BoM/TWS Message Forum

As for the arguably most popular pairing (Will/Chelsea), that one I feel can be forced. Most of the early chapters present Chelsea as domineering and manipulative, using Will for her own ends; it's only when he seems to resist and sets her in her place that she starts to open up. I feel that they're only paired because of the reader, never because of themselves. (But that's just me.)

Will/Chelsea makes sense enough to me as something that happens because Will's helping her out with no real ulterior motive and is petulant enough to push back against her demands. I very much would find Chelsea boring if she was simply a tiny blonde terror. Even in the storylines where there's a romantic connection between Will and Chelsea, she never really loses that self-serving aspect of her. She's willing to help Will because Will's showing himself to be a nice and surprisingly competent and firm guy but she's, of course, doing it in a way that ensures she still benefits and gets her desired outcomes.

It's an odd couple pairing that I feel works well and their connection typically feels genuine in how it evolves and allows both characters to show other sides of themselves.

On the flipside, the Sydney pairing is one I really don't like all that much. She's a more corrupting character (way more than even Chelsea) but likewise she always feels set up as the perfect match for Will because of her extreme loyalty towards him. I like characters having hidden aspects of them and being more than what they're presented as and I think in a vacuum it works with Sydney... just not as a love interest for Will.