RarePairFest Letter 2015

[touchofstrange]

So sorry for not having this up right away!  I wrote it all and then had a connectivity issue, so my update didn’t work and I’ve been trying to recreate it.  

Hopelessly plagiarizing my own Yuletide letter for this…

Basically – I love all the rare pairs that I chose! So… whichever one we matched on (or another that catches your fancy) – I’m pretty much going to be thrilled to get fic for that pairing!!  If you just want to skim the ‘likes & dislikes’ stuff below and then run with it, that’s great!!  Otherwise, I’ll try to give a bit more depth on what it is about these pairs that really ‘get me’ and some specific prompts as well

Most of all, I just really want you to enjoy writing this and I don’t want it to be something that stresses you out. If anything I’ve said below gives you any kind of headache… pretty much ignore it (well, with the exception of the ‘do not wants’). :P

 

General ‘Stuff I like’:

• I absolutely love some of the really 'tropey' kinds of scenarios so please don't be afraid of using them (or subverting them). Here are a few that are awesome:

o Forced closeness (trapped together)
o Magic gone awry

o Crashed on a desert island

o Pretend couple/marriage of convenience

• I love friendships, found-family and romance. Slow-build, first-time is one of my absolute favorite relationship tropes.

• And, considering that sometimes those situations can result in strong emotions, I'm obviously not afraid of angst, but I also enjoy action/adventure, plotty case-fic, and humor.
• Hurt/comfort is dandy as well, and considering a couple of my fandoms, violence could be expected. I'll admit it though: I'm a sucker for a happy ending.
• Length of story doesn’t matter to me – but I’m not afraid of long fic.
• If you do run into questions/concerns - please don't hesitate to have a mod ask me (or send me an anon ask on tumblr)!
 

The ‘Stuff I like Ratings/Sex-wise’:

• I’m entirely open when it comes to Gen, Het, Slash, Femslash, Threesomes/Moresomes, as they suit the fandom & characters chosen.
• I'll enjoy everything from G-rated gen all the way up to hardcore NC-17.
• Porn is great. I love porn. But it’s definitely not a must. (I’m including some PWP type prompts – but again – I’m 100% on board with gen!)
• If things get do porny - plain ol' vanilla sex is great, but I enjoy kinky stuff as well. A couple of things I’m particularly fond of:

o A character face-forward against a wall/door/bulkhead being sexed-up from behind.
o Love frottage, rimming and fingering in any/all gender combinations.
o Pegging is lots of fun.
o Dual penetration.
o Where it could be applicable to the fandom, I’m not opposed to xeno or tentacles…

The ‘What I’m Not So Fond of’:

So that being said, there are a few other things that aren’t really my cup of tea:

• I’d prefer if you’d avoid the more extreme kinks (watesports, scat, vore, bestiality, age-play, daddy-kink, infantilism, etc...).
• I pretty much love all the characters I’ve requested so please no character bashing.
• I’m as much a fan of the universes I’m requesting as the characters, so I’d prefer not to see much in the way of AU.
• I do like my POV to stay similar to the source material, and I’m not a huge fan of first or second person (though if that’s what you’re comfortable writing in, it’s not a huge concern).
• I don’t mind if you go darkside, but I appreciate avoiding killing anyone off (permanently – temporary death for plot purposes is A-Okay).
• Partner betrayal makes me uncomfortable, as does incest (unless it’s canon) and humiliation.
• Sorry to say I’m not fond of A/B/O type verse, slave-fic or always-a-girl/boy (temporary genderswap is totally fine though) or D/s lifestyle 24/7.
• Lastly, I’d prefer to avoid noncon and steer away dubcon.
• All this with the caveat that I do expect some of this to be applicable in the canons I’ve selected - e.g. consent with regard to the di’Tayan in the Valor series could easily be dubious.
 

Alrighty, I realize all of that is pretty general - if it's enough to get you started, great! But if you'd like more fandom-specific thoughts, keep on reading! I’ll also provide a bit more about what I love about each fandom, some general things I’d be interested in, as well as a couple of specific prompts (which are complete suggestions!)

Harry Potter – Neville Longbottom/Draco Malfoy

From my Sign-up Details: Much more detail in my letter! I'm not sure if it's the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers thing that gets me about these two, or if it's just that I think they're both awesome characters who deserve each other. Tropey stuff is my fav, as is slow-build relationship and first-time fic. I do lean towards a later - last bookish - setting (when they're older) and would love something post-series (feel free to acknowledge or ignore the epilogue!).

The reason I love this pairing: I can’t quite pinpoint when this pairing became my HP OTP, but it happened fast and it hit hard.  Neville has been my favorite character since book 1, and though there are times I really dislike Draco, I absolutely love the direction his character went in.  I can totally see Neville being someone who ‘gets’ Draco, especially as he’s done a bit of growing up.  And I think that Draco would absolutely let Neville inside his guard without realizing it.   I’m not all that fond of power dynamics between these two, and I’ll be honest – prior to maybe book 6, I don’t see it happening at all.  I just like the idea of these two being older, a bit ‘battle’-hardened, and having experienced two different sides of the same conflict, yet finding common ground.  I’m a huge sucker for anything that gets them together post-series; whether that’s just after the Battle, or even acknowledging the epilogue.  It’s almost cliché, but I love them being forced to work together and growing

Specific Prompts:

• Draco’s son is having trouble dealing with his parent’s splitting up and starts acting out in school. Neville, concerned for the boy’s well-being, befriends Scorpius and starts to establish a rapport with his father as well. 

• Some months after the Battle of Hogwarts, when things have settled down in the Wizarding world, Neville decides he needs a holiday to get away from everything and find himself. So he sets off on a herbology-based tour of Europe.  During his travels he crosses paths with Draco more than once – who seems to be on the same journey of self-discovery - and eventually the two start spending more and more time together. 

• Neville starts his own greenhouse, while Draco decides to apprentice to a Potions Master.  Naturally the two end up interacting on a regular basis.   

Doctor Who – Seventh Doctor/Ace McShane

From my Sign-up Details: There's much more detail in my letter but, I adore these two together (definitely romantically and sexually - to whatever extent you wish to take that). I love Seven's odd combination of whimsy and darkness, and Ace's bravery and innocence. I'm quite partial to the idea that Ace could've ended up on Gallifrey to study as a Time Lady. I also love adventures in time and space and having fun with alien cultures.

The reason I love this pairing: Everyone has ‘their’ Doctor, and though I’ve been a Whovian since I was a wee child and started watching in the early Baker years, Sylvester is absolutely ‘my’ Doctor.  And Ace will always be my favorite companion.  I think if she’d been any different, the whole ‘modern rebellious teen’ thing wouldn’t have worked for me… but Ace was perfect. Completely brill! And she and the Doctor had such a layered and convoluted and epic relationship.  I truly think that if some of the best Seven/Ace episodes had been recreated now… they’d be too much to handle!  And I firmly believe that they both love each other beyond just the bonds of friendship.  Though I think they both end up retreating from that… and it colored some of their subsequent adventures.

I’m not completely versed on all the books/radio plays that deal with what happened to Ace & Seven after the series went on its ‘long hiatus’ but I know enough that setting something anywhere in that timeframe would be great.  Including pretty much any other companions or any other regenerations is totally cool as well. Just, please make sure that this is about Seven and Ace.

Specific Prompts:

• How do things change for Ace and the Doctor after the end of Survival? The unseen fallout from Ace’s time with the Cheetah People. Ace has opened herself up to her more primal nature and wants to explore it. The Doctor still has trouble seeing Ace as a grown woman with wants and needs. ]
• The Doctor takes Ace to a planet for a bit of R&R (perhaps post Fenris?) but naturally things get out of control quickly.  Ace and the Doctor have to play ‘happy couple’ to keep the natives from sacrificing them to an angry god.
• The Doctor left Ace on Gallifrey to study with the Time Lords.  It’s been some years since they’ve last seen each other.  Neither one is prepared for just how much things have changed between them when they finally meet up again.

Valor Series: Tanya Huff – Ressk/Werst

From my Sign-up Details: Ressk/Werst is my Valor OTP! No question about it. The other characters are great, but these two Krai are just perfection. I love the hints we got in Book 5 and can't wait until the new series starts to see how that develops. I'd pretty much love ANYTHING for these two. Please see my letter for lots more detail.

The reason I love this pairing:  This is probably the rarest of the rare…  since I think there are only like 5 Valor series fics on AO3 at the moment.  But, I had to ask for it anyway, because I’m hoping someone, somewhere, out there, recognizes the glory that is Krai-love!!  Ressk, hacker genius extraordinaire, and his awesome no-nonsense, gruff-talking boyfriend Werst.  Space Marines! Ability to digest pretty much anything! Opposable thumbs on all four limbs!! How can I not adore them?? 

I know this is pairing specific- but I’m also all about ‘team’ for this series. So please feel free to include Torin, Craig or any of the others (that even expands to di’taykan smuttiness/group sex). 

Specific Prompts:

• Ressk and Werst return to the Krai homeworld to complete some kind of ceremony or ritual. They’re an arboreal species…  What kind of fun can they get up to in the trees?
• What was the impetus that finally got Ressk and Werst together? Travelling as part of Torin’s crew, it’s no surprise they find themselves in tense, life or death situations all the time, but what pushed them to finally face their feelings?
• Downtime on the Promise with the rest of the team!  With everyone’s permission, Alamber takes off his masker…  fun & sexytimes ensue!

Merlin - Gwen/Leon,  Leon/Percival

From my Sign-up Details: Gwen/Leon and Leon/Percival are two relationships in Merlin that I think have some great potential, particularly post-series. Such great characters that I wish we'd gotten more backstory on! Although I'm definitely not insistent on post-series! Set it any time! I like tropey stuff and slow-build romance and adore first-time fic with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. Many more specifics in my letter.

The reason I love these pairings: While I’m slavishly OTPish for Merlin/Arthur, I’m much more open to the idea of lots of different pairings amongst the remaining characters. Two of my favorites are Gwen/Leon and Leon/Percival.  I absolutely love Leon and think he’s just a great character. I wish we’d gotten so much more backstory for him.

I adore Gwen. She’s so sweet and caring and yet strong and resilient.  I think she and Leon together would be fantastic.   I love the little glimpse that he and Gwen knew each other as children.  Which definitely leads me to believe that perhaps they could have spent time together as adolescents… perhaps a teenage romance?   And, after Camlann, I definitely think that Leon is going to be the one to help Gwen through everything. I don’t see him ever leaving her side.  

With Percival I think Leon would find and equal and someone he could relate to in a way that only another fellow Knight would understand.  They have that bond that was formed with Arthur at the first ‘round table’ in an old abandoned keep. And they’re the only two Knights left who were there after Camlann. I think they’d need each other to keep the other sane and also to help keep the kingdom running.  

Have to also note that I wasn’t thinking during sign-ups and didn’t include Gwen/Leon/Percival, but I’m definitely not opposed to that as well!

Specific Prompts:

• Some months/years after losing Arthur, Gwen has stepped fully into the mantle of Queen and rules in strength with Leon by her side. Despite this there are still other kingdoms who see Camelot as vulnerable and her Queen as an advantage to expanding their territory. Leon makes a proposal to stave off the constant flow of marriage offers, but is Gwen ready to accept her feelings for him?
• When Gwen is exiled from Camelot, Leon takes it upon himself to visit her in Ealdor and ensure she’s safe and cared for.  (Could also be Percival & Leon).
• On a routine patrol mission things go awry, leaving Percival and Leon stranded together somewhere desolate where they’ll need to rely on each other to survive.

Agents of Shield - Leo Fitz/Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie

From my Sign-up Details: It's probably naive that for a few brief minutes I actually hoped the show might go here... But alas, it did not. Still, that's what fanfic is for, right? I'm super keen on first-time fic. If you wanted to explore what might happen after this season, that'd be cool. Although any setting and/or tropes would be great. More in my letter!

The reason I love this pairing: The thing that really got me about these two is the way that Mack treated Fitz when he joined the team.  When everyone else was walking on eggshells or treating Fitz like he just ‘wasn’t the same anymore’, Mack ignored that and was just matter-of-fact with him. I love the gentle giant thing he’s got going on, but also love that he’s pretty fierce. And Fitz is just this really brilliant man who cares really deeply, and is extremely protective of his friends.  Basically I think they’re a great combination!  I love that they can relate on so many levels.  I’d definitely be interested in an exploration of things post season-finale, or dealing with Mack’s ‘betrayal’ and loyalty to the ‘true S.H.I.E.L.D’. But I’m also great with any other setting.

Specific Prompts:

• After Gemma disappears, Fitz pushes himself nearly to death trying to save her. Mack has his back the whole time and doesn’t let him falter. As Fitz works, he starts to understand his feelings for her, and the new feelings he’s experiencing for Mack.
• A new piece of tech is accidentally activated and its effects cause something strange to happen with Fitz.  Mack is the only one who can reach him, and has to take drastic measures to bring Fitz back to himself.
• Fitz joins Mack on a mission but unexpected trouble sees them having to crash a quinjet in very unhospitable territory. They’ll need all their combined skills to survive. 

So that's it! If you have questions, I'm on tumblr as touchofstrange and have anon messaging turned on.  

Again - thanks SO MUCH for writing one of my favorite rare pairs!!