Despite the franchise seeming to end in June with the cancellation of Legacies, The Vampire Diaries still has an incredibly strong fan base, which was demonstrated in the recent "I Was Feeling Epic" convention at which creator/executive producer Julie Plec and nearly 30 cast members from all three series gathered to talk about their time in the TVD universe.
Romance was a fundamental part of what made the original series so successful. Whether fans chose a Salvatore in the central love triangle or were rooting for side characters to get together, there was plenty to debate. On Reddit, one subject of discussion was which couples could have worked had they had more screen time, either through leaving a stronger mark on the show or becoming endgame.
Klaus And Caroline (Klaroline)
Redditor Casimirtheghost believes in the power of true love to make people become their best selves, and believes this is best seen through Klaus and Caroline. As they said, "She shows this side of Klaus that, as a viewer is shocking to see. He is genuinely more calm and sweet and caring when he's around her and if their relationship was given a good chance then I bet he would have really turned around as a character."
Despite the two only getting a few episodes together, Klaroline fans have a history of fighting for their favorite couple. Both characters are willing to kill for those they love, and an Easter Egg in Legacies suggested that if Hayley hadn't gotten pregnant, Caroline would have ended up marrying Klaus.
Stefan And Rebekah (Stebekah)
Stefan's history with Klaus and Rebekah didn't necessarily make much sense, but the chemistry was absolutely there between all three. As LegendaryJatt said, they think "ripper Stefan or even feelings off Stefan would’ve been great with her if given enough time. I really liked the 'big bad wolf and his sister knew Stefan in 20s and were good friends' storyline and would’ve loved to see more of it."
While this particular comment didn't get many upvotes, the pairing was mentioned several times, as it was one of the few viable romances for Stefan outside of Elena in the early seasons. Stefan was a good person with a dark side, and Rebekah was a vindictive person with a fragile heart. They could have been great together, had they really had the opportunity.
Bonnie And Enzo (Bonenzo)
Redditor ArtichokeSilent6726 had a lot of relationships they wanted to see more from, but they described Bonenzo as being part of their top three. As they explained, "a lot of the ships on TVD kinda revolve around the 'guy saving the girl' but with bonenzo, enzo knew how strong bonnie was... and he never took that away from her but he was always there to step in if she needs him."
While there weren't many who agreed with loving this relationship, that probably has more to do with execution than anything. This pairing was severely rushed on the show. With that being said, they were definitely sweet and are the only known example of a vampire turning their humanity back on to save the one they love.
Katherine And Elijah (Kalijah)
Redditor chickadee711 was intrigued by the idea of Elijah and Katherine being together, and while the show didn't do much with it, they could have been good for each other's character arcs. As they explained, "we got to see a different side of Katherine with him. I'd liked to have seen more of them together in season 4."
This is another case of strong ideas with poor execution. Katherine was a fantastic villain, but she was mostly just doing what she needed to do to survive. Had she been truly safe from Klaus, Elijah might have been able to bring out the girl she was before. Other Redditors agree that it's an interesting idea, though it was entirely dropped when the Originals left for New Orleans.
Caroline And Tyler (Forwood)
Caroline had a relationship with virtually every male character on The Vampire Diaries, but many fans thought her relationship with Tyler deserved more time. As it went on the show, Tyler neglected their relationship while seeking his revenge on Klaus, but users like lilys00 felt that was out of character, stating, "Tyler’s character growth got abandoned and screwed over for Klaus’s."
Dozens of Redditors upvoted that comment and others like it, and there's certainly some validity to it. However, there are a lot of things about Tyler that have not aged well—including his treatment of Vicki—so it would have taken some serious character development for him to deserve Caroline.
Jenna And Alaric (Jalaric)
Although there were no posts that exclusively focused on Alaric and Jenna, this relationship was mentioned numerous times. One Redditor, hdjdjdkenendn, specifically argued, "They would of been great helping to raise Elena & Jeremy and who knows maybe they would of got married and had kids if given more time together."
Alaric and Jenna were very sweet together and showed the difficulty in humans trying to protect teens caught up in the supernatural world. When they died, so did any semblance of a normal life for Elena and Jeremy.
Liv And Tyler (Parkwood)
Despite how important the Gemini Coven was, people often forget about Liv and Luke when they think about season six. Not Fit-Bat4866, who specifically wanted to see more of Liv's relationship with Tyler. As they said, "if Trevino never left and the writers treated Tyler more as a character I would have liked their relationship to be expanded more."
Tyler's relationship with Caroline crumbled because he was so focused on vengeance. Liv had a similar vein of wrath in her, although they also helped each other keep control. Fit-Bat4866 and the handful of users who upvoted their comment would have loved to see how both characters might have grown had both characters survived into season seven.
Bonnie And Damon (Bamon)
Redditors like hanna1214 stood by the idea that the ship that desperately needed more time was "Damon and Bonnie, simply because Bonnie actually made Damon be a better man, unlike Elena who had a toxic effect on him, just like he did on her." Damon and Bonnie had one of the best friendships on the show, and many fans would like to have seen that be better acknowledged.
While several Redditors actually preferred this pairing to be platonic, it would have been nice to see them try for romance before deciding that friendship was best for them. This could have been a strong statement on a show that often put romance above all else.
Caroline And Enzo (Carolenzo)
Although Carolenzo was a relationship that the series hardly even hinted at, many fans were drawn to it through chemistry anyway, with xxnancypxx saying, "Caroline and Enzo would have been a good match." This comment had the second-highest number of upvotes, suggesting that the unconventional pairing has a strong fan base.
Both Caroline and Enzo had harbored feelings for someone else for a long time, which led to their hearts getting used and abused. They might have done better together, as both were shown to be compassionate and loving partners who enjoyed being vampires. Enzo had the long life and bad boy vibes that drew in Klaroline fans, but without the toxic history.
Stefan And Elena (Stelena)
No matter how much time The Vampire Diaries gave to Stefan and Elena, it never seemed to be enough for the fans. The highest number of upvotes came on a comment by eliecg, which explained, "Stefan and Elena have always appealed to me. As I get older, I am drawn less towards fiery passion and more towards a gentle, caring, and safe kind of love."
Delena had a lot of chemistry and fire, but that just doesn't seem sustainable in the human life Elena wanted. With Stefan, on the other hand, their feelings for each other made them better people, encouraging each other in the process. The original books were pretty confident that Elena and Stefan were meant to be, and so are the fans on Reddit.
Source:gamerant.com