duckwhatduck | Rare Pair Fest: Letter to Author (Reply)

First up, I'm sorry for the lack of pointers in my actual signup. Apart from anything else, I am really not picky. There are very few tropes I won't enjoy if they're done well, so do feel free to surprise me, and don't feel you have to stick to my suggestions.

Now, general preferences. As I said, I don't have any real hard-limit squicks, but I'd prefer you to avoid the following if possible:

mpreg (this is probably my biggest squick, unless it's actually canon, and the only thing where I'd absolutely say do not write me this)
scat, watersports, etc.
alpha/omega or bdsm-verse AUs (slightly less of a squick than mpreg, but it's very rare I enjoy this kind of fic)
non-con (between the members of the pairings I've requested, that is. Rape by a third party is less of an issue, though still not something I'm hugely keen on)
crossovers
crackfic

Things I do like:

Hurt/comfort (preferably heavy on the hurt, ideally not overly sexual). I cannot get enough h/c, as a general rule. If you're stuck for ideas, just do horrible things to one or more of the characters and I'll probably enjoy it.
As a subset of the above, kidnap and torture-based plots with dramatic last-minute rescues are totally my guilty pleasure.
Heavily character-focussed stories. Get inside their heads.
Awkwardness and clumsy attempts at romance (see also: fail!sex)
Plot. It's not a necessity, but canon-style adventures are always great to see.
Porn. Especially for femmeslash pairings, but also appreciated in het and slash. (Incidentally, for het and femmeslash? Cunnilingus is always nice)
The combination of the above two points. Porn with plot is the best porn.
Mild kink. Bondage, spanking, etc. Heavier kink is great if it works with the pairing

Next up, fandom/pairing specific thoughts:

X-Men
As well as the pairing characters, appearances from other characters or team!fic with any of the X-groups would be lovely. There are very few X-men I won't be happy to see! Also, this is definitely a fandom where action plots would be appreciated. Adventures! Villains! Battles! Danger! The universe fucking everyone over constantly in new and creative ways!

A couple of pairing-specific notes:
Dani/Rahne: New Mutants-era stuff would be really nice. (Underage porn, not so nice. If you could keep it to kissing/light petting unless you're writing them grown up, that would be good.) Actually, whenever you set it, for this pairing, I'm more interested in seeing a relationship develop than in sexy stuff. Character-focussed gen-ish adventure-fic with a side order of angsty teenage longing (and angst and conflicted feelings, especially on Rahne's part) would be more what I'm hoping for. Really try and get inside their heads if you can.
Remy/Rogue: Here, I would like porn. 'Working out how to get Rogue off without skin contact' is a trope I absolutely adore.
Jubilee/Laura, Jubilee/Monet: Any interactions between them, whether or not it's massively shippy. Them working on some kind of task together would be nice.
Remy/Kurt: If you're writing this pairing, just bear in mind the fact that I have an immense crush on Kurt Wagner and you probably won't go far wrong.

Avengers Movies
As with the X-Men, feel free to include as many other characters as you like, and also with the potential a superhero canon has for creative peril. Also, if you're up for it, going into backstory for SHIELD characters would be really nice.
My other general notes are: you can include background pairings, but try not to go overboard pairing everyone off. The only background pairing I'd really prefer you didn't include is Clint/Coulson.

Pairings:
Coulson/Fury: the world needs more of this. Just in general. Awesome SHIELD agents being awesome.
Pepper/Natasha: Awesome ladies being awesome. Also, sexy as hell.
Jane/Pepper/Tony/Thor: Not something I'd thought of before seeing it suggested, but now I have thought of it, it sounds like an excellent idea. I imagine Jane and Pepper hitting it off and being the ones to suggest foursome times to their respective men, but if you have another dynamic in mind that's also cool.
Bruce/Tony: Science bros being all sciency. Also, superhero antics.
Clint/Darcy: Has a lot of potential whatever direction you want to go with it. The world is your sexy, sexy oyster.

Firefly
Firefly is also a good 'verse for team!fic. Characters I love and would appreciate appearances from: ...well, everyone really. But Wash and Book, in particular.

Pairings:
Jayne/Simon: Show me how it works, and how it doesn't. Show me exactly how dysfunctional and/or how great it could be. Another thing to keep in mind: anything with Simon involved will inevitably involve River somehow. You don't have to include her in the ship, but she should affect the fic.
Kaylee/Inara: This is one of the few pairings where I would actively discourage h/c and action plots. I want them enjoying themselves together, in whatever ways you like.
Kaylee/Mal/Serenity: I just want you to show me how they love each other.
Kaylee/Zoe: As I said in my signup, please don't break up Zoe/Wash to do this. Either have them coming together post-film, or with Wash's approval before then. Or with Wash's involvement, if you're comfortable turning this into a threesome.
Inara/Zoe: What would be nice for this is something exploring the different kinds of women they are - the different ways they are strong, perhaps the ways they are weak, and how they can complement each other.

Star Trek TOS
It would be nice if you could go into Vulcan culture and attitudes a bit.

Pairings:
Bones/Spock: With any combination of Bones, Spock and Kirk, I'm invested in the depth of their friendship over and above anything else. Try and showcase that. Other things: I would totally welcome h/c for this pairing, and I have a real soft spot for fics where Bones is the one to get hurt (especially if he's a BAMF about it). Also, I have real trouble imagining TOS Spock having sex, so if you could keep it relatively gen/UST-ish that would be nice.
Amanda/Sarek: Something about the challenges their respective cultures present to their relationship, maybe?

Avatar: Legend of Korra

Pairings:

Pema/Tenzin: Domesticity, please. Fluff tempered with the challenges of married life and child-rearing. Family fic would be nice.
Pema/Lin: What exactly were the relationship dramas of Pema, Lin and Tenzin's youth like?

Right, I think we're about at the end! A final reminder that you shouldn't feel limited by what I've said here, I am absolutely willing to be surprised.

Also, thank you so much for writing for me <3