My Top Ten Slash Ships

You might remember that in the last Shipping News, I talked about the fact that AfterElton is currently holding the Ultimate Slash Madness Tournament - in which 32 of our favourite slash couples are battling it out for the title of Ultimate Slash Champion. Now it’s pretty easy to guess that I am a tad excited about this poll, I mean I love me some slash and I can never say no to good poll but I have discovered recently that I might be in minority in this (at least outside fandom circles). So in order to drum up some excitement from my family and friends I have compiled a list of my top 10 slash ships (not all of them are in the poll but I still love them so they are here).

Peeta and Finnick – The Hunger Games series

I can hear you protesting already! Yes Katniss are Peeta are great and Annie and Finnick are soulmates, in no way am I suggesting that we muck with the canon romances of this awesome book series. I’m simply suggesting that Finnick and Peeta would have been an interesting pairing. Finnick gives Peeta the kiss of life after all and it’s beautiful, and traumatic, but still beautiful. Anyway Finnick is just so sarcastic and cute, and Peeta is such a hopeless romantic, so I think they could have made each other very happy… or at the very least had some superhot sex.

Frodo & Sam - Lord of the Rings

I’m sure Tolkien is rolling over in his grave but I mean it’s pretty hard not to root for this whiny little hobbit and his loyal servant. To be honest, by the end of the Lord of The Rings I was pretty much over Frodo, I mean sure I wanted the ring to be destroyed but did he have to complain so damn much. If it wasn’t for the fact that his loyal companion Samwise Gamgee cared about him so much I would have wanted Frodo to fall into mount doom with Gollum. But Sam just loves Frodo so much, he literally carries him when he can’t walk anymore, if that’s not love then I don’t know what is.

Eames & Arthur - Inception

This is a strange one, because it is the ship that is stems from the shortest amount of screen time. Eames and Arthur spend under 15 mins of screen time together but it is certainly memorable time because most of the people in the Inception fandom are shippers and there is only really one ship. The whole fandom basically stems from one line - a line that is actually a pretty accurate representation of shippers in general: “You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.” Says Eames to Arthur before pulling out a big gun... I mean really what are we supposed to think?

Klaus and Stefan (Klefan) - The Vampire Diaries

Remember that time Klaus forced Stefan to come with him for a road trip so that he would remember that they fell in love with each other in the 1920s? If you don’t then you probably haven’t been watching The Vampire Diaries. This ship might be over now but man it was a good one while it lasted. I mean Klaus spent a whole season trying to become an uber powerful hybrid and then proceeds to use his new found power to force Stefan to hang out with him. You can tell me I’m reading too much into things all you want, but there is definitely something going on here.

Sherlock & Watson (Johnlock) - Sherlock (BBC) or any other version of Sherlock Holmes

This has to be the original slash ship doesn’t it? A reclusive detective lives his – and spends all this time – with a straight laced army doctor, I’m pretty sure that was actually Victorian for gay. No but seriously, have you seen BBC’s Sherlock? Because if not, you need to look at your life choices and then get on that right away. Sherlock clearly only has eyes for John and while John constantly insists he’s not gay he’s pretty much in a relationship with Sherlock. Also points go to Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes films, which dispense with the subtext and just go straight for the text.  

Merlin & Arthur (Merthur) - Merlin

Their love it literally legendary and that’s not even an exaggeration. Sure they pretend they hate each other (especially in the early episodes) but there is no doubt that they would die for the other... and they have had many chances to prove it. They have the obligatory heterosexual romances of course, but the series is all about Arthur and Merlin and their relationship, everything else is incidental. Anyway, Arthur regularly wakes up calling for Merlin, need I say anymore? Also the DRAGON ships them.

Steve & Tony - Marvel Universe

This Marvel ship comes more from the comics than from the cinematic universe (although there are definitely some shippy moments in The Avengers). If you’re not at all familiar with the comics this might seem like an odd pairing, I mean Captain America and Iron Man are pretty much opposites but they actually become friends, best friends in fact, and somehow it works. They each care about the other more than they care about themselves and when they do fight it actually causes a war, literally. Oh and in an alternative universe where Iron Man is a woman they’re married.

Dean & Castiel (Destiel) - Supernatural

Dean was lost the moment that Cas laid his hand on him, of course Cas was rescuing him from the depths of hell at the time so it’s understandable. Even if you don’t want to think about this relationship sexually you have to admit that Dean and Castiel have something more than a simple friendship. Their relationship has depth and plus an awful lot of eye sex. Oh man is there a lot of eye sex (every day I thank chuck because Castiel doesn’t understand personal space). I realise this one is more controversial because there is another popular (and equally legitimate) ship on this show and just because I don’t ship it doesn’t mean it’s not there. But for me, Dean and Cas really do have a more profound bond.

Stiles & Derek (Sterek) - Teen Wolf

It’s the newest ship on the list, but that doesn’t make it any less awesome than the others. There is a reason that it’s been placed at number 2 after all and that reason is that it’s the most adorable of all the ships. It might seem strange that on a show like Teen Wolf, which has created a sexually fluid universe will millions of slashable couples, that this pairing has come to dominate in the fandom – before I started watching the show I thought it was actually about them (who the hell is Scott). But once you see these two interact it all suddenly makes sense. When they are together, two already great characters somehow become even more amazing. Also did I mention that time Stiles held Derek in a pool for 2 hours?

Draco & Harry (Drarry) - Harry Potter series

I shipped this couple before I even knew there was such a thing as slash or shipping for that matter. Yes, I know Harry ends up with Ginny, but don’t you think it’s weird that Harry spends most of his school life obsessed with Draco Malfoy? The same goes for Draco as well, it can’t be an accident. They insist they hate each other but I think they might be protesting a bit too much. It has such a Romeo and Juliet feel to it, they both come from competing ideologies which means they are unable to be together and the only way they can interact is by constantly fighting, come on, Shakespeare is jealous of this love story. I love these books and the movies, I just can’t help but think how epic it would have been if the whole series had ended with these two lonely boys realising that all they need is each other.   

Well there you have it, my Top Ten Slash Ships. What did you think? Do you agree or did I get it all wrong? Have I convinced you to go vote for my favs or did I scare you off slash forever?

Obviously this is only Male/Male slash ships. I am working on a separate post for my femslash ships, so keep an eye out for that one over the next couple of days.

Please, try to remember that this is just my personal opinion; you really don’t have to ship the same things as me. In fact the world would be a pretty boring place if we all shipped the same thing. My mum for example, prefers Tony/Bruce in The Avengers, and she seems to have a soft spot for Bill/Eric in True Blood. Then there are all the wonderful girls in the Supernatural fandom that ship Wincest (Sam/Dean) rather than Destiel so maybe that’s your thing. And in Teen Wolf there are too many ships to choose from.

Don’t forget to start angry ship wars in the comments… oh and head to AfterElton and join the voting fun or why not check out more of my Top Ten lists.