Stefan/Elena

The pairing of Stefan/Elena is a major canon ship in The Vampire Diaries fandom.
==Canon==
Stefan and Elena meet in the pilot episode of the series, their meeting is the catalyst of the entire plot of the show. Stefan originally returned to Mystic Falls to get to know Elena after saving her from a car accident. They instantly fell in love and started dating in season 1. Their relationship became strained when Damon fell in love with Elena and Katherine returned to win Stefan back. Despite that their relationship remained strong through seasons 1 and 2. They hit a rough patch in season 3, though they managed to rekindle their romance and stay together until the beginning of season 4 when they break up.
In later season they manage to become friends again.
==Fandom==
(history of fannish interest in the pairing - fan activities, meta discussions, first appearance of pairing in fanworks, etc.)
Fanworks for this fandom were posted online before the premiere, possibly due to the popularity of the original book series by LJ Smith and helped by the popularity of a similar young adult book adaption, Twilight. The cast and creators of TVD attended San Diego Comic Con prior to the show's premiere and they returned to host a panel every year until 2017.
Stelena was a very popular canon pairing in Season 1, when Damon was the troublesome and violent of the two Salvatore brothers.
Some fans joke that Stelena and Klaroline shippers are on the same side, as neither are interested in canon development of Steroline.
==Common Tropes in Fanworks==
* Human AU
* Elena chooses Stefan
* Elena doesn't have to choose - Wherein Elena is or ends up romantically involved with both Salvatore brothers.
==Example Fanworks==
===Fanfic===
* Falling Slowly by mysticalforces, Elena Gilbert is starting her senior year of high school. Being in one of the richest families and being in the most popular click definitely suggests that she's got everything, but her life is far from perfect...
* Crossing the Line by Future Memory, All Human AU, Is there a thin line between love and hate? Or is there a Great Wall of China in between? How much will it take for them to cross it?
===Fanart===
* Vampire Diaries Elena Stefan by Catluckey
* Vampire Diaries Stefan Elena by Catluckey
* Elena and Stefan by Krisihell
* Stefan and Elena by catgirl93
* elena and stefan - heartless by lovewillbiteyou
* Stefan and Elena by Miss-deviantE
* Elena and Stefan by Luthien-Ancalimon
===Fanvids===
* Stefan and Elena | I Will Always Love You by dalija96tvd
* Stefan & Elena | I will always protect you by KristinaOrtutova
* My Skin by Dia0330
* their story by Somethingpeerless
==Archives and Communities==
===Fanfiction===
* Stefan and Elena works in The Vampire Diaries (novels) category @ FFN
* Stefan and Elena works in The Vampire Diaries (TV) category @ FFN
* Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore works at AO3
===Fan Communities===
* Epic Stelena - a place to enjoy quality Stefan&Elena fanfictions community at FFN
* Elena And Stefan FOREVER community at FFN
* StefanandElena on Livejournal
* Stelena-Fans on DeviantArt
* Stelena fan club on Fanpop
===Instagram===
* stelenastan
* stelena_forever
* stelenaalwaystvd
===Facebook===
* Stefan & Elena Fans - TVD
* StelenaTVD
* Stefan and Elena TVD
==Other Fannish Resources==
* StelenaLove, a Stefan and Elena fansite and a discussion forum
* Elena and Stefan page on The Vampire Diaries Wiki
==References==
Category:Vampire Diaries Relationships
Category:Het Pairings