Pairings Guide
A comprehensive guide to the abbreviations and 'codes' used representing pairings found in fanfiction.


Lesson #1: Typical Listing
Pairings are either listed as:?x? or ?/? with names, initals or numbers replacing the ??'s. Now in most cases the dominant or Seme of the pairing is listed first. This is known as the Dom/sub listing rule. Not all authors follow this last rule though, so beforewarned. With heterosexual pairins authors rarely give heed to this rule.

For example: HP/DM = Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy slash pairing, with Harry as the Seme and Draco the Uke.

This method allows the author flexibility in how he or she wishes to list multiple pairings or exchanges of partners. This will be better explained in Lesson #5.


Lesson #2: Combination Listing
Pairings can be listed in an abbreviated form which is a combination of character's names. Originally this was popular in only a few fandoms, most notably in the Digimon fandom. The 'nicknames' of pairings are actually quite catchy and has allowed this method to grow in popularity. The Seme ordominant partner in the relationship is denoted by the first person's name used in the abbreviation. Once aggain, not all authors follow the rule of Dom/sub listings.

For example: Taito = Taichi Yagami and Yamato Ishida slash/yaoi pairing with Taichi as the Seme and Yamato as Uke.

This method is not nearly as flexible for posting realtionships which involve more than one partner or trading of partners, though it does fit nicely with shipping


Lesson #3: Shipping
Shipping is another way to say "prefered preference of pairing". Shippings can be listed using something that two characters have in common to list them by.

For example: Silentshipping = Serenity Wheeler and Seto Kaiba pairing from Yugioh. Both characters can remain silent for long periods of time (though for different reasons) without the need to feel the silence with talking or noise.

This method demands that the reader have an intimate knowledge of the characters and the series as different shipping's names may sound as though they apply to other pairings. Once a shipping name is used by one pairing however, it can not be used for another pairing.

Shipping can also be used in conjuction with the combination technique.

For example: MiMatoshipping = MiMato (Mimi Tachikawa and Yamato Ishida) pairing.


Lesson #4: Gundam Wing Special
Some fandoms have their own unique method for labeling pairings. Gundam Wing lists it's pairings by the individual pilots numbers. Characters who do not, however, have a number in the series are listed with their initials instead of a number.
Heero Yuy - 1
Duo Maxwell -2
Trowa Barton - 3
Quatre Rabarba Winner - 4
Wufei Chang -5
Zechs Marquise -6
Treize Kushrenada -13
* All other characters in GW are represented by their first initial.

For example: 1x3 = Heero Yuy and Trowa Barton yaoi/slash fanfic with Heero as the Seme and Trowa the Uke.

Unlike most fandoms, GW fans tend to adhere to the Dom/sub listing method.
Also, GW fans do not use the / when listing pairings too much for some odd reason. It's like unspoken law to list them with an x instead ^^'


Lesson #5: Multiple Partner/Changing Partners
Authors, like anyone else, can be extremely lazy. As such, they are want to look for any easy way of listing all of the pairings or changing of pairings in their summaries in the shortest manner possible. These methods however if not used carefully can become very confusing.

For example: S/B/A (SxBxA) = Spike, Buffy and Angel threesome.
OR
It can also mean S/B + B/A which means that in one point of the story Buffy is paired with Spike but will latter be paired with Angel.

Authors rarely use the ?/?/? method anymore to denote changes in pairings as it leads to too much confusion; most of the time people are under the impression that ?/?/?... denotes threesomes, foursomes ect...


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