10 Fan-Ships With The Highest Number Of Fanworks On AO3, Ranked

There was a time when no one liked to admit that they read fanfiction and the term was uttered with disdain by people in the entertainment industry. It was dubbed as a silly obsession for teen girls. However, in the last few years, the perception towards fanfiction seems to be changing. It has become a topic of discussion in fan conventions and even academic circles.

The ideology that fans can write their own stories when they are unhappy with what they got is gaining attention. Celebrities like Misha Collins and Michael Sheen have come forward in support of fanfiction and fan-shipping. Archive of Our Own or AO3 is the largest archive for fanworks and these are the top pairings on the website.

10 Dean & Sam Winchester — Supernatural

Sam and Dean Winchester might be brothers on the hit CW drama, Supernatural, but that hasn’t stopped some fans from shipping them. The monster-hunting brother duo is one of the most popular ships of the show. More than 20,000 fanworks have been dedicated to the pairing on AO3.

The ship is popularly known as “Wincest” in the Supernatural fandom. Many fans also show their disapproval towards it because of the incestuous nature of the fan relationship.

9 Keith & Lance — Voltron: Legendary Defender

The Netflix original animated series, Voltron: Legendary Defender is a beloved science-fiction show. The most popular relationship to come from the show is between Keith and Lance, also called “Klance” in the fandom.

Initially, they shared a rivalry, especially from Lance’s side. However, soon enough, they have a bonding moment in the episode, “Tears of the Balmera” in season 1 of Voltron. From here on, their friendship and bond only grew stronger and that is why fans love the idea of them having a romantic relationship.

8 Harry Styles & Louis Tomlinson — One Direction

The only real people pairing in the list, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, are the ex-members of arguably the most popular boy band ever. Even though it has been a long time since the band broke and parted ways, fans continue to listen to their music and discuss the members’ relationships.

The duo first met on X-Factor and since then, fans have speculated that they have a romantic relationship. Fans coined their ship name, “Larry Stylinson”. Louis Tomlinson revealed last year that their dating rumors affected his friendship with Harry and they felt like their every move is being watched. Still, fans continue to share stories and art depicting their romance on AO3 and other fan sites.

7 Aziraphale & Crowley — Good Omens

When Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s book, Good Omens was adapted for an Amazon Original web series in 2019, it quickly became the talk of the town. Fans instantly felt the chemistry between the two protagonists of the show, Aziraphale and Crowley. Their relationship perfectly fits the trope of “Opposite Attracts”, which is why there is no shortage of fanworks dedicated to the pairing.

The best part about the pairing is that not only the actors do not mind fans shipping them, but the creator of the world, Neil Gaiman, also approves it. The Good Omens fans are excited to see how their relationship will develop in season 2, which is confirmed by Amazon Studios.

6 Steve Rogers & Tony Stark — MCU

One of the most popular characters in pop culture currently, Tony Stark aka Iron Man and Steve Rogers aka Captain America form the fan-ship called “Stony”.While not as popular as “Stucky”, there are numerous MCU fans who love the idea of Steve and Tony being together romantically.

The duo has had a complicated relationship with a lot of twists and turns. Steve and Tony have extremely different personalities, which makes their possible romance even more appealing to the fans. Their relationship dynamic in Civil War fuelled a lot of Stony fanfictions because the movie saw Steve choosing Bucky over Tony and Tony being hurt by that.

5 Darco Malfoy & Harry Potter — Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. It may have been 10 years since the last installment of the franchise came out, Potterheads are still dedicated to the fandom as ever.

One of the biggest fandoms in the world, there are a lot of duos in the world of Harry Potter that fans like to ship. However, the biggest ship is the pairing of Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, who were rivals through the majority of the franchise. Most of their fanfics follow the trope of “Enemies-to-Lovers”, making it an entertaining couple for the fans.

4 Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers — MCU

Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers share one of the deepest friendships in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, many fans feel that their feelings towards each other incline more towards the romantic side.

Their relationship is undoubtedly special since Steve went against his superhero friends in Civil War to protect Bucky and Bucky deeply misses Steve, as seen in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. The pairing is popularly known as “Stucky” in the fandom. More than 50,000 fanworks are dedicated to the ship on AO3, making it the most popular fan-ship in the billion-dollar franchise.

3 Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski — Teen Wolf

Stiles and Derek met in the pilot episode of the teen supernatural drama, Teen Wolf. Their relationship started as antagonistic but later turned into a loyal and dependable friendship. They have saved each other’s lives on numerous occasions.

Many fans felt a level of sexual tension behind their tumultuous relationship, which fuelled the shipping. Dylan O’Brien, who played one-half of the mega-popular ship, broke the hearts of “Sterek” fans when he said in 2014 that Stiles isn’t gay. However, that hasn’t lessened the ever-increasing Sterek fanworks on AO3.

2 Sherlock Holmes & John Watson — BBC Sherlock

Before Benedict Cumberbatch was dealing with the multiverse in the MCU, he was running around London solving mysteries with his pal, John Watson. The BBC Sherlock catapulted Cumberbatch’s career to insane heights and he became the internet’s boyfriend for many years. However, among the superfans of the BBC series, there is a huge chunk who think his character, Sherlock and John Watson should be boyfriends. 

Even though there are only 4 seasons and 12 episodes of the show, the fan-ship, known as “Johnlock”, is one of the most popular ships on fan sites. The shipping of the characters of Sherlock and John has been a topic in almost every adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, but none has been popular on such a scale. Cumberbatch’s Sherlock and Martin Freeman’s Watson certainly have great chemistry that contributed to that. They were, in fact, also teased about the possible romantic nature of their relationship in the show by Mrs. Hudson and Mycroft.

1 Castiel & Dean Winchester — Supernatural

With more than 100,000 fanworks on AO3, the pairing of Supernatural‘s Dean Winchester and Castiel is way ahead of any other ships on the list.  The ship, “Destiel” is dubbed by fans as a “slow-burn romance”. The duo has been known to give each other “heart-eyes” since Castiel first came on Supernatural in season 4. Destiel is the epitome of the “star-crossed lovers” trope, with Castiel being the “angel of the lord” and Dean being a mortal who hunts inhuman creatures.

Cas rebelled against heaven for Dean, and Dean trusted Cas and cared for him like no one ever has for Castiel. The actors who play them, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins, won the Teen Choice Award for Best Chemistry in 2015. The end of this iconic relationship came in the form of Cas confessing his romantic love for Dean in the final season, sort of making the ship canon. Even though Dean didn’t reciprocate verbally, Destiel fans do not doubt that they both loved each other romantically.

About The Author

Sakcham Tiwari
(61 Articles Published)

An avid fangirl of books, TV shows, and movies at her core, Sakcham is a content writer with an MA in Digital Publishing from Oxford Brookes University. When she is not working, she can be found reading fanfiction or scrolling through Twitter.

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