I’ve been thinking about the characters I root for romantically and how I usually choose “wrong.” Either the characters are never canon, aren’t “the one” the main character chooses in the end, or one or both parties die.
I’m just wondering if there’s anyone else who always chooses wrong? This could say nothing about me, it’s all fiction and anyway, a lot of these are tragedies, but I just wonder sometimes, man why do I set myself up for disappointment?
Spoilers for the Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, She-Ra, Outlander, Once Upon a Time, the Arrowverse, The Children’s Hour, Xena, Degrassi, Cable Girls, the Hunger Games, Arcane, ATLA, Agatha All Along, All My Children, Attack on Titan, Dickinson, Killing Eve, Wednesday.
Of these shows, here are the couples I rooted for who got together and had happy endings:
Katniss/Peeta: The Hunger Games
Ray/Nora: Legends of Tomorrow
Everyone in She-Ra (hooray!)
Maaaaybe Claire/Jamie: Outlander
One or both characters die:
Leonard/Sara: Legends of Tomorrow
Eve/Villanelle: Killing Eve
Carlos/Lydia: Cable Girls - also don’t choose each other cross referenced
Carlota/Oscar: Cable Girls
Stefan/Elena: The Vampire Diaries - also don’t choose each other cross referenced
Karen/Martha: The Children’s Hour - also don’t technically choose each other cross referenced
Mikasa/Eren: Attack on Titan
Ymir/Historia: Attack on Titan
Xena/Gabrielle: Xena Warrior Princess
Agatha/Rio: Agatha All Along
Dean/Castiel: Supernatural, only one half chooses each other cross referenced
Katara/Zuko: Avatar the Last Airbender
Emma/Regina: Once Upon a Time
Bonnie/Damon - The Vampire Diaries
Romantic but don’t end up together:
Dean/Castiel: Supernatural - maybe one sided
Agatha/Rio - technically: Agatha All Along
Carlos Lydia: Cable Girls
Bianca/Maggie: All My Children
(Currently okay with Wenclair or Wyler but I feel like neither will be canon or end happily) : Wednesday
So yeah, regardless of whether it’s a love triangle, supposed to be straight, a tragedy whatever, it’s often not a couple who ends happily. I see how there’s the draw of a doomed story but I think one of my patterns are picking people where one or both parties shows up for each other consistently, pushes them to be better, and often who the main character says they love the most and want things to work with.
Does anyone else have this pattern? What do you think it speaks to? Cause I need some more happy endings that I’m drawn to, I can tell you that.
Please feel free to tell me your romantic happy ending suggestions! Slowburns are a plus but they don’t have to be.
Do you often
Pick the love interest who isn’t chosen
Pick a relationship where one or both characters die
Pick a relationship that will never be canon
Usually choose well and see happy endings
Voting ended onSep 16, 2025