I was hoping to get this out a couple of weeks ago, but life presented a series of unexpected events and things, so here we are. Better late than never, so happy belated birthday, @vdoshu!
Gosh, where do I even start when it comes to all the rare pairs doshu delves into? I’m so happy I got to know them through the Rare Pairs server, because it has been a delight to read about so many different ships I normally don’t seek out.
I absolutely loved what doshu did with their fics for HP February Frankenfest 2022, where they wrote 18 works for 9 different challenges! Wowww! That had to be insane and tricky to take on and manage, but number of stories about different ships that came out of that? Amazing. Doshu certainly owned it.
I love how they’re also willing to take a prompt and turn into something more, whether it be something soft and pure, fun and playful, or deliciously dark or sexy. Being able to read more about rare pairs we don’t see has certainly warmed my rare pair heart and helped me appreciate characters who don’t get the spotlight shined on them enough.
Thanks for broadening my horizons, friend! And while we’re at it, here are some of my fav doshu fics:
👓 >>> They (Percy and Oliver, G, 1.2k)
Summary: In a moment of courage, Percy writes new pronouns on the paperwork for that upcoming job at the Ministry. Oliver notices.
The second person PoV is so powerful here. It really puts an emphasis on how important details and the use of words are within a given environment. As a person who accepts “they/their” as pronouns, I think we all want to make sure we have a support system of folks who can embrace us for who we are. People as a whole want to feel seen, and yes, that’s exactly this story is about. I love that Percy has that from Oliver, without even asking for it. 💖
🌹 >>> Fifty Fake Dates (Ginsy, M, 200)
Summary: She couldn't remember who had asked first, but she knew that tonight would mark fifty dates.At some point along the way, they'd stopped feeling fake.
I have no idea how doshu did it, but this is legit what Ginsy is right here! This little snippet of what they are and what they want from each other is perfect. It’s just so them. There’s desperation, sexual tension and want, but underneath all of that, there’s so much more. Love, love, love!
🥒 >>> Zabini’s Zucchini (Blaise/Ron, E, 7.2k)
Summary: There have been rumours about Zabini's massive zucchini. Ron Weasley needs to investigate.
OMG. So, I know this was based off a prompt that was kicking around from the last Rare Pairs fest, and when doshu decided to write this afterwards because it wasn’t claimed (yet), it was everything we could ask for. Like the tags say, this is crack treated seriously. Yes, it’s crack but it’s sexy, hot crack? I don’t really know. I mean, I’ve always liked Blairon, but like damn! Ron’s PoV here is well written, especially with him spying on Blaise to see what he’s up to, and lol, I’m sure you’ll have different thoughts about what one can do with courgettes after reading this. Heh.
🕰️ >>> Thursday Night, 8-10 p.m. (Hermione/Percy, M, 1.3k)
Summary: Hermione is much too busy with her career to honestly put the effort into a relationship, and while it took her some time to wrestle between her desires and her society-imposed expectations, she finds that she prefers things this way. She can seek out companionship in her friends when she needs it. She can seek out social interactions with coworkers at the Leaky after work, or at the SPEW admin offices at the weekend.
And if she needs sex, she can pencil it into her planner like any other appointment, thank you very much.
I love how this is so on point from Hermione’s perspective, and how there is absolutely no sex on-screen. It’s honestly not needed. The fact that consent and negotiation is handled so well between Hermione and Percy by the way they communicate with each other...it just works. I’d love to see more of these two, since they are truly people who don’t beat around the bush and they know how to state exactly what they want. These lions do not mess around. Rawr.
🩲 >>> Leathers and Lace (Flintwood, E, 7.7k)
Summary: Things were much less complicated when Wood played for a different team.
HELLO. Okay, so this is def one of my favourite Flintwood fics because the way things are slowly revealed over time is refreshing and clever. We usually see the boys going full force when they get injured, but there’s a lot of exploration about the aftermath, especially for Marcus. And boy, does he discover a lot about himself and Oliver. Marcus’ thoughts and narrative is 10000% him, lol. Grumpy, doubtful, and he really doesn’t give himself enough credit.
Also, knickers, and more than one pair! Yayy, my fav! The UST between Marcus and Oliver though is chef’s kiss, as teammates and competitors. It really crackles through this whole fic. Such a spicy read that’s so worth it!
You can find more of doshu’s work on AO3. Make sure to leave kudos and comments to show appreciation for their fandom contributions.
doshu, please keep blessing us with all your rare pair goodness. I hope the week is treating you well so far! :)