Rare Pairs Exchange 2020 Letter

[stayloose]

AO3 username: hisen

Hi! Thank you for making for me, or for just taking a look at my letter!
I'm requesting all fic for this exchange. All the ideas I've listed are, of course, just ideas and you can use them or not as you wish. I have gone into quite a bit of detail because a lot of the pairings I've requested have few to no fics, and also because I love these pairings.

DNWs:

AUs apart from canon divergence, non-canon character death, serious violence/injuries/sickness, graphic description of injuries, first/second-person POV, non-con, vore/cannibalism, bodily waste, sexual content with characters under 16, suicide idealisation, current events.

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Fandom: Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun

Note: I'm happy with fic based on the anime exclusively, apart from for Mikoto/Mayu because Mayu isn't in the anime. Any point in the manga canon is okay until the end of Vol. 11, so nothing after chapter 108. I'm fine with any canon crushes being mentioned, but apart from with Chiyo (where her crush on Nozaki is such a big part of her motivation in canon) I'd rather they weren't the main focus of the fic. Aging up characters in this canon is fine with me.

Pairing: Kashima Yuu/Sakura Chiyo

Kashima is ridiculously charming with girls. Even Chiyo nearly falls for it the first time they meet, until Chiyo realises she can't remember names so she calls every girl princess. Kashima needs someone to be the straight man to her ridiculous prince behaviour, so why not Chiyo? Maybe Chiyo is charmed by her princely behaviour, but ends up liking her real side even more. I would just love to see how it'd play out.

I feel this pairing would end up being comic, just because it's a comedy series, but if a more serious vibe strikes you, I'm also up for that! I'd like an ending that's happy, but it can definitely be ambiguous to match the tone of the canon.

Ideas:

*Kashima is curious that her princey behaviour doesn't win Chiyo over, so she keeps trying until it does. Then she realises oops, she's also caught feelings for her!
*They end up in romantic cliches/on a date all in the name of manga research for Nozaki. Maybe Chiyo thinks that's all it is, and she's doing it for Nozaki, then completely forgets about it. Or maybe she's using it as an excuse to get closer to Kashima.
*Denial of feelings/pining.
*After some confusion (a weird conversation, a rumour, Seo declaring that one of them is totally in love with the other), one of them thinks the other has a crush on them, and it starts to change their own feelings. But does the other one actually feel that way?
*Sharing a bed together, either out of necessity or as an excuse.
*The two of them end up sharing an umbrella one day. Maybe just out of necessity, maybe one of them realises what it means and goes for it anyway. This could have ridiculous shojo consequences (every girl hates Chiyo for stealing their prince!) or normal consequences (everyone now thinks they're dating).

Pairing: Mikoshiba Mikoto/Nozaki Mayu

Mikoto and Mayu have ended up as the fourth pair in the manga. Their relationship is developing like the others, and with Mayu deciding to declare he's Mikoto's boyfriend at one point. The pure hearted maiden who tries to be a tough guy! The incredibly lazy guy who's only active when doing judo! It's a perfect match.

I feel this pairing would end up being comic, just because it's a comedy series, but if a more serious vibe strikes you, I'm also up for that! I'd like an ending that's happy, but it can definitely be ambiguous to match the tone of the canon.

Ideas:

*Mistaken identity. The ongoing Mayu-Mayu plot plays into this perfectly. How far does their relationship develop before Mikoto realises that it's Mayu he's talking to? Is it as far as meeting in-person? How does Mayu cope with it?
*Mayu keeps probing Mikoto about what kind of girls he likes. Maybe Mikoto thinks he's just trying to learn from his senpai, or thinks there's more to it. Maybe Mayu is just doing it for drawing inspiration. Maybe it's an attempt to work out an attack plan, if he ever gets around to it.
*There is only one bed, and they've got to share it! Maybe it's intentional, maybe it's not, maybe it ends up making them both realise their feelings.
*Pining. One-sided or returned.
*Mayu uses shojo manga as research to win Mikoto over, and uses every tactic possible from it. Maybe it even works because Mikoto is a shojo heroine, after all.
*Mikoto being tsundere, or being embarrassed easily is my jam.
*They keep playing dating sims together, and it makes Mikoto start to see Mayu's actions in that context.
*Nozaki tries to set them up, for manga research purposes. Or he tries to stop what he sees as their budding relationship, because Mamiko belongs with Suzuki! They might not even be aware that their relationship is budding, so maybe it's a disaster, maybe not.
*Mayu is alarmingly different when he's competing in Judo. Mikoto gets to see him competing and is alarmed? Attracted? Both?

Pairing: Nozaki Umetarou/Wakamatsu Hirotaka

Wakamatsu really admires Nozaki as his senpai. He was so cool when he played basketball! He doesn't really get why Nozaki gave it up for becoming a mangka, but he'll support him in it (by being manipulated into being his assistant). So I like this pairing from its hero worship angle. Wakamatsu thinks Nozaki is great, and Wakamatsu is good at basketball on his own terms. Maybe Nozaki thinks he's good and doesn't need him. Or he starts to watch him more closely and realises (or as close as Nozaki realises anything) that Wakamatsu likes him.

I feel this pairing would end up being comic, just because it's a comedy series, but if a more serious vibe strikes you, I'm also up for that! I'd like an ending that's happy, but it can definitely be ambiguous to match the tone of the canon.

Ideas:

*It's manga research, so that makes it completely normal for Nozaki to do very romantic things with Wakamatsu when he's on a short deadline.
*Any romantic cliche, really, accepted by both of them on the basis that it's for the...good of the manga.
*Denial of feelings. Both of these two are incredibly oblivious, so they could be denying anything's up for a long time.
*After some confusion (a weird conversation, a rumour, Seo declaring that one of them is totally in love with the other), one of them thinks the other has a crush on them, and it starts to change their own feelings. But does the other one actually feel that way?
*Sharing a bed, either out of necessity (the trains aren't running and it's cold) or as an excuse to share (oh, it's so cold. You better join me in bed).
*Forbidden senpai-kouhai relationship vibes. Even though it's not actually forbidden at all. Or maybe it is, for the dramatic factor.
*Nozaki starts watching Wakamatsu even more closely to get his next chapter's twist, but then decides she could have a better boyfriend than Seo. Say, the cool captain of the basketball team, who only looks and acts like Nozaki by chance.
*Wakamatsu pining over Nozaki back when they were on the same basektball team.

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Fandom: No Touching at All

Note: I'm requesting fic for the manga, not the movie! You are welcome to pull in anything from the sequel "Even So, I will Love You Tenderly". Or to ignore it!

Both "No Touching at All" and "Even So, I will Love you Tenderly" are single volumes and are available on Kindle.

Pairing: Shima Toshiaki/Togawa Yousuke

I really like this pairing in canon. What I'd like is more! The odd couple dynamics, the contrast between their approaches to life. How they do love each other, despite the understandable misunderstandings that punctured the start of their relationship. The fact they finish in a long distance relationship that does have problems but is surviving. The weird silent arguments they have because Shima still can't spit it out.

I would like episodes in their relationship not seen during the manga, or afterwards. I'd prefer to keep them together if you'd writing this pairing, and a happy ending would be great even if there's angst and misunderstandings before then.

Ideas:

*Togawa canonically is obsessed with Shima's beauty mark, so feel free to throw that in about anywhere you want.
*Right at the end, Togawa says he wants Shima to come to Hokkaido with him and meet his family. I would love to read about how this trip goes. Does Shima find it difficult with Togawa's family? Does Togawa's family history knock him back again, when he's actually there? Scenery porn would be a plus too. I love snowy scenes. And Togawa would definitely throw snowballs at Shima if he got the chance to get him to lighten up.
*Shima's family! We don't find out anything about them in canon apart from they're in Kanagawa. What are they like? How does Togawa manage when he meets them? Does he get off on completely the wrong foot but end up charming them in the end anyway?
*Togawa takes Shima to do cliche tourist activities in Kyoto while he's visiting. Maybe Shima thinks he doesn't want to, but ends up enjoying it anyway. Maybe he doesn't.
*Anything focusing on the long distance relationship aspect. The trials, the troubles, the joys of the train on Friday night.

Pairing: Onoda Ryo/Shima Toshiaki

The way their relationship develops in the manga really interests me. Onoda never quite fully breaches Shima's defences, doesn't get to the same point of ease as Togawa does because he's not willing to stomp over Shima's boundaries. From the start however, he takes an interest in Shima's well-being, tries to get him adjusted to the team and looks out for him, long before he realises he has a crush on him. By the end, they're definitely friends, and not because Onoda bothered him into it.

It's a contrast from the dynamic of both their canon relationships, and I'm curious about how it could have developed into more. What if Shima hadn't worked up to go to Kyoto to see Togawa again? What next? Perhaps Onoda might have found his crush less unrequited, over time.

I'm happy for major canon divergence here, and also for Shima/Togawa to be mentioned/play a major role. Angst is very welcomed, and I don't necessarily need a happy ending. I'm fine with smut but I'm also okay with there not being smut.

Ideas:

*Shima doesn't go to Kyoto to see Togawa. Instead he carries on, trying to get over him. Maybe he ends up crying again. Maybe this time Onoda comforts him more directly, starting to make Shima think of the future instead of just the past.
*Pining from Onoda, one-sided or returned. Maybe even before he realised he had a crush on Shima. This is all normal and fine! He just wants to help his teammate out. There is nothing else going on, and it's normal to think Shima is incredible cute. Who wouldn't want to kiss him? Nothing else here. Denial is very powerful.
*For some reason, they end up having to share a bed together. Before Onoda realises his feelings, and spends the whole time in denial, or after he does and spends the whole time sweating. It could be the push they need.
*Onoda accidentally steps into Togawa's shoes outside of work too. Onoda wonders if Shima is projecting, once they get to together. Is he imagining he's Togawa? I would like this to be true, or not. Maybe Shima himself isn't entirely sure. Or he calls Onoda "Togawa" in an intimate moment.
*Alternatively, it's not like that at all, but when someone else at work finds out about them, it certainly looks like it.
*Alternate timeline where Togawa ends up being as off-putting to Shima as he'd appear on paper. Instead, Shima silently falls for Onoda. Is it easier? Harder? Onoda is much less savvy about other people's emotions when they like him, after all. Does it end up being mutual pining, or a proper relationship?

Pairing: Onoda Ryo/Shima Toshiaki/Deguchi Harumi

For this pairing, really, I'm here for it being messy. Very messy. Their feelings are complicated. They're in a love triangle in canon where only Deguchi has grasped that it is, and he highly resents it. All three of them seem to be different degrees of composed on the surface, but under that they are not. I think it'd be really interesting to explore that.

Deguchi is a very messy, spiky person under his easy-going, friendly mask. He's been lying so long about so many things that it's second nature to him. I really like that aspect of his character, so don't be afraid to lean into it. He's a complicated jerk (and a bit of a tsundere). He's in love with Onoda, and simultaneously contemptuous and jealous of Shima. Deguchi could also be envious that Shima is out and being his true self (both in sexuality and behaviour) when he's been faking it for so long. Maybe there's some attention in that resentment too. Deguchi is not honest about his own feelings.

Obviously, this pairing requires major divergence from the established canon timeline, so go for it. Feel free to pull as much or as little as you want from "Even So, I Will Love You Tenderly" since that's where a lot of Onoda and Deguchi's character development is. Again, Shima/Togawa can definitely be mentioned/play a major role. I'm fine with smut and also fine with there not being smut.

Lopsided feelings are welcome as well as angst. I don't think it'd be the sort of poly relationship where all parties are on the same page and are good at communication. Deguchi in particular. Happy endings are not required.

Ideas:

*Deguchi fails to confess when he finds out about Onoda's crush on Shima. Instead he tries to use Shima as bait for a threesome. Maybe Deguchi ends up liking Shima, once he's got over his previous contempt for him falling for a straight man, or he fakes it to get what he wants, a threesome with Onoda who he still can't confess to. Maybe Shima is bruised enough from Togawa, or already likes Onoda, and agrees to it. Does Onoda even agree to it? Does it end up a complete disaster or work out for the best?
*Part of the reason Deguchi doesn't like Shima is because they did, in fact, hook up before Shima fell for his ex who worked in TAG. Maybe Deguchi is sore that he was "rejected" even though he didn't want a relationship. It could give Deguchi an 'in' to pull Shima back in when he finds out about Onoda's feelings, and end up as a three.
*Straight up love triangle going Deguchi --> Onoda --> Shima, resolved (or not).
*Maybe it's before the series starts. Shima and Deguchi hook up, Onoda finds out because they're friends, and is curious. So they let him join in.

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Fandom: Samurai Flamenco

Pairing: Gotou Hidenori/Hazama Masayoshi

I like how these two are oblivious to their own feelings and their attraction to each other for the majority of the series. I like how they are, without doubt, the most important people to each other, and deeply care about each other even if Gotou would rather die than admit it most of the time. They even have a proposal scene!

For this pairing, I'm up for both cute shenanigans and for angst. There is plenty of material for both. I'd like a happy ending though. These two have already been through a lot.

I also find the final scene a little more ambiguous than some, in that they still might be edging their way into a proper relationship. So they can either be not yet together, getting together, or already together.

Ideas:

*Feelings realisation at any point in the series, or post-series.
*I love Gotou being a tsundere so feel free to lean into that.
*I love how episode 16 ends with "took you long enough, stupid" after all of Masayoshi's angst (and the homeless man trying to get him to go back to Gotou). So, an alternate ending to episode 16/start of episode 17, where they actually have a breather before the police arrive to build on that moment.
*Gotou's POV when he's waiting for Masayoshi to return to Earth when he goes to see Alien Flamenco. All that staring at the moon, smoking...What exactly was he thinking?
*There's only one bed! They have to share it, because they're trapped with nowhere else to go because of the weather, or the floor is lava and/or aliens, or because if Gotou pushes him out, they'll be busted because they're not supposed to be where they are. Or any other scenario.
*Undercover as a couple. It was probably not Gotou's idea, he did not want this, but now they're undercover together as a couple and Masayoshi is enjoying it more than he probably should.
*Hurt/comfort. There's a lot of potential for this. One of them gets injured fighting monsters, or by misjudging something, or even they happen to be a bystander and get hurt by accident. Both of them would react strongly to that (and possibly blame themselves for it).
*Near death confession. Probably from Gotou since Masayoshi does this in-series, but it could happen again. This time, he knows what he's talking about!
*Some sort of alien related adventure. Serious or comic.
*What exactly happened after the confession scene? Was it awkward? Romantic? Both?
*Gotou's girlfriend related problems. The epilogue suggests that's not quite done with, but she's also in Nicaragua. Also, it's through "her" that we get to see what Gotou is thinking for most of the series, like when she's jealous about Masayoshi.

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Fandom: Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side

Note: these are all for Girl's Side 2. If you don't like Daisy, I don't mind another name for the female protagonist as long as it's Japanese. I've used it for ease because it's her established nickname! She can be as dense as she is in game, or more savvy.

Because these both routes are bonus routes, they don't have the regular gameplay dates/extras so you could do a canon refresher by watching a let's play of them.
Komori Taku: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
Kazuyugi Akagi: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

Pairing: Komori Taku/Daisy

This pairing is really cute to me. It's a lot less dramatic than other routes, but it's charming. Daisy might be oblivious, but she's really trying to help him, and it works. I love Komori slowly coming out of his shell and re-entering the world, making friends. His shy nature is very appealing to me.

Angst and misunderstandings are okay, but I'd like a happy ending.

Ideas:

*It's a bonus route that doesn't really involve dating in a dating sim. So some more dates! Either ones you can do in game or your own ideas. Maybe without Waka-sensei this time. Or you could play it for laughs and have him show up anyway.
*Any of the in-game events that the main routes get, but this route doesn't. So the plays, festivals, all that stuff once Komori is back out in the world.
*Komori did invite Daisy in again after that day with the soup. Maybe it's a regular thing that she comes over, to the extent that his parents start wondering if they're dating. Or maybe it's just every now and again, when she's bringing him school work and he's feeling confident enough to ask.
*Accidental physical contact leads to getting flustered.
*Anything focusing on Komori building up his confidence, and Daisy encouraging him.
*Komori accidentally confesses early and Daisy completely misunderstands the situation, either because she's being dense or it is genuinely unclear what he means.
*Waka-sensei decides he will be a champion match-maker! He's not. Worst case scenario, he accidentally damages their relationship and then has to fix the damage.
*Post-game fic: so they finally confessed, what happened next? How does Daisy going off to work/university and Komori having to finish his final year affect their relationship?

Pairing: Kazuyuki Akagi/Daisy

Another bonus route pairing that I really like. The game leans into their route being like a corny romantic drama, completed with the bickering, constant coincidences that bring them together despite living far apart, and even an umbrella sharing scene. I love that it takes them so long to learn each other's names, because they're too busy arguing with each other. Misunderstandings, accidental break-ups, both of them being thick-headed, this is all the kind of thing I'm looking for. I would like a happy ending, though.

Ideas:

*Go full hog with the cheesiest romantic cliches. It fits this pairing so well. More getting caught in the rain together! Losing each other's numbers repeatedly. Hell, even "Kazuyuki saves a kitten in his jacket in the rain" like it's a Showa-era drama. More misunderstandings!
*Teasing and bickering are great with these two. Daisy is pretty sparky in this route, so she can give back what she gets.
*Neither of these two have any sense of direction and constantly get lost. So, send them on a mountaineering challenge together and see how lost they get.
*The above mountaineering challenge, or similar, maybe as a challenge between their schools, but played more seriously for its hurt/comfort potential. One of them twists their ankle! They're lost! They forgot to charge their phones! How are they going to make it back to safety together? It could also be the change that forces them to work together after arguing the whole way up. That makes them realise there could be something more...
*On the above: is there only one bed? There could be only one bed.
*Post-game fic, of any kind. Especially if they end up at the same university, how would suddenly being geographically close together affect their relationship?