshole.) >> Blaise Debeste’s bribery and other crimes come to light (Klavier feels a little bad for him. He doesn’t say it out loud but there is some very real level of “he should have noticed. What an idiot. I would have known.”) >> Sebastian prosecutes his father because conflicts of interest don’t exist in Ace Attorney. He cries the entire very public trial, and sometimes the court needs to go into recess because the defendant won’t stop hurling abuse at the prosecutor, but he otherwise presents a very solid case. (Klavier watches in stupefied horror. “I could never do that to someone I love,” he thinks, “no matter what they did.” He’s wrong.) >> Sebastian slowly picks himself up and builds his legal career with Edgeworth and Justine’s help. (Klavier still feels a bit of condescending pity, but mainly it’s a “good for him” kind of thing, with a small but lingering amount of distrust.) >> State v. Enigmar (Klavier takes a leave of absence. He shoves down his misgivings about the case. The Dark Age of the Law starts. Sebastian stays behind, and does his best with every case. He doesn’t run. Klavier is desperately bitter.) >> Seven Year Gap (Klavier becomes an international rock star. Sebastian is thrown to the wolves every day he practices law under the Debeste name. They’re both stained, but the difference is that Klavier is from his actions and Sebastian is from others. There’s at least one hit single based around this. Sebastian does not listen to rock music.) >> State v. Wright (2026) (Klavier’s brother can’t be guilty. Klavier knows him. Klavier loves him. Doesn’t he? Did he miss something or was he kidding himself? Klavier begins obsessing over Apollo Justice. He and Sebastian work in the same office again. Sebastian feels no particular way about this. Klavier hovers outside his door when no one else is around and thinks about guilt. Did you know? Did you suspect? Did you care?) >> State V. Tobaye. (Another betrayal. Will all of his loved ones abandon him? Did they think he was that stupid or did they think he loved them enough to look past their crimes? Which is worse? Klavier does not knock on Sebastian’s door.) >> State V. Misham. Sebastian takes Klavier aside and tells him not to hold himself responsible. Says that he can’t be blamed for not noticing, and that he just has to try and build himself up again. Sebastian tells him his door is always open. Klavier says thank you but I’m okay. (Klavier thinks “Maybe you couldn’t have known. But I could have. I should have. I was not supposed to be the fool.”) >> Klavier goes to Edgeworth-mandated therapy. He comes to terms with Kristoph’s betrayal. He realizes he has been obsessing over someone he barely knows from high school for over a decade. He wonders if this is a crush. If he had a friend to tell this to, they would say that this is actually just an externalized form of self-loathing. He does not have any friends. His therapist tells him this instead. >> Klavier knocks on Sebastian’s door. They proceed to have a series of very normal conversations. They become friends. Klavier is too mortified to ever tell Sebastian about any of the above.

The Klavier and Sebastian analysis could have been it’s own post but I got in too deep. I think Klavier should get to be an unfair bitch sometimes, even if he never says it out loud.

Alas, this post is now too long for me to expand on my Blackquill/Sebastian thoughts. Of which I have many. There’s 7k of fic written in my notes app. Blackquill thinks Sebastian is pushy and confident and the hottest person he’s ever seen. Sebastian thinks Blackquill is extremely pretty and kind to small animals and children. No one comprehends their views of each other.

[incorrectcoldflashblog]

Answer the Questions and Tag 5 Fanfic Authors

Thank you so much to @kitkatt0430 for tagging me <3

1. How did you get into writing fanfiction?

Well, I got back into Coldflash in a big way a couple years ago, and kind of got frustrated not really seeing anything new in the tag, lol. Desperation is usually my biggest motivator to do anything. If I had unlimited new Coldflash fics coming out, I probably would never have written my own tbh.

2. How many fandoms have you written in?

Just the one. I used to do translations for a different fandom, though, so maybe two depending on if translating counts.

3. How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

My own? Only a year and a half. Translating, maybe roughly ten years.

4. Do you read or write more fanfiction?

I probably write more now, but you wouldn’t know it because I’m such a slow writer!

5. What is one way you’ve improved as a writer?

Oh, I feel like my English has definitely gotten better since I started writing regularly. I always felt obligated to put a little disclaimer at the bottom, like please be nice to me, this isn’t my first language, lol. I feel a little bit more confident about it now (although I still obsessively google every sentence and word).

6. What’s the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

I mean, thanks to Chapter 4 of What Happens in Vegas I know now way more than I ever needed to know about tornado sirens, considering we don’t have them in my country, lol. I also ended up doing extensive (and totally pointless) research about the ancient Sumerian city-state of Ur (located in the South of what is now modern-day Iraq), which is where Len/Cold was supposed to be from in my AU where he was a genie. For those who are unaware, Ur fell in about 2000 BC and had a very famous poem written about it. Here is the cheery opening of 11 stanzas of misery:

For the gods have abandoned us

like migrating birds they have gone

Ur is destroyed, bitter is its lament

The country's blood now fills its holes like hot bronze in a mould

Bodies dissolve like fat in the sun. Our temple is destroyed

Smoke lies on our city like a shroud.

blood flows as the river does

the lamenting of men and women

sadness abounds

Ur is no more

7. What’s your favorite type of comment to receive on your work?

I always appreciate when people point out the parts they liked. But honestly I’m happy for people to comment at all, especially on older fics :)

8. What’s the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

I don’t know that anything I’ve written can be considered fringe, lol. I do have a Lisa/Iris WIP, which I assume would be more of a rarepair, but I only have one scene written for it so who knows if I’ll ever finish it. I guess the Genie AU was kind of strange.

9. What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

Longfics ;-; God, I’ve gained so much respect for people who can do that consistently for 60+ chapters, or over multiple fics in a series. My longfic isn’t even that long, comparatively, and I still feel like I will never get it done.

10. What is the easiest type?

One-shots, my beloved.

11. Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

On my laptop. I just use Word and I prefer to write in the morning, which isn’t super ideal because it only leaves me the weekend to really get into it.

12. What is something you’ve been too nervous/intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

I’m too nervous to start more longfics at the moment because I feel like two is my absolute limit but I’d love to be able to write both the TATBILB-inspired fic I had in mind and the Future Fic that I sometimes play around with. I’d have to finish at least one of my longer projects first, or maybe try to get the whole thing written before posting it but I’m usually too impatient to do that!

13. What made you choose your username?

My username is captainicecube and I picked it because it’s roughly how Captain Cold was translated in the French dub. They translated it as Captain Glaçons (Captain Icecubes), which always makes me laugh whenever I think about it because it’s so stupid XD

Tagging @crestfallercanyon @joanthangroff @tiger-in-the-flightdeck @softboydepot and @moriavis

[pyroselkie]

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandom: Ensemble Stars

Relationships: Ran Nagisa/Sakasaki Natsume

Characters: Natsume Sakasaki, Nagisa Ran, Natsume's Cats (just one actually)

Tags: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Enemies to Lovers, fast burn, i tried to make it slow burn but uh, there's only so much that i can do with 3.5k words and 2 weeks notice, Kissing, Not Beta Read, Author Is Sleep Deprived, i have some other fic ideas for enstars rarepair week but, they're probably gonna get posted After rarepair week tbh, maybe later i'll update this fic and make it better

Natsume was always the least popular of the gods. Not many mortals wanted - or even needed - a god of navigation, not when Natsume’s power was so minor. Their maps and compasses worked like usual regardless of whether Natsume was on their side or not. Besides, if they had the favor of the other pirate gods, if the wind and waves carried them to their destination, if death chose not to touch them, if treasure was abound in every direction they went, then why would they ever care about Natsume? / NatsuNagi Pirate AU for Enstars Rarepair Week!

[sassysnowperson]

Hades 2 (occasionally) Toxic Yuri Shipping Tier List

Anyone who knows the Hades series knows it's for The Bisexuals, but anyone who has played Hades 2 knows it Loves Women. And considering that love, I think we should talk about the F/F shipping options for our protagonist, with the characters we've seen this far.

(spoilers Abound! And I've avoided blood family members [probably, it's greek myth so who knows really] partially due to personal preference, partially because I didn't want to type that much and it was an easy cut)

I know. I know! I have trash rarepair shipping opinions, but lets get into it:

Nope

Melinoë/Nemesis - I KNOW. The F/F relationship set up to be the canon romance! The Hot Stronk Lady with thighs that could crush you! Size Difference! I KNOW. But Nemesis is just. No. Someone described her as petulant and that felt right. She's sulky, she's got her own issues, she's taking it out on you. It wouldn't be enemies to lovers, it'd be fucking that person you're in a group project with who hates group projects and decides to go off and do their own thing while actively sabotaging you even though you have a shared fucking grade and DON'T MAKE YOUR ISSUES MY PROBLEM TO FIX, NEMESIS.

Not for me, but I see it (aka the kink bracket)

Melinoë/Circe: While Circe's outward persona is a little too syrupy for me, I fully admit that sex with someone who can make you bigger or smaller (or an animal, though as far as we know Melinoë hasn't ticked her off that much) has some FAB kink potential. *chefkiss*

Melinoë/Hecate: Melinoë wants praise, Hecate wants her to stop thinking of her like a mother. Let's have sex about it! Also. Abs. I mean come on ABS.

Melinoë/Scylla: Tentacles. And you can't tell me Scylla doesn't want to have sex with (someone she thinks is) a groupie.

Cute

Melinoë/Echo: Echo deserves hot rebound sex, Melinoë could use a break after the grimness of the mourning fields. I definitely see this one as a FWB situation, heavy on the mutual benefit. And having sex with someone made out of stone is. it has potential.

Melinoë/Arachne: She got fucked over by the gods, now she gets to fuck a god! I don't think I have the right kinks to really get into the sex here, but I'll just say bondage and leave it at that. But I'm fascinated by the chemistry between them. Arachne in the game is adorable, but she's also a character that really highlights injustice, and breaks through some of Melinoë's naivete about the supposed "good"-ness of her Olympian relatives. She strikes me as someone who is Very Angry but has also gone to a lot of therapy about it, and actually has a pretty good handle on her values and is carefully choosing her actions in line with that. There's something interesting there.

Melinoë/Selene: To be totally honest, this one almost went in nope, but I liked the comedy of having Nemesis hanging out there by herself too much. I just don't see a lot of chemistry. But, thinking about why, I realize that Selene is very kind and supportive, and helpful, and a little distant. So is Melinoë. They'd both need to put in a lot of work to connect emotionally, instead of believing the things they do for each other are enough. And I think there's a very interesting story in that. Well done, Selene, you've earned your place in the cute bracket.

Hot

Melinoë/Dora: Dora's the most low-stakes friend Melinoë's got. She doesn't care if Mel saves the world, she just wants to hang out and chill. Mel desperately needs that energy in her life. This is, genuinely, the F/F ship I think would be best for Melinoë's long-term mental health. She needs to let go of the idea that she's only useful for the things she does, and she needs to know how to have fun. Also, ghost sex could be very hot, you know?

Melinoë/Medea: Despite what I said about Dora, this is the HOT bracket, not the healthy or good for you bracket. And evil witch that's on your side with a taste for vengeance and a titty window is HOT. Do I think it's good? No! Do I think that Medea can effortlessly give Melinoë five orgasms in a row and leave Melinoë so mindblown that she forgets she's an anxious perfectionist mess for five seconds? Yes! And then Medea can curse her enemies and send Melinoë on her way. Melinoë is pretty sure she should have some emotions about this but is too fucked out to manage any.

Melinoë/Eris: The trash ship that got me to write this whole bracket in the first place. Eris. Brat who REGULARLY SHOOTS ME WITH THE GUN SHE STOLE FROM MY BROTHER ERIS. Whyyyy do I have so many feelings about Eris??? Well, maybe because here's the enemies to lovers that actually feels earned. Melinoë is an anxious do-gooder who has been raised by people that both love her tremendously and have (accidentally) trained her to view her value primarily in her utility. Eris is the scapegoat youngest child who has ADHD in the sort of way that comes with Fuck You demand avoidance and is out on her own for the first time, making mistakes and happy in them. I think they should have a fantastically toxic and doomed fling now (the immortal equivalent of undergrand college student age) and then come back together in the immortal equivilant of their late thirties once Eris learns that personal satisfaction can come in ways that don't harm other people and Melinoë learns that her own joy is a thing worth striving for along with her other goals. They admit that they learned a lot from each other, laugh about how stupid they were when they were young, brunch just to "catch up", and then eight hours and nine orgasms later they admit they never really got over each other and decide to give it another shot. Do you see my vision? Do you see it???

(thanks to it'snowonder's Hades 2 All Characters Tier List for the rankings image)

[authortobenamedlater]

Get in loser, we’re going down the highway to rarepair hell.

I’m gonna have a hard time finding images for these two. Maybe I’ll have to get better at photo manipulation or drawing.

That’s if I ever write anything else for this.

Which I am. Totally not. Ever going to do.

*shoves Lasky and Silva out of my muse*

Anyway, two fics for the price of one!

These can stand alone, but they work better together.

There is a fair amount of flirting and “married people talk” in For Better Or Worse, none of it is descriptive.

Spoilers for Forward Unto Dawn abound in both stories, but after the infamous Lasky Not-Smut Reblog Chain, I don’t think that’s going to stop anyone. However there may be some parts of the fics that don't make sense if you haven't seen FUD. Like Chyler. So, maybe at least go to her Halopedia if you don't want to be completely confused.

@sarnakhwritesthings @ageless-aislynn @christian-latte-anon @writeforfandoms @mrtobenamedlater

I’m just tagging everyone who was in on that chain or has interacted with my posts about this.

Still need a suitable AU name. Just in case I ever continue it.

*pointedly ignores banging on door of muse* I have enough marriage AUs, thank you very much.

And! As a treat! A "deleted scene" from Messy Together that I liked but ultimately made the story too long and didn't fit.

(goes between He hugged her close. “Yeah. I guess we might as well be.” and They both fell silent, and it wasn’t long before Tom felt Chyler starting to slump on him.)

“Tom? What else?” Chyler prodded gently.

“You ever think how…we’re only married because the Covenant blew up our planet?”

“We could be married anyway,” Chyler speculated. “We’d have been students for a few years. And we might still have gotten stationed together.”

“I was going to leave Corbulo the next morning,” Tom said.

“You weren’t going to leave.”

Tom clasped his hands around her waist. “I wasn’t?”

“You weren’t,” Chyler said with certainty. “You can’t walk away once the gauntlet is thrown, Tom. It’s the same reason…” she took a long breath and sighed it out. “The same reason you wouldn’t sign the divorce papers. I think I knew that all along.”

“I guess you’re right, I would have stayed,” Tom conceded. “I had just kissed this pretty girl. I was already thinking I was gonna marry her.”

“Oh, stop it, you were not.” Chyler swatted his hand.

“Yes, I was.” Tom smiled. “Always a step ahead, right?” He sobered. “So was it worth it? You know…everything?”

“I don’t know if ‘worth it’ is the right way of thinking,” Chyler said contemplatively. “We took something bad and made something good out of it.” She smiled up at him. “What better way to stick it to the Covenant?”

“Yeah.” Tom smiled back. “What better way?”

[verybadatcardgames]

Sightshipping for 001?

Also answering for @over-roaming-waves, who was curious.

Sightshipping

when I started shipping it: Back in 2017, I started drafting a fic about their adventure in Egypt trying to hide the God Cards. It was really supposed to be a drama/humor fic about Isis having a constant headache and finding Pegasus to be an annoyance (because I personally found Pegasus to be an annoying character at the time), but as I kept writing, I really fell in love with both of the characters and imagining how their personalities would clash and complement one another

The adventure fic was up for a while, but I yanked it offline not long ago. The story is undergoing revisions and I want to redo it as a comic because I'm a masochist

my thoughts: Do you like to read novels?

I have so many thoughts, but for the sake of the ask, I will try to keep it short.

I really like the idea of them being so set in their plans pre-series and not really being amicable at the start, the both of them so committed to their pasts and their Items that it blinds them from seeing any alternatives from their personal life scripts. Then both their plans go up in flames (Pegasus loses Duelist Kingdom and Seto shows Isis the grim fate she believed in is not infallible), they both lose their Items, and with Atem crossing into the Afterlife, they're no longer tied into the Great Game. So now they have this freedom to explore the future and what the world has to offer, but there's also uncertainty and powerlessness in not being able to foresee what is coming, not knowing what other people are thinking, and not knowing what to do next.

And somewhere in there, I like imagining them going from business acquaintances to friends to lovers.

(also my constant daydream about Isis wanting to confess to Pegasus that she foresaw him getting the Eye ripped out of his head but didn't say anything back then because she didn't believe she could alter destiny with a warning but uh oh-oh no Seto proved you can change the future so she feels like utter crap that Pegasus nearly died and fears he won't want to talk to her again and the looming sense of dread and judgment haunts her; she's so scared he's gonna kick her to the curb when he learns she could have saved him so much grief if she had just said something

and she's so absorbed in the guilt of her past inaction that she doesn't realize Pegasus can plainly see she's torturing herself with all these thoughts so he reaches out and touches her hand and

ok I'll shut up)

What makes me happy about them: The possibilities--in the anime timeline. They're both alive and there is a chance something could happen. Daydreams and headcanons abound

What makes me sad about them: They stand in a room staring at each other for less than 10 seconds in the anime. Isis talks about wanting to "fulfill his wishes" offhandedly in the manga (by getting the God Cards back from her brother). The most dialogue we see exchanged between the two of them is in a GBA game

MY CROPS ARE THIRSTY AND I AM KEEPING THEM ALIVE WITH A NOVELTY SHOT GLASS

things done in fanfic that annoys me: Oh

Oh honey

There is not enough fanfic of this rarepair for that to be a thing

things I look for in fanfic: I dunno I have to look at my WIP folder

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Isis with her job and intermittent dates with Aileen Rao; Pegasus sober with his art supplies and comics

My happily ever after for them: Married with 5 kids but one of them is a daughter biologically fathered by Seto Kaiba after Isis and Pegasus have a heated threesome with him in Marrakesh. Isis and Pegasus know the kid is Seto's, but they don't tell him because it would make things complicated, but Seto does eventually find out at his daughter's 13th birthday party. Seto punches Pegasus in the face and tells him he isn't surprised Pegasus could be that cruel but he can't believe Isis hid the truth from him, which leads to Isis' oldest daughter resenting her because she believes she was the product of an affair, even though she wasn't, but the fine details were not disclosed as Isis thinks the news that Pegasus isn't her biological father was already traumatic enough and she felt it wasn't appropriate to tell her teenage daughter she was conceived during a passionate threesome

Like it all works out in the end when all their kids are adults with their own lives and it gets better after a lot of shit hits the fan but that's my future/next gen "happily ever after" headcanon

who is the big spoon/little spoon: It switches, but I'd say Pegasus is the big spoon 70% of the time. He likes to hug Isis to his chest and doesn't want to let go because she is warm and comfy

And he has PTSD related to this

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Morning, afternoon, and evening tea time--and movie night.

[michpat6]

“Three guesses,” Makima is unfazed by all of her hard work below the belt, her breaths even and her cheeks lacking color, “for my real name. You get three guesses.”

“And if I’m wrong all three times?”

Her nails dig into Quanxi’s scalp. “You become my dog. I can’t stand to leave a stray out on the street.” 

OR

Quanxi meets Makima at a bar. A year later, she moves to China.

OR OR

I posted my first chainsaw man fic! it's for a rarepair! don't read if you're an anime only there's spoilers abound!

[polutrope]

This is a great idea, and I'm reviving it to add some more of my faves!

Glorfindel/Maglor

Come Tomorrow (You Won't Find Me Here) by @maglors-anion-gap (E, 2.2k) - "They are tired of ghosts, the both of them, even ghosts they love."[Glorfindel makes up his mind to sail for Valinor, but he won't be going alone]

Healing wounds by @ettelene (M, 8.1k) - After millennia of being a self-imposed bachelor, Glorfindel reencounters the only person from his past capable of turning his world upside-down.

Fingolfin/Maglor

Shrill Music by MyresLight (E, 3k) - Nolofinwë was rough, hardened from years of strife, from learning to survive in a world that wished him dead. He was the escape that Makalaurë needed.

Elros/Finrod

The Peredhil Look by @i-am-a-lonely-visitor (E, 4.6k) - In the First, Second, and Third Ages, Finrod, Maglor, and Aragorn mistake Elros, an unsuspecting seagull, and Elrond for very different people.

Erestor/Fëanor

By the Light of Roses by @dawnfelagund (E, 69k) - Erestor has earned a prestigious appointment as a student of the legendary Fëanor during the family's exile in Formenos. Family tensions and secrets abound as shy, young Erestor navigates politics, independence, and romance for the first time.

Maedhros/OFC

All the Pretty Horses by BaccaratBlack @elentarial (T, 2.6k) - Maglor comes to Himring to talk business and to build his cavalry, but his suspicious nature and jealousy get the better of him. An argument ensues. Maedhros is just tired of brothers and horses.

Fingon/OC

He Is Your Song by @melestasflight (M, 4.7k) - Findekáno goes to Alqualondë to heal his heartbreak, Maitimo quickly regrets sending him there, and the Arafinwëans do what they can to deal with the drama.

Original Character/Original Character

An Account of Kinslaying by @cuarthol (T, 24.2k) - The events of the First Age in Beleriand as seen through the eyes of Míredil who was numbered among the people of the house of Finwion and followed his Lords into exile. He served as a Sergeant-at-arms under Maitimo, High Prince of the Noldor and Lord of Himring.

Multiple

The Seven Trials of Fingon the Valiant by me and @melestasflight (T, 10.4k) - all the Fëanorians (separately... except the last two) / Fingon.

Twists and Turns by me (T, 100 to 500 words) - ficlet collection including rarepair prompts: Amras/Daeron, Idril/Maeglin/Tuor, Annatar/Celebrimbor/Maeglin, Beren/Daeron, Mablung/Nienor, Fingon/Hador, Fingon/Hurin

Waters of Awakening by disastrousexpense (E, 5.5k) - Daeron/Finrod/Mablung/Maglor

Several of mine have been rec'd already 🙏, but if I may add:

Who By Fire (M, 4.9k) - Amrod/Fingolfin. Angst.

The Magic Flute (M, 6.7k) - Caranthir/Daeron. Humour.

A Chance Enchantment (E, 6.7k) - Daeron/Luthien/Maglor. Smut.

Beyond the Mist of Words (M, 2.1k) - Daeron/Maeglin. General.

Everlasting Darkness (E, 10.2k) - Earendil/Maedhros, Elwing/Maglor. Humour.

Not the Choice of Luthien (T, 2.3k) - Arwen/Daeron. General.

The Marks That Bind Us (T, 1.8k) - Celegorm/OFC. Angst/General.

And some Gen relationships:

Mightiest of the Children (G, 420). Feanor + Manwe. General.

Laughing All the Way (T, 3.2k) - Maglor & Turgon. Humour/Fluff.

His Hour Had Come (G, 1.3k) - Saeros & OFC. General.

And She Vanished (G, 430) - Melian & Yavanna. Angst.

And She Forgave His Betraying Word (T, 1.5k) - Daeron + Luthien. General.

Envy (G, 1.9k) - Elemmire & Maglor. Humour/Fluff.

A Breath of Memory (G, 1.6k) - Daeron & Pengolodh. General.

~~~Rarepair Appreciation~~~

Rarepairs are my absolute beloveds!  (as evidenced by my fic history lol)

After chatting with @herinke9 and following along with the anon asks I realized that many of these are so rare that nobody would even think to *look* for them.  So I decided to share some!  Who knows, maybe they’ll get popular? (ahaaahahahahaha)

Círdan | Nowë/Gandalf | Mithrandir

My Heart is with the Sea, My Heart is with You [Art] by @rauko-is-a-free-elf Beautiful art!

My Heart is with the Sea, my Heart is with You by @chrissystriped Círdan has known and loved the Wanderer since the first age. When he hears of Gandalf’s fall in Moria he resolves to find him and retrieve his body, if nothing else.

I Shall Await Thee by @cuarthol The fifth Istar, Olórin, sent by the Valar to Middle-earth to aid the free peoples against evil, has arrived in Mithlond, and to a reunion nobody had expected.

At Long Last, Love by alexcat Gandalf finally finds time for love.

Findis/Gandalf | Mithrandir

Birthright by @cuarthol - Mature But of Olórin that tale does not speak; for though he loved the Elves, he walked among them unseen, or in form as one of them, and they did not know whence came the fair visions or the promptings of wisdom that he put into their hearts. In later days he was the friend of all the Children of Ilúvatar, and took pity on their sorrows; and those who listened to him awoke from despair and put away the imaginations of darkness. - The Silmarillion, JRR Tolkien

Yep, there’s still only the one in this tag!

Dírhavel & Maglor | Makalaurë

Illuminating Now and Dark Hath-been by @polutrope Two great bards meet during the Sack of Sirion.

Thee one and only place to read this pair!

Curufin | Curufinwë/Eöl

Iron Cleaver by @polutrope - Mature Eöl is ill-at-ease after an encounter with the first Elf to elude his piercing mind. That there is much to link him and Curufin, including their shared craft, a friendship with the Dwarves, and the fact he carries a knife made of Eöl’s metal, only unsettles - and allures - him all the more.

Shining Black by @skyeventide - Explicit The forest of Nan Elmoth is warded by magic and, apparently, inhabited. Celegorm and Curufin head into the woods, discovering who exactly lives in it. A “dark elf”, who is a blacksmith. And is friends of the dwarves, and speaks Khuzdul. Curufin camps outside of the forest, to check that trade with the dwarves isn’t disrupted by the encounter – and to see if perhaps he could learn more about the enchantments that protect this land, and about its dweller.

Heart of Sugar and Lemon by eldvarpa Eöl and Curufin (and Celebrimbor) meet for the last time (but not exactly as canon would have it).

Do not ask for permission by Kalendeer - Explicit It was a Khazad key, big and heavily decorated with geometrical patterns. This one was not mine and it was in the pocket nearest to where Curufin had been, but I could not begin to guess what it was doing there until I fully took the key in my hand and the spell was triggered.Do not ask for permission, Curufin’s voice whispered in my ear, and I wondered at the game he wanted me to play.

Fëanorian Hospitality by peachBitch1 - Mature A slightly different version of Curufin and Eöl’s meeting in Himlad.

Go Upon Your Knee by havisham - Mature  “Heaven-gates are not so highly arched / As princes’ palaces; they that enter there /

Must go upon their knees.”

Angrod | Angaráto/Fingon | Findekano

Keep Moving, Keep Warm by @cuarthol - Mature Angaráto’s strength begins to fail him upon the Helcaraxë, until Findekáno is able to coax both life and warmth back into him.

A Golden Opportunity by @cuarthol Sure, it’s easy for Findekano to find Angaráto in a crowd, he stands out like a shining beacon. But how is Angaráto supposed to find Findekano in a sea of generally dark-haired Noldo?

To The Victor Go The Spoils by @cuarthol Finde ends up with a greater prize than he ever bargained for after he wins the archery tournament.

Caranthir | Morifinwë/Galadriel | Artanis AND Angrod | Angaráto/Curufin | Curufinwë

Shall I Teach Thee? by Elves_Behaving_Badly - Explicit The grandchildren of Finwë seem to get up to an awful lot, even especially with one another.

The one and only for both of those pairings

Finduilas Faelivrin/Nellas

A Settlement by Elleth Finduilas, Niënor and Nellas all live on Amon Obel. Entanglements are inevitable.

Rhythm of the Night by amyfortuna (elwinfortuna) - Explicit Elemmírë performs at a secret festival in honour of Vána and Nessa, and is transported into bliss.

We Made Our Own by @cuarthol Finduilas has accompanied Finrod on a visit to Doriath, but she is soon drawn out into the forest to explore the land of hidden enchantments.

Elu Thingol | Elwë Singollo/Fingolfin | Ñolofinwë

As Flowers From the Sky by ajf - Explicit In the wake of the Quenya ban, a diplomatic mission to Doriath is arranged under cloak of secrecy. Two kings in Beleriand, one new and one old, have a volatile encounter.

Alliances and Dalliances by Elves_Behaving_Badly - Explicit After Mereth Aderthad, Ñolofinwë receives an unexpected invitation to Doriath. How far will he go to secure an alliance with the Sindarin king?

***

If you know of other rarepairs, please add at least the tag so we can go look at them!

🥰 Keep Making Those New Tags! 😎

[hotchseyebrows]

Is it ok to ship Motch 😔

yes, absolutely, have fun, go wild buds, as long as you aren't hurting anyone, you can do whatever you want!!

[private-rossi]

» Private Charles Cooke/Private James Rossi // 1917

For @privatecooke 🌻

[archester-creations]

Hi! I'm your partner for the RWBY rarepair exchange! Was wondering if you'd like to tell me more about your ship's dynamic?

IM SO SORRY, I WASNT IN A PLACE I COULD ANSWER THIS AND THEN I FORGOT

So! Archester (Cardin/Jaune):

Cardin is such an awkward guy. Such an awkward, hardhead little guy. He’s gay and he knows it but he doesn’t know what to do with it, all he knows is he likes Jaune and sometimes it makes him panic a little inside because he doesn’t know what to do. (Help him) He’s so in love with this person who seems to absolutely shine, like, Jaune glows and he mentally calls him ‘light’ until they get together and he calls him ‘light’ out loud because that’s kinda what Jaune is for him, he’s a light. He’s a star that seemed so unreachable except the star reached out to him and he somehow had the courage to reach through the fire and the heat and take that hand and oh wow, he’s actually with him and he’s so in love with him that he can’t look away even when it fills him up so much it hurts and he feels like he’ll burst. Jaune is honestly surprised at how kind Cardin turns out to be when he really looks. Like, Cardin has such mom vibes and instinctively takes care of others even when claiming it’s for completely selfish reasons, like making coffee for his team because he knows none of them really wake up well all while saying it’s ‘just because he doesn’t want their grades to slip because that will reflect badly on him as their leader’. Cardin can overthink so much and just get stuck in his thoughts and Jaune helps pull him out. Jaune gets insecure as a leader, doesn't think he's good enough, that he didn't do enough, and Cardin takes his face between his hands so he can't look away and presses their foreheads together in the gentlest touch and tells him that he's done so much and that he's a good leader who looks out for his team and that his team loves him. Jaune knows Cardin can be so bullheaded and he’s one of the people that slowly gets Cardin to realize that it’s okay to ask for help. Cardin makes sure Jaune eats and sleeps because he knows Jaune is bad at both and Jaune kisses all of Cardin’s scars and doesn’t make him feel weak for any of them. Jaune is so, so patient with Cardin after Cardin apologizes. They’re a slowburn done fast for all it’s intensity. Jaune is shocked how quickly he manages to fall and doesn’t even realize it until it’s too late; until he’s most of the way down that flight of stairs already and he’s hitting the bottom three steps. Jaune is the big spoon. Cardin wakes up early and just… Stares at the way the sun hits Jaune’s hair and skin and watches as Jaune’s eyes flutter open. He loves the colour of Jaune’s eyes, how the colour seems to swirl and change. They lie outside and look up at the stars together and Jaune listens as Cardin tells him the different constellations and their stories. Jaune pulls Cardin stumbling into dances that aren’t anywhere close to formal dances and Jaune spins Cardin into slow dances in the middle of the living room or in the middle of a store and it somehow doesn’t matter where they are to Cardin because Jaune always manages to make it feel like they’re the only people in the world

High noon (Sky/Sun my beloveds <3):

DORKS. ABSOLUTE DORKS. Wanderlust abounds. Sky is such a flirt. Sky in his little shorts or skirt with yellow hair clips in his hair and Sun in super dorky button up shirts with like clouds or pineapples on them. Sun will go places and Sky will follow, no matter where those places are. (Except maybe heights, he is afraid of heights, but hey who knows? I imagine Sun would help him) Also adrenaline junkies, especially Sky. Sky has done so much dumb shit, like legit. Total adrenaline junkie. Also Sky is a bit of a bitch. He’s a little mean. But, like, in a cat way. He’s a younger sibling. He wants attention and he tells dumb jokes and makes Sun smile and he kisses the little freckles on the bridge of Sun’s nose. Sun has such beach dad vibes (he’d get along with Taiyang and I stand by that). Nonbinary Sky/trans boy Sun yes, I’m just saying. They get each other’s little things. Sky understands Sun’s wanderlust and is willing to just. Get up and travel at anytime Sun says he wants to leave. Just pack everything up and disappear without a word to a new location, a new job, a new everything. It doesn’t matter where. Sky loves the adventure and Sun is his home. Sun understands Sky’s adrenaline junkie streak but also won’t push him to do anything he feels too uncomfortable to do (jumping from a plane, because heights) but will also hold his hand and do it with him if he really wants to try (again, jumping from the plane). Sun will hug Sky to his chest because Sky is being a little pain in the ass and will just cling to Sky until Sky goes all limp and curls into Sun’s warmth because, really, that’s all he actually wanted, anyhow, and Sun somehow knew. Sky will hype Sun up on his little rants and will be right there doing dumb impulsive things with him and will press gentle kisses against Sun’s chapped lips. Sun gets Sky to help more people than he would’ve before he met Sun, even when Sky really doesn’t think they can help and Sky feels like he’s become such a better person because of Sun and he helps Sun accept when they really can’t help someone or calms Sun if they failed to help someone. They sleep on each other like personal weighted blankets and Sun is so warm. Sun listens to Sky’s little fascinated rambles about the ocean and they dance together in their socks in their kitchen in the morning after Sky wakes up- because Sun always, always seems to wake first- and Sun yell-sings to musicals with Sky and they do dramatic little romantic duets into the spatulas or the wooden spoon while they’re cooking supper but they’re laughing or smiling so hard the words are kinda warped but it really doesn’t matter because they know what they’re singing and they love each other

[sionisjaune]

Find me on ao3 where I currently write for Captive Prince. Angst and rarepairs abound ;)

[wanderingnork]

RIGHT. I’ve been digging through DAI stories on AO3, hunting down some “hidden gems.” All of these fics are under 1000 hits--all but four are under 500 hits. Ultra-rarepairs, polyamorous groups, and gen fics all abound. They’re delightful and deserve more attention.

The full list is under a cut, it’s pretty long.

a letter from home:

T, No Archive Warnings, Gen

Author’s summary: When Meraad finds this delivery in the mailroom at Haven, it's like a warm blanket has been thrown around his shoulders.

Recommended for Adaar family feelings and general softness. I notice that a lot of Inquisitors (mine included) tend to lose contact with their families--it’s really lovely to see one who gets care packages from home.

amata:

T, No Archive Warnings, Krem/F!Lavellan

Author’s summary: Here is how Krem breaks the myth and shatters the legend to reveal the simple truth of the Inquisitor underneath it all. He falls in love with her. He falls so irrevocably in love with her that he manages to see beyond the gilt and the glory, and he sees the truth of the woman that is Lavellan. More importantly, he sees her heart, and then, he sees how she hands her heart to him without hesitation, without fear, and asks only for such a simple thing like his love in return. And Krem does. 

Recommended for a wonderful Lavellan, one of the best portrayals of Krem I’ve ever found, and a really, really lovely romance.

Bring On The Driving Rain:

G, No Archive Warnings, Lace Harding/Iron Bull

Author’s summary: Two people are a lot less conspicuous than a squadron of foot soldiers traipsing around when it comes time for a rescue mission. Yes, Lace would probably feel better marching into unknown, unfriendly, likely hostile terrain, with thirty men, but if she could only pick one partner to bring along, at least it's The Iron Bull, the toughest so-and-so in the Inquisition. 

I ADORE ultra-rare pairings and this hits all my buttons. They feel wonderfully in-character, the banter is funny and full of genuine feelings, and frankly everything to do with sexy Divine Rosamund had me in stitches.

Cadash Stories:

Series, ratings and warnings by story, M!Cadash/Dorian

Author’s summary: Stories about Inquisitor Fionn Cadash, a tender cowboy in love with Dorian Pavus! Yeehaw, salroka!

Cadashes don’t get enough love in the fandom. Fionn is a wonderful antidote to that lack! He’s so well-rounded and interesting, and his relationship to Dorian is just...perfect. “Ave Cesaria,” in particular, is beautifully written. I’d read novels about these two.

Entangled:

M, No Archive Warnings, Josephine/Solas

Author’s summary: Enraptured by her blossoming relationship, Josephine cannot concentrate on her work. Her mind is distracted by thoughts of him, Leliana's suspicions are raised, the Inquisitor and Cullen only have eyes for each other, and something must be done with the offending couch in her office. What is she to do?

Funny, sweet, and a great look into Josephine’s romantic mind. They make a lovely couple! The author has written a few other stories for the same pairing, but I’ve yet to read them. Sometimes I found Solas a touch ooc, but overall I absolutely didn’t mind. Highly recommended, especially if you like seeing Josephine very happy.

Holding Back the Sky:

T, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings, Gen

Author’s summary: Tarasyl'an Te'las was a remarkable place. Remarkable things might happen there. 

The story of a living, sentient fortress, a refuge for those in need through the ages. I love sentient Skyhold in all forms, but this one...she’s absolutely my favorite so far.

Out of the Way:

T, No Archive Warnings, Other

Author’s summary: Years after the veil falls, Solas seeks out an old friend.It doesn't go the way he hopes it would.

Of course a Solas/Adaar would end up on this list, right? Kevra is amazing, and also nonbinary, and also very done with Solas doing impressively awful things. It’s not a fic with a happy ending, but if you’re interested in a take on what the world might look like after the Veil comes down, this is a great one.

Poor Planning:

T, No Archive Warnings, Gen

Author’s summary: The Inquisitor's companions bicker about their poor planning when she falls in battle.

Short, sweet, funny team banter. Bite-sized at 357 words, and featuring at least one line from every companion.

roommate au:

Series, ratings and warnings by story, F!Cadash/Iron Bull/Solas

Author’s summary (no series summary, so from the first fic): Solas needs a roommate, Bull needs a place to stay and Cadash is the helpful dwarf-next-door who sets the whole thing up.

A pair of modern AU stories focusing on the trio getting together. Features a wonderfully-written Deaf Solas, modern-with-magic setting, and a perfectly chaotic Oliv Cadash. I’m subscribed to the series in the hope that (even though the last fic was posted in 2015) we might someday be graced with another story about these three.

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

‘author’ self interview

thank you for the tag @itsmoonpeaches!! sorry im a few days late getting to it 😩

Name: thinkingisadangerouspastime / faerialchemist / amy

Fandoms: all of them, lmao? well, according to ffn:

Author has written 61 stories for Teen Titans, Fairy Tail, Fullmetal Alchemist, [redacted], Ouran High School Host Club, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Avengers, Dragon Prince, Good Omens, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Fruits Basket, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Avatar: Last Airbender, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Winx Club.

right now, i am active(ish) in atla and the mcu as well as monk and medium, although those last two don’t really have fandoms (at least not large ones, lol)

Where do you post: faerialchemist on AO3 is where my better works are, lmao, but i also post on FFN, Wattpad, and Quotev under different handles. and when i remember, i try to promo my works on Tumblr, too!

Most popular multi-chapter fic: in terms of true multichapter fics (i.e. not a oneshot collection), No Ordinary Exchange wins for hits, kudos, everything. i think that can be attributed to the fact that a) it’s long, b) it’s complete, c) it’s rayllum (most popular tdp ship), and d) it’s a college!au (a popular trope in fandom overall). although tbh, i only have like one or two other true multichaps posted, one of which is incomplete and the other of which is half-focused on an extreme rarepair, so there’s not much competition 😂

Favorite story you’ve written so far: i am going to cheat and say my favorite fics i’ve written so far are the three in my why’d you have to go and make things so complicated? series. here’s the series “summary”:

A series of (mostly) Flash Thompson-centric fics set in a canon-divergent AU beginning after Spider-Man: Homecoming. Niche headcanons*, one-sided rivals to friends (to lovers), and Flash Thompson appreciation abound! 

*Headcanons I have pioneered so far: Flash Thompson has dyslexia, Flash Thompson likes art history, Flash Thompson likes origami. Stay tuned for more. ;)

basically, it’s 50k worth of fics (so far) that serve as a testament to how much i love mcu flash thompson 🥺💛 he deserves the world!!

Fic you were nervous to post: i was pretty nervous to post one of my more recent fics, actually! the fic is called Is This Love?, and i was nervous for a few different reasons:

- it’s half sambucky, which was fine bc sambucky is popular lmao, but it’s also half sarahmay, which is a sapphic rarepair i came up with between sarah wilson and may parker. the mcu fandom has a heavy preference for mlm pairings, so i was nervous by virtue of the fic being partially wlw-centric, but it all ended up being fine! i have converted so many people to sarahmay 😤

- the fic also features my demiromantic!sam headcanon. i myself am aspec but (maybe) not demiromantic, so i wanted my portrayal to be respectful, and as such i was nervous despite everything i’d looked into prior to writing and posting the fic, lol

- it’s a multichap. multichaps make me nervous solely because they are multiple chapters. adds stressTM 😂

How do you choose your titles: song lyrics, randomly coming up with them, a specific line/word used in the fic, and brainstorming with friends are probably the main ways!

Do you outline: sure do 😤 it varies from fic to fic, so some outlines are a detailed list of events in the appropriate order, while others are a more general idea of “here’s stuff i want to include,” lol. generally speaking, though, i always try to go in with some sort of plan!

Complete: all of my recent fics are complete! (although that’s bc i primarily write oneshots 😂) on ao3, i think i only have one fic that’s truly incomplete. (oneshot collections are a weird in-between, because they essentially are always complete unless i feel like adding to them.) on ffn, though, i have four incomplete fics, three of which are from middle school. i don’t think they will ever be finished 😩

Do you accept prompts: technically, yes! but my policy is that i am under no obligation to write any of them. i write fanfic for fun and as a stress reliever, so if im not inspired by a prompt, i am not going to stress myself out trying to write for it, lol

Upcoming story you’re most excited to write about: i actually just finished writing this story today (by hand, it’s not typed yet lmao), but im gonna let it count for this question anyways! it is probably the most self-indulgent fic i’ve ever written: a monk and medium crossover. that’s right, two fandoms absolutely no one in the world cares about but me. i wrote this fic solely bc it was something i wanted to read 😂 it is - if i counted correctly - 78 1/2 pages long, which is probably in the range of 30-35k words? once i type it up (in like,, december lmao) i’ll have more specifics, although the “patching” that occurs when i type handwritten drafts could push the word count closer to 40k. but who knows? time will tell!

anyways, im just so excited about this fic bc it has so many things i like lmaooo (examples: allison whump, joe x allison content, sharona being her wonderful self, and what i hope is an interesting murder mystery!)

Stories you’re most excited to read: literally anything and everything my friends are working on! off the top of my head: @shifuaang’s tysuki fic, @praetorqueenreyna’s dark!zukaang fic, @itsmoonpeaches’s fruits basket fic, and @ambivalentmarvel’s spider kids fic 🙌

i think a lot of my atla mutuals have been tagged to do this already, so tagging some marvel friends! (this is starkravinghazelnoots, btw 💛)

tagging: @ambivalentmarvel, @friendlyneighborhoodsecretary, @lunannex, @kalliopecosmos, @omg-just-peachy, and anyone else who wants to do this! just say i tagged you 💕

[nrgburst]

Podsa Ship Manifesto

I know, I know, there's like three of us that ship this and I'm probably gonna get anon haters in my askbox for the trouble, but here's my reasoning for thinking they could still be endgame post-canon, and it's not just because they're both still alive! (Which is totally reason enough, but I have like, actual reasons beyond NOW KISS.) This meta is based on Game of Thrones the TV show, not the A Song of Ice and Fire books. The canons have diverged pretty starkly (hehe) and both characters are much younger in the books as well, so while I know there is also supportive evidence in the books, I'm not mentioning it on purpose, though feel free to add your own addendum with book evidence! GIFs were all made by me.

I like that both Sansa and Podrick started out as Bad Minor Players: Pod's a bumbling squire; Sansa is a spoiled nobleman's daughter. And yet they both learned, through painful mistakes and persistence, how to get to their Ultimate Goal by series end. Character parallels abound; they're both idealists who have to learn to be pragmatic, endure abuse and disrespect, having hidden skills and strengths, flourishing once learning to both play within and outside The Rules), their trajectories crossed a bunch of times and while I know D&D threw in as many red herrings as actual foreshadowing details, this was their Meet Cute in 3x08:

Tyrion is supposedly talking about himself, but do you see who else is framed in that doorway, literally entering her life?! Combine this with how intensely Sansa grows to regret this particular statement from 1x06:

and what kind of person Podrick shows himself to be, and I'd argue that seeds for this ship were subtly planted waaay back when.

After Joffrey's murder, they're both hustled out of King's Landing, and they don't share screentime again until 5x02, although they don't actually meet or speak in the scene. However, Pod recognizes her voice from across a tavern and sees right through her disguise of dyed hair, identifying her from behind via a single phrase and her face turned in profile once.

I'm sorry, but that kind of instant magnetic knowing is Romance Tropey AF and I'll be forever disappointed at fandom for not going off about it. Siiigh.

They don't meet again until Sansa finally escapes the Boltons in 6x01. And when Brienne offers her sword and service again (and by extension, Pod's), this time Sansa replies like a true lady and accepts. She starts off her vows correctly, but she's been ripped from the life of knights and ladies for so long that she falters partway through. Podrick's gentle assist to jog her memory, right after winning a swordfight to protect her clinched it for me: that was her brave, gentle and strong man, right there. (That scene was such a huge highpoint in all of their arcs, actually. *sobs* THIS SHOW WAS SO FREAKING GOOD.) 

And he continues to serve her right up to the end of the series, when it's shown that he's become Bran's Kingsguard, which opens up so many delightful possibilities at last. Like I love this cleverly edited GIFset from 8x04, but since Theon had just died and Pod was still in her service, nothing could have happened?

Politically, they aren't a good match, but only on the surface: Podrick is a distant cousin to Ser Ilyn Payne, who was responsible for executing Sansa’s father. (House Payne is a vassal house to House Lannister, and he comes from a lower branch of it.) However, Pod helped Brienne rescue Sansa from the Boltons, trained soldiers and fought for the North in the Battle For the Dawn. He earned his knighthood with his own merit, and he continues to serve her brother. He is still an unlanded knight (and there's this pesky vow not to marry or father children that may still exist) but Sansa's no longer waaaay out of his league now that he has a title and battle experience. And actually, the fact that he's an unlanded knight is actually a good thing. (More on that later.)

As for why Sansa might find Pod an attractive prospective for her consort beyond the fact that he's you know, attractive and rumored to be fantastic in bed (and I think she would consider how to get herself a Stark heir very pragmatically now): he's still one of the people she trusts absolutely, who was there for here at every stage of her journey, even the worst bits, and he was loyal and supportive throughout. He's of noble blood and well-educated, but he has no power base, so no army will swoop in and claim her throne/lands by deposing her in favour of their child. (She's seen this happen too many times now; she is NOT going to let it happen to her.) He has no political ambitions and his defining character trait is  loyalty- he's always just wanted to be a knight, and to serve somebody worthy. And yet he's not just some grunt in armor either- he's well versed in the politics of “which House married which and who hated who,” he speaks up when he doesn't think something is right, and they actually have similar interests: they both like to sing.

All in all, I think they'd make a sweet couple post canon. I also think there's a kind of delicious irony in Tyrion's former squire ending up with the child bride he didn't want.  

Fic recs:

The first time I actually saw Podsa in the wild was in @scrubclubwrites​'s amaaazeballs Gendrya HP AU fic love, war and a few things in between (M, 52884 words.) Pod and Sansa aren't just in the background here, they have a sweet, slow burn relationship in this and if you don't scream when they finally kiss, you probably aren't human.

I've already recced my own fic, The Watcher, which is a Podsa pre-ship fic. (It’s more of a Sansa deals with her trauma fic, and there’s explicit Gendrya sex in it, although it’s not meant to be a shippy Gendrya fic. E, 6833 words)

Also love this young Pod/Young Sansa fic by bryndentully, which shows how they both started out as romantic idealists perfectly: i loved a maid as white as winter

I'm still trawling the archive (the pain of shipping a rarepair means they get tagged in lots of fics that they are barely mentioned in) but I will add to this post as I find more fics I love! Or if somebody else could do a rec list, that would be wonderful!