• Pairings that were in a romantic relationship at some point but not at the end of the media DO COUNT!
• Propaganda may contain spoilers! I am not banning spoilers from propaganda, nor will I filter out what I believe could be spoilers. Read at your own risk
• Pairings will be posted between each round, and stay up for a few days in case any info is incorrect
• Characters and media will be tagged on polls, and so will ship names
• Do not be rude to anyone for the characters they do or do not ship; this includes poll propaganda, asks, and comments
Ellie is so head over heels for Dina you can tell even when she's trying to be smooth with it she's totally smitten, especially in the weed den scene. They were so cute together and even raised a baby, JJ, for a while.
Freya & Merlin & Gwen & Lancelot & Arthur
Freya/Merlin and Arthur/Gwen are canon. Lancelot and Merlin were other love interests that Gwen had. Merlin set Freya, Lancelot and Arthur to rest in the Lake of Avalon, where Freya became the Lady of the Lake.
Lancelot's first episode focuses heavily on his relationships with Arthur, Gwen and Merlin. His second episode focuses on his relationship with Gwen. His third again focuses on his relationships with Arthur, Gwen and Lancelot, though this time mostly on his relationship with Merlin. After Lancelot's sacrifice of himself, Merlin, Gwen and Arthur are all shown to be grieving him. When Morgana brings Lancelot back as a Shade, Arthur says he is "pleased and amazed" to have Lancelot back, saying that he "came home" to them, taking Gwen's hand in his own as a gesture of affection. When Merlin realises that Lancelot did not actually return to them, he was very upset as Lancelot was the only person in Camelot who knew of Merlin's magic apart from Gaius.
Gwen, Merlin, Freya and Lancelot all had a connection to Excalibur. Excalibur was forged by Gwen's father and given to Merlin by Gwen. Merlin went to Kilgharrah (the dragon) so that he could breathe fire on it so that it would be capable of killing the dead/immortal. Merlin was also the one who threw Excalibur into the Lake of Avalon, where Freya gave it back to him after she had become the Lady of the Lake so that he could defeat the immortal army that had taken Camelot. Lancelot was him and witnessed the powers held by Excalibur and was the only one who Merlin told the truth of the sword. Merlin, after the immortal army was defeated, thrust Excalibur into a large rock, where it was later taken out of and wielded by Arthur. After Arthur's death, Merlin threw Excalibur into the Lake of Avalon again, where it was caught by Freya.
I Wish They Ended Up Together Tournament - ROUND 2 MATCHUP 31
Hardison & Parker & Eliot vs Kang Sae-byeok & Ji-yeong
Hardison & Parker & Eliot (Leverage)
Kang Sae-byeok & Ji-yeong (Squid Game)
Voting ended onJul 23
Propaganda:
Hardison & Parker & Eliot
Hardison and Parker get together (and stay together) in the first series and it's lovely, but the three of them are a throuple and that needs to be recognized. They balance each other, challenge each other, trust each other, and make each other better. Eliot swears to protect them "till my dying day," and that is, frankly, close enough to a wedding vow to count!!
Sae-byeok & Ji-yeong
sae-byeok is guarded, suspicious, and trying to survive so she can get her family out. ji-yeong has already lost so much that she doesn’t really have anyone waiting for her outside. then they pair up for marbles, realise only one of them can leave, and instead of immediately fighting for survival, they spend their last minutes talking. names, families, regrets, places they want to go, the lives they might have had. It’s so quiet compared to the rest of the episode, which makes it hurt more.
ji-yeong choosing to lose for sae-byeok works because she doesn’t treat sae-byeok like just another player. she sees that sae-byeok has someone to live for, and she wants her to get that chance. the jeju island conversation alone feels like the beginning of a life they could’ve had if the game hadn’t taken it from them.
they should’ve gotten out together. sae-byeok deserved to take her to jeju. ji-yeong deserved to find out what wanting a future felt like with someone beside her.
I Wish They Ended Up Together Tournament - ROUND 2 MATCHUP 28
Robin Buckley & Vickie Dunne vs Aventurine & Veritas Ratio
Robin Buckley & Vickie Dunne (Stranger Things)
Aventurine & Veritas Ratio (Dr. Ratio) (Honkai: Star Rail)
Voting ended onJul 23
Propaganda:
Aventurine & Dr. Ratio
ratio really went “i am going to pretend to betray you in front of the most terrifying man in penacony” and aventurine went “perfect, i trust you with my life.” hello?????
the sunday/ena plot is the core of it for me. they’re acting like ratio has sold aventurine out, but they planned it. ratio gives sunday enough real information to make the betrayal convincing, aventurine lets himself be cornered, and the whole thing only works because they know each other’s minds that well. ratio has to trust aventurine’s gamble. aventurine has to trust ratio not to actually abandon him.
and then ratio leaves him that note telling him to stay alive / be safe / wishing him luck, which is basically a love confession in veritas ratio language. this man speaks fluent insult. “do not die” is him screaming crying throwing up.
I Wish They Ended Up Together Tournament - ROUND 2 MATCHUP 30
The Dark Urge & Enver Gortash vs The Dragonborn & Brynjolf
The Dark Urge & Enver Gortash (Baldur's Gate 3)
The Dragonborn & Brynjolf (Skyrim)
Voting ended onJul 23
Propaganda:
The Dark Urge & Gortash
Okay so a lot of people believe they were romantically involved pre-canon, but this isn't actually canon or confirmed by creators - canonically they were very close and there are some Undertones for sure, but they were not together, I assume partially because some people might play as, for example, a lesbian Dark Urge, and giving a canon relationship like that would restrict roleplay. HOWEVER. THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN OPTIONALLY CANON For anyone who doesn’t know BG3: imagine your character wakes up with amnesia and eventually finds out they used to be the god of murder’s Chosen One and child, serial killer and everything, and ALSO one of the main villains was apparently your old partner in world domination and is thrilled you’re alive. That’s the Dark Urge and Gortash. The Dark Urge is a customisable main character with a forgotten past as the child of Bhaal, god of murder. Gortash is one of the main villains, a tyrant politician chosen by Bane, god of tyranny. They’re both chosen by evil gods, and before the game these two were the original brains behind the big evil plot. They worked together, planned together, stole an absurdly powerful magical crown together, and everything only fell apart because Orin betrayed Durge and took their place. Then Durge shows back up with amnesia, and the thing that gets me is how personal Gortash is about it when Durge returns. He’s surrounded by other villains, but Durge is the one he actually seems pleased to see. He talks about their shared history, wants to renew their partnership, and openly prefers them over Orin, the person who replaced them. He’s noticeably more interested in and softer with them than basically anyone else in the room. The “my nearest and dearest” line. The “I tolerated Orin, but I *liked* you” line. The way he immediately offers to help them deal with Orin and reclaim what was theirs. The way he calls them a god in their own right and rightful ruler with absolutely zero irony and is fully and immediately open to sharing his empire with you. The chosen of TYRANNY is down to share his empire. Hello???? And Durge was into him!! In writing!! “Forgive me father, for I cannot help but admire the Chosen of your sworn foe” is such a wild thing for the murder god’s child to put in a prayer when they are not supposed to have any feelings or connections to anyone because their whole thing is they're expected to be willing to murder everybody else for Bhaal if asked to Two terrible people who respected each other’s brains so much they nearly took over the world together, even though their gods are enemies.
Dragonborn & Brynjolf
Skyrim lets you marry so many random NPCs, but somehow the charming Scottish thief who personally recruits you, calls you lad/lass, trusts you with the future of the Thieves Guild, and makes you his fellow Nightingale is off limits. Absolute nonsense. Brynjolf is the first person in Riften who looks at the Dragonborn and basically goes, “you’re not as innocent as you look.” He pulls them into the Thieves Guild, teaches them how things work, vouches for them, and sticks with them when Mercer’s betrayal comes out. By the time the Dragonborn becomes Guild Master, Brynjolf isn’t just some quest giver. He’s the person who helped bring them in, watched them prove themselves, and decided they were the right person to lead the Guild. And the Nightingale angle makes it even better. The Dragonborn, Brynjolf, and Karliah swear themselves to Nocturnal together, hunt Mercer together, and rebuild the Guild together. That’s way more personal than half the actual marriage options get. Also, after the questline, Brynjolf gets stuck in that “sorry, lad/lass, I’ve got important things to do” loop instead of having proper follow-up. Bethesda. Please. Let my Guild Master kiss their second-in-command.
I Wish They Ended Up Together Tournament - ROUND 2 MATCHUP 29
Billy Loomis & Stu Macher vs Cassandra Cain & Stephanie Brown
Billy Loomis & Stu Macher (Scream)
Cassandra Cain & Stephanie Brown (DC Comics)
Voting ended onJul 23
Propaganda:
Billy & Stu
It has Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard's seal of approval! The whole final act is ridiculous in the best way. They reveal they’ve been doing the killings together, they’re finishing each other’s thoughts, they’re getting way too excited about the plan, and then they start stabbing each other as part of the cover story. Stu is bleeding out and still looking to Billy like, hey, how are we doing? Billy is the one with the revenge motive, but Stu is right there committing fully to the entire thing. Stu feels like someone who would follow Billy anywhere, partly because he thinks it’s fun and partly because Billy clearly has a hold on him. Billy is colder and more controlled, but he still chooses Stu as the person beside him for the whole plan. It’s awful, but it’s also very compelling. The queer reading has been sitting there for decades. The actors enjoy it. Fans see it. Just let the original Ghostface murder boyfriends be exactly what they already look like.
I Wish They Ended Up Together Tournament - ROUND 2 MATCHUP 27
Molly O'Shea & Mary Linton vs Dean Winchester & Castiel
Molly O'Shea & Mary Linton (Red Dead Redemption)
Dean Winchester & Castiel (Supernatural)
Voting ended onJul 23
Propaganda:
Molly & Mary
They’re two women who loved men they could never really save, and both of them deserved someone who understood that without making them feel foolish for it.
Mary lost Arthur to the gang, to outlaw life, to the part of him that kept choosing danger even when he wanted something softer. Molly lost Dutch to his ego, his paranoia, his need to be worshipped, and the whole collapsing gang life that left her isolated and miserable. They’d have so much to bond over - loving a man who did love them in some way, but never enough to choose peace, stability, or them properly.
And the best part is that they’re both better off without those men. Mary knows it by the end. She loves Arthur, but she can’t live in his world. Molly never really gets the chance to leave Dutch’s world alive, which makes the idea of her meeting Mary even more satisfying. Mary would understand the grief. Molly would understand the humiliation of waiting for a man who keeps making speeches while your life gets worse.
I’d love a version where they find each other after all that and go, actually, no, we don’t have to keep orbiting men who were always going to choose the gang, the violence, the myth, the pride. We can choose each other instead.
I Wish They Ended Up Together Tournament - ROUND 2 MATCHUP 26
Xena & Gabrielle vs Dale Cooper & Harry Truman
Xena & Gabrielle (Xena: Warrior Princess)
Dale Cooper & Harry Truman (Twin Peaks)
Voting ended onJul 23
Propaganda:
Xena & Gabrielle
They're a couple they're a couple they're a couple. Even the show runners have said they went as far as they could without running afoul of the networks. We all know they're a couple and it's ridiculous that the show couldn't make it canon.
I Wish They Ended Up Together Tournament - ROUND 2 MATCHUP 25
Edward Nygma & Oswald Cobblepot vs Claire Redfield & Leon S. Kennedy
Edward Nygma & Oswald Cobblepot (Gotham)
Claire Redfield & Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil)
Voting ended onJul 23
Propaganda:
Edward & Oswald
Oswald falls for Ed during one of the few times in his life when someone is actually standing beside him without treating him like a joke. Ed helps him with the mayoral campaign, supports him, works with him, and gives him the kind of attention Oswald has been starving for forever. Oswald is dramatic about it, obviously, because he’s Oswald, but the feelings are real enough that he literally plans to confess them out loud. Then it all goes horribly wrong because Gotham characters handle emotions like live grenades. Oswald kills Isabella out of jealousy, Ed destroys his life in revenge, shoots him, and later Oswald freezes him as a reminder not to let love weaken him again. It’s terrible, but it’s also very them. And then obviously they forgive each other because it's them. These two keep hurting each other and then circling back because nobody else quite fits as partner, rival, equal, or worst possible emotional weakness. By the finale, after everything, they’re together again. Ten years later and it’s still Ed and Oswald, escaping, scheming, complaining, and deciding Gotham belongs to them. I just wish the show had let the obvious thing be obvious. Let the Riddler and Penguin be villain husbands for real.
Claire & Leon
Their chemistry whenever they're in a scene together is so good, they're so soulmate coded honestly
I Wish They Ended Up Together Tournament - ROUND 2 MATCHUP 24
Bella Swan & Angela Weber vs Connor & Hank
Bella Swan & Angela Weber (Twilight by Stephenie Meyer)
Connor & Hank (Detroit: Become Human)
Voting ended onJul 19
Propaganda:
Bella & Angela
it would’ve been a softer, quieter route through bella’s human life.
angela stands out because she isn’t trying to claim bella’s attention. she’s kind without being invasive, shy without being cold, and considerate in a way bella notices. that’s important because bella is someone who often feels uncomfortable being looked at too closely. angela gives her friendship without pressure.
as a romance, that could’ve been lovely. bella and angela would have the sort of closeness that builds slowly - shared classes, whispered comments at lunch, awkward smiles, angela quietly noticing when bella is overwhelmed, bella realising she feels peaceful around her instead of anxious. it wouldn’t have the huge supernatural pull of the cullen world, but that’s part of why it works.
bella’s story is full of people deciding what she needs. angela would be someone who asks.
Connor & Hank
connor is an android made to hunt deviants. hank is the human cop stuck working with him, and he starts out angry, grieving, and convinced androids are part of everything wrong with the world. their early scenes are rough on purpose. hank doesn’t trust him, connor doesn’t understand him, and half the appeal is watching that change if you actually play connor like someone learning how to care.
and the change is GOOD. the relationship can grow into something so much warmer. hank pushes connor to care about more than the mission. connor can spare androids, protect hank, save him instead of chasing a suspect (huge when he's literally programmed to complete the mission above all else), and eventually choose freedom over cyberlife’s control. hank, in return, can stop seeing connor as replaceable and start treating him like a person whose life matters and literally embrace him at the end if they both survive with a good relationship.
i get why people like them as friends or family-coded, truly. but detroit is a choice game, and i wish one of those choices had been “actually, this bond becomes romantic.” it wouldn’t need to erase hank’s grief or the platonic reading. it could be an optional path built on the version of connor who becomes deviant, develops emotions, and chooses his own connections. hank learns to live again. connor learns to want things for himself. let that become love if the player has built it that way. there’s already trust, grief, vulnerability, banter, anger, forgiveness, and the “you made me believe in the world again” energy. a route where that becomes romantic could’ve been genuinely beautiful.
Aman is such a good guy who loved and respected Anjali. When he found out she loved somebody else (Rahul - the man she chooses), he gives them his blessing. Rahul on the other hand didn’t deserve Anjali. They were college best friends and while she was madly in love with him, he didn’t feel the same way because she wasn’t feminine. And the one time she tries to dress more girly, he mocks her and makes her cry. It’s only after nearly 10 years and when she starts dressing more femininely does Rahul fall in love with her.
Why does it take her changing for Rahul to love her? While Aman never knew Anjali as a tomboy and we don’t know for sure if he would have loved her then, we know for a fact that Rahul didn’t. Anjali deserves a good guy like Aman, not some dude who needs a decade and seeing her with long hair and make up to love her.
Hajime & Nagito
Hajime is the protagonist, a normal student surrounded by “Ultimates” who are supposed to be the best in the world at their talents. Nagito is the Ultimate Lucky Student, and he’s completely fixated on “hope” to a dangerous degree. At first he’s friendly to Hajime, almost weirdly gentle with him, and Hajime actually feels calmer around him. Which is requited - Nagito is fascinated by Hajime from the start. He jokes that Hajime could be the “Ultimate Serenity” because his presence calms him, and he keeps seeking him out. Then Nagito’s whole deal gets revealed and their relationship turns into suspicion, fascination, and Hajime still trying to understand him even when everyone else is completely done.
The thing with them is that Nagito gets under Hajime’s skin like nobody else. He irritates him, scares him, challenges him, and still somehow keeps pulling his attention back. And Nagito is just as fixated on Hajime. Even after finding out Hajime has no Ultimate talent, he’s still emotional about him and confused by how much he cares. He literally has a moment of “why do I care about you?” That’s the good stuff. That’s the messy canon fuel.
Also Nagito’s Free Time Events are insane. “I’m truly in love with y- ...with the hope that sleeps inside you” and then Hajime thinking he feels a mysterious bond with him? Come on.
I Wish They Ended Up Together Tournament - ROUND 2 MATCHUP 22
Ryan Erzahler & Dylan Lenivy vs Arthur Morgan & John Marston
Ryan Erzahler & Dylan Lenivy (The Quarry)
Arthur Morgan & John Marston (Red Dead Redemption)
Voting ended onJul 19
Propaganda:
Ryan & Dylan
Okay, so there is a canon romantic element here - they flirt, Dylan asks for his number, and Ryan can choose to kiss Dylan at the truth or dare game. HOWEVER. After the entire game building up their relationship, at the last hour they send Ryan off to go to the lodge with Laura AND HAVE THEM FLIRT? To the point Kaitlyn and Dylan have a conversation about how Ryan's real "type" is clearly Laura rather than either of them, and when Laura asks Ryan if he's interested in Dylan/Kaitlyn he says "maybe neither"?!?!?! Huh?!??! When Laura's entire motivation the entire game has been to rescue her BOYFRIEND SHE ALREADY HAS? Absolutely not Supermassive. It was so out of left field and bizarre and I've never met a single player who's actually liked this swerve or relationship dynamic.
Dylan brings Ryan out of his shell without acting like Ryan has to become a completely different person. He teases him, worries about him, follows him to the radio hut, and keeps trying to make him laugh even while everything is going horribly wrong. Ryan’s whole thing is that he’s guarded, awkward, and hard to read, so the fact Dylan keeps trying anyway gives their dynamic a really cute push-pull. Ryan, in turn, takes Dylan seriously when it matters. Their radio hut section has actual partnership energy - Dylan making jokes because he’s scared, Ryan staying focused but still listening to him, and then the whole chainsaw/amputation choice making their bond feel like one of the most intense counselor dynamics in the game.
They absolutely should have committed to Ryan/Dylan as an actual couple and at the very least given some kind of hint that they would stay in contact and explore things post-game
Arthur & John
I will go insane if one more person says this ship is incest. They are not siblings. They are not adoptive brothers. They were in the Van der Linde gang from teenagehood together, but that's more akin to childhood friends and partners in crime than literal brothers. Everyone in the gang refers to one another with familial terms - father, uncle, brother, sister, kid - and multiple of them still have canon romantic and sexual relationships. At one point Dutch calls Hosea brother and people love shipping those two, and Arthur also calls Dutch brother yet everyone sees them as more like father-son. "Brother" is literally just an affectionate term to call someone, it does not mean "I can never develop feelings for this person because we are now Literally Siblings and it would Be Incest now that I've said that". So many ships have used brother language towards each other and no one's cared, like for example Destiel with "You're like a brother to me", one of Tumblr's most beloved ships. SEEING them as having a brotherly bond is fine, but whenever anyone ships them they get hit with "Errmmm akshually that's incest" and it drives me crazy. We have lost the plot. Okay just had to get that out of my system. ANYWAY. Their arc is already one of the emotional cores of Red Dead Redemption 2. They have years of history, resentment, loyalty, jealousy, disappointment, and finally this brutal kind of care that only comes out when everything else has fallen apart. Arthur spends so much of the game angry at John for leaving the gang (and him- who said that.). He thinks John ran from responsibility. He thinks he wasted the second chance Arthur never really got. Then by the end, Arthur is the one pushing him toward that second chance. He saves him from prison, keeps telling him to leave when the time is right, and in the final mission gives him his hat and satchel. That kills me. Arthur’s last useful act is making sure John lives. John carries that for the rest of his life. He keeps his hat. He uses Arthur’s ring to propose to Abigail. He keeps Arthur’s memory even when talking about him hurts. I just think there’s so much there if you read the bitterness and devotion as something romantic too - two men who grew up together, hurt each other, understood each other too late, and loved each other enough that one of them died making sure the other got out.
I Wish They Ended Up Together Tournament - ROUND 2 MATCHUP 21
Clarke Griffin & Bellamy Blake vs Bruce Wayne & John Doe
Clarke Griffin & Bellamy Blake (The 100)
Bruce Wayne & John Doe (Telltale's Batman)
Voting ended onJul 19
Propaganda:
Bruce & John Doe
ignoring the fact that a dev literally confirmed a) john is in love with bruce and b) bruce is the most important person in the world to him, telltale really said “your relationship with john doe decides what kind of joker he becomes” and somehow there wasn’t a romance option. rude.
john is SO attached to bruce. he meets him in arkham, helps him out, then shows back up in season two acting like bruce is the coolest person alive. he wants bruce to meet his friends. he wants dating advice. he gets weird about harley flirting with bruce. he wants bruce to trust him, believe in him, choose him, all of it.
and because it’s a telltale game, bruce can respond in different ways. you can be kinder to john, colder to him, use him, protect him, or try to guide him. the finale literally changes completely depending on the relationship you built with him. if that’s the whole point, why couldn’t one path be “yeah this is romantic now”? especially when john is already acting like bruce is the most important person in the world to him.
i’m just saying. vigilante!john and bruce trying to do crimefighting together while everyone else was deeply concerned? that was excellent. villain!john feeling betrayed because bruce broke his heart? that was also excellent. the game had the range.
I Wish They Ended Up Together Tournament - ROUND 2 MATCHUP 20
Soren & Corvus vs Rumi & Mira & Zoey
Soren & Corvus (The Dragon Prince)
Rumi & Mira & Zoey (KPop Demon Hunters)
Voting ended onJul 19
Propaganda:
Soren & Corvus
Enemies to allies to friends, they should've moved to lovers as well. They have sooo much chemistry together it's insane. Their personalities balance each other out well, Soren being this funny, comic-relief type of character who goes through The Horrors, whereas Corvus is cool, calm and collected and goes through The Horrors by association. They support each other, physically and emotionally, they've saved each others lives several times. When Soren was doubting himself, Corvus gave him a wonderful heartfelt speech about how great Soren is and how big his heart is. Corvus isn't big on physical affection, except when it's Soren. They've hugged multiple times, piggybacked and carried each other bridal style. They care about each other so much!!
