I am currently at both 8 and 9 with Crystal Dragon and Griffian lol
1) The rarepair has some potential shippers and off-hand discussions mentioning it, but zero actual content.
2) The rarepair has some lovely shippers and a decent amount of content. It's all in a language you can't read.
3) The fandom looks to have been friendly and receptive to all kinds of ships, but it is now inactive and you are stuck reading the same dozen rarepair fics, wishing you had been born ten years earlier.
4) Several cool shippers have created content for the rarepair, but all of it unfortunately contains stuff that really squicks you out.
5) One or two talented shippers create stellar content: you oh-so-slowly savour each new creation they post, all the while fearing that it might be the last if they move on to different interests.
6) The fandom is dead. Not a single fic or mention of the rarepair ever existed.
7) The fandom is active, but tiny and very close-knit. None of the fans look to be at all open to even considering the rarepair.
8) The fandom is non-existant. The original content itself is obscure. The rarepair is but an unobtainable dream.
9) The rarepair has content. It is all made by yourself.