If you’re unfamiliar, the website AO3 is a repository of fanfic, stories written by fans about characters from popular TV shows, movies, games, etc. Very often, these stories involve these characters getting busy, regardless of whether they’re an item in the source material. For example, Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson may not be a couple on Stranger Things, but a whole lot of fanfic authors are writing about what it would be like it they smashed. In fanfic world, these two are involved in a relationship, or “ship” for short.
AO3 recently released its list of the 100 most popular ships from the last year. Who is firing the imaginations of fanfic writers these days? Take a look at the top 10:
- Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson (Stranger Things)
- Sirius Black/Remus Lupin (Harry Potter)
- Alhaitham/Kaveh (Genshin Impact)
- Dazai Osamu/Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs)
- John “Soap” MacTavish/Simon “Ghost” Riley (Call of Duty)
- Regulus Black/James Potter (Harry Potter)
- Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet (Our Flag Means Death)
- Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku (My Hero Academia)
- Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit (Minecraft)
- Will Byers/Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)
Stranger Things is indeed a popular option; eight ships broke into the top 100. And there are fully 10 Harry Potter ships on there, the most of any fandom.
Rhaenrya, Daemon, Alicent, Aemond and Lucerys are involved in popular House of the Dragon ships
This is a Game of Thrones fansite, so we were curious: did any characters from Westeros break in there? Yes; three pairings from House of the Dragon got on the list:
- 17. Daemon Targaryen/Rhaenyra Targaryen
- 25. Aemond “One-Eye” Targaryen/Lucerys Velaryon
- 94. Alicent Hightower/Rhaenyra Targaryen
It’s not surprising to see Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen on there. Their relationship was a focus on the show’s first season. I’m also not surprised to see Rhaenyra and Alicent Hightower on there, since they had a very intense relationship that swings between love and hate. A storyteller can do a lot with that.
I am kind of surprised to see Aemond Targaryen paired with his nephew Lucerys Velaryon. Looking past the incest (which is just something you have to do on House of the Dragon), their interactions mainly consisted of: 1) Lucerys slashing out Aemond’s eye when they were kids, and; 2) Aemond killing both Lucerys and his dragon Arrax while Aemond was riding his dragon Vhagar. So they’re not friendly with each other, but perhaps hate turns to love in some of these fics.
You can check out the full list here.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels