These are not my
favorite ships (although some of my favs did make the list), these are the
ships that I think have had the most impact this year. These ships either have
super active fandoms, win all the polls, are the most talked or simply have the
most potential. That said, I’m not an impartial observer and I don’t pretend to
be – this list comes from my own observations and it’s the best that I can come
up with when I have a killer hangover.
10: Murora – Mulan and Aurora (Once Upon a Time)
There are a
bunch of reasons why femslash is not as popular as slash and one of the main
ones is that the powers-that-be just don’t give us the same kinds of epic
friendships that are so prevalent for male characters. Therefore when it does
happen it’s something to talk about. Once
Upon a Time is full of amazing femslash ships (it’s a show about magical
lesbians) and while all the ships are pretty amazing (shout out to Swan Queen)
there is just something about the relationship between Aurora and Mulan that
rises above the rest. It’s probably because their relationship is seeping from
the realms of subtext into actual text.
All right, so
the chances of this couple actually becoming canon is pretty slim but I’m
running out of reasons why they shouldn’t. Whatever happens I’m excited to see
how this ship fairs in 2013 because I have a feeling it’s only going to get
bigger and bigger.
9: Caskett – Castle and Beckett (Castle)
I only started
watching this show recently and I’m still not completely caught up but you
don’t have to be part of this fandom to know that the Caskett shippers are a
passionate bunch. While it’s not unheard of that people will ship these kinds
of buddy-cop romantic pairings, this genre is not generally as active within the
world of Internet fandom. Not so for the Caskett shippers because they are just
as crazy as any slash or femslash pairing you will find around. It’s been a
good year for this couple because they finally sealed the deal… in the biblical
sense and while the drama is far from over this is pretty much the moment that
all shippers dream off.
The shippers
also showed their support a couple of months ago when they got Caskett into the
Hypable
Battleships poll even though Castle was
not one of the fandom’s the website currently covered. Now that’s the kind of
passion and involvement that makes me love shippers.
8: Lizzie and Darcy (The Lizzie Bennet Diaries)
We all know how
this story goes, or at least I hope you know where it goes, so it says
something about this modern adaptation that it has fans jumping up and down praying
that these two hopeless kids can get it together (don’t believe me then check
the comments on youtube begging for news about Darcy). I’m pretty hard to
please as far as modern adaptations of my favourites goes… that’s mainly
because most of the time they suck. This is definitely not the case with The
Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which has almost surpassed the BBC miniseries as my
favourite Pride and Prejudice
adaptation. Considering it’s a web series, it’s even more astonishing.
Seriously
though, if you’re not watching The Lizzie
Bennet Diaries then you’re wrong. Join the rest of us that are getting all
giddy for one of the greatest romances of all time all over again. Watch it here.
7: Faberry – Quinn and Rachel (Glee)
These
lady-loving songstresses started out the year well, the second half of season 3
had a number of fantastic moments for these two… that’s kind of cancelled out
by the fact that we have yet to see them interact this season but in spite of
this set back this ship is still going strong. Back in February Faberry took the top honours in EOnline’s
TV’s Top Couples Tournament against popular slash ship Destiel
(Dean/Castiel). They did it again for AfterEllen’s
Femslash Maddness and they even managed to defeat the powerhouse that is
Sterek in the Femslash/Slash
Face-Off.
Faberry is an
amazing ship with a talented and active fanbase (although things have slowed a
bit this season), it’s also one of the most popular ships in the Glee fandom, something that doesn’t
usually happen with femslash ships. Faberry might not have had the best year in
canon but their love will live on in fanon forever.
6: Delena – Damon and Elena (The Vampire Diaries)
Don’t shoot me
Stelena fans, you had 2 seasons of coupledom, but let’s face it, it’s Delena’s
turn. The love triangle at the heart of The
Vampire Diaries has been the source of many a ship war since the show began
but up until this year it was really all about Stefan and Elena. Sure Damon and
Elena had a bunch of URST and a few flirty moments but Stefan and Elena were together
and it didn’t look like that was going to change any time soon. That all
changed this year – with a number of Delana kisses and even some sexy times. Of
course it’s not happily ever after for the couple but things are really
starting to heat up.
You will
probably find this couple on pretty much every list of the biggest couples of
2012… and that’s because everyone has been waiting for them to get it on
forever (even the Stelena shippers expected it to happen). That’s why they make
the list this year, although I’m pretty sure the shippers luck is about to run
out.
5: Klaine – Kurt and Blaine (Glee)
Another ship
that has had a bit of a rocky year really, it’s upsetting because it started
out so well. At the beginning of the year Klaine were one of the power couples
on Glee and in shipping in general.
But when Glee returned for Season 3
it was less happiness and more angst. That doesn’t stop the shippers though
because those Klainers know how to fight for what they want. Say what you want
about this couple but the fans that love them are one of the most active
fandoms around.
This year they
fought for the release of a cut Klaine scene involving a certain Christmas
presents… Dubbed The Box Scene Project – this campaign is one of the most
successful fan campaigns in recent years. Not only did they get what they
wanted but they raised a tone of cash for charity as well. So while it’s been a
rocky, and emotional year for Klaine fans I have faith that they will make it
through this turbulent time only to emerge next year bigger and more passionate
than ever.
4: Clintasha – Hawkeye and Black Widow (The Avengers)
Of all the ships to come out of my favourite film of the year (The Avengers of course) I doubt anyone that knows me would have expected me to include this couple on my list. Surely Steve and Tony should be up here, but the thing is, while I love me some IronShield my love for them comes mostly from the comic books not the film. There is no doubt in my mind that the big ship to come out of this film comes from the sexual tension between Hawkeye and the Black Widow. This is definitely not my favourite Marvel ship but this definitely one of my favourite new fandoms of the year.
These fans are
fun and creative and just super excited about this ship, which is pretty
special seeing as it doesn’t get all that much screen time in the movie. The
best part is the way that they have latched onto a throw away line about
Budapest and run with it like madmen… seriously though if we don’t find out
what happened in Budapest soon, someone is going to have an aneurism.
3: Merthur – Merlin and Arthur (Merlin)
Speaking of
fandoms that have had a tough year, hey Merlin
fandom, how you holding up? Yeah, I too feel as though my heart has been dug
out of my chest with a blunt stick… thanks for that BBC. Anyway before it broke
our hearts into a thousand pieces Merthur was a pretty awesome ship to be on.
Sure the couple wasn’t officially canon, but it was pretty damn close. I mean
the relationship between Merlin and Arthur is really at the heart of the
program so it’s pretty easy to read it as an epic
romance.
It sucks that
the reason this ship made the list is because it’s all over but just because
the show has finished doesn’t mean this romance has to end. The series final
has caused a spike in creativity within the fandom, there are fantastic new
artworks and far to many new fics for me to possibly keep up with. The Merlin fandom (in particular the Merthur
fans) are certainly going out with a bang. The best part about the show ending
is all the reincarnation fics and pics that have begun circulating… Arthur is
destined to return after all and when he does, Merlin will be waiting.
2: Larry – Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson – One
Direction (RPS)
RPS (real
person slash) is always a controversial topic. Personally it’s not something
I get involved in (apart from the occasional wink) but in this circumstance
it’s impossible to ignore. Seriously if you have not heard anything about the
subset of One Direction’s fandom that adamantly believes Harry and Louis are in
a secret
homosexual relationship then you have been living under a rock.
While the act of
shipping ‘real people’ isn’t a problem in itself there is am extreme part of
the group that might be seen taking things a little far (harassing their
girlfriends is not cool) – there was all kinds drama earlier this year when
Louis Tomlinson tweeted some negative responses to the shippers. That said, the
Larry shippers are certainly a passionate and creative bunch and that kind of
enthusiasm should never just be dismissed because you don’t agree with their
subject matter.
Whether you see
it as a good thing or a bad thing, 2012 was a big year for Larry shippers.
1: Sterek – Stiles and Derek (Teen Wolf)
It was going to
happen, you all know that. I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not. 2012 was the year of
Sterek and there is nothing you can say to change that. First I watched as
everyone fell prey to the wonder that is Teen
Wolf. Sure it had a small fandom after it’s first season but it wasn’t
until season 2 that it really started to take off. From the beginning everyone
loved Stiles (especially his interactions with Derek) to the extent that when
people watched the show they were very confused to find out that Scott was the
main character. While our love for the adorable Scott grew throughout season 2,
Stiles and Derek still have the majority of the fandoms love.
As the Teen Wolf fandom grew so too did the
Sterek shippers, and then TVguide gave us this video and all hope was lost…
When EW
shunned the ship in a summer TV poll all hell broke lose and suddenly
everyone was talking about Sterek. AfterElton took Sterek’s power and ran with
it creating the Ultimate
Slash Maddness Tournament, which Sterek then went on to win. And when Jeff
Davis tweeted: “Well, if enough fans demanded it, who knows? I could be
persuaded.” Sterek fans decided to take matters into their own hands setting up
The Sterek Campaign, which has
involved everything from baking cookies to auctioning off fan fiction to save
real life wolves.
Sterek has taken
over all discussions of fandom, and while this does upset other shipper a
little but most people appreciate the fact that Sterek is a slash ship with
mainstream media coverage. I’m still not over it and I don’t think I ever will
be.
Whether or not
they become canon there is no doubt that 2012 was the year that Sterek ruled
the world (okay well maybe not the world but at least Internet fandom)… at the
moment it’s so full of potential, I mean anything could happen and we need to
hold onto that feeling while we can because the other shoe is hanging over our
heads and it’s going to drop as soon as season 3 starts airing.
Well that’s all
from me in 2012, I hope you have a wonderful new years celebration (I plan on rewatching
Merlin I mean partying).
What were your
favourite ships of 2012? Let me know in the comments, or just you know tell me
how wrong I am.
Happy New Year!
May your 2013 be filled with lots of fluff and very little angst.
