coprime

Canon: Final Fantasy IX
Pairing: Amarant Coral/Freya Crescent
Canon Level: Teammates

I have capital-o Opinions on Freya and the canonical end to her character arc. Suffice it to say that I do not agree with it, and that my preference for Freya with Amarant shares a common cause with my dislike of her with Fratley but isn't the reason for my dislike by itself. But Freya and Amarant were built up by the game! Sparks practically flew the first time they met, and they had that nice scene outside the auction house where Amarant opened up to Freya, and then they worked together to defeat the Fire Shrine. They had an understanding between them, warrior-to-warrior. Amarant respected Freya, probably liked her company and cared for her well-being. Freya got Amarant, something not many other people did, because I think she saw something of herself in him. I really, truly believe they would have been great together.

Suggested reading:
If I Win by runicmagitek
Alone by Andrivette
Parlor Tricks by Wallwalker
Rebuild by Anonymous

Canon: Naruto
Pairing: Akimichi Chouji/Nara Shikamaru/Yamanaka Ino
Canon Level: Friends/Teammates

Aw yeah, Ino-Shika-Chou trio. I have said before why I like Chouji and Shikamaru, but for all that I adore them, I have to admit that they're not exactly a pairing with a lot of energy or grand passion. Ino would bring that in spades. I think she's fiercely protective of her teammates, albeit not in the most obvious ways, and of the three of them, she's the one who'd kick their butts and refuse to let them feel sorry for themselves. She'll force them to experience life rather than sit on the sidelines watching it. I do feel like Ino has a bit more energy than either Chouji or Shikamaru would be able to handle on their own, but with the three of them I think they'd be a good balance.

Suggested reading:
Their Bed by greenkangaroo
Lessons On an Incomplete Relationship by suzukiblu
Shikamaru Oneshots by ScribRaven
Just Because by des_butterfly

Canon: DC Universe
Pairing: Big Barda/Scott Free
Canon Level: Married

Yay for happily married couples who love each other. Barda is both bigger and stronger than Scott, something Scott is one hundred percent okay with, which is really fun to read about. It's hard not to like a couple that finds such joy in each other.

Suggested reading:
Scott Free Doesn't Understand Bondage by queerquestion
Free by RenaRoo
In Which Big Barda Discovers the Joy of Earth Showers by Mithen

Canon: Final Fantasy VIII
Pairing: Seifer Almasy/Zell Dincht
Canon Level: Antagonists

Oh man, the thing I wanted most after finishing this game was long Seifer redemption fic where he went around the world trying to Make Things Right after what he did and in the process he'd learn to forgive himself and be more mature and maybe also how to make a relationship work, preferably with Zell. I like Zell because he's not afraid to call Seifer on when he's being an asshole but he's ultimately a fair guy. Their fights aren't meanly vicious, and I think that'd still be true post-game. Let them snarl and bicker and tumble with each other, all while building something between them that neither knows about until it smacks them in the face because they're both horrible at emotional maturity.

Suggested reading:
Standard Operating Procedure by Spindizzy
A Kiss With A Fist by ZellieAlmasy
The True Story of the Butterfly and the Bumblebee by eternalbreath
hindsight by Baconfat

Canon: Doctor Who
Pairing: Jake Simmonds/Mickey Smith
Canon Level: Fellow Freedom Fighters

I always liked Mickey, the average guy in the background supporting Rose who eventually grew and moved on to having his own adventures instead. So I greatly enjoyed "Rise of the Cybermen"/"The Age of Steel," and what better way to celebrate Mickey coming in to his own than for him to get a boyfriend. And Jake is right there. There's lots of potential for angst between them, what with Jake having known Mickey's parallel world self, and also lots of potential for adventures and fun.

Suggested reading:
Revelations in a Van by semirose
Two lovers, One kiss by marcella_riddle
Birds by carolinecrane
See About Me by lil_1337

Canon: Legion of Super-Heroes
Pairing: Querl Dox/Lyle Norg
Canon Level: Friends/Colleagues

I am most familiar with the Threeboot continuity, fairly familiar with the Rebooted continuity, and somewhat familiar with the cartoon continuity. I am down with Brainiac 5 and Lyle in whatever incarnation I can get them, although the Reboot continuity is the most adorable version. Brainy and Lyle are a good match for each other intellectually, Brainy being more intelligent and Lyle being more creative, so they feel like they'd make good partners. Querl's not always the best at social situations, but I feel like Lyle would understand as he's one of the very few people who can follow Querl's though process and who can appreciate fully Brainy's efforts. And I think Lyle would pose a good challenge to Brainy and force him to expand his thinking and keep him from getting stuck.

Suggested reading:
Something That Never Happened To Lyle And Brainy by amarin_rose
Uncertainties by dorksidefiker
Demythologizers by Sparcck
The significance of the sleepnet by _angelicorn_

Canon: Justice League
Pairing: J'onn Jonzz/Clark Kent
Canon Level: Colleagues/Friends

Clark and J'onn are both characters who have a lot of metaphorical weight to them, which I think makes for a good basis for companionship between them. J'onn is the last of his kind, alone and mourning, observing this strange world he finds himself on that he can never quite fit in. And Clark is Superman, with a core of goodness and kindness so intrinsic to him that it's a little intimidating. And, for all that he loves his parents and his childhood, he's also a lone alien on Earth making the best of his situation. There's something sweet about the idea of Clark inviting J'onn into his personal life and sharing his family with J'onn and all of the Kents making a place for J'onn in their lives. Clark can't replace J'onn's family, but maybe they're both a little less lonely with each other.

Suggested reading:
To Hear The Angels Sing by mtgat
Something to Talk About by fresne
Grace in a loveless time by Teland (archive-locked)
Shining, Shimmering, Splendid by DoreyG

Fandom: Angel
Pairing: Cordelia Chase/Allen Francis Doyle
Canon Level: One-Sided Attraction

Look. I liked Doyle right from the start, and I really wish he and Cordelia could have had something. They were both two lost souls who'd fallen in with Angel trying to make things better and help people. Doyle talked a good game of being a ne'er-do-well, but he cared when the chips were down and he cared about Cordelia, enough to see past her prickly, mean exterior to the person underneath. Cordelia matured a lot over the course of Angel and having people such as Doyle and Angel who appreciated her for her is something she needs.

Suggested reading:
Undone by Minim Calibre
Heritage by Settiai
Demon Days by InsaneTrollLogic

Canon: Samurai Champloo
Pairing: Fuu/Jin/Mugen
Canon Level: Traveling Companions

I can't not picture Fuu, Mugen, and Jin as an inseparable unit. Most OT3s, I'll also be into at least one of the sub-pairings and probably all three sub-pairings, but Samurai Champloo seems to be the exception. Mugen and Jin clash against each other, but they're not naturally drawn to each other without Fuu there to hold them together. Fuu's the reason they exist as a trio, and she's not going to choose one over the other. She's infused with so much more purpose when she's leading their merry band around so that she almost seems duller without Mugen and Jin by her side. And it has to be both of them because it's the push/pull between all three of them that makes them all work.

Suggested reading:
Enharmonic Intervals by Ponderosa
A Change in Relationship Dynamics by debit
With the Gracious Consent of the Audience by kugare

Canon: Twilight
Pairing: Jacob Black/Edward Cullen
Canon Level: Enemies

So I have mixed feelings about the Twilight series (disclaimer: only seen the movies, never read the books) because it's not really my thing. I roll my eyes at Bella, I roll them even harder at Edward, and it all reads as a bunch of ridiculous melodrama that I personally can't take seriously. On the other hand, I firmly believe in Twilight's right to exist and be a thing that people enthusiastically enjoy and that people shouldn't be shamed for liking it. (And if someone reading this does genuinely like Twilight, cool! You do you, and good on you for seeing something and getting enjoyment from something that I don't.) Consequently, most of what I consume in the Twilight fandom are darker takes on the Bella/Edward relationship. With the exception of Jacob/Edward, thanks solely to obsessive24's Whenever, Wherever fanvid. But so many of the things that turn me off Bella/Edward and Bella/Jacob are made better with Jacob and Edward!

There's high stakes in a romance between Edward and Jacob because vampires and werewolves have such a long history of animosity between them. That history means that any sort of relationship between them will come with serious consequences, from both of their families and also the wider supernatural community, and that's not even getting into their own personal issues with each other. They don't have to hold back from each other for fear of physically hurting their partner. Once Jacob comes into his werewolf-ness, it levels the playing field between them. If Edward acts like a creepy stalker, then Jacob will know even if Edward doesn't tell him and Jacob has the ability to enforce a boundary if Edward does something he doesn't like. I totally get why people are into Bella with Jacob or Edward, but the relationship between Edward and Jacob on their own is much more interesting to me. What sort of catalyst would make them try for a relationship despite everything? How would they even get to the point where there was enough of something between them that a catalyst could happen to make things change?

Suggested reading:
None, sorry. I've read a fair bit, but it's all been out of step with what I'm looking for.