#making rarepairs so rare there isnt even fics for them

[starpelted-dove]

The general public doesnt even know i ship starwhirl as my favorite starscream ship.

[elephant-in-the-pride-parade]

Writing for a rarepair / rare fandom is such a healthy experience after writing for big ships.

I had the idea this year to write The Universe to Mend, a St:Prodigy/Star Trek Novels crossover featuring a minor character (Denzit Janeway) and Q as the leads. One of the reasons I picked it for the WIP Big Bang is that I knew I wouldn't have large reader interest to help motivate finishing it.

I am 1/3 of the way through the posting schedule now and I've got to say this has been a very different experience to what I am used to.

For context: I have gone from long fics with 163 kudos to one with just 9. On the one hand that is really shocking - those are all the individual readers! 9 total! 8 of them have been there since chapter one so I havent even picked up readers in subsequent updates. And thats with a regular update schedule!

Instead of being a disheartening experience I have actually found it to be really healthy.

Each comment is even more precious.

Theres not enough interest to worry about a facebook campaign being organized to harass me in a bid for faster updates.

That annoying worry in the back of my mind that people wont like what i've done to their favorite character is completely absent! Its one thing to say "write what you love / dont worry what other people think" but it's another to actually be able to put into practice. so this experience is actually extremely freeing. Theres next to no fanon about Voyager's book characters. I can do whatever I want!

It gets really hard, when youve been writing well-read fics for a while or when youve been reading well-read fics for a while to separate "popular" and "well written". Usually all my fics have a meaningful range of kudos/bookmarks/subscriptions and all from the same audience community - which makes any relative drop in readership feel like a major blow - "why did 130 people like Story A, but only 50 like Story B which i worked so much harder on. etc." - an audience of 9 isnt even graphable in comparison. its a major outlier. so rather than be depressing for me, it's actually been very nice! the readership isnt a meaningful measure of how good it is. And thats meant that I am able to really take pride in non-popularity based measures of "good writing" without having hits/kudos putting a damper on my mental ability to objectively consider the story's strengths.

[youngster-monster]

fic is fic especially when the fandom for it is teeny tiny or otherwise just doesnt have a lot of avid ficwriters in it so i cant be picky!! ill read and bookmark and i wont make a big fuss but i Will be seething (quietly) because even though he speaks He Would Not God Damn Say That (said while politely kudos'ing the fic)

i've never received a mean comment on my fics even though they're all from wildly different fandoms which is a blessing but i have to wonder how many of the people reading them were mad at me. imagining getting approached at the devil's sacrament and flamed as if we are not both standing here in the same place wearing our metaphorical clown shoes and big red noses

he is literally every AU of himself in one neat little package and he sucks so bad. the world isnt ready for him but ive decided that you are

my identity will return. POSTHASTE. you are GOING to hear from me because im going to beat the anxiety out of myself with bricks if i have to

tragically i am prone to rarepairs. in every fandom i have at least 2 rarepairs that have anywhere between 0 fics and 20 fics and on a rare occasion i get into a fandom that hasn't even got a single fic for it on any fanfic site and though it would be my pleasure to change that myself, my crippling writers block has prevented me from finishing, uhm (looks into my google docs) ....at least 12 different fics. CURSE YOU, ME

ahem. i bring Intel (the information about my bad bad man of an oc) and i will be returning from the war with my identity intact and,

all of us spiderman pointing at each other at the devil's sacrament (we are being very polite and nice even when we massively disagree with an author's take because fanfiction is a hobby and a gift we are giving one another for free and it's not disco to flame or give unrequested criticism)

it's okay anon i don't bite. maybe someone will eventually because they're tired of seeing our very public courting in the form of asks but that's their problem. in the meantime i am staring longingly out the window waiting for the sea to bring you back to me

[1milzine]

As we celebrate over 200 followers on tumblr, here’s round two of favorite rarepairs!

@lurkerwithcomputer said: Still taking fave rarepair asks? I have a slowly growing love of Toga Himiko/Kaminari Denki. I'm honestly surprised it's so rare considering all the Traitor Kaminari theories. (I mean, there are only *2 fics* - I kid you not - on Ao3 with this ship and one of them is mine...)

Mod Muse: Oooh, good point. This will be a very valid ship if the traitor theory turns out to be true! Heck, even if it doesn't, I could see the dynamic being a lot of fun. Toga's chaos, empathy, and undercurrent of cunning combined with Kaminari's raw chaotic dumbass… chaos squared.

Mod Echo: I’m fond of the “Kaminari is the traitor” theory just because Kaminari is cool but like he could be even cooler with a shadowy past, and Toga and Kaminari would just be amazing to see together in general. I feel like these two are a pair I would not want to meet in a dark alley. @_@

Anon said: this is gonna sound weird but bakugo and that friend he had in middle school (the one w the long fingers) they WERE childhood friends, nd i feel like theyd have a very “no homo” kinda relationship (but secretly Yes Homo) nd angst bc the friend ISNT a hero student and esp w bkg rebuilding his relationship w deku, he could feel like hes not Good Enough to act on his feelings 4 bkg. idk i think itd b cute bc hes the friend bkg had a consistent good relationship w/ and i wanna explore that dynamic

Mod Muse: I don't think it's weird at all! I could definitely see that sort of vibe coming from them and the potential for angst, character development, and all those other things is… delicious. I love rebuilding old relationships type ships, and this hits that mark perfectly. :D

Mod Echo: “Childhood friend” ships are A+ in my book; I love those wholesome moments of “Remember that time when we…” Doesn’t seem like a weird ship to me at all!

Anon said: Dunno if you’ll do another round of fav rarepairs but I think ShinIzuOcha is so cute!! Also Kendo x Momo x Jirou are adorable

Mod Muse: Oh gosh, you're right, they are cute! I should have thought twice before suggesting this event… i'm… gonna end up with too many ships. RIP me

Mod Echo: Y’all ever look at canon and go “Wow, you’re just not trying hard enough. There are 505607920 ways you could be infinitely more awesome.” And here’s two of them right here! I’m a big fan of Shinsou in general so sign me up for ShinIzuOcha, and Kendo, Momo, and Jirou just seems like a totally natural ship--their connections all have good development!

@fleurdesamione said: I love the big three as a polyship! They're just such a good balance for each other and so sweet in their friendship! The idea of them sharing a romantic bond just makes me soften!

Mod Muse: *teary eyes* Too right OP… too right

Mod Echo: L I S T E N they’re not called “The Big Three” for nothing, okay??? There are some characters yah just don’t separate and this is it right here, gold standard. Nejire and Mirio’s outgoing natures balance out Tamaki’s shyness and Tamaki’s determination gives the others motivation to keep going. So good, just so good.

Anon said: Todoroki/shinso has got a killer vibe going for it right now with me! I love the idea of the two who declare from the start they don't want to make friends coming together and finding a warmth and love from each other.

Mod Muse: That sort of dynamic is always nice! I’ll admit, I probably wouldn’t have thought of Todoroki/Shinsou on my own, but now that you mention it, it sounds like it has a lot of potential.

Mod Echo: Yesss, let’s continue to further the Shinsou agenda… I think there’s so much good stuff that could happen in a ship like this--they both have elements of their quirks that they hesitate to use or don’t view as heroic, so finding a way to make their quirks into something they love and feel great about TOGETHER is just flawless. 

@coffee-craving-canine said: I have A LOT of rarepairs, but currently, my favorites are Frozen Marbles (Rei/Compress) and DabiHawksMiruko. Compress, despite being a villain, is much more of a gentleman than Endeavor ever could be and would treat Rei so much better; plus he's very charming. Rei deserves good things. The scandal with Dabi secretly dating two heroes is angst heavy, making it fun to plot how it could work out. Hawks and Rumi can relate to each other with their animal instincts (plus "Dabi is a furry" jokes)

Mod Muse: Is now the time to say that I actually ship Dabi/Miruko myself? So yes, Coffee, I definitely understand where you’re coming from! And you’re dead right about Rei deserving good things! Compress may be a villain, but at least I have little doubt that he would treat her right.

Mod Echo: YOOOOO, I love this!! Mr. Compress more like Mr. Steal Yo Girl!!! He should totally go save Rei; Horikoshi get on this stat! DabiHawksMiruko is hilarious to me because I’m imagining how such a situation would happen in canon and what people’s reactions would be… Great stuff.

Anon said: My favorite rarepair (and just bnha ship in general) is Setsumori! (Setsuna/Kinoko) They have such a cute dynamic: Excited tol and shy smol (in the most simple terms). They're also just both cuties!!

Mod Muse: You have me intrigued. Excited tol and shy smol girls is a worthwhile shipping investment indeed! 

Mod Echo: Class 1-B needs way more love! There are so many fun characters and dynamics there and then the comic just glances right over them. I want to see some interactions with these two in canon!

Anon said: Inko/Yagi/Naomasa! All Might and Naomasa have such a good rapport in Vigilante! But Toshinko is such a wholesome ship! So why not make a ot3, you know?

Mod Muse: I do know! Naomasa deserves more love, and Inko and Toshinori both deserve nice things. Ship them all together and let them all be happy and warm and wholesome. ^.^

Mod Echo: There are so many shippers with great taste submitting responses here. I love All Might/Inko, and I also love All Might/Naomasa--Inko/All Might/Naomasa is like double the love! We all know Toshinko is A+ but man, I feel like Naomasa’s calm and just generally kind demeanor is a great match for Inko too. This was a great idea for acquiring new ships....

Anon said: Shipping Fuyumi with Miruko is popular but I'm also intrigued by Mt. Lady and Fuyumi together, considering they also have such clashing personalities. With Mt. Lady very self-assured and attention-seeking and Fuyumi tends to throw her all into supporting others.

Mod Muse: Oooh, I could see them making lovely foils! I approve! Also, imagining the surprise of Fuyumi’s family and friends finding out she’s dating Mt. Lady… lmao

Mod Echo: I like Fuyumi with like… everyone. XD She’s just a perfect cinnamon roll, too good for this world… But Fuyumi with Mt. Lady could be really cool! I feel like Mt. Lady is really good at putting on a media personality, but having to be herself around Fuyumi could be very interesting challenge!

Anon said: i have such a soft spot for kirishindeku ;;w;; shinsou and deku already have a friendship in the series, and kirishima would absolutely get along w shinsou as well!! they make me all sorts of emotional, haha

Mod Muse: S o f t. I think that Kirishima and Shinsou would balance each other out really well, and then Deku falls really nicely somewhere in the middle of the relative soft-stale cinnamon roll spectrum.

Mod Echo: I see you, fellow Shinsou fans; I see you. Kirishima and Deku are already adorable together just by themselves, but Kirishimi and Shinsou is a dynamic I hadn’t even thought of. I could totally see Kirishima hyping Shinsou’s joining the hero class, and can we just talk about the sheer amount of motivation contained in a KiriShinDeku ship???

Anon said: I really like Mei/Himiko/Iida! mostly because of how hilarious it would be to pair off Iida, one of the most intense and serious members of class A, with two of the wackiest, one-track mind characters.

Mod Muse: O-oh my gosh. I have no words, this is… this is just utterly fantastic. Bless Iida and, in this scenario, heaven help him. I could actually see this relationship being good for all three of them though! 

Mod Echo: RIPPPP Iida! XD There are some ships you like because they’re serious and deep and thought-provoking… And then there are some ships that you love that are just plain comedic genius. The potential for wacky hijinks here is truly and completely off the charts. Just yes, please.

[abodynamicslife]

Rarepair Headcanons Meme

An unpopular headcanon that I have A headcanon about one of my rarepairs A headcanon about a character that most people ignore A headcanon of mine that totally contradicts canon A headcanon that I wish more people would use A headcanon that I actually prefer over canon A "guilty pleasure" headcanon that I have A headcanon that I'm surprised more people don't share A headcanon that changed the way I see a character A headcanon I made to fill a plot hole in canon A headcanon that I rarely get the chance to talk about A headcanon that contradicts popular fandom tropes A headcanon that I created now on the spot

- mcrdeviantclub

I saw this on my dash and decided to answer all of them for Petopher!

An unpopular headcanon that I have: Chris Argent and Peter Hale have been in love with each other the entire time, since they first met in high school. They drive each other nuts, especially with Chris’ straight-laced stuffiness and Peter’s devil-may-care brattiness. But no matter what, Chris is always happiest when he’s around the werewolf, and Peter’s best anchor is Chris (he has two -- family/pack and Christopher). 

A(nother) headcanon about one of my rarepairs: Chris likes accepting hunts that take him across the country or even overseas -- not necessarily because he likes to travel, but more so that he can take Peter with him. Amidst the blood and gore and violence, they can openly be a couple. When they’re on the road, they’re free to just be themselves.

A headcanon about a character that most people ignore: Victoria Argent knew from the very beginning that Chris and Peter were having an affair. She hated it; it was the biggest source of contention in their marriage. Chris would come home covered in coarse black wolf hairs, and was NOT allowed in their bedroom until he had showered; Victoria wasn’t stupid. But she also knew that she and Chris were in an arranged marriage, not a love match. Even though Chris loved her and respected her, there was no way she would ever get between the Hunter and his werewolf. And she wasn’t vicious enough to tell Gerard, so she just grit her teeth and bore it. But it just added to her hatred of werewolves, and the Hale Pack in particular.

A headcanon of mine that totally contradicts canon: That Chris/Melissa never bloody happened. I just can’t. It’s evil. Everyone knows Melissa’s supposed to be with the Sheriff. I hate Jeff Davis, crushing all my hopes and dreams! >_<

A headcanon that I wish more people would use: I do wish there were more mpreg!Petopher fics. :\ But really I just want more Petopher; beggars can’t be choosers.

A headcanon that I actually prefer over canon: Isn’t that the point?

A "guilty pleasure" headcanon that I have: I’m a proud ABO fan -- bring on the mpreg! \^0^/

A headcanon that I'm surprised more people don't share: That Peter’s NOT a total psycho waiting to kill everyone just for funsies. He wanted revenge for what happened to him and his family, he resented Laura and Talia for being weak alphas, so he did what he felt he had to do. Everyone else he killed on the show had it coming anyways. 

A headcanon that changed the way I see a character: Shipping Petopher actually let me like Chris Argent more. I’m more willing to sympathize with him now, because S01 - S03 Argent was a complete tool; just a self-righteous hypocritical bullying anti-villain.

A headcanon I made to fill a plot hole in canon: Chris totally was the one to pull Peter from the fire. He helped Laura make arrangements for Peter to stay at Beacons Crossing Home, and this was why Laura and Derek thought it was okay to just abandon an injured pack member while they hightailed it to NYC -- because they knew Chris and Peter were together and thought having Chris was probably all Peter would need to get better. Unfortunately, they all grossly underestimated the extent of Peter’s psychological, emotional, and physical trauma, when he woke up and his entire pack/family was gone.

A headcanon that I rarely get the chance to talk about: Alpha!Peter bites Chris rather than Scott, and together they go after everyone who was involved in the Hale Fire. I don’t even think I’ve read a fic like this? 

A headcanon that contradicts popular fandom tropes:  I do not enjoy Steterpher/Stetopher/whatever the name is. I don’t think Chris is the sort who would ever touch any of those kids. (Peter might, though. :P)

A headcanon that I created now on the spot: Chris taught Peter how to ride a motorcycle, and for their 1st year mating/wedding anniversary he bought Peter a beautiful brand new bike, which Peter still has. Peter taught Chris how to correctly identify over 1000 plants, including the Nine Herbs Charm, and several rare strains of wolfsbane.