On Fanlore, users with accounts can edit pages including user pages, can create pages, and more. Any information you publish on a page or an edit summary will be accessible by the public and to Fanlore personnel. Because Fanlore is a wiki, information published on Fanlore will be publicly available forever, even if edited later. Be mindful when sharing personal information, including your religious or political views, health, racial background, country of origin, sexual identity and/or personal relationships. To learn more, check out our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Select "dismiss" to agree to these terms.
Ship Dynamics (glossary term)
| Synonyms: | |
| See also: | Shipping, Ship Dynamic, The Dynamic, Enemies to lovers, Friends to lovers, Idiots in Love |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
A ship dynamic is an overarching term for the various qualities, archetypes, or types of chemistry, relationships or interactions between characters in romantic, sexual or platonic pairings. Fans of pairings will often explore ship dynamics through fanfiction, art, vids, meta and other fan works, analysing the different ways characters compliment or challenge each other.
One common form of fanwork revolving around ship dynamics was the Ship Dynamic art meme which became widespread in 2019, particularly on Twitter, where people used relatively simple cartoon drawings to represent their favourite ship dynamics[1]. Some artists went on to draw their OTP in the poses from these ship dynamics. There are also various trends or accounts on TikTok where creators will post skits or scenes revolving around ship dynamics rather than particular characters (e.g., (B)Rad Martin)
Fans of Ship Dynamics
Some fans interact with fandom through seeking out specific ship dynamics in characters, rather than certain types of or genre of media. This has some overlap with elements of the migratory slash fandom and migratory femslash fandom, though of course fans of duaric pairings or polyships may also seek out ship dynamics across media.
Examples of Ship Dynamics
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Some ship dynamics are undoubtedly more widespread or common place than others, particularly those commonly used in mainstream media and not just in fandom or fanon spaces. However, fannish interpretation of some popular ship dynamics may different to how the portrayals in mainstream media plays out.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Friends to Lovers
- Rivals to Lovers
- Hero x Villain
- Friends to Enemies to Lovers
- Grumpy Character and the Sunshine Character
- Idiots in Love
- Fell First, Fell Harder
- Tall x Smol
- Affectionate x Touch-Starved
- Black Cat x Golden Retriever
- Sun x Moon
- Toxic Dumpster Fire
- Bodyguard x Charge
- Sweaterboy and Absolute Nightmare
- RedBlue
- Angel x Devil
- Boss x Employee
- Jerk x Morality Pet
- Jerk x Tsundere
Jerk x Tsundere is also known as a Takahashi Couple, after mangaka Rumiko Takahashi's propensity to pair hot-shot male characters in relationships with Tsundere female characters in her works. Other couples with this dynamic are simply called Belligerent Sexual Tension.
Fanon and Ship Dynamics
Some fans will create ship dynamics from whole cloth based on their own interpretations or favorite tropes, whether or not they'd fit the pairing in question. A particular example is the "Alpha Male x Cinderella fantasy", wherein a major female character will run away with an attractive but antagonistic man after feeling unappreciated by her canon friends, family, and even love interest. This dynamic is based on perceived sexual appeal and attraction.
Controversy in Ship Dynamics
Some ship dynamics are considered problematic due to an imbalance in the relationship. These imbalances could be power dynamics, size dynamics or communication issues.
The aforementioned fanon "Alpha Male x Cinderella" was actually named by a fan who greatly disliked it for how its fans would twist narratives and characterizations to better suit their own preferences.[2] They specifically pointed out the unfortunate implications of having the woman in the pairing be weak and helpless so a man of power and wealth can rescue her from her life as an unappreciated servant, as well as the sheer shallowness masquerading as a feminist love story. Reylo and Zutara have especially come under fire for this.