RARE PAIRING FEST 2026, OCTOBER 18-31!
Howdy y'all! Welcome to the 2026 Transformers Rare Pairing Fest Preshow, where we're starting the preparations for our two week celebration of rare or unusual ships.
We don't have a ton for you today, just the prompt list and a quick reminder of the criteria of “rare pairing" for our festival.
For Rare Pairing Fest, the following criteria applies (for art, fic and other creations):
The loose criteria we use at TF Rare Pairing is
A pairing with less than 100 fics on A03 (we don't count ffn anymore because the site is getting so unreliable)
A pairing not in the top 10 most popular pairings on A03 (because anything not in the top ten in this fandom usually hits the other marks.)
A pairing with 10 or fewer creators regularly creating content for it (that one is harder to pin down, I know)
A Pairing that hasn't had content made for it (that we can find) in 5 years or more.
This criteria means that LOTS of things will qualify that you don't think will (like, apparently, SG MegaStar!) If you’re in doubt or just want a second opinion on your pairing, please don't hesitate to ask. We are always happy to make a spot decision. (Asks are always open on Tumblr or you can email the mods at tfrare.pair(at)Gmail(dot)com.
And now, what you're really here for!
The 2026 TF Rare Pairing Fest Prompt List, with many thanks to Kellendraysia for the graphic!
As usual, we have a bonus theme for each week and anyone using that theme in one or more fills will earn a bonus banner at the end of the Fest. Anyone who fills all 14 days will earn another banner. That means you can earn up to FOUR BANNERS and a metric ton of bragging rights, because all participants get a banner for making one or more fills.
Oct 18: Summer Loving//Martial Arts
Oct 19: Political Opponents//Reincarnation
Oct 20: Exploring A Cave System//Annual Migration
Oct 21: The Night Belongs To Lovers//Roller Coaster
Oct 22: "The Fantastic Legend of Tohno"*//Special Interests
Oct 23: Fine Dining//Horror Show
Oct 24: Outdoor Performance//The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl
Oct 25: Conspiracy Theories//Nightstalker
Oct 26: Tech Support//Eugene Onegin**
Oct 27: Going To A Soiree//Jail Break
Oct 28: Nowhere Farther To Go//Horror AU
Oct 29: Religious Experience//Trivia night
Oct 30: Workplace Training//Met in transit
Oct 31: Craft Meet-up//Fall Out Boy's "Hold Me Tight"***
Week One Bonus Theme: Seekers
Week Two Bonus Theme: Femmes/Female Characters
*"Touhou 7 Stage 2 theme "The Fantastic Legend of Tohno" via YouTube https://youtu.be/J2MUhP787D0?si=8R9b9aaUgRkiFFeB"
**Eugene Onegin, a a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin and ballet and opera https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Onegin_(disambiguation)
***Fall Out Boy's "Hold Me Tight" via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG1JY0rt2Os&pp=ygUNaG9sZCBtZSB0aWdodA%3D%3D"
