Now it’s time for my Caroline top ships. This is a little controversial depending on who you ask, .
Also, I am a rare pair person through and through, so I naturally lean into dynamics that are less explored.
1. Caroline x Jeremy
I love them. I really do. This is my number one Caroline ship right now because the dynamic just clicks for me in a really soft but interesting way.
They don’t have a ton of scenes together, but honestly that is part of why I like them so much. It gives me more space to imagine how they would actually interact without being locked into canon direction.
Jeremy is calm in a way Caroline really isn’t. Caroline is anxious, reactive, always thinking ten steps ahead or spiraling through emotions, and I feel like Jeremy would naturally ground that. Not in a controlling way, just in a steady presence kind of way. Like he would just be there, and that would matter more than anything else.
And Caroline would bring energy into his life too. She is loud in her feelings, expressive, intense in her own way, and I think that contrast would actually balance them out really well.
For me personally, this ship also helped me a lot with writing. I don’t really write outside of ships much, so exploring them together helped me understand both characters more clearly. It gave me a way to practice writing Caroline in softer emotional moments and Jeremy in more grounded ones.
It’s simple, but I think that’s what makes it work for me. It feels stable in a way that is kind of comforting to explore.
2. Caroline x Mason
This one was not something I originally thought about at all until I read the amazing fic by @xxlionheartedgirlxx and I got completely pulled in. Like I did not expect to like it this much, but I did.
Mason feels like the type of character who is drawn to strength, especially women who are not intimidated by him. You can already kind of see that idea in his connection with Katherine, and I feel like Caroline would absolutely fit into that same space but in a different way.
Caroline is strong in a very emotional, reactive, human way. Mason is strong in a more physical, grounded, steady way. I think that contrast would create something really interesting between them.
There is also something about the way their attraction feels very natural and unforced in the way I imagine it. Like it would build slowly without either of them really planning it. I don’t know, I just really like the idea of them more than I expected to.
3. Caroline x Elijah
I never thought about this pairing until the very same mutual started working on a WIP and I got a snippet
Elijah and Caroline feel very composed as a dynamic. Like both of them carry themselves in a controlled way, even when they are emotional underneath it. I think that is what makes them interesting together.
It feels like a relationship built on restraint, respect, and quiet intensity. Nothing about it feels loud or chaotic, but it still feels powerful in a different way.
I also really like how Elijah interacts with strong women in general, and Caroline definitely fits that energy. She is not someone who would be easily overwhelmed by him, and I think he would notice that immediately.
It is one of those ships that just makes sense once you see it.
4. Caroline x Matt
They were kind of both what they needed at the time. It is a very early foundation relationship for Caroline in a lot of ways.
I like how it shows a more human version of her before everything fully shifts with her becoming a vampire. Matt represents a kind of normalcy that she can never really return to, but it still matters for her development.
It is not a ship I go back to often, but I do think it served its purpose in her story and in how she grows as a character.
5. Caroline x Tyler
I am currently rewatching, so I cannot fully break this one down yet because I honestly do not remember every detail clearly.
I do remember them having moments that mattered for both of their arcs, especially with Tyler’s hybrid storyline and Caroline trying to understand what she is becoming.
I will probably have more thoughts on them once I get further into the rewatch because I feel like I am missing context right now
6. Caroline x Rebekah
I love this. I really, really love this.
Wlw ships like this just hit for me. The energy between them is chaotic, sharp, and kind of fun in a way that feels really different from Caroline’s other relationships.
Rebekah is dramatic, emotional, and intense in her own way, I feel like they would either be the most chaotic duo alive or the most powerful one, depending on the version of them you write.
Either way, I think they would be a true power couple.
7. Caroline x Katherine
Need I say more.
The chemistry, the tension, the hostility that could easily turn into attraction it is all there. They would be messy in the best possible way. I do not even think this one needs explanation because if you get it, you get it.
8. Caroline x Bonnie
I love them together. I always have.
There is something about the idea of them that just works for me. I think it is the combination of familiarity, emotional understanding, and the way they balance each other out in different ways depending on the story.
I do not even need a specific canon moment to justify it, I just think they make sense as a concept and I enjoy them a lot.
9. Caroline x Stefan
This one is kind of meh for me personally.
A big part of it is honestly just that I have never really been into Stefan as a character, so it naturally affects how I feel about the ship. It is not that I think they are bad together or anything like that, it just does not pull me in the same way Caroline’s other ships do.
Caroline as a character is amazing to me in almost every dynamic she is in, but with Stefan specifically, it just does not land for me personally. I can appreciate what they are, I just do not connect to it emotionally the way I do with her other pairings.
