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Please don't list this on a work's page as a trope.
Examples can go on the work's YMMV tab.

Fan Preferred Couple

Don't worry, Aang. You still have canon.

Image courtesy of Niban-Destikim

.
Used with permission.

"I won't marry Jo to Laurie to please anyone."

— From the journal of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, who has had it with the fan letters asking of her to do that.

A lot of fans are rooting for this couple to get together. A lot. Way more than are rooting for any conceivable alternative. And it is not happening.

Unrelated discussions degenerate into Ship-to-Ship Combat involving them. Fan Art of them embracing passionately is everywhere. Threads dedicated to gushing over their sweet, fluffy, legendary love and scorching hatred of anyone in the way dominate forums. Bits of trivia are cited and Word Of God is creatively interpreted to show that they are going to happen. The Official Couple 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.

And still yet, in spite of it all, they are not happening. Certainly not now, and probably not ever.

A subreaction of Better Than Canon. Most often the result of a Romantic False Lead Gone Horribly Right due to Emotional Torque critical mass, but sometimes happens by design or because fandoms just make no sense. Often, but not always, involves disregarding a competing Official Couple with extreme prejudice. Can eventually lead to an Author's Saving Throw or a Writer Revolt.

The highest aspiration of a Fan Preferred Couple is to beat the odds and evolve into an Official Couple. This is about the only way the same couple can end up being both of these things.

Read before adding an example

When left alone, this page very quickly decays into its natural state of equilibrium: Everyone listing huge Walls of Text about their favorite ships. We don't want that. Here are some guidelines for what examples you put on this page and how.

No listing pairings that are less popular than rival pairings. Yes, this means it's not a Fan Preferred Couple if the Official Couple is more fan-preferred than it.
No listing two different pairings with the same character in them, unless you have a very good explanation of how they can both be the most popular at the same time.
Give us specifics. Saying "some fans think it should happen" gives us zero information. The Other Wiki has a lot to say about that.
Keep it short and to the point. Lapsing into speculation of what in canon set this reaction off is all right, but don't give us a plot summary.

Examples:

Other examples:

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Fanfic

In The Vampire Diaries story "To Build A Home", reviewers preferred Stephanie with Klaus rather than her canon love interest Jeremy. The fact that they dated in the past (despite her not remembering it) factors in.
- Similarly in the Jill Gilbert Saga, reviewers preferred Jill with Stefan over Tyler who she has long been in love with. It only recently became canon.

Failure Hero

Unexpected Reactions To This Index

Famous-Named Foreigner

Fans Prefer The New Her