subjunctive | Rare Pairs Exchange Letter

Dear Rare Pair Exchange writer,

Thanks so much for writing me a story! I love all of these ships to death and I'll be elated to read about them. :) Even though this is a shipping exchange, I don't necessarily expect a happily ever after. Happy-for-now, ambiguous/open/sad endings, UST, and breakups are welcome too. What I'm into the most with all these ships is the characters being important to each other's development in some way.

FYI, my tumblr (~~where I'm much more active~~ ETA: I'm on tumblr hiatus right now) is at subjunctivemood. I link to some of my relevant tumblr tags below, where they might help give you extra insight into what I enjoy about these canons and ships, if you're interested.

The prompts below are suggestions; if you think of something I didn't list but which seems like something I'd like, or if you are inspired to combine prompts in some way, that's fine.

General Do Not Wants: rape, explicit smut (fade to black/M-rated suggestiveness is fine), pregnancy/kidfic (exception below). The rest of my DNWs are pretty fandom-specific.

A Song of Ice and Fire
Theon Greyjoy/Jon Snow

tumblr tags: asoiaf, jon x theon

I adore these two narrative foils and I think they have a lot to offer each other even if they never interacted on the page. Each wants what the other has: Jon wants Theon's legitimacy and Theon wants a real place in the Stark family (not that he'll ever admit it). They have significant common ground as outsiders in Winterfell, but their coping mechanisms (Theon pretending not to care about anything and deliberately trying to make people hate him; Jon caring too much and trying to prove himself good and worthy of respect) prevent them from seeing it. I also love a dynamic where Theon is someone whom Jon is “allowed” to be angry at and even hate, unlike Robb–-with the result that it is perhaps unfair (it brings out a not-super-nice side of Jon, which I always crave more of–-but then on the flip side, it’s also appealingly genuine) and, again, obscures whatever connection they might have. (Until it doesn’t.) When they were young, they didn't get along (to say the least) but after growing up a little maybe they'll gain a little insight into each other--and even themselves. Self-recognition through the other, baby!

I would love something set in canon, including canon AUs. This is also a fandom where I love all other kinds of AUs, including modern AUs (our world or Westeros) and lawyer/barista/royalty/military/historical/etc AUs; anything is fine, I would just like to have Theon and Jon to have something resembling the childhood relationship/background they have in canon. Feel free also to fuse the story of ASOIAF with other genres: urban fantasy, steampunk, space opera, cyberpunk, etc. I'm a total sucker for that if it's up your alley!

DNWs: I really don't want to read about uber-traumatized post-Ramsay Theon; something before that or disregarding it/pretending it didn't happen would be best. If you want to write something post-canon, feel free to just glide over the details of what happened, and even though I understand his experiences change him, I hope there's still some original-flavor Theon in there. Book descriptions > the show actors.

Prompts:

AU where the precipitating events of canon (Jon Arryn's murder, Ned being named the Hand) didn't happen and they finish growing up together. Or an AU where the Others aren't coming and everything is 'normal.' What do they do? What kind of futures do they have? How do they relate to each other?
You know how the direwolves' feelings reflect their people's? Well, Ghost seems to actually like Theon, and Jon finds it incredibly annoying.
Road trip together! I think this would be well suited to a 'modern Westeros' setting, or maybe a post-apocalyptic scenario, or post-canon. Have a relevant Rebecca Solnit quote: “Getting lost was not a matter of geography so much as identity, a passionate desire, even an urgent need, to become no one and anyone, to shake off the shackles that remind you who you are, who others think you are.”
Ned dies, and at his funeral Theon makes a horrible scene (probably there's alcohol involved). Somehow Jon gets roped into 'taking care of it'.
Stick Jon on the Iron Islands somehow with Theon ... that would make a nice role reversal. Post-canon, maybe? Theon gets to see Jon out of his element for a change.
I have an odd soft spot for the theory that Jon will spend his dead-time hanging out in Ghost, and if it takes a while to resurrect his body, he might pick up some wolf-ish characteristics/be super weird for a while afterward.
Amnesia seems like a compelling situation for these two--let them shed a little baggage and see how they like each other then. Either one having amnesia would be great.
Hurt/comfort of any stripe--I think either would be a VERY reluctant caretaker, which is a fun dynamic to play with.
Kidfic exception: However you want to set it up, I think Jon and Theon raising Robb's kid together could be by turns hilarious, sad, angsty, and charming. I am a sucker for Robb's death bringing them together in some way.
BatCat AU with Jon as Bruce and Theon as Selina, or something inspired by this dynamic. Force-adapt the Batman/Gotham mythos as necessary to fit the characters--I just think this would be so interesting and fun.
If you're familiar with the Battlestar Galactica reboot, a fusion fic with Jon and Theon mapping (roughly) onto Lee and Kara respectively would hit a lot of my buttons. (Poor Robb gets to be dead Zak, I guess!)

Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Lee "Apollo" Adama/Laura Roslin

tumblr tags: bsg 2003, madam president cougar

I just began re-watching this a month or two ago, and hoo boy does it hold up! This time around, I saw a lot of potential and chemistry between Laura/Lee that I'd never seen the last half-dozen times I watched it. From beginning to end, I think they're easily one of the most compelling relationships on the show. A lot of their early interactions are gold: saving the human race together, bearing responsibility for tragic necessities (the Olympic Carrier, leaving the non-FTL fleet behind) together, Lee's idealism centering on her and what she represents, the mutiny and being fugitives in the fleet together (!!), but also the human moments they share, like her confiding in him about her cancer. A gentle good humor pervades their early interactions, which I adore.

But at the same time, there's a more conflicted side to their relationship: notably how, in season two, Lee's learning about Laura's role in the Cain assassination plot sends him on a nihilistic spiral that includes a passive suicide attempt (2x12, "Resurrection Ship, Part 2"). I think there's some interesting potential for conflict between his idealism and her pragmatism, if that's something you're interested in. (Confession: At the time of writing this, I have not yet gotten to the season 3 and the trial storyline. I remember it being badly written, but just in case it matters to you, I tend to side with Lee w/r/t issues of civil rights even though I find Laura's venomous hatred of Baltar delightful and relatable. That doesn't mean I want Lee to give her some kind of lecture, though, of course.) Feel free to put them on the opposite sides of an issue and let things explode. (I have the opposite of a loyalty kink, in a way--I love it when characters are disloyal or conflict because of their beliefs.)

DNWs: non-canon AUs or AUs where the Cylons never attacked (e.g., modern Caprica AUs). This is one of those fandoms where I really want the canon situation--although canon-divergence AUs are great (in fact, I love them to death and would be happy to get one). The only exception to this is a fairy tale AU (see below).

Prompts:

Fairy tale AU: Okay. So. Maybe this sounds crazy. But in 2x07, "Home, Part 2", Zarek's lackey is contemplating Roslin and says (I QUOTE): "She's lost a lot of people. Friends, supporters. All she has left is her young prince" (referring to Lee). Record scratch, excuse me, what the fuck?! Anyway, this made me think of how a fairytale AU makes perfect sense in light of how mystical and mythological BSG could be. I'd love to see your take on that!
New Caprica AU: I would adore something about Laura and Lee making a life together down there. How's Laura dealing with remission? What's Lee doing if it's not commanding the Pegasus/being with Dee?
Season 2 AU: I thought it was a shame that the back half of season 2 basically dropped their relationship completely. I'd love to see more of them during this time frame--especially after the Pegasus arc and Lee's passive suicide attempt. I love when characters I love are angry with each other for justified reasons. Oh, what if it was Lee who confronted her about the election fraud instead of Bill? (That one haunts me--it would have been such a good opportunity for closure in their storyline!) Would it have turned out differently? Or give them a chance to clear the air? Or made things worse?
Hurt/comfort: Come up with any situation your heart desires, but I adore h/c, especially for these two. Stick them together stranded (on Kobol?), on the run, or in danger; injure/sicken one of them (work with Laura's cancer if you like); torture one of them, explore their existential anxieties (is Laura latching on to the dying leader prophecy to make sure the remainder of her life is full of meaning and purpose? She doesn't quite strike me as a true believer, especially since she can talk about religion quite cynically, e.g., "play the religion card" when she calls on the fleet to come to Kobol) ... just about any h/c scenario will titillate and/or delight.
Chase a crazy what-if down a rabbit hole: What if the Colonial One had been nearer to Caprica at the time of the attacks, and it crashed on the surface, and Laura and Lee were part of/led the Resistance? What if the Pegasus came across the civilian fleet (or vice versa) before they found the Galactica? What if, when they got to our Earth, it was some other time period? What if ... a scenario you come up with?
Both Laura and Lee are characters with a clear sense of duty and mission--both, to me, people who would put those things before their own personal happiness. Here's another relevant Solnit quote for inspiration: "There are entirely different criteria for a good life that might matter more to a person [than happiness] — honor, meaning, depth, engagement, hope." What does this mean for their relationship?

Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars/Eli "Weevil" Navarro

tumblr tags: veronica mars, eli x veronica

I love how their wariness of each other and mutual antagonism (with chemistry) gave way to something deeper and warmer as time went on without losing any of the banter and sharpness, so anything that plays on that dynamic would be great. I appreciate that, although they may bear superficial similarities to, for example, Beth/Rio from Good Girls, Veronica/Weevil is NOT an innocent ingenue/hardened criminal trope/dynamic. V has her own baggage and she acquired her cynicism and hardness before ever getting to know him. Also, they are continually plagued by issues of trust and loyalty (especially on Veronica's part), which is one of my favorite aspects of their relationship, so if that interests you I would be happy to receive something focusing on that. Of all the relationships I'm requesting, I think this is the one whose problems can least be easily solved by a simple "I love you"--I like this ship emotionally painful and difficult. Again, I don't need them to end up happy or together, just for the story to resonate with their relationship. But if they do end up together, that's completely fine, too, of course. :)

I loved the season 4 revival and read the books as well; it's totally fine if you haven't or didn't, but here are a couple of passages from the books that I loved in terms of characterizing their relationship. Feel free to work in any period of time; I list a bunch of possible canon AUs set at different points below, but anything from start to finish and beyond would be fine. Lots of relationship tropes are great for these two, like undercover as a couple, and bring on the banter and snark as well.

DNWs: Weevil using Spanish endearments; non-canon AUs. Exception: urban fantasy AU (see below).

Prompts:

Season 1 finale AU: What if it had been Weevil at the door instead of Logan?
Season 3: I was reallyyyy disappointed when, in the span of one episode, they introduced the idea of Weevil being possibly good at investigation, and then snatched it away. I would really love to see more of them working together--late-night stakeouts, anyone?
Post-season 3 before she leaves for Stanford: How do they spend the time together?
Anything dealing with Veronica's feelings (because you know she has them, because of her mom) about his not being around his daughter anymore. Very emotionally sticky stuff.
Post-season 4: Weevil follows Veronica on her road trip on his bike. They solve crimes on the road together?
Urban fantasy AU: I love urban fantasy (in particular stuff like the October Daye books and the Dresden Files) and think its tropes would mesh really well with VM. I would love to see the canon background/events mashed up with UF elements.
Francis Capra on Weevil and Veronica's relationship is very inspiring to me: "Somewhere down the line Veronica became Weevil’s homegirl, somebody he could rely on in the street and definitely someone he thought about sexually. I’m not trying to sound like a perv there but I mean come on. Getting bailed out of jail by a girl from your high school is one thing, but Kristen coming to bail you out? You know she had to give him a ride home too, like was my motorcycle at the valet? I was probably tired, emotionally vulnerable, then this beautiful girl comes and bails me out and just drops me off? And this happens a bunch of times? I’m surprised we got through 3 seasons without Weevil breaking down and begging for just one night." Wow, Francis. Tell us how you really feel.
Yet more Rebecca Solnit: “When someone doesn't show up, the people who wait sometimes tell stories about what might have happened and come to half believe the desertion, the abduction, the accident. Worry is a way to pretend that you have knowledge or control over what you don't--and it surprises me, even in myself, how much we prefer ugly scenarios to the pure unknown.” Is that Veronica or WHAT?