Line #74 Main/FanPreferredCouple


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8	[[quoteright:302:[[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zutara_no_aang_by_destikim.png]]]]
9	[[caption-width-right:302:Don't worry, Aang. [[OfficialCouple You still have canon]].\
10	[-Image courtesy of [[http://niban-destikim.deviantart.com/ Niban-Destikim.]] [[http://comments.deviantart.com/4/17326620/2290543868 Used with permission.]]-]]]
11	%%
12	->''"The character of the fair Jewess found so much favour in the eyes of some fair readers, that the writer was censured, because, when arranging the fates of the characters of the drama, he had not assigned the hand of Wilfred to Rebecca, rather than the less interesting Rowena."''
13	-->-- '''Sir Walter Scott''' in his 1830 Introduction to ''Literature/{{Ivanhoe}}''
14
15	The fandom really loves to [[{{Shipping}} pair this character with other characters]]. Maybe the fandom pairs them with [[OneTruePairing one particular character]] or [[LauncherOfAThousandShips ships them with various other characters]]. The problem is, the character already ''has'' a canon relationship, and the creator's ''not'' making those fan pairings canon. As far as fandom content is concerned, however, that canon relationship might as well not even exist.
16
17	Unrelated discussions degenerate into ShipToShipCombat involving them. FanArt of them embracing passionately is everywhere. Threads dedicated to [[SugarWiki/{{WAFF}} gushing over their sweet, fluffy, legendary love]] and [[DieForOurShip scorching hatred of anyone in the way]] dominate forums. [[ShippingGoggles Bits of trivia]] are cited and WordOfGod is creatively interpreted to show that they ''are'' going to happen. The OfficialCouple they're breaking up gets only three votes in fan support polls, possibly including one vote cast by a very alarmed author. They are a phenomenon shrouded in infamy.
18
19	And still yet, in spite of it all, they are ''not happening''. Certainly not now, and probably not ever. Whether the story [[OfficialCouple explicitly presents the character in a romance with somebody else]], [[MaybeEverAfter strongly hints that another couple is happening,]] or WordOfGod confirms another couple is canon, it's clear that the creator intends for one canon pairing over the popular fanon pairings, even if the latter are way more popular.
20
21	Most often the result of PlatonicWritingRomanticReading or another type of RelationshipWritingFumble, or a RomanticFalseLead or RomanticRunnerUp whom the audience [[EmotionalTorque latched onto]], but sometimes happens [[IntendedAudienceReaction by design]] or [[CrackPairing because fandoms just make no sense]]. Can eventually lead to an AuthorsSavingThrow or a WriterRevolt.
22
23	The highest aspiration of a Fan-Preferred Couple is to [[AscendedFanon beat the odds]] and evolve into an OfficialCouple. This is about the only way the same couple can end up being ''both'' of these things. However, in some of these cases this can [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor backfire]] on fans if the execution of said romance doesn't live up to expectations, resulting in ShippingBedDeath, which can often lead to a new Fan-Preferred Couple taking its place.
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25	A related phenomenon in fandom for romantic KoreanDrama is "second lead syndrome", where a significant number of fans like and sympathize with the RomanticRunnerUp more than they do with the main lead. In many cases, this includes preferring him for the heroine over the [[OfficialCouple relationship the whole drama is about]].
26
27	Please note that due to how quickly the romantic landscape and fan preference can change for a work, leading to a fanon ship either becoming canon or falling out of favor with the audience, [[Administrivia/NoRecentExamplesPlease do not add an example until a month after a work releases/season ends]].
28
29	[[noreallife]]
30	----
31	!!Example subpages:
32
33	[[index]]
34	* FanPreferredCouple/AnimeAndManga
35	* FanPreferredCouple/ComicBooks
36	* FanPreferredCouple/FanWorks
37	* [[FanPreferredCouple/AnimatedFilms Films — Animation]]
38	* [[FanPreferredCouple/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
39	** ''FanPreferredCouple/MarvelCinematicUniverse''
40	** ''FanPreferredCouple/PowerRangers''
41	** ''FanPreferredCouple/SherlockHolmes''
42	* FanPreferredCouple/{{Literature}}
43	** ''FanPreferredCouple/SherlockHolmes''
44	* FanPreferredCouple/LiveActionTV
45	** ''FanPreferredCouple/{{Arrowverse}}''
46	** ''FanPreferredCouple/MarvelCinematicUniverse''
47	** ''FanPreferredCouple/PowerRangers''
48	** ''FanPreferredCouple/SherlockHolmes''
49	* FanPreferredCouple/{{Theatre}}
50	* FanPreferredCouple/VideoGames
51	** ''FanPreferredCouple/EnsembleStars''
52	* FanPreferredCouple/{{Webcomics}}
53	* FanPreferredCouple/WesternAnimation
54	[[/index]]
55
56	!!Other examples:
57	[[foldercontrol]]
58
59	[[folder:Audio Plays]]
60	* ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'': Despite Liv being canonically paired with Tania, most fans prefer to pair her with Helen due to their friendship and feeling that they have better chemistry.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Music]]
64	* Music/DollyParton's "Jolene" is about a married woman being worried that her husband will leave her for Jolene. However, there exists a large group of fans who want her to leave her husband for Jolene (with a surprising number of fanfics dedicated to the pairing), mainly because the whole song has the narrator describing how beautiful Jolene is, which leads fans to interpret her as having a crush on Jolene.
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:Podcasts]]
68	* ''Podcast/WoodenOvercoats'' doesn't have much by way of canon romance -- Antigone has an unrequited crush on Eric, and Eric has unrequited feelings for Georgie. By far the biggest ship in the fandom, however, is Rudyard×Eric despite (or [[FoeYayShipping because of]]) the fact that they're rivals and Rudyard hates him.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
72	* Wrestling/AJLee was in an OfficialCouple or had ShipTease with a grand total of six guys... ''in one year''. This was bound to happen eventually. Of those six guys (Wrestling/DanielBryan, Wrestling/CMPunk, Wrestling/{{Kane}}, Wrestling/JohnCena, Wrestling/DolphZiggler, and Big E. Langston), her most popular pairing is with Punk, despite their interaction ending very quickly, becoming out of character alignment and AF ending up with Ziggler in canon for well over a year after Punk. [[HilariousInHindsight Ironically]], [[RomanceOnTheSet Punk started dating AJ]] in late 2013, and they got engaged the next year and married in June 2014.
73	* For many years the FoeRomanceSubtext between Wrestling/ChrisJericho and Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon made them a Fan-Preferred Couple. As time went on and a great lack of interaction in the last decade, their popularity has been taken over by Stephanie's RealLife relationship with Wrestling/TripleH.
74	* Wrestling/TheShield: No matter how popular other couples comprising of them are, it can't compare to how much the fans like to ship them with each other, especially after they broke up. The most popular, of course, is Wrestling/DeanAmbrose and Wrestling/SethRollins (Ambrollins), though adding Wrestling/RomanReigns to the mix and making it a OneTrueThreesome is certainly not uncommon either.
75	[[/folder]]
76
77	[[folder:Web Animation]]
78	%%* ''WebAnimation/{{Eddsworld}}'' has two of these, Tom×Tord and Paul×Patryck. Paul×Patryck, was so popular Tomska [[TrollingCreator jokingly confirmed it as canon,]] although several people took this affirmation unironically.
79	* ''WebAnimation/NekoSugarGirls'' fans overwhelmingly ship Koneko and Raku despite the fact Raku pines for Hitoshi the entire series. The finale [[spoiler:where Raku dies in Koneko's arms as she cries]] only cemented the pairing. Prior to that Kidnapper-kun/Hitoshi was the most popular ship [[spoiler:until it became the OfficialCouple]].
80	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Summer/Qrow. Summer is the deceased wife of Taiyang and MissingMom to the heroine, Ruby Rose. Ruby was mentored by her uncle Qrow, whom she idolises. Qrow has no known romantic relationships, but fanfiction and fan art far prefer pairing Summer with him than with Taiyang. This stems from a popular fandom theory that Qrow is secretly Ruby's father, but keeps his distance because he's TheJinx. While the creators have repeatedly debunked the theory, it -- and the Summer/Qrow ship it creates -- remains popular.
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Web Original]]
84	* ''Literature/{{Worm}}'':
85	** Enough comments appeared on the threads shipping Skitter and Clockblocker together that the author had Clockblocker explicitly sink it in canon.
86	** Beyond Skitter×Clockblocker, other pairings like Skitter×[[TheMedic Panacea]] and Skitter×[[SmugSnake Tattletale]] tend to be much more popular than canon pairing Skitter×Grue.

Context Main / FanPreferredCouple