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galfridian) wrote2015-06-29 07:00 pm
rare pair fest | 2015
I go by galfridian everywhere. (AO3. Tumblr. Twitter.) If you have any questions, weasleytook can answer any of them, so feel free to DM her. You can also contact me via the mods, if you prefer.
Likes: I love tropes — some days, I browse AO3 by tropes rather than fandoms. A few favorites include: bickering/UST (belligerent sexual tension), enemies-to-lovers, fake/undercover relationships, forced proximity, friends-to-lovers, hurt/comfort, soulmarks, reincarnation/rebirth, secret identities, time loops. I also love apocalypses/post-apocalypses, time travel, alternate realities, and world-building. I prefer pre-relationship or building-to-relationship fic over established-relationshp fic.
Dislikes: I may love tropes, but there's one trope I hate: pair-the-spare. Throwing two characters together to solve a love triangle never works for me. I tend to shy away from tropes with consent issues, so I prefer not to read dub-con or non-con, incest, or voyeurism. For me, alpha/beta/omega and knotting often feel too gray where consent is concerned as well. I'm fine with some violence in fic, but I like to avoid graphic descriptions of gore.
GILBERT BLYTHE/ANNE SHIRLEY
I've often wondered what would have happened if Gilbert hadn't fallen ill. Would Anne ever realize her feelings for him? What would it have taken? In other words: stretch out Anne and Gilbert's slow-burn. Alternatively, I'm ALWAYS here for Modern Day AUs. Or if you're feeling brave, I'm dying for their story retold in space in the future.
I remember reading this series as a kid and thinking what a waste it would be if Anne and Gilbert didn't end up together. I don't know if Gilbert/Anne was my first ship, but it was definitely one of the most formative: enemies-(to-friends-)to-lovers; the way they teased each other; their stubborn pride; Anne's refusal to acknowledge what was between them; Gilbert's unabashed adoration of her.
I also loved their friendship, how profoundly they came to care for each other even before they fell in love. Gilbert taking a position at a school further from home so Anne could stay near Marilla, for example, always strikes a chord.
JAMES "BUCKY" BARNES/MARIA HILL
I'd love to see Maria and Bucky mid/post-Civil War. Rumor has it that Bucky and what should happen to him are central to the conflict, so something that plays on that could be great. Alternatively, perhaps Maria encounters Bucky between Age of Ultron and Civil War; maybe they even find themselves stranded somewhere together. And of course, I'd love anything with the tropes listed in my likes.
To be honest, I hadn't considered these two until I saw them in the tagset. Now, I can't wait to dig in and see what fandom has to offer for them. I can't say what draws others to this relationship, but here's why I love the idea:
Beneath his programming, beneath the brainwashing, Bucky is good. Discovering the breadth of the violence he committed as the Winter Soldier will destroy him. Steve will want to protect him, but I don't think Bucky will know how to handle that type of coddling.
Enter Maria Hill, will give Bucky no ground. She'll expect him to prove his worth and loyalty. When she trusts and accepts him, it will be because he earned it, and I think he'll have that desire to prove that he's capable of good.
Then I think that Maria and Bucky surprise each other. As the Winter Soldier programming fails, James Buchanan Barnes emerges, and he has sarcasm and wit to match Maria's. He's charming, he gets under her skin. He finds himself drawn to her determination, her grit, and her loyalty.
SHARON CARTER/STEVE ROGERS
After The Winter Soldier, does Steve contact Sharon? Perhaps he reaches out to her under the guise of needing info the CIA can provide, but he finds he's curious. I love the battle couple trope, so I'd love to see them in the field together, fighting as a unit. Or maybe Steve recruits Sharon away from the CIA to work at the Avengers Academy.
When Sharon and Steve lay their cards on the table, I think he understands why she followed orders. Knowing that she sided with him when Hydra revealed itself probably helps. But I think Steve struggles with the Peggy of it all. Sharon knew what Peggy and Steve meant to each other, that Peggy's deteriorating condition hurt him, and she kept quiet.
But Peggy complicates their relationship for Sharon, too. Peggy is Sharon's family. She must have concerns that Steve's visits confuse Peggy more than help her, but she does her job. In fact, I doubt it's coincidence that Sharon was assigned to watch Steve. I think she requested the assignment, because she felt she owed it to Peggy to protect him, and I think she tells him so.
Sharon and Steve have a great slow-burn dynamic. Peggy complicates their relationship, yes, but I think she helps their relationship, too. As they learn to trust and respect each other, having Peggy in their lives only strengthens that bond. When Peggy dies, it's Sharon who best understands Steve's loss. Then one day, a time comes when these two can think about each other without thinking of Peggy, too, because now they share more than just Peggy.
CAMERON MITCHELL/ELIZABETH WEIR
What if Elizabeth was sent to Stargate Command after "Progeny"/"The Real World" for evaluation and recovery? What if she was kept from returning to Atlantis? Or maybe Elizabeth recruits Cameron instead of John (or in addition to John). Maybe Cameron is arrives at Atlantis aboard the Apollo and his presence causes the events of "First Strike"/"Adrift" to play out differently.
Cameron and Elizabeth interact only briefly when SG-1 visits Atlantis, but I think they could be great together. Both Elizabeth and Cameron care deeply for those under their command, both shoulder their responsibilities unwaveringly, but they also both like to laugh.
I also think that Cameron would be great for Elizabeth because he's so determined. She hesitates to let anyone in, but he would be undeterred — just look at his commitment to reuniting SG-1.
VALA MAL DORAN/JONAS QUINN
What if Jonas returned to SG-1 when Sam left for Atlantis and/or when she took over Stargate Command? Or Jonas might reach out to Stargate Command when a danger befalls Landara. SG-1 could travel to Landara to help them in the aftermath of the Ori occupation. Or maybe Jonas and Vala just run into each other, somewhere out there in space, and get along fabulously.
Vala and Jonas never meet onscreen, but I imagine their paths must cross at some point, and I'd love to see that. I think these two would understand each other, the outsiders of SG-1. Sure, Teal'c also understands what it's like to live on an alien world, but he's been with SG-1 since it began. Jonas and Vala join later, two people who choose to align themselves with the Tau'ri.
Also, Jonas and Vala are such flirts that I think even without understanding what it's like to be an outside with SG-1, they would have a great time together.
Thinking about Jonas and Vala traveling together, this occurs to me: Jonas is more of a scientist than a soldier, but Vala is a skilled fighter — great reversal of your typical gender roles.
JOHN DOGGETT/MONICA REYES
Doggett and Reyes had some heartfelt moments in season 9. A post-episode fic for "4-D," "Audrey Pauley," "John Doe," and/or "Release" would be great. Or maybe a post-finale fic, looking at what happens to these two after Mulder and Scully disappear. Or you could write about where they are now — do they still work for the FBI? the X-Files? And always, I'm 100% here for the alien invasion we were promised but never given.
Much of what I love about Mulder/Scully I also love about Doggett/Reyes: the dichotomy between believer and nonbeliever, the way they push and pull at each other; their long and complex history; the fact that these two have witnessed some of the worst moments in each other's lives.
I love the little moments in season 9 that show us how much these two care about each other, such as her grief and fear in "4-D" or his refusal to give up on her in "Audrey Pauley." Their relationship was brought full circle in "Release," and I would have loved to see where they went from there.
I think Reyes was a great influence on Doggett's life. In fact, I'd say she made him a believer as much as working the X-Files did.
JOHN ALLERDYCE/ROGUE
Tell me what happened to these two after The Last Stand. Did their paths cross again? We know Rogue appears in the extended cut of Days of Future Past and uses her power. I'd love to read fic about the Cure wearing off. How would John react to learning about Bobby/Kitty? He's absent from Days of Future Past, but I'd love to know what happened to him. Did he (or anyone else from the Brotherhood) join the X-Men in their fight? Where is John in the alternate reality created by Logan's time travel?
Twelve years ago, X-Men 2 hit theaters, and I fell in love with these films. I loved Magneto and the Brotherhood, I loved Xavier and the X-Men, and I loved way too many characters and ships to name. But what I loved the most, especially after the second film, was the young generation.
That summer, I was particularly obsessed with Bobby/Rogue/John, loved to read about how his leaving affected each of their lives. The more I read, the more I wanted John/Rogue. I think what I love most about John/Rogue is the conflict — not just between the Brotherhood and the X-Men, but between John and Rogue's perspectives on mutation. John saw it as a gift, but Rogue saw it as a curse.
I love the idea of that push-and-pull; of loving someone but having to let them go; or of wanting someone out of your system, but finding it impossible. And of course, the fact that Rogue would have John rattling around in her head post-X2 only made me ship it more.
The Last Stand was a joke, so if you want to ignore parts or all of it, feel free.
ROGUE/SCOTT SUMMERS
After X-Men 2, I wanted Rogue and Scott to become friends; and I wanted him to train her to lead the X-Men; and in time, I wanted them to become more. I'd still love to see that AU, if you want to ignore The Last Stand. Rogue appears in the extended edition of Days of Future Past, so we know her powers return, and that she seems to have better control of them. An AU where Scott lives and helps her through that would be awesome. Or take any of my favorite tropes and throw Scott and Rogue into the mix.
I realize that telling you I hate the pair-the-spare(s) trope and then requesting Rogue/Scott might seem contrary, but it isn't. I'm not interested in Logan/Jean, so this isn't about freeing her from the obligation of her marriage.
Still, I can't deny that I initially started shipping Rogue/Scott because I knew they were both affected by Logan/Jean and thought they might find solace in friendship with one another — and that their friendship, of course, might become more years later. I still think that connection is important, but I also like Rogue/Scott for other reasons.
Scott could be what Rogue needs. He's steady, he's loyal. Unlike Bobby in X2, for example, he could love her without feeling constrained by her inability to touch. Similarly, I think Rogue likes to believe in people, however many times she's hurt, and I think Scott needs someone like her to believe in him. (Particularly when it's Logan who's doubting him.)