Goodreads asked R.A. McCandless:

Who is your favorite fictional couple, and why?

R.A. McCandless There isn’t just one fictional couple that can satisfy all things for a reader. There are so many, that it’s really hard to even nail it down to a handful. Faramir and Eowyn (Lord of the Rings) was one of the first I encountered and enjoyed. Their story is somewhat tacked on, and later readings suggested that Faramir was a consolation prize for Eowyn—but I still liked the idea of a strong female protagonist who was happily-ever-after with a scholar/nerd type. I’m sure there is no projection there. Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice) offered a nuanced look at a couple working through the particulars of a manufactured social structure—with love still winning out. As foolish as it may be, I love when love conquers in the end. Artist Jimson Alleca’s two relationships (A Different Light) were eye-opening, and enjoyable, partially as this was the first bi-sexual character I had ever read, and partially from the complete normalcy of both pairings within that world. The first time I read that Alleca’s true love was a man, I had to re-read it several times to be certain it wasn’t a typo. That’s wholly on me, and my own biases, and it really woke me up about love and relationships. Kvothe and Denna (Name of the Wind) is a gritty and realistic portrayal of a fantasy-genre relationship that isn’t based on a relationship that is “destined to be”. It’s possible that the two are meant by the Fates for each other, but being able to see their growth as individuals and how that feeds into each new interaction—stumbles and all—is mesmerizing. Most of the couples in “Avatar: The Last Airbender” were well wrought and enjoyable. I didn’t find the more dramatic/melodramatic “The Legend of Korra” to be as well constructed. Any time issues can be resolved by requiring ten more seconds of discussion, then clearly the writers are forcing the drama for drama’s sake. Finally, Perrin and Faile (The Wheel of Time) might be one of my favorite fictional couples, at least through “The Shadow Rising” (Book Four).

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