Entry tags:

Sign-ups are open! Guidelines below.

Our rare pears are ripe!

Sign-ups are open! They will close on Wednesday 20 August at 11:59pm EDT. [ In your timezone + Countdown ]

Quick links: Tagset • rules and guidelines • AO3 app • the requests summary • collection summary.

Please make sure your sign-up complies with the exchange's guidelines. A refresher of our key info is below:

Sign-up reminders

You must be 18+ to sign up.

An AO3 account is required to sign-up/participate. Please sign up with one account only. If we find you have signed up with more than one, your additional sign-ups will be deleted and you may be banned from the exchange.

A reminder of the mediums and minimum requirements of the exchange:
- Art: Clean lineart on unlined paper or the equivalent of one comic panel.
- Fic: 1,000 words minimum.
- Podfic: A recording of a completed fic of 1,000 words minimum that is about the requested rare pair.

There is a known bug with AO3 where the tag may be in the tagset but might not appear in the drop-down menu. Copy the relationship from the tagset and paste it into the box (press enter afterwards). AO3 will accept this.

If your sign-up breaks any of our rules, we may contact you to request edits made to your sign-up. If we do not receive a response, we will delete your sign-up.

Sign-ups made in bad faith will be deleted without contacting the recipient. This exchange has been designed to be an enjoyable community event.

Please do not put any notes to the mod in your Optional Details. Contact rarepairexmod@gmail.com as all requests and information you input in your sign-up is public.

If you are not matched to what you offered, please contact the mod immediately at rarepairexmod@gmail.com within a week of assignments being sent out. We will only change your assignment once after assignments have been sent out.

If you did not comment on your gift from last round, your sign-up will be deleted.

( Requesting and offering. )

( Do not wants (DNWs). )

( Dear Creator letters. )

( Do not match requests. )

( Prompts. )

( Additional things worthy of note. )

Entry tags:

2025,
ship promo

Talk about your ships!

If you love talking about your favourite ships or are currently on the hunt to become obsessive about something new, this is a great post for you! Some of the rare ships in the tagset belong to rare canons, so this is a great place to promote canons for others to get into. (This is also a great place to give additional ways to consume the canon for potential pinch hitters and treaters.)

You can use the form below to get started. (You don't have to if you don't want to, but we advise trying to make your comment easy to read.)

Canon:

Ships:

Media:

A summary of the canon:

What do you love about this ship/these ships?:

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?:

Content warnings:

How can we consume this canon?:

A few things to consider:

Please try to keep your thirst to one comment.

Please try to limit the number of gifs and videos you post, if you choose to provide some supportive material. (We recommend any more than one gif/video that you can link for anyone with a slower Internet connection.)

Please link and mark anything that is NSFW, especially if you're posting gifs/videos. (We'd also appreciate trigger warnings for the big triggers. If you think it needs a trigger warning, please add it.)

Please remember that this post may contain triggering topics due to canon content that may or may not be warned for, so please view the content at your own discretion.

You can also use this post to ask for canon recs. We recommend advising what you're looking for (a particular medium or a canon that's so many hours long?)—and it wouldn't hurt to mention what kind of ship dynamics/tropes you're into since that's why we're here!

This post won't be moderated closely. Please email rarepairexmod@gmail.com if you feel something is getting out of hand or isn't appropriate.

Thanks to

yuletide for the inspiration for the form.

Entry tags:

Nominations for 2025 are closed! 🥳

Nominations are closed! I will be working through the remaining nominations that have yet to be reviewed. I do not have any plans on posting another query post, although I will if I have any questions.

A huge thank you to the tagmods for helping me tackle our massive nominations dashboard! We have over 3,000 nominations and I would not have been able to climb that mountain as quickly as I did without you. You have been a tremendous help. ♥

*

In the meantime, please have a look at the tagset, specifically what you're interested in requesting and offering, and let me know if you see any errors such as duplicates or strange typos by Tuesday 12 August at 11:59pm EDT. [ In your timezone. ] The tagset will be finalised by this time and will not be changing for any edit requests.

When flagging errors, please provide the fandom and the nomination as it sits in the tagset so I can easily find them! Thank you to everyone who has already flagged duplicates and errors!

Sign-ups will open on Wednesday 13 August, time unspecified. Please be aware that Tuesday 12 August at 11:59pm EDT. [ In your timezone. ] is the deadline for 2024's participants to have commented on their gifts from that round. Here is a handy link for the 2024 collection. (If your nominations are fine, perhaps have a look around at our previous collections and comment on some of the gifts! We have fantastic works in our collections!)

*

Thoughts on fandom

Fantastic Four (2025) vs Marvel Cinematic Universe
I have several nominations for Fantastic Four: First Steps characters, but we have them split across MCU and FF:FS in the nominations dashboard. Did the nominators—or those who are interested in requesting/offering—oppose me placing them under "Fantastic Four (2025)"? I know that this movie is technically in the MCU, but as it takes place on another Earth, I'm considering accepting it as a different "continuity" to the other MCU relationships.

All the nominations that have been submitted for this sub-fandom are approved, even though, at the publishing of this post, I have not officially approved them yet. I just need to know where to put them.

*

Rejected nominations
If you oppose a rejection because it's eligible or I've made a mistake (it happens—I have been hit with AO3's "Retry Later" and "You're clicking too quickly" messages repeatedly over the last 48 hours that has reset my progress when approving nominations 😫), please let me know before 11:59pm on Tuesday 12 August so these nominations can be reinstated into the tagset.

These nominations were rejected during the last round of nomination review:

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood (HP) - Over 250 works.

due South
Benton Fraser/Margaret Thatcher - Over 250 works.

Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield (Stranger Things) - Over 250 works.
Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair (Strainger Things) - Over 250 works.

Quantum Leap (TV 1989)
Sam Beckett/Al Calavicci - Over 250 works.

Thank you!

Entry tags:

Nomination queries #3 + reminder nominations close in a day.

We have approximately one day left before nominations close. [ In your timezone + Countdown ] Please make sure you nominate what you want to request and/or offer, as I will not be adding any nominations once the nomination period closes.

Quick links: Nomination guidelines and tagset.

*

Duplicates/errors
Thank you to everyone who has flagged duplicates in the tagset.

If you see any duplicates/errors in the tagset, please flag them before Tuesday 12 August at 11:59pm EDT. [ In your timezone. ] I won't be editing any tags once the sign-up period commences.

*

Please amend fandom

Pocket Monsters: Scarlet & Violet | Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Versions
Haruto | Florian/Suguri | Kieran

Could the nominator please amend the fandom to "Pokemon Main Video Game Series", as that is the fandom we've placed other canon relationships under.

Jurassic Park - All Media Types
Billy Brennan/Alan Grant (JP)
Gray Mitchell/Zach Mitchell (JP)

We do not accept All Media Types. I will be amending Jurassic Park movie nominations (including Rebirth) to sit under "Jurassic Park (Movies)" as a fandom in the tagset.

*

Please renominate under Crossover Fandom

Star Wars - All Media Types
Poe Dameron (SW ST)/Jacen Syndulla (SW Ahsoka)

Multi-Fandom
Roberta (L'ultimo Terrestre)/Majid Zamari

As per this comment, it seems this relationship belongs under Crossover Fandom. Can the nominator please amend the disambiguations as per our crossover guidelines, too.

*

Rejected nominations
If your nomination is rejected and you have a case for why it shouldn't be (or if we have made a mistake), please discuss it with us before nominations close; otherwise it will remain rejected.

IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Any of The Losers/Pennywise (IT Movies)

We do not accept "Any" relationships.

Ted Lasso (TV)
Trent Crimm/Ted Lasso

Over 250 works.

Thank you!

Entry tags:

Nomination queries #2.

Thank you for pointing out duplicates! I will be removing them shortly — please keep letting me know if you see any duplicates/errors in the tagset as you see them.

Reminders:

We do not accept Canon Character/Reader nominations. These will be rejected without query.

Please disambiguate your nominations or risk these being rejected.

Please refer to the nominations guidelines before nominating.

We have a few queries. If I do not hear back from the nominators 24 hours after the publishing of this post, I will be rejecting the applicable nominations.

*

Renominate under correct fandom

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Angel/Lindsey McDonald (Angel: the Series)
Larry Blaisdell/Daniel "Oz" Osbourne
Rupert Giles/Spike
Spike/Andrew Wells
Spike/Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
Xander Harris/Andrew Wells

Please renominate under "Buffyverse". If it is not, these nominations will be rejected.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Annabeth Chase/Piper McLean (PJO - AMT)
Annabeth Chase/Rachel Elizabeth Dare (PJO - AMT)
Annabeth Chase/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano (PJO - AMT)
Rachel Elizabeth Dare/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano (PJO - AMT)

Please renominate under the correct fandom as per our guidelines — are you after the book ("Percy Jackson - Riordan"), movie ("Percy Jackson (Movies)"), or TV show ("Percy Jackson TV")? If this is not renominated, these nominations will be rejected.

Appaloosa - All Media Types
Virgil Cole/Everett Hitch (Appaloosa)

We do not accept "All Media Types" nominations. We're happy to hear cases about why this should remain under the AMT umbrella from the nominator. If we don't hear back, or if this is not amended per our guidelines, this nomination will be rejected. Accepted as is.

Fire Emblem Series
Edelgard von Hresvelg (FE3H)/Karin (FE5)

The disambiguations dictate this is a crossover. Please renominate under "Crossover Fandom". This nomination will be rejected if it is not amended.

Real Person Fiction
Aaron Taylor-Johnson/Fred Hechinger
Aaron Taylor-Johnson/Original Female Character(s)

Please renominate under "Actor RPF".

苍兰诀 | Love Between Fairy and Devil (TV) RPF
Changheng/Dongfang Qingcang (Love Between Fairy and Devil)
Changheng/Dongfang Qingcang/Xiao Lanhua (Love Between Fairy and Devil)
Changheng/Xiao Lanhua (Love Between Fairy and Devil)
Dongfang Qingcang/Shangque (Love Between Fairy and Devil)
Dongfang Qingcang/Shangque/Xiao Lanhua (Love Between Fairy and Devil)
Jieli/Xiao Lanhua (Love Between Fairy and Devil)

This is nominated under an RPF tag, but it looks like all the relationships are fictional characters. Can the nominator please correct the fandom for this nomination, or explain why this should be accepted as is. This nomination set will be rejected if not amended/if case is not made. Accepted.

Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth (Video Games 2020-2024)
Cloud Strife/Wedge

Should this be under "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" as a fandom? Please amend the fandom or this nomination will be rejected. Accepted.

*

Queries

Multi-Fandom
Roberta (L'ultimo Terrestre)/Majid Zamari

This looks like it is fandoms thrown together under one umbrella. Is this a canon? (Google says it is fan-created content.) Or is this an AO3 canon? We will not accept this if this is an AO3 canon as it looks like recursive work. Please amend to Crossover Fandom and correctly disambiguate.

Severance (TV)
Irving B./Burt G.
Irving Bailiff/Burt Goodman

I am assuming this are the same characters nominated under different formats. Can someone canon familiar please confirm? Both tags accepted, assuming it's clear that they are asking for two different versions of the pairing.

*

Rejected nominations

If your nomination is rejected and you have a case for why it shouldn't be (or if we have made a mistake), please discuss it with us before nominations close; otherwise it will remain rejected.

Kraven the Hunter (2024)
Dmitri Smerdyakov/Reader
Nikolai Kravinoff/Reader
Sergei Kravinoff/Reader

Hades (Supergiant Games Video Games)
Moros (Hades Video Game)/Reader
Polyphemus (Hades Video Game)/Reader

Nosferatu (2024)
Friedrich Harding/Reader

The Gentlemen (2019)
Raymond Smith/Reader

Gladiator (Movies - Scott)
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus | Emperor Caracalla/Publius Septimius Geta/Reader
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus | Emperor Caracalla/Reader

28 Years Later (Movie 2025)
Jamie (28 Years Later)/Reader

Bullet Train (2022)
Ladybug/Tangerine (Bullet Train)/Reader
Tangerine (Bullet Train)/Reader

MobLand (TV)
Harry De Souza/Reader

Real Person Fiction
Aaron Taylor-Johnson/Reader

Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Garth/Raven — Over 250 works. Added to the tagset. Apologies to the nominator — I misread Garth for Garfield!

Marvel Cinematic Universe
Phil Coulson/Steve Rogers — Over 250 works. Last works were posted in 2024.
Loki/Steve Rogers — Over 250 works.
Loki/Sif — Over 250 works.

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Draco Malfoy/Severus Snape — Over 250 works.
Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter — Over 250 works.
Minerva McGonagall/Severus Snape — Over 250 works.
Sirius Black/Severus Snape — Over 250 works.
Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas — Over 250 works.

Video Blogging RPF
Andrew Ilnyckyj/Steven Lim — Over 250 works.
Rhett Mclaughlin/Link Neal — Over 250 works.

Riptide (TV)
Cody Allen/Nick Ryder — Over 250 works.

Laramie (TV)
Jess Harper/Slim Sherman (Laramie) — Over 250 works.

Thank you!

Entry tags:

Nomination queries #1.

Hello, Pears! Thanks for your nominations. Rare Pair's tag mods and I have been battling "Retry Later" and "You've made too many clicks" while you've been making nominations and we appreciate your patience!

We have a few queries. If I do not hear back from the nominators 24 hours after the publishing of this post, I will be rejecting the applicable nominations.

*

~~Belongs under Crossover Fandom~~

SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Shindo Ainosuke | Adam (FE3H)

Please correct this nomination with the accurate disambiguations. The fandom should be "Crossover Fandom", not "SK8 the Infinity (Anime)". If this is not corrected, it will be rejected. Completed and accepted with (SK8) disambiguation.

*

Belongs under MCU

Please refer to the nominations guidelines before nominating under a big franchise.

The Marvels (Movie 2023)
Brunnhilde | Valkyrie/Carol Danvers (The Marvels)

Please renominate under "Marvel Cinematic Universe". If this is not corrected, it will be rejected. Completed and accepted.

*

Queries

The Magicians (TV)
Quentin Coldwater/The Monster (Magicians TV)
Martin Chatwin/Quentin Coldwater (Magicians TV)

Is the Monster Martin Chatwin? (I'm wondering if these are duplicates.)

わが青春のアルカディア | Waga Seishun no Arcadia | Arcadia of My Youth (1982)
Harlock/Maya (Captain Harlock)

There's the Arcadia of My Youth canon and Captain Haddock — Are they the same canon?

Super Mario & Related Fandoms
Princess Daisy/Princess Peach (Nintendo)

We do not accept "& Related Fandoms". I am happy to hear a case for this to remain as is. Otherwise, pease amend this with the specific canon that you are nominating from. If this is not corrected, it will be rejected.

*

Disambiguate your nominations

If the below have not been amended/accepted into the tagset, please edit them to include the disambiguation so they can be accepted. If you are unsure of what disambiguations are, please refer to the nominations guidelines.

光が死んだ夏 | Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu | The Summer Hikaru Died (Anime)
"Hikaru" | Fake Indou Hikaru/Tsujinaka Yoshiki
Original Indou Hikaru/Tsujinaka Yoshiki

僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga)
Aoyama Yuuga/Midoriya Izuku
Midoriya Izuku/Rody Soul

Gundam 00
Saji Crossroad/Setsuna F. Seiei
Tieria Erde/Setsuna F. Seiei

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Pegasus J. Crawford | Maximillion Pegasus/Pandora the Conjurer | Arkana
Yami Bakura/Yami Yuugi | Atem

Persona 5
Iwai Munehisa/Persona 5 Protagonist

SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Shindo Ainosuke | Adam (FE3H)

Please amend the disambiguation to (SK8).

*

Rejected nominations

Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Fuji Shuusuke/Tezuka Kunimitsu

This relationship has over 250 works and is thus not eligible for the exchange.

人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Liu Qingge/Shen Jiu | Original Shen Qingqiu

This relationship has over 250 works and is thus not eligible for the exchange.

If you find your nomination is rejected, it is because it does not meet the eligibility of the exchange. Please refer to the nominations guidelines for our eligibility criteria.

*

Duplicates and errors in tagset

Please let me know if you see any duplicates or errors in the tagset by replying to this post with the fandom and impacted tags. This will help greatly as we are bound to have duplicates due to the number of nominations that are coming through, and because of the "Retry Later" error we're receiving as we check eligibility and approve nominations.

*

Remove accent markers from nominations

Please remove accent markers from nominations as this will help us identify duplicates in the tagset.

*

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment on this post. Anon commenting is on.