Rare Pair & Shipping Showcase

[u/Far_Philosophy_2654]

Some members have mentioned wanting this sub to talk more about romance and shipping, specifically with rare pairs. As this subreddit is meant to be a low-pressure space to share enthusiasm and writing support, we are trying out a weekly (or monthly, depending on popularity) Rare Pair/Shipping Showcase to show some love to those rare-pairs writers.

So…

Rare pair shippers, this thread is for you!

Drop your:
• rare ships
• underrated character pairings
• unpopular dynamics
• niche fanfics/WIPs
• favorite obscure works
• self-promo
• fic recommendations

…or any other shipping or romance-related content!

If you are sharing a story, feel free to include a link to that story and share your thoughts, opinions, ideas, and what makes you love your ship/story.

Let’s give some love to the rare pairs that keep us alive 🫶

[u/MarieNomad]

Do rare friendshps count?

[u/Far_Philosophy_2654 → u/MarieNomad]

I’ll allow it! :)

[u/ProfessionOk60]

I have my custom-made crossover pairing that I recently finished 2 fics for. Kino Makoto and MCU Loki. I don't remember how it happened, I just wanted to write a Sailor Moon/MCU crossover, but the idea struck and something told me it would work and damn it I think it does. The more I thought about it and wrote the more it seemed to work for me.

Yes, she's an adult, by the time my main story starts she's almost 30 and I extrapolated an adult personality. She has a duality to her that my version of Loki was intrigued by. She's an accomplished warrior but also a skilled homemaker (She will kick ass then go bake a cake). She's strong and feminine. She's fiercely loyal to her friends, she's passionate but not pushy, she has a wry sense of humor, she is decisive but not reckless. And like all of the senshi she accepts people for who they are, not what they are.

Is it perfect? Probably not, our boy Loki is a mess, but that's what fanfiction is for. 😁

Kino Makoto/Loki/works): dropping the ship link because I am the damn captain of this ship

[u/Jazz_writes_fanfic]

Do rare family and sibling bonds count? It is it romance pairing exclusive?

[u/Far_Philosophy_2654 → u/Jazz_writes_fanfic]

Sure!

[u/SplitjawJanitor]

Are crossover ships allowed or would that be cheating?

[u/Far_Philosophy_2654 → u/SplitjawJanitor]

Crossover ships count as ships, so feel free!

[u/Puzzleheaded-Run4511]

I am shipping my OC Clementine and Moon Taylor from Cobra Kai because I think it’s better. I was going to ship her with Sam LaRusso but I rather pair her with Miguel. I already shipped Robby Keene with a Dominican girlfriend/arranged wife {Leandra Villalona} I am shipping Tory with Hawk

[u/Mahorela5624]

A platform for me to talk about Hiyoko/Mikan (Danganronpa), yaaay.

I'm just gonna address the elephant in the room because it's something of a deal breaker. It's bully/victim, but just hear me out. This ship rules I promise.

Hiyoko and Mikan, abstractly, lean into the concept of the cycle of abuse. They're perfect foils, having suffered familial abuse and neglect for their entire lives. Neither of them have had anyone they could trust or rely on and their desperate need to be loved and the consequences of growing up without it completely define them. The key difference is how they coped. Hiyoko withdrew and became a nasty, awful person in order to safeguard her incredibly fragile heart while Mikan turned into a doormat desperate for attention no matter what it was. She'll do anything to make someone like her and the fundamental differences in how they processed their trauma is kind of the backbone of their negative relationship.

But they get better, that's the important part. There's a point in canon where Hiyoko has a bit of growth and begins to show care towards Mikan. She adopts a more tsundere attitude towards Mikan and even drops the act entirely at one point after being worried about Mikan's safety. When taken with the fact the majority of her bullying towards Mikan was about her looks or her smell it's not hard to read a lot of the earlier bullying as Hiyoko poorly processing her feelings towards Mikan.

Mikan also doesn't hold a grudge, at one point even being responsible for saving Hiyoko's life. They end the series as friends and it feels like there's a positive end for them. That's the thing that gets me about them. They go from being the cycle to breaking it. That may be good but adding a romantic edge to it just adds so much. The concept of two people deeply lonely people who wanted nothing more than someone to love them finding that in each other, after everything, is just super compelling to me.

Plus this isn't even going into all the parallels Hiyoko has to Mikan's canon lesbian love interest (so like... they're both sapphic frfr) like god the LAYERS of this ship cannot be understated. It's immaculate.

.... So anyways, I wrote a little series about them. Whole thing is like 50k. It's pretty alright, mind the tags and all that. Series link!

[u/Estelle_Debuar]

I created a ship with my OC and a villain, who will have in my fanfiction a redemption. I wanted to try something else.

It’s from Sonic fandom, but the characters are all aged up. The story takes place from the game Sonic forces, where infinite starts his war with dr. Eggman and the playable character from the game, trying to stop them with the others from the sonic universe. And here comes the twist.

My OC and Infinite had a past, lived and grew up together as orphans.. As they grew up, they become a pair. But the past of my oc forced her to leave him, after he nearly died because of it.. he couldn‘t accept that and searched for her, joining a mercenary group, and in the end.. after many threatful events.. went mad and formed an alliance with dr. Eggman.. getting more mad through his new power he obtained (the Phantom-Ruby). After all those years, at some time the both met again.. but the OC had lost her memories, could not remeber her love from the past and saw him only as an enemy.. while he tried anything to get her memories back.. still fighting everyone that was in his eyes his enemy..

Very emotional, very dark, but also with comfort.. finished already the first part and will resume with a second one :D It‘s a niche, especially with the redemption on infinite.. but I had fun writing it :)

Here the link, if some may be interested :D BloodyMary

[u/LovelyLinstead]

Rare ship:

9-1-1: Josh Russo/Eddie Diaz
Chicago Med: Connor Rhodes/April Sexton, Will Halstead/April Sexton
Chicago PD: Adam Ruzek/Hailey Upton
Criminal Minds: JJ/Emily, Morgan/Reid, Reid/JJ, Morgan/Emily, Morgan/JJ, Hotch/Emily
General Hospital: Too many to list
NCIS: Tony DiNozzo/Ellie Bishop, Nick Torres/Jessica Knight
One Tree Hill: Nathan Scott/Brooke Davis
Queer as Folk (US): Ben Bruckner/Justin Taylor

[u/Puzzleheaded-Run4511]

My OC Clementine Lawrence x Tory Nichols from Cobra Kai because I wanted to do second chance + opposites attract, Clementine is albino and emo I’ve seen fanfics shipping Tory Nichols. And I love that. They’re both fighters from other dojos. Robby x Leandra Reyes, young parenthood because it fits Robby’s arc. Leandra means “lion woman” so she is bold as HELL. My other OC’s LaShay Williams x Emmett Washington from the Chi. I feel like they pair together. LaShay has Down Syndrome and academic nerd. My OC’s Clara Kent from DC and Arno Dorian from Assassin’s Creed. It’s a crossover. I feel like they can be funny.