User blog comment:Thewritersdiary/Shipping Aside . . . Does Bellarke Stand A Chance?/@comment-26247132-20151118044107

I'm really on the fence about this, mostly because I'm so strongly ambivalent about Bellarke and Clexa.

I've mentioned it in previous comments, regardless of the romantic aspect, they still have fantastic chemistry together and an incredible understanding of each other's faults and weaknesses. They make each other better when they're working together and that's very, very important in any healthy relationship. I really love their partnership.

Romantically, however, I think Bellamy has a lot of internal philosophizing to do first before he's ready for a relationship with a woman that is based on more than just sex or brotherly love (his mother, the prostitute, or his sister, the saint). Right now with Clarke, he's finally understanding how to have platonic relationships with women and I don't want to see him lose that growth by falling in love (or into bed) with her.

Clarke, on the other hand, needs to make a lifetime decision soon: put her people first and become the great leader she's already starting out to be or put her love life first and give up her power. I think Clarke is too much exactly like her mother said in the Pilot: her first instinct is to take care of everyone else first. Because of that, she will ultimately always choose her people over her love life. What I don't want to see is Clarke trying to have a love life and being "torn" between more Finn/Costia/Lexa type conflicts (choosing love over people or people over love).

That being said, Clarke's and Bellamy's shared love of their people taking precedence over their love for each other makes them ideal romantic partners (hence the reason I don't mind if they get together towards the end of the series as a throwaway for the shippers). With Lexa, this is actually the opposite: they love two different peoples causing a massive conflict-of-interest and is a huge negative on their potential relationship. Eventually one of the two is going to have to give up her people for the other or their relationship is never going to work out long-term.

For me personally, after the way Clarke treated Bellamy toward the end of Season 2, Clarke will have to redeem herself first (just like Lexa will have to redeem herself first). Clarke is just not good enough for Bellamy at the moment, perhaps ever, because he deserves someone who loves him as much as he loves Octavia and I don't think Clarke is capable of that; she's too pragmatic (one of the reasons I wouldn't mind seeing Clarke end up alone at the end of the series).

As I said, I'm really overwhelmingly ambivalent about it and I'm not sure if I've said anything meaningful either way??