Behold, your creators! Creators are now revealed, and we have come to the end of Rare Pair Exchange's 2025 round.

You have until the opening of the next round's sign-ups to comment on your gifts to be eligible to participate next year. Please do so!

Thank you all for a great round! We have amazing works in our collection. Please continue browsing and leaving comments even with anonymity lifted! (Maybe consider checking out works from previous years, too!)

The collection is now unmoderated. Treats are welcome!

*

Feedback

I have a few things that I'd appreciate feedback on. Please feel free to provide your thoughts on everything or a select few.

1. Rare Pair Exchange currently doesn't have a "home" month. We will clash with exchanges no matter what, but I endeavour not to clash with rarefemslashexchange and raremaleslashex, as we share the same theme.

I'd like to hear from people who participate in both or one if August is a good time of year for Rare Pair Exchange to run. Does it clash? (I don't believe it does.) My goal is to have little to no overlap with those exchanges, but recognise there is a chance we might given delays.

I cannot host this exchange during Battleship or November and December. I am considering moving the exchange to earlier in the year, even if it happens to clash with my other exchange (that's caseficexchange — a shameless little plug).

2. Did the schedule work? I compressed it this year by shortening the nominations, sign-ups, and creation periods as I felt previous rounds were too long for a 1k minimum exchange. I wish to follow this compressed timeline as I felt it worked well.

3. Did you like the extension deadline added to this year's schedule? (I did and will most likely add it again, but would like to hear from participants! I'll be finessing the schedule based on my experience with it and posting pinch hits.)

4. Did Sundays work as a deadline? I live in AEDT/AEST, which means I have to +1 the day (which I'm fine with doing). Sundays EST/EDT meant it was Monday AEST/AEDT. I'm looking to make the deadline either Friday or Sunday. Please let me know your preferences.

5. How do participants feel about being able to request one fandom and one ship, but with no guarantee of receiving a gift?

If we proceed with this, I will be adding to the schedule a deadline for when participants can add additional fandoms/ships to ensure that the workload in finding pinch hitters is manageable for me.

6. I am considering trialling Google form nominations next year. The workload during this phase of the exchange is intense, and I wouldn't have been able to get through the number of nominations without the help of tagmods. I was reviewing/approving nominations during work and I want to avoid doing that next year. (I also don't want tagmods doing that, either!)

If I cannot get a minimum of 5 tagmods next year, I will be pursuing Google nominations as an option. The reason for this is that I continued to get blocked by AO3 for the number of times I was accessing the site, which slowed me down and was understandably very frustrating. By going through Google nominations, the onus of proving the nomination eligibility will be on the nominator and will hopefully cut down some of the time spent working through over 3,900 nominations.

7. I am also considering decreasing the number of fandoms and relationships people can nominate. It's currently set to 10 fandoms with 10 relationships. I'm happy to take suggestions on what number I should decrease this to.

*

Please feel free to leave feedback on how you found the round and if you have any further suggestions. I appreciate all feedback, but I will be implementing what works for me as a moderator.

You're welcome to send your feedback to rarepairexmod@gmail.com if you'd prefer it be private.

I will do my best to acknowledge all feedback, but please be patient with me — I intend to take a little break from wearing my mod hat. :)

Thank you again for a great round! See you next year. 🍐

Hello, Pears!

I have some good news and some bad news.

The bad news is that you have until before 11:59pm on Sunday 26 October (EDT) to make your last round of edits on your works.

We are opening the collection on Sunday 26 October at 11:59pm EDT! (That's the good news!) [ In your timezone + Countdown ]

Thank you to our pinch hitters!

• If you're still eager to create for the exchange, please consider treating a pinch hitter or writing a treat for a participant. Treats do not have to meet the minimum word count and equivalent requirements.


• If you're a participant who has completed your assignment and you do not have a gift, please contact me at rarepairexmod@gmail.com by Thursday 23 October at 11:59pm EDT with your AO3 username so I can investigate.


• Please be aware that I will be AFK on Saturday 25 October EDT (or Sunday 26 October AEDT, which is my local timezone) for the entire day as I will be attending an event. If you email me on this day, I will do my best to get back to you the following day. (The collection reveals on my Monday.)

See you soon! :) 🥳

Thank you to our pinch hitters! We have PHs 29, 31, and 35 up for grabs. As we need our remaining pinch hits filled to open the collection, the collection reveal will be delayed until Sunday 26 October.

If you are a participant who has completed a gift and doesn't have a gift and isn't a pinch hit claimed in this post and this post and you are not a pinch hit on this post, please email me your AO3 username at rarepairexmod@gmail.com as soon as possible so I can check my records. (I've done my best to cross-reference everyone's gifts as I've approved works into the collection, but I would appreciate it if anyone who is unsure could reach out, as this has been a manual process! Please reach out regardless if you are worried!)

Quick links: Rules and guidelines • 2025 Collection • Promote your ships • Mod contact: rarepairexmod@gmail.com

This batch is due on Sunday 19 October at 11:59pm EDT (negotiable). [ In your timezone + Countdown. ]

Pinch hits must comply with the exchanges rules, meeting the minimum requirements of a completed work of a minimum of 1,000 words for fanfiction, clean lineart on unlined paper or the equivalent of one comic panel for art, and a recording of a completed fic of 1,000 words minimum that is about the requested rare pair. Works must be in English. You must have an AO3 account to participate.

Please take note of the mediums as some requests have a combination selected.

To claim, please either reply to this post or email rarepairexmod@gmail.com with your AO3 name and the pinch hit number you want to claim.

Comments are screened, so if you reply anonymously, please include an email in case I need to reach out to you. You will not be able to receive a reply from me if you comment anonymously on this post.


CLAIMED! ( PH 29 (fic, art) - 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Manga), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga), 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime), 魔女と野獣 | Majo to Yajuu | The Witch and the Beast (Manga), The Magnus Archives (Podcast), Elden Ring (Video Game), 飞狐外传 | Side Story of Fox Volant (TV 2022), 莲花楼 | Mysterious Lotus Casebook (TV), Dark Souls (Video Games) )

CLAIMED! ( PH 31 (fic, art) - 英雄伝説 黎の軌跡 | Kuro no Kiseki | The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak Series (Video Games), 百英雄伝 | Eiyuden Chronicle (Video Games), Triangle Strategy (Video Game), Royal Blood | Gemfire, Dragon Force (Video Game), Star Ocean: The Second Story | Second Evolution, 英雄伝説 創の軌跡 | Hajimari no Kiseki | The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie (Video Game), 英雄伝説 閃の軌跡 | Sen no Kiseki | The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel Series (Video Games) )

CLAIMED! ( PH 35 (fic) - Death Note (Anime & Manga), Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening, 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga), 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga) )

Thank you!

This post is now inactive/out of date. Please see our active pinch hits for what's available.

Thank you to everyone who has claimed a pinch hit over the last few weeks! We have a few more up for grabs, with PHs 34 and 35 joining our very envious ranks.

If you are a participant who has completed a gift and doesn't have a gift and isn't a pinch hit claimed in this post and this post and you are not a pinch hit on this post, please email me your AO3 username at rarepairexmod@gmail.com as soon as possible so I can check my records. (I've done my best to cross-reference everyone's gifts as I've approved works into the collection, but I would appreciate it if anyone who is unsure could reach out, as this has been a manual process! Please reach out regardless if you are worried!)

Quick links: Rules and guidelines • 2025 Collection • Promote your ships • Mod contact: rarepairexmod@gmail.com

This batch is due on Sunday 12 October at 11:59pm EDT. [ In your timezone + Countdown. ]

Pinch hits must comply with the exchanges rules, meeting the minimum requirements of a completed work of a minimum of 1,000 words for fanfiction, clean lineart on unlined paper or the equivalent of one comic panel for art, and a recording of a completed fic of 1,000 words minimum that is about the requested rare pair. Works must be in English. You must have an AO3 account to participate.

Please take note of the mediums as some requests have a combination selected.

To claim, please either reply to this post or email rarepairexmod@gmail.com with your AO3 name and the pinch hit number you want to claim.

Comments are screened, so if you reply anonymously, please include an email in case I need to reach out to you. You will not be able to receive a reply from me if you comment anonymously on this post.


CLAIMED! ( PH 2 (fic) - Teen Titans (Animated Series), 七つの大罪 - 鈴木央 | Nanatsu no Taizai | The Seven Deadly Sins - Suzuki Nakaba (Anime & Manga), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime 1997-2023), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Depois do Universo | Beyond the Universe (2022) )

CLAIMED! ( PH 4 (fic) - A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, House of the Dragon (TV), Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey )

CLAIMED! ( PH 5 (fic, art) - Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword, Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Baten Kaitos Series (Video Games) )

CLAIMED! ( PH 17 (fic) - Hallo itt Mátyás király! - Bogáti Péter, Crossover Fandom (Vlad 2003/Vlad Tepes 1979), 15th Century CE RPF, Night Prince - Jeaniene Frost )

CLAIMED! ( PH 18 (fic) - Rune Factory (Video Games), Fallen London | Echo Bazaar, Disco Elysium (Video Game), Crossover Fandom (Star Trek ToS/Disco Elysium, Disco Elysium/Fallen London) )

( PH 31 (fic, art) - 英雄伝説 黎の軌跡 | Kuro no Kiseki | The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak Series (Video Games), 百英雄伝 | Eiyuden Chronicle (Video Games), Triangle Strategy (Video Game), Royal Blood | Gemfire, Dragon Force (Video Game), Star Ocean: The Second Story | Second Evolution, 英雄伝説 創の軌跡 | Hajimari no Kiseki | The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie (Video Game), 英雄伝説 閃の軌跡 | Sen no Kiseki | The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel Series (Video Games) )

CLAIMED! ( PH 32 (fic) - Wind Breaker - にいさとる | Nii Satoru (Manga), Wind Breaker (Anime), 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime), The Conjuring (Movies), Crossover Fandom (Jujutsu Kaisen/Blood: The Last Vampire) )

CLAIMED! ( PH 34 (fic, art, podfic) - Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game), The Locked Tomb Series | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir, Parahumans Series - Wildbow )

( PH 35 (fic) - Death Note (Anime & Manga), Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening, 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga), 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga) )


Thank you!

Hello Pears,

AO3 will be down for maintenance for about 20 hours, starting at 07:30 UTC on Friday 26 September. You can keep up to date with the status page.

As we have extensions due on Sunday 28 September at 11:59pm EDT, please consider this maintenance period for when you post your work. Someone has made a very handy in your timezone conversion with the 20-hour period so you can plan when to submit your completed work.

Please email rarepairexmod@gmail.com if you have any questions. Please remember that there will be no further extensions given.

See you in a few days! :)

Hello Pears!

We have approximately two days before assignments are due. Please submit completed assignments by Sunday 21 September at 11:59pm EDT. [ In your timezone + Countdown. ]

• If you know you cannot meet the deadline, please press the default button on your assignment before 11:59pm.
  
  I will be mod-defaulting all no shows. Please default if you need to default.


• Please ensure your work has been submitted and is not in draft form! Drafts are not considered complete gifts. You risk being mod-defaulted if your gift remains a draft by the deadline.


• If you need an extension, you must request it before the assignment deadline passes. I offer Sunday 28 September at 11:59pm EDT as the only extension available for participants. [ In your timezone + Countdown. ]
  
  Please email rarepairexmod@gmail.com, including your AO3 username and the AO3 username of your recipient in your request.
  
  If you request an extension, you are agreeing to: 1) requesting only if you are reasonably certain you will be able to finish in this additional time and 2) if you have requested an extension and default or are a no-show default, you will not be able to request an extension in 2026's round. I do not need to know the reason why you need an extension.
  
  Sunday 21-Sep edit: I'm AFK on and off today, so all extensions asked before 11:59pm EDT will be granted, even if I don't respond before 11:59pm EDT.


• Pinch hits will be posted sometime on Monday 22 September (most likely late in the AEST evening). We will have several new pinch hits added to the fruit bowl. (If you would like to claim a current pinch hit before the PDPHs are posted, please reach out.)


• There is a good chance the collection opening will be delayed. I will confirm this next weekend once all the extensions are due.

Please email rarepairexmod@gmail.com if you have any questions.

See you soon! :)

We couldn't run the exchange without our pinch hitters!

If you're a pinch hitter who isn't signed up as a participant for 2025's round who would like to put yourself forward for a gift, please drop yourself on this post with your request(s)!

We have a few guidelines:

• Please use the tagset to select fandoms and pairings that were accepted for this round.


• Treats for pinch hitters do not need to meet our minimum requirement for a completed gift, although the gift needs to be completed/be able to standalone as its own story (whether that be art, fic, or podfic).


• Prompts or links to letters (past or one specifically for this exchange) are optional and are very welcome.


• Please list any DNWs in your comment.


• Please do not reveal who you are pinch hitting for in your comment.


• You can find our full guidelines in our rules post.


• If you have a question regarding a pinch hitter's request, please email rarepairexmod@gmail.com with your questions.


• Please make sure your AO3 settings allow you to receive gifts outside of the exchanges you've signed up for as a participant.

I've provided a suggested format to post below, although you're welcome to post however you like as long as the information you provide is useful for a potential treater.

AO3 username: Please ensure you let us know your AO3 so you can receive a gift!
Fandom:
Relationships: What are you requesting from the requested fandom?
Mediums: (Art, fic, podfic, a combo, or all)
Likes: These are optional.
Do Not Wants:
Letter Link: If you have one.

<b>AO3 username:</b> <user name="USERNAME HERE" site="archiveofourown.org"> <b>Fandom:</b> <b>Relationships:</b> <b>Mediums:</b> <b>Likes:</b> <b>Do Not Wants:</b> <b>Letter Link:</b>

You're welcome to repeat this as many times as you like. Anon comments are allowed on this post.

Please note we do not guarantee gifts for pinch hitters, but please still consider dropping yourself onto this post. If you're interested in pinch hitting, please check out our available pinch hits.

Thank you again for participating, and I hope you have a good time being a part of our third round!

This is the beta post for the 2025 round of Rare Pair, where those interested in providing support can pop their details on our 'find your beta' market stall. Support can include brainstorming, offering critique, canon-checking, fact-checking, tips on structure, language issues, looking for specialised knowledge of various kinds, sense-checking that something makes sense, visual effects for comics, and audio effects for podfic.

Participants and non-participants are welcome to volunteer to beta.

Quick links: AO3 app · Promote your ships

I've provided an optional template to fill out below, which you're welcome to add and subtract details from:

AO3 name:
Best contact method(s): Please only include details that you are happy to have public.

Fandoms:

Specific topics of expertise:

Mediums: We allow comics, fic, and podfic in this exchange, so please specify which medium(s) you're comfortable working with.

What can you beta?: This is a good opportunity to include content (smut, graphic violence, etc.), length (the minimum is 1k for fic, the equivalent of one panel for art, and various lengths of time for podfic).

What will you not beta?:

Preferred file formats: Would you prefer to beta in Google docs or PDFs? How would you like audio files to be sent, if you have any preference?

Availability: This is a good place to mention if you're okay with being contacted five days out from the assignment deadline, your turnaround times, i.e. will it take you a week to review? Is it dependent on the size?

<B>AO3 name:</b> <B>Best contact method(s):</b> <B>Fandoms:</b> <B>Specific topics of expertise:</b> <B>Mediums:</b> <B>What can you beta?:</b> <B>What will you not beta?:</b> <B>Preferred file formats:</b> <B>Availability:</b>

If you're interested in contacting someone offering to beta, please do so at their contact methods to preserve anonymity. If you want to find a beta, you're welcome to email me and I can ask on your behalf on the Exchanges After Dark Discord server in the #rare-pairs-3 channel (although I cannot guarantee you will get any responses).

Please email rarepairexmod@gmail.com if you need to get in touch with me to ask any questions.

I stole the base of this from fffx and yuletide and the words from caseficexchange ♥.

Your assignment has been sent! Please check your fruit basket for your rare pear assignment!

If your assignment does not match your offers, please get in touch ASAP at rarepairexmod@gmail.com. If you have any issues with your assignment, please contact me with your AO3 name, your recipient's AO3 name, and a description of the issue so I can sort this out for you.

Assignments are due Sunday 21 September at 11:59pm EDT. [ In your timezone + Countdown. ]

Please ensure you post to our AO3 collection and that your work has the correct recipient!

A few reminders:

• Please review the rules/guidelines for anything about medium requirements, posting, extensions, and defaulting. We do allow treats to be given to the collection.


• Please unlock your Dear Creator letters by Sunday 31 August so your creator and anyone looking to treat you can access your additional information. I will not be deleting letters from sign-ups or emailing participants about these.


• Please email rarepairexmod@gmail.com with your recipient questions. Be sure to remember your AO3 username, your recipient's AO3 name, and your question.
  
  You are welcome to be as detailed as possible in your question and provide decoy questions. (I am the type of mod who endeavours to try not to give away what fandom your recipient may be getting as I want them to be surprised, so please feel free to let me know your preferences regarding that.)


• Please do not include any self-deprecating comments in your author's note and any identifying information, such as social media links. I will not be accepting works into the collection that contain any of these. Be proud of your work! Such notes negatively impact the recipient's experience and set a tone for the work that is not true.
  
  You can add your social media links once the exchange is over! (I highly encourage you to do this! Just don't do it now.)


• The collection is moderated. I cannot access drafts, so please be sure to press "submit" when your work is completed. I will review these to ensure that they match the request and meet the bare minimum requirements.
  
  If you find your work is sitting in the moderation queue for more than three days, please email me your AO3 name and the title of your work so I can check to see if I have simply misread it as a draft.
  
  Once your work has been accepted, you are welcome to continue editing it until the assignment deadline. When you submit your work, it must be completed by the time of submission. Please ensure you do not accidentally delete half your assignment as I may not be able to catch this at the time of reveals. (Save a copy of your assignment somewhere!)


• If you submit your assignment and it is left in draft form by the assignment deadline, you will be considered defaulted.


• If you are a pinch hit and you find that you have remained unclaimed for a few weeks, you are more than welcome to email me at rarepairexmod@gmail.com with additional requests.
  
  I ask that the Rare Pair community remains positive about pinch hits; being a pinch hit is a great opportunity to be selected by someone who didn't have time to sign up for the round, but still wishes to create something for your rare pair!


• Please whitelist rarepairexmod@gmail.com. If your creator has a question, you'll definitely want to answer!


• We offer an extension for participants who require additional time. This extension is Sunday 28 September at 11:59pm EDT. [ In your timezone + Countdown. ]
  
  If you request an extension, you are agreeing to: 1) requesting only if you are reasonably certain you will be able to finish in this additional time and 2) if you have requested an extension and default or are a no-show default, you will not be able to request an extension in 2026's round.
  
  I do not need to know the reason why you need an extension.
  
  Please email rarepairexmod@gmail.com with your AO3 name and recipient's AO3 name.
  
  If you have extenuating circumstances, please get in touch ASAP.


• We have a ship promo post that you're welcome to add to during the creation period.

What's coming up next:

• Initial pinch hits will be posted in 24-48 hours from now.


• A beta post.


• A pinch hitter's treats post.

Thank you for joining me for our third round of Rare Pair! Please have fun creating. I can't wait to see what we end up adding to our fruit basket.

Hello, Pears! Sign-ups close in over 48 hours.

Checklist for those who are signed up:

• Have you requested a minimum of three unique fandoms that have distinct lore? If you haven't, you risk your sign-up being deleted once sign-ups lose.


• Have you whitelisted rarepairexmod@gmail.com?


• Have you included your DNWs in your optional details box in your sign-up?


• Have you checked to make sure your are matchable as a creator?


• Have you sent your 'do not match' request to rarepairexmod@gmail.com, if you have one? (Please do so before sign-ups close.)


• If you love talking about your rare pairs, have you considered dropping a comment at our ships promo post?

Sign-ups will close at 11:59pm EDT on Wednesday 20 August. [ In your timezone + Countdown ] Please review the sign-up guidelines to sign-up!

Quick links: Tagset • rules and guidelines • AO3 app • the requests summary • collection summary.

See you in a couple of days!