#fanfic

An absurd, near-impossible pairing shipped for fun

To want two people — real or fictional — to be romantically together.

A 'work in progress' fic still being posted

Someone who proofreads and edits a fic before posting

The trope where the love interests are forced to share a single bed.

A personal interpretation you treat as true

Love Interest — the character the protagonist is falling for.

A favourite three-person ship

A favourite platonic (best-friend) pairing

Fan fiction or ships that are heterosexual

Fan-invented 'facts' widely accepted but not canon

When a ship becomes canon or gains momentum

Fic centred on emotional or physical suffering

A complete fic told in a single chapter

An 'alternate universe' where characters exist in a new setting

Fan fiction pairing two female characters romantically

Mutual loathing curdles into devotion.

What's officially true in the source material

Fan fiction pairing two male characters romantically

A fic that follows canon then splits off differently

A romance that takes its sweet time getting going.

A pairing you actively can't stand

The pairing that ends up canonically together

When a ship is disproven and won't happen

Sweet, feel-good fic with little conflict

A chosen-not-born family — friends, crew, misfits — who become each other's people.

'Your name' placeholder in reader-insert fics