#i have a thing for rarepairs can you tell?

[beesbiteandwillowrites]

"The Beating Heart"

The thing about scars is that they reveal a story to the observant onlooker. And this one tells the most fascinating tale. Between the location and the amount of scar tissue, it’s not hard to figure out that this wound was meant to be lethal. And Khoa knows of only one weapon that can leave such distinct markings. This kid had his throat slit by a batarang. Khoa wants to know who got Batman to finally try and break his number one rule.

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Characters: Jason Todd, Minhkhoa Khan, Bruce Wayne

Relationships: Jason Todd/Minhkhoa Khan

Additional Tags: Jason Todd is Red Hood, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Developing Relationship, Friends With Benefits, Alcohol, Human Trafficking, Torture, Murder, Temporary Character Death, Serious Injuries, Identity Reveal, Secret Identity, some descriptions of a rotting corpse (it's minor, but still)

[necrotic-nephilim]

tag game & WIP game

two tag games in one post! (bc i totally didn't forget to do the first when i was tagged) the first tag game, i was tagged by @sasheneskywalker on my main!!

last song: Dark in My Imagination by of Verona

currently watching: Grotesquerie and Kevin Can F*** HImself are the main shows i'm watching! i plan to watch the Penguin but i haven't started it yet

last movie: ... probably Madame Web. for like. the sixth time.

sweet/spicy/savory: savory

relationship status: dating two partners and one girlfriend whom i all love dearly <3

current obsession: in a broad sense, DC. a more specific obsession, Cass Cain. i've got a lot of brainworms about her.

last thing i searched online: "alpine macaroni" bc it's my night to make dinner. the last thing i googled for a fic tho was "width of a penis" and "width of a bo staff" so. you make make assumptions about that.

and for the WIP game!

Rules: You will be given a word. Share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that start with each letter of that word.

Tagged by @melodyatlas

word: BATS

B [a Helena/Steph WIP]

“Batman?” Stephanie groaned, blinking her eyes into focus. The first thing she saw wasn’t the person who caught her, but the shadow they cast. It had the pointed ears and she could already hear the lecture he was about to give her. “Not even close.” The voice was deep, but distinctly female. Stephanie jumped. With a quick slice of a blade, the woman cut away the rope holding Stephanie’s arms and ankles.

A [a Dick/Lance Brunner WIP]

“All the goddamn mercenaries and contract killers I’ve called and not a single fucking one of you is willing to kill one mob boss?” The man on the other end got so huffy, he made the call go static for a moment. Lance made a point to snort loud enough for the guy to hear. “I wouldn’t take a contract for any mob boss in Gotham. But I’m sure as hell not taking one for the Red Hood. It’s called self-preservation. Google it if you have to.”

T [a Cass/Terry WIP]

Terry refuses to call them anything but panties. They certainly didn’t cover any more skin than panties would. He hadn’t the slightest clue how everything stayed in place with the skimpy, shimmering fabric. If Terry went out wearing that, he’d only win fights by making villains piss themselves from laughing after he accidentally flashed them.

S [a Slade/Tim WIP]

“Shiva,” Slade hummed, as soon as he could pinpoint a specific move the little bird couldn’t have learned from anywhere else. “The Bat convinced Shiva to train you, didn’t he?” Granted, Robin wasn’t as sharp with them, but he wasn’t half bad for the scrawny thing he was. Slade tried to kick the kid in the head, but he managed to flip out of the way, landing in a crouch a few feet away from Slade.

no pressure tagging for anyone who wants to do either of these!

@searchforahero @divine-dominion @redhoodedoutlaw @rottenapricots @sandy-writing

if you do the WIP game your word is: ROBIN

[bayofwolves]

i so badly want to tell you guys who conor ends up with in path of the heroes and gush ab them... i'm thinking ab them again and i just love them so dearly... but i have several big posts that need to come first and aaaaaaahh.

it's okay tho bc i finally feel the spark of motivation coming back to me! soon i'll be able to spill my secrets :)

[epersonae]

five fic Friday

so it's been a while, huh? life has been lifin' pretty hard, and I got out of the habit, and I kept saying "yeah I'll queue up some links or something" and then I didn't

and then this fuckin week happened, and I thought, ohhhhhhhh I don't feel good about some of my old recommendations.* maybe it is time to add some new ones that I can feel good about, which:

Of All the Gin Joints (10K, T) by @knifeturtlelives - canon-divergent AU where Ed runs into Stede at Jackie'z circa 2x1 - funny and poignant, frankly I crave more!

Vitamin C (795, T) by @oatmilktruther - MIND THE TAGS, as in, I saw the tags in the notification email and yelled I'M TRUSTING YOU out loud in my empty house; as in, major character death and no, not that guy. and also: an amazing gem of a fic. As a gardener and a widow: yeah, this.

In the cave, we are safe (2046, T) by @spirker - inspired by the djenks holiday special, a bit of wound-tending with a really compelling narrative voice.

Pearls (2232, M) by @temporal-discounting - I also put this in my "Ed tells Stede about Izzy" collection, but it does that in the most interesting way I think I've seen, gets to that topic so gently and sideways, I'm compelled by the whole concept.

You're the fucking man, bro (1416, T) by @petrichorca - listed as a "rarepair", but let's call this what it is: Vincent's unrequited crush on Stede Bonnet, which is goddamn hilarious and sweet, and Stede is a real gentleman about it.

and now that I've done this: yeah, it's a bit time-consuming but also it reminded me why I liked these, and got me to revisit some things I've enjoyed lately. I'm happy I got back to it.

*I have not removed them from my bookmarks, nor am I going back and editing old posts. But I've annotated my bookmarks and added an additional bookmarker's tag; if you know what any of them were plagiarized from PLEASE let me know. (yes, I am following the efforts to create a complete catalog, and when that is available I'll be referencing it)

[addledmongoose]

Good Omens Fanfic Friday (04 Apr 2025)

I struck a vein of fantastic stories, and I come to you this week with a wide assortment of tales, from canon to human, G-rated to Explicit, and everything in between.

Cast Adrift (19K; Rated E) by @naromoreau

Fairy Tale AU. Aziraphale is a lighthouse keeper who accidentally summons a gorgeous, red-haired selkie. The selkie lost his pelt in the process, so Aziraphale offers to host him and swears he'll do everything he can to help him recover it. Of course, love follows.

***

Under the Awning (6K; Rated G) by @heyimdove

The rarepair you never thought you'd see: Hastur/Muriel (but note the rating; no worries about finding out what's under Hastur's trenchcoat). A one-shot follow-up for Drinking Buddies and Diaries (31K; Rated NR), Hastur runs into Muriel during a sudden rainstorm and is immediately smitten (and not the way he thought he'd be). There's a little bit of Aziraphale/Crowley here, mostly as they try to figure out why Hastur keeps lurking near the bookshop.

You can read this without reading the first story (though it's fantastic and I highly recommend you do anyway), as long as you just accept that certain things are the way they are.

***

Something There that Wasn't There Before (98K; Rated E) by @zehwulf

Fairy Tale AU. Femme!Crowley and beast!Aziraphale. A bit of Sleeping Beauty; a bit of Cinderella; a bit of Beauty & The Beast. Crowley agrees to be the companion to the cursed Lord Fell for a few weeks at his castle (he was actually just looking for a horse).

It's obvious to everyone else that Crowley is genuinely attracted to Aziraphale, but she also wants out of her terrible home, and Aziraphale worries that she would be bored living with him with his near-hermit lifestyle and doesn't want to give in to his own attraction to the lively woman. Cue angst (but not extensive) and eventually a happy ending.

***

Demon Summoning is More Fun with Friends (7K; Rated G) by @ochre-sunflower

Outsider POV. I had the honor of beta-reading this one, and I couldn't wait for it to be posted so I could tell everyone how wonderful it is. Crowley gets summoned by a cult, and Aziraphale wants to tag along. Matt's POV is amazing, and I loved how in control of the situation the husbands were the entire time.

***

The Nice and Accurate Guide to TPS Reports (74K; Rated T) by @nicetryfed

Human AU. It's Office Space, but make it Good Omens. Aziraphale and Crowley are project managers at rival companies who are tasked to work together on a project no one seems to fully understand. Despite their respective companies' "no fraternization rules," they fall in love. The story follows the basic beats of the original movie while putting an original spin on it. Great use of Muriel in the Milton role.

***

Romancing The Tome (40K; Rated E)

Human AU. If you've seen Romancing The Stone (Michael Douglas/Kathleen Turner) or The Lost City (Sandra Bullock/Channing Tatum), you have some idea of what to expect in this adventure story. The sister of popular romance novelist, Aziraphale Wilder, is kidnapped, and Aziraphale is ordered to bring a valuable book to the kidnappers for her safe return. Along the way, he runs into a gorgeous red-haired man who ends up helping him but also seems to have his own motives about the whole situation.

[darkwingsnark]

Y'all. If you don't like a ship, don't post it in the tags of said ship. People don't want to see negativity when they're there to have fun. I don't see why you feel so compelled to tell the targeted audience that you dislike the thing. Go play in your space. And if you need more stuff in said space because seeing a 'competing ship' makes you so angry, pay artists and writers to make things.

I know and understand the struggle of being into rarepairs, sometimes you end up being the only person in the tags for a while. But that is so much better than being bitter, and it can even convince people to start shipping your OTP.

Positivity brings in positivity. Sometimes a rarepair is just you and your bud talking and making up stories that you say you'll eventually write but it's been eight years. And you gotta embrace it as your special thing.

[momotonescreaming]

A quick thing for @hellion-child , thank you for joining me on my Sal Deluca/ Josh Russo rarepair bullshit 💜

"Is he always like this?" The probie — Hayden — asks, brows furrowed underneath his helmet as his gaze flicks between his fellow firefighters and their Captain — Captain Deluca, smirking as he speaks into the radio strapped to his chest.

"Thanks for the assist there, dollface," their Captain says, flirts, to the dispatcher on the other end of the radio. He's smirking, looking all smug about it, but Hayden can't quite tell if it's mean spirited or not yet.

When his friends from the Academy heard he got assigned to Captain Sal Deluca from the 122 — they winced. He's got a reputation of being a bit of an asshole, apparently, who scares the shit out of all the probies. High turnover rate. When he got to the actual station, however, the other firefighters said he really wasn't that bad. He just pushes them because he knows that they can do better. Some people just can't handle his leadership style — weak people — someone joked. Hayden can't tell if it's a style meant for him yet, but he's being put through his paces at least. And isn't that what being a probie is all about?

This however, in front of him, doesn't match up to the Captain Deluca in his head. The Captain Deluca he's been told about.

"Assist?" The very male voice of their dispatcher crackles though the radio, smile in their voice evident. "You'd be lost without me, and you know it."

It's like they don't even care that everyone can hear them.

"He didn't use to be," one of their paramedics — nicknamed Barbie, on account of her being a tall blonde — says with a casual shrug. "But he is now, and only with Josh."

"Josh?"

"The dispatcher," Barbie nods, looking over at their Captain, flirting through the radio waves. "We know him by name now."

Hayden — admittedly — hasn't been on very many calls yet, but on all the other's he's only heard Cap refer to them as dispatch. Maybe thanking them by name at the end, once they've rescued their person and done their job. But today, it's been 'what've you got for me Josh' and 'how's our caller doing, Josh' and 'give me good news Sunshine'.

"Cap's always been a bit of a charming asshole," the other paramedic — Riley — chimes in, where he's starting to pack their gear back into the ambulance. Thankfully, they didn't end up needing most of it. "Good at getting people to calm down and listen to him, y'know?"

"But the flirting," Barbie parrots back, smarmy smile on her face as she flips her long blonde hair over her shoulder. Hayden kind of gets the nickname a lot more now. "Is an 'only in the past few months' sort of thing. A new development, shall we say."

It's so weird, to hear these two paramedics, these two seasoned professionals — openly gossip about their boss flirting at work. Their fucking boss, who's stern and tough and pushes Hayden because he knows he's got the skill so why isn't he fucking using it. A real man's man, all bulky muscles and a sharp jaw. Talking to the others about basketball and how he's been helping a friend of his restore an old hotrod. Who can command a scene like nothing else, and then, right at the end, when everything is wrapped up and everyone's safe — flirt with the man on the other end of the radio like no one else can hear them.

Hayden's gaze flicks back over to his Captain, the macho asshole, smiling and laughing as Josh the dispatcher threatens to send all the interesting calls to the 118.

"Oh sweetheart, you wouldn't fucking dare," Sal retorts, slowing walking back to the truck and the ambulance Hayden is leaning on. His heart speeds up — traitorously — as his Captain approaches him not doing anything to help them wrap up the scene. But it turns out he needn't have bothered. "As if they don't get all of the wack shit already."

Sal nods at the three of them — Hayden, Barbie, and Riley — and continues on to the truck proper. They can all hear Josh huff a laugh down the line.

"Am I losing my mind?" Hayden says, brows continuing to furrow, an incredulous smile starting to creep onto his face.

"Best get used to it probie," Riley laughs, clapping him on the shoulder. "We've been placing bets on when they'll actually start dating."

[luciaintheskyainthi]

Hey, first of all, I have to tell you that I absolutely love ECM. The humour, the suspense, the romance, absolutely everything is just so good. I always take extra time out of my day every time you update, just so I can make sure I have the time to really enjoy your story.

It's almost mean that you get so involved in this rarepair. Where am I supposed to get my Jason/Peter content from?

What I also wanted to ask was about Jason and his siblings. And how both times Peter ran away Tim and Dick suspected domestic violence was being done to him. Do they trust Jason that little? Or is this just their way of making sure they approach Peter as objectively as possible and remain open to all possibilities? Or does Jason have some history that I don't know about?

And will that be brought up again by Peter?

I'm just curious, especially because I always feel so bad for Jason, because I can just jot imagine him doing something like that

English is my second language, so apologies for any mistakes

awww thank-you very much! It makes me very happy to know that you've been enjoying this so much! Sorry not sorry for dragging y'all into this rarepair!!! 🤭🤭🤭

That's a good question! No, they don't really think Jason's hurting Peter in each of those moments (and Dick for instance did not want to even think of Jason as capable of doing so in ch29). Part of it is definitely them trying to remain objective when they see Peter as they had, however they're also used to classifying Jason as a loose canon.

While I don't prescribe to the whole 'Pit rage' thing (which is mostly fanon, because I've not read any fics where Jason falls into uncontrollable rages because of specifically the pit. Not even in 'The Lost Days', though there's an argument to be made that the Lazarus Pit did induce a temporary sociopathy), I do think his history after his return has tainted the way they look at him. Ch16 with Tim is a good example of this. His experience of Jason doesn't compare to Peter's experience of Jason.

They don't think he'd willingly have hurt Peter, but they do fear that he might have hurt him while having an 'episode' or smthn.

Hope that explains things a little more! 💖💖💖 💖

[shanastoryteller]

Happy birthday! I would love some more rarepair dot/jack and miss fisher's murder mysteries. You write them amazingly 💚

Dot feels guilty for agreeing to go on this date. Her divorce from Hugh has only just been finalized, never mind that they’ve been living separately for the last year. She’s grateful it’s over with now – she doesn’t know how she would have felt if they’d been separated for longer than they’d been married under one roof, and that’s exactly what would have happened if everything had taken a couple more months.

It still feels too early, and it’s not like she’s ever dated before, Hugh having been her first relationship. But her neighbor Andrea had insisted that this would be good for her, and that her brother’s friend was perfect for her, and Dot is running low enough on friends that she hadn’t wanted to offend her and risk this new friendship collapsing in on itself.

She’d kept Jane and Mr. Butler, and Burt and Cec, of course, but all their other friends had landed firmly on Hugh’s side in everything, which she can’t even say is unfair, considering. But it is a little lonely. There’s a reason one of the first things she’d done was move back to Melbourne, toward the people who still liked her and away from everyone else. Her mother is appalled, but her priest is excited enough at having her back that he’s apparently willing to overlook the whole divorced bit.

She resists the urge to smooth back her hair again, wonders if she should have chosen a dress with a longer hem, but being a divorced woman provides so few benefits that it seems only fair that she take advantage of them.

“Dorothy?”

She looks up, breaking out into a smile at the familiar face. “Detective! How are you?” She gets to her feet, although she still has to crane her neck to look up at him. She forgot how tall he was. “You look well.”

“As do you, Miss Williams,” he says, a teasing lilt to his voice.

She flushes. She never would have worn anything like this a few years ago, but lots of things were different then. Besides, Miss Fisher is always encouraging her to take risks in her letters. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Well,” he says, lips pulled up on one side. On a second look, it seems like she can figure that out for herself. He doesn’t look old, really, but he does look tired, something weary about his eyes and shoulders that he didn’t have when she saw him last.

“What are you doing here?” she asks, cutting off whatever answer he would have grave.

The relief on his face makes her think she made the right decision. “I’m meeting someone, actually, although I’m not sure who. Andrea wouldn’t even give me her name.”

Dot blinks once, twice, then raises her hand to her mouth, heat crawling it’s way up her neck. “I’m going to kill her.”

It only takes Jack a second to catch on. “Ah. But,” his eyes flicker down to her hand, “I see.”

Hugh hadn’t told him, then. He’d called her Miss Williams, but that could have been habit more than anything else. Maybe they don’t talk. She assumed they did, but she’d assumed a lot of things.

Jack’s hesitating. If she lets him, he’ll make some sort of excuse and she won’t see him again unless she starts stalking crime scenes again.

“I’ll tell you the dirt details, if you like,” she offers, sitting back down looking expectantly to the chair across from her. He takes it, some of his hesitance bleeding away as he leans forward. “It’s not that exciting, I’m afraid.”

He smiles at her. He really is very handsome. “I bet I can guess.”

Dot raises an eyebrow, waiting.

“You outgrew him,” he says. “He was always struggling to keep up with you.”

It sounds so cruel put like that, but it’s also entirely correct. Hugh’s a good man and he’ll probably be a good husband – to someone else. To someone like she used to be, perhaps, but not at all for who she is now. “Well, I wish someone had told me that.”

“It didn’t seem appropriate,” he says, almost apologetic, and his eyes start to dip lower before guiltily jerking back up to her face.

“No,” she says, almost breathless. “I suppose not.”

[stardewfanficwriters]

Meet Our Writers

This week's spotlighted guild member is Benji!

AO3: benjineedssleep_

Tumblr: @benjineedssleep

Age: 20

Pronouns: he/they/she

Guild Member since: November 2024

Fun Fact about yourself? one of my special interests is music! almost everything I write comes with its own playlist and a bunch of references XD

How long have you been writing fanfiction? I started writing fic in 2017 but I've been pretty off and on about it until this past august when i started writing for sdv.

Favourite SDV character to write? Sam! I love him so so SO much. he's a lot more complex than people make him out to be and I have yet to write something he doesn't at least cameo in. Haley's a close second though. I just adore writing dialogue for her!!!

Favourite tropes/genre to write? I fear I am the king of slow burns. the first ever fic I wrote for sdv was a slow burn (no kiss for 130k words!) and I'm still working on it! generally speaking though I'm a sucker for slice of life things and surprisingly really enjoy supernatural and low fantasy themes :3

Your most popular SDV fanfic? late dawns, early sunsets!!! it's a sambastian zombie apocalypse au short story and genuinely one of my favorite things I've ever written.

Your SDV underdog fic you wish more people would give a chance? I don't have a ton of sdv fics but I would love for more people to check out either of my samalex fics!!! (you need guy friends and it's just admiration, trust) I really love that pairing and I honestly need more people so see the vision XD

Hear me out: Sam is fifth wave/midwest emo coded and if I absolutely had to pick an artist Goblin Destroyer would sound like it would be Origami Angel. listen to literally any song and tell me Sam wouldn't write lyrics just like they do.

Lastly, any other fandoms you write for? not currently, no!

Life can be rough out there when one of your favourite pairings is also a rarepair like Sam/Alex. We are very lucky to have someone as fun and creative as Benji as one of our number. If you check out his fics, please be sure to kudos and comment to show your support for artists and writers.

If you write Stardew Valley fanfiction and would like to join our guild, please message this blog for an invite!

Credit to @lily-alphonse & @saradika for the banners

Please see AO3 for additional tags. Reader discretion is advised as always.

[letterex-fyofm]

Honestly, contrary to popular opinion, I don't mind rare pairs. And when I say I don't mind, I mean I can really get to enjoy them. For example, I can't tell you how many pairs with Yamaguchi I've read in the past years. Like, I can't count. Yamayachi? So cute and so wholesome. Yamayama? Kageyama having a crush on Tadashi is just such a cute idea, and there are several dope fics about them. Kuroyama (don't ask, I was myself surprised but there are a couple of good fics about them)? It can be so freaking funny. Osayama? Osamu literally told Yamaguchi he would make onigiri for him one day, and not only he did, but there was a panel of I think Yamaguchi helping him in the kitchen? THAT IS SO CUTE.

The same goes for Tsukki, to an extent. I don't usually engage in fanfiction or fanart that has any Tsukki pairs besides tskym, mostly because my head (which is hard af) can't see it most of the time. BUT, I can see it - in some way. Like, Tsukikage? It would be so funny that after all this time bickering and picking on each other (tho most of that was Tsukishima so) they'd like each other. Tsukihina? That is so funny and cute at the same time. Overall, most of my opinions on Tsukki rarepairs are "Can't see it but this is so funny actually, like I would read things about them." And the art is so cute!

However...nothing kills me more than when I read a fic where tskym is entirely platonic...but only for one part. Like?!?!?!?!

Every time I encounter things like Yamaguchi having unrequited love or Tsukki being the one who suffers through that breaks my heart, and I'm like "NOOOOOOOOOVDUOSDOFJOJFSFJ"

And this really goes for any fic, honestly. I usually am so sad whenever I read something with love triangles because even if the pair I like is endgame, I feel so sad for the other one who was left.

LIKE NOOOOO DON'T BREAK MY HEART LIKE THIS

This really shows the type of reader I am, where if everyone doesn't end up happy me neither. I just contemplate the meaning of life after.

[mellosdrawings]

Listen- rare pairs are the shit

Two characters that rarely interact or have much in common?

Excuse me while I highlight all the ways they could have a beautiful relationship

Im ready to hear out basically any ship because it not always ‘do these characters have on-screen chemistry’ rather more like ‘how would these fall for each other’ and ‘does it bring you joy’

Agreed.

Look, I used to be in the Detroit: Become Human fandom. We took a character with 5 second (in ONE branching of the story only), no name, no personality, and no words spoken whatsoever, and we started shipping him with a character that appeared in like 2 chapters of the game, even though they never met.

And it was one hell of a good ship.

I'm a simple person. If I see potential, any common point for the characters to bond on, or just a general vibe that I think could fit, and I see why a ship could come to life. The N2 squad literally comes from them all being losers. Depression trio is all about their whacky mental states. SebeJami could actually be great folds to each other, except one idolizes his master while the other demonizes him. There's so much you can do with that.

Besides, Twst is one of those rare games in which all characters have interacted at least once with each other, be it in the main story, in vignettes, in clubs, or in events.

Epel and Malleus? Epel's Masquerade vignette.

Jade and Jack? First book of Playful Land.

Lilia and Idia?! Their relationship is the funniest, who thought to make them interact at all?! And like that!!

And come on, don't tell me having Cater, Lilia, and Kalim interact together isn't the funniest shit the game has ever pulled. I'm still not over those three being canonically "friends".

So there's always at least one opportunity to see how they would interact together, and that's a thing I really like in this game.

So yeah, rarepairs are fun. Why limit myself to one ship when I can make them all smooch together?

[aerialflight]

another fic rec list! (march edition)

I read so many good fics this month that I HAD to recommend. And again, I wildly pingponged between fandoms, though some still stuck around so you're in luck. Enjoy!

[Star Trek] (found some more! and reread old favorites)(also, fell in love with multiple ships)

Manner of Attraction by LiterallyThePresident

Ship: Spock/Leonard McCoy

“Spock, you think I’m sexy, right?” McCoy laughed “Yes.” Spock said honestly, and all three of them seemed to stop short

(short, sweet, and sparked my interest in this ship! it's my gateway drug fic and was what made me curious enough to hunt for more. definitely recommend! XD)

Anything You Can Do by igrockspock for ictus

Ship: Jim Kirk/Hikaru Sulu

'Anything you can do, I can do better' is not a healthy relationship philosophy - unless you’re Jim and Hikaru.

(listen, LISTEN, i love rarepairs and my god, this was written so fucking well and made me laugh multiple times. also, hikaru sulu is a bamf and i love when people portray him as the competent man he is! seriously, please give this a try, you won't regret it!)

freefall (flying) by tantamoq

Ship: Jim Kirk/Hikaru Sulu

Kirk is used to falling - what he isn't prepared for is the moment when he might actually hit the ground.

(again! a must read for this rarepair that i've fallen in love with nfewiofewa. seriously, i'm in a hole and i WILL drag people down with me! the potential of this relationship is too much! too powerful! please give it a go, i swear you won't regret it! this fic is fantastic!!)

Quirks and Their Side Effects by highschool-facelesshellion (orphan_account)

Ship: Jim Kirk/Leonard McCoy

Jim Kirk's always been a weirdo. Leonard could use some more weird.

(YES! LET THEM BE WEIRD!! truly, i accept every headcanon and everything this fic has spoken into the world, it's too good not to be true. i actually cried at some parts, you'll know which just from reading it. their friendship/queer-romantic or whatever the hell these two have here is so fucking good and i love it so so much!! seriously, please please read!!)

Long Road Home by EternalSheWolf for eyres

“It’s the greatest ship ever built.” His voice cracks, and he tells himself it’s because he’s been speaking for probably days now and he’s thirsty and his throat is probably bleeding and Bones will kill him, goddamit, Jim – A tear leaks out of the corner of his eye. “I want to go home.” He whispers.

(every time. every fucking time god damn it. *sobbing*)

Houses Made Of Earth by nsmorig for oneatatime

Ship: Spock/Leonard McCoy

In which Spock moves in with, uses the first name of, and falls in love with, Leonard McCoy. More-or-less in that order.

(okay, i just love the author and how they write. full stop. the slow building relationship and understanding between bones and spock was so rewarding and sweet. it's very introspective on both sides and explores what troubles and life changing things they're each going through, while also changing what they thought about the other. it's slow and thoughtful and pulled me in bit by bit. i absolutely recommend both the fic and this author in general, it's so good!!)

Pavlov's Cuddles by InsaneSociopath

Ships: Jim Kirk/Spock, Philip Boyce/Christopher Pike

Chris decides the absolute best way to get Jim to behave is to classically condition him using candy. Because. Um. That's perfectly normal and acceptable right?

(the entire premise of this fic sounds so weird but it works! jim is autistic and chris is deeply, truly weird. his whole relationship with boyce made me cackle so much! boyce has to suffer through chris's shenanigans and yet enables him constantly so he only has himself to blame lmao! and spock! is so cute and every time he showed up it's amazing haha! if you just want to have a good time and watch a successful trainwreck of a man try and adopt jim kirk, this is 100% for you lol)

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[The Witcher] (yup! again. these idiots won't leave me alone)

The Neverending Jaskier by TheSilverQueen

Ship: Geralt/Jaskier

Geralt goes fishing for a djinn to solve his sleeplessness. He is not expecting to fish up a man instead. Especially not a cursed, eternally doomed to resurrect bard of a man.

(i know this sounds ridiculous, but the author is just so good at making it believable. i love how geralt slowly starts to fall for jaskier, it's gradual and heartfelt and he doesn't want it lol. and so many of his problems are solved just because of sequence of events and how ridiculous jaskier is, which amuses me a lot. please read!)

in the belly of the beast by TheSilverQueen

Ship: Geralt/Jaskier

On the fifth day after Jaskier is swallowed alive by a lake monster, he meets a Witcher.

Part 8 of The Witcher Flash Fic Challenge

(the concept was so funny that i had to read it. and i was right, it's hilarious! seriously, please read! it made me laugh like a hyena and i never once thought someone can draw inspiration from fullmetal alchemist like this. the fact this is the same author right above has me believing they're just really good at making wild premises work lol. it's amazing!)

no reason to run by SummerFrost

Ship: Geralt/Jaskier

"You'll change your mind one day," says the innkeep. "The road can't love you back." What a strange way to flatten something so beautiful, Jaskier thinks. What a small way to love. Or: When Jaskier is hit with a curse that prevents him from having sex, he's lucky that the first person he meets is a Witcher. It's even luckier that Jaskier is used to hitting the road, because Geralt isn't waiting up.

(this fic has everything! it's hilarious, it's soft and tender, and it makes me want to hang it up on a wall for posterity. it's romantic, in the sense that jaskier sees the beauty of everything around him and geralt can't help but be drawn in by it. i couldn't help but be drawn in by it. also, it's so incredibly poly and i love that aspect of the fic, it painted love as such a giving yet selfish act and it's beautiful because of it. as geralt said in this fic, jaskier is a poet, ergo, the author is a goddamn poet and it shows. seriously, please read, it's so damn good!)

Keeping Crows by Castillon02

Ship: Geralt/Jaskier

If it was some kind of weird religious thing, it was for a god Geralt had never heard of. Probably it was just a weird Jaskier thing. Crows, of all creatures! Corpse eaters. Grain stealers. No one liked crows. But Jaskier was voluntarily traveling with a Witcher; maybe he just had poor taste.

(the metaphor!! geralt is a crow! jaskier loves things that aren't meant to be loved and is loved back for it! also, i personally just love crows so this love letter for them had me kicking my feet in delight. seriously, please please read! i want to hug this to my chest and sleep with it, it was so warm.)

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[Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them] (yeah, i know, what?? i don't know what to tell you fnewpfwa)

Preantepenultimate by lonerofthepack

Ship: Original Percival Graves/Newt Scamander

Newt Scamander had not intended to return to New York, much less the Woolworth building. Nevertheless, he arrived on the second of May, bedraggled and soaking from the spring rains with his arm trapped in a junior auror's grip, and just in time to make himself useful. Percival Graves has survived Grindelwald, with the scars to show for it, and returned to his role as Director of Magical Security despite a newly developed difficulty in speaking aloud. When Theseus Scamander’s younger brother gets dragged into the bullpen at precisely the right moment to be helpful, Graves seizes the opportunity to bring in a magizoologist for a sorely needed fledgling Beasts division, and a battle-tested asset into the MACUSA fold. Perhaps he should have expected chaos to follow in the path of a dragon rider.

Part 4 of Reticence 'verse

(*buries face in hands* fnewiofae it's so goddamn jane austen. the slow building romance, the respect they have for each other, the fact there's a freaking marriage of convenience plot that isn't contrived and makes sense, all of it! a victorian romance? in 1920s new york?? more likely than you think. god, i got so obsessed while reading this and flew through it in 2 days, it's so good!! and the fact that they show! real actual repercussions of graves imprisonment by grindlewald! he's selectively mute and the author expands how he now manages to live with it in a world where he went through something so traumatic is *chefs kiss* brilliant! and newt is so competent and graves recognizes that and is competent himself and i just, god, GOD, this is the best characterization for this ship i've ever seen, i love it so so much nfiewopewa. seriously, please please read this! i'm obsessed!!!)

Ad Sistendam Furto Magicae by InsaneSociopath

Ships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley

Hermione is all out of fucks to give. Ron and Harry reluctantly approve.

(time travel fic! a solid, fantastic read and i loved every minute of it! and the fact there's a tag specifically saying they stan ron is all it took to win me over lol. god, it's so hard to find a good ron in fics, drives me mad. if you want to have a fun time and watch as the trio run wild through hogwarts, this is definitely for you :D)

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[Buffy the Vampire Slayer] (look it's just one series that i immediately got obsessed with. but it made my month so i NEED to recommend it NOW.)

wouldn't it be nice? (in the kind of world where we belonged) by SummerFrost

Ship: Spike/Buffy

Spike is still beneath her, so hard he's vibrating, and a second ago she was living in this amazing, perfect, fresh piece of Dubble Bubble bubblegum world. A second ago, she loved him. Or: The thing about Willow's will-be-done spell is that, yeah, obviously it sucks that it happened with Spike. But now that all those totally fake lovey-dovey feelings are gone, Buffy is starting to worry that she'll never get them back—with anyone. Too bad the only person who might understand is her mortal enemy.

Part 1 of wouldn't it be nice?

(*deep breath* i need this like i need air. i don't really go for buffy fics but fuck, this is incredible. it's the same author who wrote one of the witcher fics on this list and their writing is just as beautiful here. it really looks at the aftermath of the episode something blue and what it means for both spike and buffy. and as for the rest of this series, it continues on to later seasons of buffy and how spike and buffy being an established relationship changes things in the future. this is the most healthy version of the buffy/spike ship i've ever seen and it's honestly heartbreaking to think about what could've happened if they had just talked to each other. this has become one of my favorite buffy fics ever and i absolutey recommend this to people, it's brilliant!)

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[Dimension 20] (i'm so random. also, currently watching unsleeping city s2 so i'm probably gonna rec more fics in the future, not sure)

the i love you fic by jorjudje

Fandom: Fantasy High

a scenario for each and every bad kids duo in which they tell each other they love them.

(this is the sweetest fantasy high fic in the fandom, i will die on this hill!! they love each other so much! the most friendship fic to ever friendship!! god, this made me want to watch fantasy high all over again, i love the bad kids so much fneiwofpewa)

everyone's a pessimist, I see a future painted in pink by HighAsAFlyingFish

Fandom: Fantasy High

Early Freshman year the newly formed Bad Kids run into themselves from the future. Or maybe a future? Who knows, time travel is weird, have another ice cream.

(time travel time travel time travel!! seeing how much the bad kids have grown up compared to freshman year always makes me feel teary eyed. and also cackle like a hyena, the freshmen have NO context on ANYTHING and it's hilarious XD)

Modify Memory by foxfantasma

Fandom: The Unsleeping City

“Pete,” the first man says slowly, like he’s trying to calm a spooked child. “What’s my name?” “Kingston,” Pete answers automatically, the feelings of trust and home and a fragment of being shouted at in a bodega he’s never been to all conflicting and coexisting in his skull. He hasn’t tripped this bad since the episode that had gotten him on the antipsychotics in the first place, and even this makes that look like a walk in the park. He can’t afford to get sent back to the hospital, not without insurance, and he really needs to get it together before someone calls an ambulance, or worse, the cops. “You’re Kingston Brown,” he says firmly, hopes to everything there is that he’s right. Or: Pete doesn’t remember being awakened to the Unsleeping City and has a rough time //Chapter two is Kingston’s pov

(i just finished watching s1 and immediately started hunting for kingston and pete friendship fics cause i NEEDED it. and then i found this and wow, it's such a great character study for both pete and kingston, i loved it! please read!!)

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[Deadpool and Wolverine] (we're back bitches)

Rotten Ones by atimefeeler

Ship: Logan | Worst Wolverine/Wade Wilson

“Oh my god,” Wade said. “I’m an idiot.” “Yes. And?” Logan snapped. “I forgot Logan died in 2029,” Wade said, horrified. “It’s 2024." ... (It's okay, Wade. The writers forgot too.) Deadpool and The Worst Wolverine join forces with the X-Men to save Laura and the kids from Project X-23, stop the Westchester Event, and prevent mutant extinction. Oh, and they also fall in love while they do it.

(i combed through so many fics and found this gem among the rubble of my search. it's soft and full of hurt/comfort, yet also plot driven and full of character interactions and moments between wolverine and the x-men of deadpool's timeline. and i have so much respect for the author's attempt to make sense of fox's bizarre timeline of events for the x-men series lol. i'm so invested in this fic and the slow burn between logan and wade has me kicking my feet in delight, it's wonderful! seriously, please read! i'm so glad i found this!)

Harvest Moon by SlugSniffing

Ship: Logan | Worst Wolverine/Wade Wilson

Logan still can't recall anything from his past, no matter where he goes or who he speaks to. He's at the end of his rope when a mercenary crash-lands at his feet in Bobby Drake's kitchen. (set during the events of X2 - consider this X2 featuring Deadpool-movieverse Deadpool, complete with Origins-era Wade backstory.)

(i'm not fucking kidding when i say i think the author is deapool, their end notes always has me fucking cackling, they sound exactly like him it's amazing. truly, this fic is so damn good and the writing is stellar! there were so many moments where i actually started crying because the emotions the author managed to convey got too fucking real, my GOD. and the plot! wow!! deadpool is inserted in the plot so seamlessly that i honestly wish i could watch this version of events play out on the big screen, it's so much fun! and heartbreaking! seriously, please read this, i'm so so excited to see what happens next and so will you!)

Mr. Forgettable by Arwriter

Ship: Logan | Worst Wolverine/Wade Wilson

Wade’s off the couch, moving slowly until he’s standing right in front of Logan. He’s eyeing him carefully, thoughtfully, like he can piece together a solution to whatever the hell is happening right now. “You’re not just doing this so you can get out of buying dinner, are you?" “Fuck you.” Or: Even if he can't quite place his face, Logan doesn't think he could ever forget Wade Wilson.

(i both want to punch and hug logan, he's really going Through It. this fic is both incredibly angsty yet sweet at the same time, amnesic logan deserves a damn hug! and wade is Suffering and just as bad as him. god, they're so dumb nfewiofpewa)

[necrotic-nephilim]

Roytim is such a fun crack rarepair for me! Dick’s best friend sleeping with/dating Dick’s baby brother Timmy is 10/10 drama on a more personal note than I’d picture it with Jason. Absolutely no shade I just have always read Dick as being more protective of Tim and Damian.

Do you have any Roytim headcanons to share? <3

oh i LOVE RoyTim on it's own! likely bc i'm just a Tim multishipper and if it fits i ship, but Roy is especially fun via the Dick connection. and i 1000% agree, *especially* pre-Flashpoint, would even argue it's outright canon that Dick is far more protective of Tim and Damian than he ever was with Jason (not out of dislike, but simply bc Dick and Jason were never all that close and the tragedy of losing Jason was losing what could've been, not what he already had) and especially with Jason as Red Hood, Dick holds no particular protective brotherly feelings toward him. it's all Tim and Damian. so you're so right, the drama of RoyTim is just a smidge more upped than of JayRoy and i'd love to share headcanons-

i think it makes for a fun "crush on your older brother's friend" situation. where like. Tim knows it's unrealistic and he has no *actual* intentions to chase it when he's just 15/16 and Roy and Dick are in their twenties, often hanging out around Tim. and Roy is handsome, he's funny, he's similar in personality to ppl Tim has dated (Steph, Kon) so, it's a crush. one that he hides *well* and never makes it Dick or Roy's problem, and one Tim never expects to pan out. he just fantasizes about Roy a little bit and mostly grows out of it by the time he's an adult.

i think more fics need Lian, so i like the idea of them co-parenting Lian. especially if they're both. sort of bad at it. like Roy loves her and he's trying, but he's doing this basically alone and it's not like he has experience. Tim also has no experience. neither of them know what on earth to do. it's a very cute idea that just relies on the two of them being terrible at parenting and Roy getting so mad that the first time Lian says "dada" she says it to Tim that he considers breaking up for a good five minutes.

how they get together can happen in a lot of ways, but i'm interested in the idea of Dick asking Roy to talk to Tim during Tim's Red Robin arc. Roy has experience helping kids through his work helping young addicts and nothing else has worked, so he offers to at least try with Tim. and Roy, who also doesn't handle grief well, understands at least some of what Tim is going through. especially since Roy dealt with Oliver dying and then suddenly coming back, he's at least open to the idea Bruce could be alive. he's just around to try and help Tim keep some emotional stability, but it ends up with Roy helping with the search and somehow, falling for Tim along the way

they go to sitcom levels of chaos trying to keep the relationship hidden from Dick. they *both* know Dick is far too protective of Tim to react well to it. but also, i think Roy would get *just* a bit of an ego about sleeping with Tim under Dick's nose. he makes a point of strutting around when Dick invites him over, finding reasons to be shirtless just to make Tim squirm a little bit. it's that sort of kink where you're excited about the risk of being caught. that fits these two so well and i can't explain it.

because Roy is used to mentoring younger heroes, i think he would have a bigger than normal moral panic about dating Tim. he fights his feelings for a *while*, to the point Tim can tell Roy is fighting his feelings and he's trying to convince Roy he's fine with this. Tim telling Roy about his childhood crush does not help. it makes Roy feel *worse*. it makes them take things very slowly, and i could see Roy being the type to never fully touch Tim until Tim is 18, no matter how much Tim insists it's okay.

i do think they have unhinged sex when they actually get into it though. no matter how sure Roy is that he'll be gentle the first time, the minute he gets his hands on Tim, it is feral. there is blood and foul dirty talk and Tim cannot walk the next day. i think Roy makes for a very mean dom, the type who will make fun of you for being a mess in bed. he just has those vibes, and it works great for getting Tim to just. turn his brain off.

i think Roy, who's struggled with picking hero names before, would be someone to try to force Tim to let go of Red Robin once the whole Bruce thing is over. it's not Tim's name and Tim doesn't need to keep punishing himself with it. Roy is nice about it at first, but then i do think he threatens to set that damn suit on fire if Tim keeps wearing it and doesn't come up with a new hero name. and the worst part is, Tim does know he's serious.

when Dick does find out, chaos. an absolute shitshow. when Roy tells him, Dick punches Roy in the face before he even finishes explaining himself. it's a pure gut reaction. even Bruce isn't as protective over Tim as Dick is. it takes a *lot* of convincing from Tim that it's okay and he wanted this before Dick calms down, and he still doesn't talk to Roy for like a month until the rest of the Titans are forced to hold an intervention reminding Dick of his own dating history with age gaps, like Babs. Dick does cool down, but he is not afraid to stoop to "you're fucking my brother" in an argument bc he wins everytime when he brings it up.

i think Tim is the protective partner. everyone *expects* it to be Roy, he's older and more experienced, but it's Tim who will absolutely lose it if someone threatens Roy's or Lian's life. like not fanonish "committing murder" Tim, but more so canonish "i have a contingency plan for everything" Tim. Roy has had to hold him back a couple times. honestly i think the moral conversations Roy and Tim have are so interesting. because Roy will cross the line for those he loves, so bc of that, Tim is careful to make sure Roy is never in a position where he has to protect Tim bc he knows it would turn lethal quickly. it's a very "i know what you're capable of and you don't scare me but i won't let you become a worse version of yourself bc of me" sort of self preservation vibe. i think it'd be very neat. Tim fights like hell when he's close to death bc his thought is always "i refuse to let Roy feel like he has to avenge me" which i find very crunchy.

[quillkiller]

Jen!! I need all your lunarry thoughts pls I'm so captivated already

ok so… lunarry was my first ever rarepair before i even knew that rarepairs were a thing…

so like. what made me so compelled with them is the scene with the thestrals. they’re the only two people who can see them, because they both watched their mothers die.. and then they just form this very sweet and unlikely friendship. ’i’ll ask someone i like, someone cool’ <- harry about asking luna to the slug club thing. he’s just so charmed by her <3

she’s the only one who treats him as just a Regular Guy. he’s never just a regular guy with anyone, not even his two best friends because the three of them are always roped into quests and boy who lived-missions. i love the golden trio more than anything, and harry loves his best friends more than anything, but luna is the only one who treats him as just some guy and he’s constantly drawn to her because of it … they’re so autistic4autistic social weirdos <3

here are some hc’s i have for them post war:

harry becomes a recluse after the war, hiding himself away at grimmauld place and avoiding everyone. his best friends can’t get through to him either because they’re just too close and he’s too traumatized. he’s not going to weasley sunday brunches, not talking to anyone, nearly becomes agoraphobic because whenever he does leave the house there’s always someone there who wants to personally thank him OR someone who blames him

but eventually luna finds him, whether she tracks him down with purpose or just because she felt like spending time with him, and he lets her in. she doesn’t talk about the war, doesn’t treat him like he’s breakable or traumatized, doesn’t treat him like she owes him anything. just continues to treat him like any other guy, talking to him about magical creatures and looking around for nargles, doing silly magic together and drinking tea and watching films and slowly but surely harry starts becoming himself again, starts smiling again, starts respondint to his friends letters, starts actively inviting luna over, starts visiting her instead, coming with her on the avdentures she goes on

i always see them stumbling into a relationship rather than actively asking each other out. harry asks luna if she’s seeing someone and she says ’yeah, im seeing you?’ and that’s that. it’s such a gradual thing, months or maybe a few years of slowburn. neither of them in a hurry to get anywhere because they’re always been friends first. they’ll always be friends first . the foundation of their relationship will always be FRIENDSHIP !!

they move somewhere together, some cottage somewhere away from the wizarding world. just the two of them in a house and lots of land. harry keeps grimmauld place, stays thete sometimes when he needs to, and because he doesn’t want people to know where he actually lives. the only two people he tells is ron and hermione obviously, but other than that no one knows where he is or where he lives. his letters gets sent to grimmauld, etc

’WHERES THE BOY WHO LIVED ?????’ the daily prophet says <- no one has seen him in YEARS. wel!!!!! he’s out counting stars with his dreamer girlfriend and tending to the thestrals they own together. they’re domestic and love working with their hands, growing their own foods, taking care of magical creatures, doing magical experiments, painting and repainting their walls, cooking, etc etc etc. they love their solitude and can be quiet with each other, but they also make each other laugh <3

they’re so deeply special to me…. 🤍

[zaebeecee]

“Your ship will never be canon.”

Yeah, you’re right, and I’m well aware of that. And I hate to be the one to tell you this, but neither will yours. The canonicity of ships is a garbage metric by which to measure the validity of said ships, because if your ship isn’t canon, it will probably always be non-canon.

Unless your ship is already currently canon, or unless the characters were expressly created to be a romantic ship, it is incredibly unlikely that they will ever be made canon. Are there exceptions? Sure, but these are incredibly rare, and they generally only happen in media that have low to zero corporate oversight where the authors can change direction based on fan opinion with little to no hassle.

Have these characters been stated to be best friends? Then, canonically speaking, they will always be best friends.

Have these characters been stated to be rivals? Then, canonically speaking, they will always be rivals (and if the rivalry peters out, they will become friends who snipe at each other, or they will never speak to each other again).

Have these characters been stated to hate each other? Then, canonically speaking, they will always hate each other (see above).

This is, of course, not to say you shouldn’t ship them. Ship whoever you want! But canon should play a role in absolutely nothing except characterization when it comes to your fanfics, fanart, AUs, and anything else you decide to make.

“But the team said they would be canon!” Did they, though? Or did they make a statement that contained words that could be used to imply they would be canon? Because that second one is a combination of wishful thinking and putting words in the team’s mouths.

“But everyone ships them!” I guarantee you they don’t and not everyone in your fandom would be happy to see your ship become canon, no matter how big the shipping base is. And everyone in the fandom, from people who ship the biggest non-canon pairing to people who ship a rarepair that literally only they ship, deserve the freedom to ship whatever they want.

“But the actors ship them!” That’s nice; it tells you that you have the same opinion as the people with the most intimate understanding of those characters. It’s also not relevant to the writing of the story.

“But I can’t ship them if they’re not canon!” That kinda sounds like a personal problem, buddy.

If you can’t enjoy something in a fandom until it’s been declared canon, you’re not going to enjoy being in any fandom. And you definitely aren’t doing yourself or anyone else any favors by bullying other people who like different things from you.