Fanpair

Synonyms:
See also:	cowriter, beta, Queer Minstrel Show, fannish drift
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

This term refers to a given fan's "pair" or "partner" in fandom. Although the dyadic language sounds romantic (maybe especially to slash and femslash fans), the fanpair relationship isn't necessarily sexual. A fan and her fanpair are friends who share a fandom in a deep way. They may beta each others' fanfic or vids or share co-creator status on fanworks. If one member of a fanpair falls in love with a new fandom, and the other partner doesn't share the obsession, the tenor of the relationship is liable to change.

A non-binary example is the Webrain: [1]

The term may no longer be in general use; fans today do refer to braintwins, fannish best friends, partners in crime or, of course, betas or cowriters.

Fan Comments

1997

[Some fans had reservations how fandom] promotes the fan-pair concept. Sure, it started as a joke, but as a gay person in our society, I understand the power of a validated relationship. Some objections to the f-p concept: it promotes the pairbond, in a place that many women come to get away from that whole concept; it makes some women hard to know, because you can never get them away from their (possibly louder) omnipresent partner; it makes fans who'd like to have a f-p feel jealous and left out. On the plus side, by recognizing the strength of the relationship, we validate women's non-sexual relationships--a rarity in our culture; and we recognize the pain at the ending of one of these pairings...