Singing the Body Electric

Sign-ups are open for the 2023 round of rarepairexchange, and I wrote up some ship/fandom promos that I thought I'd drop here as well for future use.

There are 26 promos at time of posting, delightfully varied and all worth checking out. The following six were my contributions, which I limited to ships I was requesting that seemed worth promoting - i.e. reasonably bingeable canons with nominated characters who appear in a significant or at least discrete chunk of the source material.


Canon: Cracker (UK TV)

Ship: Stuart Grady/Bill Preece (aka Bill Nash)

Media: Television (one freestanding two-episode arc)

A summary of the canon: Cracker was a British drama series about a criminal psychologist that aired from 1993 to 1995. While the show serially followed the main character's personal dramas, cases were episodic and generally contained to two-part or three-part arcs.

"Best Boys" part 1 and 2 (03x04 and 03x05) can be watched independently for the story of the intense but doomed romance between Grady, a lonely and repressed army veteran turned factory foreman played by Liam Cunningham, and his charming but troubled teenage employee, Bill, played by John Simm. Bill quickly gets through Grady's defences, but the affair just as quickly crosses from a regular bad idea to an out-of-control downward spiral when a confrontation with Grady's homophobic landlady leads to murder followed by an increasingly unhinged crime spree.

What do you love about this ship?: The chemistry between Grady and Bill, and the tragic potential. These are two damaged and unfulfilled people finding each other, connecting unexpectedly and passionately, and then having everything go wrong for them when maybe things could have been good.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Fix-its and other happier AUs, more optimistic takes on the ending, or a focus on their better moments together.

Content warnings: The episode contains graphic scenes of violence and a child in peril. It ends with Bill being shot by police (fatally, it's strongly implied). Grady is 35 and Bill is 17, although Bill is portrayed by an actor in his mid-20s.

A Bill/Grady Picset
(note: includes a hostage situation and a non-graphic image of Bill's shooting)


Canon: Death and Cremation (2010)

Ship: Jarod Leary/Stan

Media: Movie

A summary of the canon: Death and Cremation is an independent thriller (think decidedly B-movie or straight-to-video release) about a bullied teenage goth named Jarod, played by Jeremy Sumpter who takes a part-time job at a crematorium and discovers that his ghoulish boss, played by Brad Dourif, is a serial killer who murders the rude.

Unused to positive attention, Stan soon becomes awkwardly and murderously protective of his young employee. He buys him lunches, lets him sleep over, and responds to Jarod getting beat up by killing his bully for him. For his part, Jarod becomes fascinated by Stan's work and decides to attempt a murder of his own—whose consequences Stan needs to rescue him from when he bungles it.

What do you love about this ship?: Stan and Jarod's relationship is textually positioned as paternal, with Jarod being fatherless and making up stories about Stan taking him on fishing trips. However, the way the growing intimacy plays out between two adult actors (complete with Stan going to watch Jarod sleep after waking up from a sexually traumatic nightmare, and Stan's murder of Jarod's bully involving wordplay about Valentines) in the context of more violent taboo-breaking activities, makes it very easy to interpret their relationship in a shippy way. Despite having a 30+ year age gap, they're both lonely, morbid/murderous outcasts who come to wholesomely and unwholesomely enjoy each other's company.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Honestly, anything shippy with a halfway happy ending. Fluffy afternoons spent doing crossword puzzles together, horror or near misses on their "fishing trips," seduction and sex, hurt/comfort involving Stan's past, Jarod having a chance to protect Stan in turn, or outsider points of view speculating on the nature of their strange relationship.

Content warnings: Graphic violence and wanton murder, although not very gory (largely because I don't think they had any effects budget). Stan is likely in his late 50s and Jarod is still in high school, although he's played by an actor in his early 20s.

Gifset: Stan Lending Jarod His Own Clothes After He Sleeps Over

Gifset: Stan Calming Jarod Down Post-Murder


Canon: Dimension 20: A Court of Fey & Flowers

Ships: Andhera/Captain K. P. Hob and Andhera/Captain K. P. Hob/Delloso de la Rue

Media: Actual-Play Tabletop Roleplaying Game Sessions (10 episodes of approximately 2 hours each)

A summary of the canon: A Court of Fey & Flowers is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign played by the improv comedians/actors/writers of Dropout (formerly College Humor), with gameplay elements from Good Society, the Jane Austen tabletop RPG. It's a Regency-inspired romantic comedy romp set in the Fey realm, with six representatives from Faerie courts attending a social event called the Bloom where matches are made, dalliances are dallied, court politics play out through subterfuge and duels, and secrets are revealed.

The game master plays multiple NPCs to fill out the world, but each player has one main character, with the three for these particular ships described below.

Prince Andhera
Heir to the Unseelie Court and son of the Queen of Air and Darkness, Andhera is a dark fey making their reinvented social debut at this year's Bloom. They are trying their best to present themself as a suave and poised royal, but their social awkwardness and big feelings soon shatter that illusion.

Major K. P. Hob
Guard and war hero of the Goblin Court, Hob arrives at the Bloom hoping to make a match for a jilted member of his court rather than for himself. He is a common-born bugbear and an almost permanently at-attention soldier who struggles with the chaos of his court and feels most at home in structured situations. He once bested a young Andhera in battle and spared his life.

Delloso de la Rue
An elegant member of the Court of Wonder, Rue is the calm, capable, and fabulously dressed event organizer of the Bloom. They enjoy the challenge of fostering just enough drama to keep things interesting but quashing it before any part of the event can actually be derailed. Things take a turn when their own romantic life becomes the subject of Bloom gossip.

What do you love about these ships?:

Andhera/K. P. Hob
Andhera and Hob canonically end up each other's wingmen rather than love interests, but the way these two awkward souls fall into such a warm friendship and become so invested in each other's happiness really made me want to see them get together instead. They go from former enemies in war to fighting a (half-naked wrestling) duel, to friendly sparring, to comforting and encouraging each other, to Hob calling Andhera "brother" and honouring him with a potential match in his court—and Andhera not wanting the match but offering to go through with it if it's what Hob needs. I love their mutual awkwardness but desire to connect, their shared appreciation for physical comfort, and the way that Andhera might be the higher ranking but Hob is the older and more experienced one who beat him in battle and can give him advice as a warrior and man bugbear of the world.

Andhera/K. P. Hob/Delloso de la Rue
Rue and Hob have one of the central romances of the show, complete with restrained yearning, concerns about honour, slow-burn revelations, and beautiful declarations of devotion. Rue and Andhera also share a really lovely moment where Andhera makes it clear they really see Rue, and Rue in turn completely reassesses everything they thought about Andhera. With the way Andhera inserts themself into Rue and Hob's early relationship on Hob's behalf, there's just so much potential in the idea of him being folded into it as the love becomes requited.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: A wide range of romance from first times to established domesticity, court intrigue, hurt/comfort, wartime, parties, duels, AUs stemming from Hob and Andhera's engagement in battle or Andhera's previous meetings with Rue, farce and comedy of manners, and magical worldbuilding.

Content warnings: Not really content warnings, but more about access and my requests. The first episode of the show is available for free on Youtube, but the rest of the series needs to be accessed through the Dropout streaming site or through membership on Youtube. Also, Andhera's actor has spoken about playing Andhera as somewhere on the asexual spectrum; I'm extremely flexible about where that 'somewhere' is in fic and will be requesting both things that lend to ace romance or to Andhera exploring their sexuality post-Bloom.

The Official Trailer

The Official Transcripts


Canon: Our Flag Means Death (TV)

Ships: Black Pete/Fang/Israel Hands/Lucius Spriggs, Fang/Israel Hands, Fang/Israel Hands/Ivan, Fang/Lucius Spriggs, Fang/Roach, Frenchie/Roach, Israel Hands/Spanish Jackie, Oluwande Boodhari/Frenchie/Jim Jimenez

Media: Television (10 half-hour episodes)

A summary of the canon: Our Flag Means Death is a historical workplace/romantic comedy set in the Golden Age of Piracy. Very loosely based on real events, it follows what happens when wealthy landowner Stede Bonnet has a midlife crisis in 1717 and embarks upon an eccentric career in piracy that soon brings him to the attention of famed pirate Blackbeard. It's a show with silly humour but also a lot of heart, with an interest in relationships and a bent toward finding love in unexpected places.

The romance between Stede and Blackbeard is a focus of both canon and fandom, but the show is packed with interesting supporting characters from Stede and Blackbeard's respective crews who are just trying to survive their bosses' mad courtship, as well as folks from places ashore, all with their own intriguing canon dynamics or promising possibilities.

A quick rundown of the characters featured in these ships (with linked photos).

Fang - A veteran of Blackbeard's crew who can hurt people when necessary but reveals his teddy bear side on Stede's ship (as well as the rest of his form when he's flattered into posing nude for artist Lucius).
Frenchie - Musician and songwriter, conman extraordinaire, and hopeless klutz. Knows that cats are scary because they're witches and have knives in their feet.
Ivan - Another member of Blackbeard's crew, and Fang's partner in crime. He thinks Stede's crew are a bunch of weirdos but appreciates that his captain is more open and available in Stede's company.
Izzy Hands - Blackbeard's exhausted and tightly wound right hand man who goes from the frying pan of a failing partnership to the fire of having his life upended when his boss meets Stede. Nominally an antagonist, but 90% of the time only succeeds in making things worse for himself and bringing Blackbeard and Stede closer when he tries to separate them.
Spanish Jackie - Owner of a tavern in the Republic of Pirates, a badass wooden hand, and a jar full of the noses of those who've crossed her. She has twenty husbands. Well, eighteen now, thanks to some recent downsizing.
Jim Jimenez - Surprisingly well-adjusted for an orphan raised by a nun to be a killing machine.
Lucius Spriggs - Artist, scribe, former pickpocket, and constant mood. Is fantastic at breakups and also at drawing certain parts of his crewmates' anatomy.
Oluwande Boodhari - Pretty much the only sensible person on Stede's ship, for all the good it does him. Jim's partner, and the kind of man who will take away the scissors right before someone get stabbed.
Black Pete - Totally a real pirate who used to work for Blackbeard before working for Stede. In actuality, an excitable braggart who stops overcompensating quite so much after getting into a relationship with Lucius.
Roach - The cook and surgeon on Stede's ship. As he says, knives are knives and meat's meat.

What do you love about this these ships?:

(Grouping these where possible and trying to be brief.)

Black Pete/Fang/Israel Hands/Lucius Spriggs and Fang/Lucius Spriggs
Lucius has a lovely canon relationship with Black Pete, the sweetest flirtation and affection with Fang (Lucius drawing him naked and admiring his body, and Fang in turn protecting Lucius when he was hurt and calling him "our beloved Lucius"), and a power struggle with Izzy full of sexual tension and what looked like one moment of weakness on Izzy's part away from being a kiss. In turn, Izzy and Fang have a longstanding working relationship and Izzy almost made Pete his First Mate. I just want Lucius to have more devoted older men in his life, and maybe for those men to be his own little harem who also get together with each other thanks to having him in common.

Fang/Israel Hands and Fang/Israel Hands/Ivan
I mean, just look at them. Here too. They might not always have the best relationship, but they have a shared history and knowledge of each other as those who came over to Stede's ship with Blackbeard, and I love a henchman/henchman romance.

Fang/Roach and Frenchie/Roach
These are both based on very small moments and general vibes. For Fang/Roach, it's this picture of a season 2 spoiler and this picture of the actors looking adorable together. Fang and Roach share a fondness for roughing up naval officers and both balance a violent side with a capacity for camaraderie and gentleness. For Frenchie/Roach, it's mostly based on this shot of them cozied up at storytime, their moment of agreement over the science of gender and crystals, and their shared survival instinct that manifests in two very different ways. We haven't seen all that much of them together, but what there is makes me want more.

Israel Hands/Spanish Jackie
It's the way Izzy ran his hand through his hair before approaching her with his plan to take down Stede, and the way she looked him up and down in consideration before letting him in. Izzy's the type who loves to serve, and Jackie has an opening in her collection for a new favourite husband.

Oluwande Boodhari/Frenchie/Jim Jimenez
Oluwande and Jim have a wonderful canon romance, and Frenchie and Oluwande had fantastic chemistry when they were pulling off a con together and Frenchie was calling him "babe." Throw in the fact that Jim and Frenchie may well be having a shared experience next season, and I just want to see what these three could get up together.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Anything and everything, as long as it's got a happy ending. Backstory, far future, AUs, cozy vignettes, high drama, intimate moments, humour, hurt/comfort, D/s, it's all good.

Content warnings: The show includes scenes with cartoonish gore, a lot of profanity, and some isolated moments of male nudity.

Fanvid: it's the hard-knock life by nokke (one of the best videos I know for showcasing footage of the ensemble cast)


Canon: Uncle (TV 2014)

Ships: Andy King/Val Pearson

Media: Television (19 half-hour episodes)

A summary of the canon: Uncle is a comedy about Andy, played by Nick Helm, who's a depressed, impulsive, and cantankerous musician in his thirties whose rock career and life in general are in a slump. After he finds himself called upon to babysit his awkward twelve-year-old nephew, the two form an unlikely friendship (and a band) that puts Andy on the road to figuring himself out, reconnecting with music, and forming meaningful relationships with family and friends.

One of the people in his circle is his ex-girlfriend's father, Val, played by Con O'Neill in a supporting role. Val is a middle-aged nonbinary former punk rocker turned events manager who now owns a gay club. Fiercely protective of his daughter and initially not at all a fan of Andy from the days the pair were dating, he soon becomes a mentor figure for Andy, dispensing sage and vaguely threatening advice from his own challenging journey as well as the occasional bit of, ah, application of force below the belt that Andy really doesn't seem that opposed to.

The show has a warm heart under its sometimes darker and rougher-edged humour. While a lot of the comedy arises from the way Andy makes things more difficult for himself and the first six episodes take him to a new low, he nonetheless grows in very satisfying ways throughout seasons 2 and 3, and the finale is one of my all-time favourites.

What do you love about this ship:

The Payoff
Andy's character development is closely tied to times when Val is advising him, but we know he's arriving when Val steps back and expects him to stand on his own—and that he's reached someplace to be proud of when he's the one that Val can reach out to for a willing ear and good advice. Andy's final conversation with Val on the show involves him seeing Val's strengths and insecurities, kissing his hand, and by his own admission accidentally hitting on him.

The Chemistry
Even when they're antagonizing each other—or especially when they're antagonizing each other—there's a flirtatious note to it. Andy compliments Val's appearance. Val climbs into bed with Andy to grab him by the tender parts to threaten him (with a reaction from Andy that implies he doesn't hate it). Andy forbids Val from flirting with his father, which Val goes ahead and does in front of him anyway to vex him. They've got each other's full attention in scenes, and when they don't, it's something the other one wants to correct.

The Potential
There's a little moment I love where Andy is about to go out on stage, and Val is waiting in the audience watching for him, dressed very much like the sexy girlfriend in an early '90s music video. We can see that Val knows what's keeping Andy as he has a crisis over whether to play, and when Andy stakes the stage and starts singing, there's a glimpse of Val mouthing along to the lyrics. That combination of how they know each other and the way they overlap as musicians (including another great scene where Andy has angry notes for all his volunteer session musicians but has to admit that Val was all right) makes me want to see what they could be together moving forward.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Primarily things set near the end of the series and beyond, although AUs and backstory would be fantastic too. Anything to do with music or fashion. Comedy, drama, bad-idea-sex, genuine romance, Andy re-examining his sexuality, Val re-examining his taste, it's all good.

Content warnings: The show deals with some difficult topics such as mental health and substance use as well as cancer treatment. The series opens with Andy poised to attempt suicide before a call from his sister diverts his plan.

Video: Val Giving Andy Life Advice

Picset: Val Taking a More Hands-On Corrective Approach (SFW because of where the screen cuts off)

Gifset: Andy Being Earnestly Sweet to Val


Canon: We Only Kill Each Other (Comics)

Ships: Jonas Kaminsky/Levi Solomon

Media: Comics (5 issues / 1 trade paperback)

A summary of the canon: We Only Kill Each Other is a comic book miniseries by Stephanie Phillips and Peter Krause, set in New York City in 1938. Two Jewish gangsters—one a young up-and-comer, the other a veteran mob boss—are locked in a turf dispute that's one bad night away from murder. New York doesn't seem big enough for the both of them, but their rivalry is put into perspective when an unexpected bust and a terrorist attack force them to team up to take down some homegrown Nazis.

Comic Panel: Jonas Kaminsky

Comic Panel: Levi Solomon

While working together to foil the German-American Bund's next move, Jonas and Sol confront the generational and cultural differences that divide them as American Jews, bicker, protect each other, and by the end of it are sharing secrets and sitting down to a Shabbat dinner together.

What do you love about this ship?: The canon Enemies to Reluctant Allies to Friends trope—which just makes me want to append "to Lovers" at the end of it. Jonas and Sol have a fascinating dynamic with a wealth of backstory and further potential revelations to explore. They have so much in common but start off defining themselves by their differences, and with Jonas kicking hard against the age and experience gap between them. The way they spark off each other doesn't just bring out the most interesting sides of their characters, but is also what makes it so satisfying when they start truly operating as partners. Their last scene together is a hell of a thing and leaves the door open for a future where they spend more time together.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Everything from a future partnership, to missing moments within the comic, to flashbacks to their earlier interactions, to AUs exploring Sol's comment about having been open to taking Jonas under his wing. Other cases, other clashes, quiet nights in, or lively nights out.

Content warnings: Nothing I can think of that isn't covered by the summary: some violence, portrayals of antisemitism, etc.

Comic Pages: Jonas and Sol on the Case

Comic Panel: Jonas's Hand on Sol's Shoulder

Comic Panel: New Friends Having a Smoke Together