My choice is obvious: D'Artagnan and Jacqueline.
My personal philosophy on romantic relationships is that partners must both challenge and compliment one another. A strong relationship thrives on how each member compensates for the other's weaknesses with his or her own strengths and vice versa. This defines the "opposites attract" concept.
Jacqueline and D'Artagnan
are opposites in many respects. D'Artagnan is brash, boastful, impulsive and passionate. He's an open personality and very liberal in his thinking. He doesn't condescend to Jacqueline for pretending to be a musketeer, and he follows his own rule book; he certainly does not hesitate to bend the law for the sake of what he believes to be righteous. And yes, while he is an insufferable cad at times, he is still capable of being a gentleman.
Jacqueline, on the other hand, is confident on a more quiet, subdued level. She does not like to bring attention to herself, approaches situations with a cool head, and has a cautious character. She is devoted to her religion, although like D'Artagnan, she ultimately trusts her heart to guide her down the virtuous path (however, I suspect, with a greater measure of rationality).
Together, they compliment one another. D'Artagnan encourages her to lighten up, Jacqueline encourages him to
grow up. D'Artagnan is ruled by his passions, Jacqueline is ruled by her head. Jacqueline is slow to trust others, and D'Artagnan must demonstrate that he is trust worthy with his action rather than relying on his easy going charm. She looks before she leaps, D'Artagnan often does not.
Aside from this rationalizing, they share an amazing chemistry. The tension between them is so thick that you can--to borrow an age-old cliche--cut through it with a butter knife. The way they play off one another keeps the pairing fresh and interesting. The audience is kept in suspense wondering 'will they or won't they?'
And even when they eventually do get together, I doubt that this love-hate dynamic would dissolve. After the so called "honeymoon phase" is over, they'll go right back to driving each other bonkers. Regardless of their squabbling, however, they fiercely love and adore one another.
To be honest, I
have toyed with the idea of alternate pairings. In most of my other fandoms, I usually root for the non-canon relationships, mostly because I get bored seeing the canon couples everywhere. Provided, of course, that I can see some sort of chemistry.
However, when it comes to
Young Blades I have a hard time seeing anything other than Jacqueline/D'Artagnan. They are the sun to the other's moon.
On the topic of Jacqueline/Siroc, I can certainly see
why some fans would pair them together, but I honestly have yet to read a convincing fan fiction that features this couple. Mind you, this is not to say that these stories in question aren't enjoyable or well-written; it is simply because, what often is the case, Siroc's character ends up being reimagined in order to justify their relationship.
Personally, I do not
see the canon Siroc as a suitable partner for Jacqueline.
You see, the fact that both of these characters happen to be the level-headed ones of the group does not strike me as a good enough reason for them to be together. I suppose it stems from that fact that I simply cannot picture Siroc being much of a romantic. Sure, we've seen Siroc enjoy the companionship of women in
Secrets (love elixir, anyone?) but I don't find him capable of being an attentive partner because he's too absorbed in his work. Everything he does revolves around science--he even perceives the love potion as a sort of science experiment. Every episode he's got some crazy invention being built in his lab. The man is married to his
work. Somehow, I picture that after a roll in the hay, our favourite inventor would brush himself off and saunter straight into the lab to get back to his work. I do not think he's one to cuddle, frankly. He's quite an emotionally detached character, which is not someone I see Jacqueline paired with. She needs someone to brighten her day, to challenge her, to embrace her. Siroc is too much of a loner and I think that, should they get together, they would sink into an isolated complacency.
The other problem I see between these two is Jacqueline's religiosity. Once they would run out of things to talk about (and I imagine they would) I think there would be a momentous clash between their opposing philosophies as both of them feel very strongly about their individual beliefs. He is a man of science, she is a woman of religion. I really don't see that being a harmonious union.
Now, I don't want to peg Siroc as this one-dimensional, science guy. He's observant, loyal, quiet, however, because he seems to allegedly harbour this painful past, it does not neuter his workaholic tendencies. That is his primary trait: he takes pride in his studies, and he can be quite single-minded in his pursuit of knowledge (as we've seen in the Da Vinci Notebook. The moral dilemma didn't occur until
after the disaster). He wants to be recognized for his genius, and thus, I think he would benefit from a partner who closely shares his interest or someone who is his outrageous opposite to bring him out of his shell.
The other issue I have is that they're not a very exciting couple. If Siroc and Jacqueline ever came together, it would have to be an awkward beginning. And although this would initially be rather adorable, I would lose interest quickly because things would be running so smoothly that eventually it would revert to a routine. Siroc would go back to his work, Jacqueline would skulk by the fire.
In all honesty, I would be more likely to pair Jacqueline with Ramon. As I've said, for me, it's the challenge, the opposites attract factor, that makes a couple exciting.
And this is why I enjoy the D'Artagnan/Jacqueline relationship so much. They can drive each other absolutely
bananas but the result is this amazing, pent-up passion that's just boiling beneath the surface. Think Kate and Petruchio from
The Taming of the Shrew , Buffy and Spike from
Buffy: The Vampire Slayer , Sam and Diane from
Cheers! . Tony and Angela from
Who's the Boss? or even Ron and Hermione from the
Harry Potter series. All these couples just kept you on the edge of your seat--will they or won't they?-- and you just
knew they were crazy about one another but were just too proud to admit it.
From a fanfiction perspective, D'Artagnan/Jacqueline is one of those pairings where you can draw out for a very long time. The sexual tension just oozes when they're together. They challenge one another now, and would continue to do so after they got together. It certainly wouldn't be a quiet household with those two; they would always be squabbling, keeping each other on their toes, until everything would culminate into the very epitome of the slap, slap, kiss.
Indeed, they can and do have tender moments. They are capable of being there for one another, and I think its because they keep their guard up most of the time, it's that much more meaningful when they do drop the charade and passionately pursue the other when in danger.
I like challenge, I like chemistry, and I live for the sweet moments because these qualities tend to mirror my own personal relationships. I would be bored to tears with someone who wouldn't return my witty banter and if I were Jacqueline, I would definitely benefit from a little sword fight now and then.
However, regardless of that long exposition of why I don't see an S/J relationship, this does
not rule out the possibility that I won't read S/J stories or try my own hand at an alternative pairing... Siroc/Jacqueline, Ramon/Jacqueline, D'Artagnan/OC, it does not matter. After all, part of being a writer is being open to new concepts, regardless of personal preferences.
But deep down, I'm always going to be a D'Artagnan/Jacqueline shipper
it was a D'artagnanxJacquline pairing fic. I love the tension and the chemistry between those two, it's like the classic "rivals turning into lovers" thing... One minute they seem to hate each other's guts, and the next they start to realize they do care about each other but yet their pride won't let them admit it and just the same it's so obvious to everyone around them. So I'd have to say DxJ is my favorite.^_^
