Matchmaker

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See The Matchmaker for the Kirk/Spock story by Janet Alyx.
Tropes and genres
Synonym(s)Cupid, Matchmaking
Related tropes/genresSecret Crush, Shipper on Deck, Match Maker Quest, Blind Dates
See also"The Matchmaker" on TV Tropes
Related articles on Fanlore.

Matchmaker/Matchmaking is a common fanfic trope, but it is also common to used trope in canon works as well.

CharacterC ("The Matchmaker" which is sometimes considered a secondary character in the story) try and set up the CharacterA with the CharacterB which CharacterA usually has a [maybe not so] secret crush on.

The stories generally feature a lot of humor, angst, drama and/or crack. It could also feature some Hurt/Comfort as well.

In Fandom

In fandom, the matchmaker role is often given to characters who play a major role in the canon source material, but are not part of the pairing being depicted. This is especially true for fandoms with a trio of leads, where the most popular ship is between two of those leads. For example, Sam Winchester is a popular choice for the matchmaker in Destiel fanworks, as it gives one of the show's lead characters something to do in a story that might not otherwise involve him.

The matchmaker is often humorously described as "long-suffering", tired of having to put up with their friends' unresolved tension. Exasperation at this pining is a common motivation for the character becoming a matchmaker.

Fanwork Examples

In Harry Potter fanworks, Molly Weasley and Ginny Weasley are the most popular characters to use as the "matchmaker". Hermione Granger, Bill Weasley (prior to canon knowledge of Bill/Fleur), Charlie Weasley are often the people that Molly and/or Ginny are trying to get paired up (although not always together - so it's not always Hermione/Charlie or Hermione/Bill). Other characters are also used in matchmaking stories.

In Life With Derek fanworks, especially Casey McDonald/Derek Venturi fanworks, Casey and Derek's siblings Marti Venturi, Lizzie McDonald and Edwin Venturi are often trying to set Casey & Derek up together. Other times it's their parents or friends that get in on the action.

In Sherlock (BBC) fanworks, matchmaking works are often focused on the pairing Sherlock/John[1] than any others, however Mycroft Holmes has a few works dedicated to it, namely for the pairing Mycroft/Lestrade[2]. Molly Hooper is also rarely used, with the top pairing for her is Sherlock/Molly[3].

Archives & Resources

Matchmaking works on the AO3

References

  1. ^ Sherlock/John + Matchmaking search on AO3 lists 29 works (Accessed 8 September 2014)
  2. ^ Mycroft/Lestrade + Matchmaking search on AO3 lists 6 works. (Accessed 8 September 2014)
  3. ^ Sherlock/Molly + Matchmaking search on AO3 lists 4 works. (Accessed 8 September 2014)