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For those of you who don't know, the DW/Torchwood/SJA Cliche-swap Ficathon is now open. Basically, each author takes a cliche that applies to one pairing and writes a fic where the cliche is applied to a different pairing. Oh, just click the link and read the description over there; it really does make sense.

At any rate, this has to be the greatest ficathon ever, because it's totally cracked. I appreciate crackiness. I also appreciate cliches, and have (deliberately) written clichefic. One of my earlier efforts was an X-Files story wherein Skinner forced Mulder and Scully to attend the annual FBI ball together, after which they met on a blind date, confessed their true feelings, and immediately began calling each other by their first names. Then there was my Buffy fic where, upon Spike's return from Africa, he and Buffy promptly reconciled and lived happily ever after.

Anyway, I'm going to sign up for this ficathon. I haven't done it yet because I'm still mapping out my plan of attack, and signups don't close until next week.

My main point is, the premise of the ficathon got me to thinking about fanfic cliches. Then all that thinking led me to make up a bit of a list for various pairings.

I genuinely like some of these cliches, depending on how the authors handle them. Am not wild about some of the others, but what can you do?

ETA: I thought of a few more and stuck them in here. Will probably edit this list now and again with anything else that comes to mind.

Doctor Who
Doctor/Master (university era): Theta was the quieter one who rarely got into trouble on his own; Koschei was the wilder one who led him astray.

Two/Jamie: You can tell they're in love because they're always holding hands or clinging to each other.

Three/Jo: She gets engaged; he's jealous.

Four/Adric: Adric is maturing. The Doctor must "help" him.

Four/Leela: Leela decides she wants to have sex and the Doctor is conveniently there, so why not?

Four/Sarah: The real reason the Doctor left her in Aberdeen instead of taking her to Gallifrey (The Hand of Fear) was that he felt himself becoming too close to her and he pushed her away out of fear.

Five/Adric: Adric's only annoying because he wants the Doctor's attention! Once he has that, everything's fine.

Five/Adric: The Doctor figures out a way to go back and rescue Adric after Earthshock.

Five/Nyssa: They get involved during that gap between Time-Flight and Arc of Infinity, but then Tegan returns. Oh, no! What will become of this relationship?

Five/Master: He's especially obsessed with the Doctor immediately following the Four-to-Five regeneration and does everything possible to get his attention.

Five/Tegan: Opposites attract!

Five/Tegan: The reason he never takes her home is because he doesn't want her to leave. (Bonus points if the TARDIS doesn't want her to leave, either.)

Five/Tegan: She regrets leaving after Resurrection of the Daleks and angsts about her relationship with the Doctor.

Five/Tegan: The REAL reason Tegan left the Doctor is that she was pregnant.

Five/Turlough: Five must help Turlough get past his angsty background.

Five/Turlough: Turlough is always getting tied up by villains. Five takes his turn.

Six/Evelyn: Her chocolate cake isn't all he loves.

Six/Frobisher: There's barely any Six/Frobisher out there, so just go with me on this one. Frobisher is eager to please the Doctor and can take on any form the Doctor wants.

Six/Peri: He uses big words and insults her, and she bickers right back. Underneath it all, though, they truly love each other.

Seven/Ace: They decide that they've been together so long and know each other so well, the logical next step is to try a romantic relationship.

Seven/Mel: After Six regenerates, Mel must adjust to Seven.

Eight/Charley: This pairing must have at least one cliche. I just can't think of it. :(

Eight/Fitz: The Time War causes them to separate. The Doctor ends up with Fitz's jacket. This cliche can overlap with a Nine/Fitz pairing, where Fitz is dead and Nine wears his jacket all the time.

Eight/Grace: He goes back to see her and persuades her to travel with him.

Eight/Grace: He goes back to see her and tries to live a normal life with her but it just doesn't work out.

Eight/Romana: Angst, angst, and more angst, set during the Time War.

Eight/Rose: Rose meets an alt!Doctor in Pete's World, and he is Eight.

Eight/Rose: While travelling with either Nine or Ten, Rose encounters the Eighth Doctor. Of course she immediately likes him but faces the difficulty of being unable to mention the Time War to him, obviously because he doesn't know anything about it yet.

Nine/Rose: He's all emo and she's his only reason for living.

Ten/Donna: Everyone they meet assumes they're married.

Ten/Donna: He likes it when she yells at and/or slaps him. He really likes it. (Possibly good fodder for BDSM fic.)

Ten/Martha: He convinces her she isn't just a poor substitute for Rose.

Ten/Master: The Master turns into a big, fluffy puppy due to his overwhelming love for the Doctor.

Ten/Master: The Doctor keeps the Master as a prisoner in the TARDIS so he can't get into any more trouble. (Yeah, right!)

Ten/Rose: They get married and have a Tiembaby named Gallifrey (Gallifreya if it's a girl). Maybe they need to have twins, eh? Then they can use both wonderful names!

Ten/Rose: They're separated and live horrible, unfulfilling lives until they eventually commit suicide and are therefore together forever (songfic optional).

Ten/Rose: She is the most speshul companion ever, the only one he ever really loved.

Ten/Rose: Rose gets kidnapped and naturally, the Doctor must rescue her.

Ten/Rose: The TARDIS (or Jack) has nothing better to do with her (or his) time and decides to play matchmaker.

Ten/Sarah: He's upset over the loss of Rose and visits Sarah for comfort.

Handy/Rose: Handy worries that Rose thinks of the Doctor when she looks at him; Jackie comforts Handy by reminding him that her own relationship with Alt!Pete has survived a similar issue.

Handy/Rose: After Journey's End, they quickly decide to stay together and Handy picks a hilarious new human name (or just goes by that old standby, "John Smith") and then he grows a new TARDIS within the year and he and Rose go off travelling around the universe together so it's almost like he really IS the Doctor!!!!!1!!!!

Ace/Hex: They eventually leave the Doctor to live together on some random planet where Hex can work in a hospital and Ace can come and go as she pleases.

Barbara/Ian: After they return home, they tell everyone they initially left because they had eloped. Then of course they do get married.

Ben/Polly: Obviously they stayed together after leaving the TARDIS. That's what everyone assumes, right?

Erimem/Peri: Does this pairing even have enough fic for there to be a clear cliche yet? I can't think of one. They're just adorable together. I don't suppose sheer fluffy sweetness is enough of a cliche. Anyone have ideas for this pairing?

Harry/Martha: They're both doctors, so it's easy for them to encounter each other in the course of their jobs. It's also easy for them to meet in various time periods, considering that they know the Doctor.

Harry/Sarah: After the Doctor dumps Sarah off (Hand of Fear), Harry picks her up from Aberdeen and she realizes how great and reliable he is, and they start a relationship.

Jack/Master: The Master uses Jack to get revenge on the Doctor.

Jake/Mickey: Mickey is insecure because he thinks Jake is still thinking about Ricky whenever they're together.

Martha/Master: The Master uses Martha to get revenge on the Doctor.

Master/Rose: The Master pretends to be a future regeneration of the Doctor in order to win over Rose.

Master/Rose: Rose is the only one who can stop the drums in the Master's head from beating.

Mickey/Rose: Mickey angsts because he knows that in Rose's mind, he's just a poor substitute for the Doctor.

Nyssa/Tegan: The Doctor finally figures out just how close Nyssa and Tegan really are.

Tegan/Turlough: They discover that underneath all the bickering, they have a lot in common.

Doctor/TARDIS: He's the last of his kind; she's the last of hers; they belong together.

Doctor/TARDIS: She's jealous of his latest companion.

TORCHWOOD
Gwen/Jack: He got into a relationship with Ianto only because he couldn't have Gwen.

Jack/Ianto: All Jack ever needed to make him settle down and be fluffily domestic was the love of the right person.

Owen/Tosh: She's had a crush on him forever. Finally he comes to his senses, realizes how wonderful Tosh is, and reciprocates her feelings.

I couldn't think of cliches for every pairing. I also must have left out some real classics. Still, I think this batch is a nice start.