Is it just me or is the JJ x reader dominance kind of boring? Every single tag is flooded with it. I get the appeal—bad boy with a heart of gold, tragic backstory, ready-made protector vibes. But that saturation makes it hard to find anything that deviates from the same five tropes: reader works at The Wreck, JJ needs fixing, they get together after a fight with Ward. The sheer volume speaks to his character design working, I suppose. It’s a gateway ship for a lot of people getting into writing for the fandom.
What surprises me more is how much Pope x reader content exists. He’s solidly in second place, and I think it’s because he offers something different. Writers who are maybe a bit over the chaotic energy can build quieter, more studious stories around him. It’s less about saving someone and more about mutual support, which creates a different, often sweeter, dynamic. You see a lot of ‘study dates’ or ‘helping with parental pressure’ fics that just wouldn’t fit with the other Pogues.
I’d put John B and Kie’s reader inserts further down. John B’s whole Sarah-centric storyline boxes him in, and Kiara often gets paired with JJ or Pope in regular fic, so reader inserts for her feel less prominent. Rafe… now there’s a niche. The volume is way lower, but what’s there is intensely specific—dark, possessive, redemption arcs. You don’t stumble into that pairing by accident.