I mean, of course I have to ask about your rarepairs/crack ships. 😉
AHHHHH, you already know how it iiiiiiiis! Still, the other nine should be interesting ;) Some of these are genuine crack ships, while others may be popular in the fandom but according to my Ao3 searches seem to be underrepresented.
Number Ten- Kankuro and Hinata Hyuga
LOL, this one is so off the rails that you can’t even find a GIF of these two. Do NOT ask me how this happened; it was 3 a.m. and I was tired and I just thought “Huh. The aesthetic” and this crack ship of all crack ships was born. I intend to write a story based on this ship one day, but it’s gonna be in the vault for a hot minute. I dunno, something about grumpy sand boy soft for sweet Hinata just has me.
Number Nine- Fumikage Tokoyami and Kyoka Jiro
This, again, is a product of random 3 a.m. thoughts. Kamijiro is one of my ultimate OTPs, but Tokoyami and Jiro just have this... Vibe... That speaks to me. Just imagine them in a rock band together. Actually, you don’t have to, because that was a whole arc! My mind is weird, y’all.
Number Eight- Izumo Kamiki and Ryuji Suguro
Holy shit, a GIF exists- anyway, this is more borne from the recent chapters of the manga, where the two have developed a friendship. I dunno, they’re both grumpy, I feel like they would feed off each other, especially when busting Renzo’s balls. Power couple.
Number Seven- Natsu Dragneel and Juvia Lockser
Um, fire and water, hello? Obviously my OTPs are OTPs for a reason, but if things had gone down differently, I totally think Natsu and Juvia would have a great spark. Aesthetically they compliment each other, at least, and I just think they’re neat...
Number Six- Shiemi Moriyama and Amaimon
I always thought Amaimon was an interesting character with the potential for growth. Yes, he treated Shiemi like hell when they first met, but their later interactions, especially when her arc is about to hit its climax in the coming chapters, intrigue me. They are undoubtedly connected in some way and I think Amaimon is going to make up for his wrongs when it comes to her. Whether or not I will shed tears over it is yet to be decided. Regardless, I think they fact they are both themed in Earth and plants is fun and I ship weird things. That is all.
Number Five- Gray Fullbuster and Lucy Heartfilia
A random anon request actually turned me on to this. Before, I mainly focused on the Big Four ships, but after writing them, I can see the appeal. Their insecurities in particular make for a fun dynamic, and I could easily see how they could have been canon if things were different. Of course, NaLu and Gruvia are still beautiful ships, but this one is just a nice alternative that I fancy.
Number Four- Nami and Ace
Another request dropped this on my radar. Nami is fun to ship with anyone, but the long-distance and ultimately tragic would-be canon relationship is just good damn food. Plus, their personalities just mesh well, I think. They would get up to no good together and I love it.
Number Three- Katsuki Bakugo and Ochako Uraraka
I’m honestly shocked at how little following this has. I thought Uraraka x Iida would be a rare-pair, but it dwarfs this ship by comparison! Ever since their Sports Festival fight, it’s clear that he respects her (canonically, he is the only one besides Kirishima that he actually calls by name most of the time, and that’s important to his character IMO) and Uraraka understands a lot of Bakugo most people, even Midoriya at a point, doesn’t. I’m a sucker for grumpy boy soft for his adorable GF, and these two fit the bill. I think they make a nice dynamic that would be interesting to see.
Number Two- Shikamaru Nara and Sakura Haruno
I happened to see a fandom event going on and thought, hey, what the hell, I’ll write for it. Holy cow. Easily has risen to the top of my rare-pairs. The potential is just so solid between the two of them. Intellectually, they mesh well, and they are both particularly haunted individuals, and that makes for some damn good potential interactions. ShikaTema is goals, but, this is easily my next favorite Shikamaru ship.
Number One- Nami and Trafalgar Law
This was obvious, by a long shot. You and @searchfortheonepiece have me hooked on this drug. Just, the banter between them? Absolutely golden. I’m on this train for life, man. Would ship these two in Hell and be proud of it.
Honorable Mentions: Tokoyami/Asui (My Hero Academia), Orihime/Uryu (Bleach), Neji Hyuga/Ino Yamanaka (Naruto), Mephisto/Shura (Blue Exorcist); Baby 5/Luffy (One Piece); Gintoki/Tae (Gintama); Hawks/Fuyumi (My Hero Academia)
