I know what you’re doing. You’re squinting at that title, trying to make sense of it. Does that say “Non-Romantic” book relationships? WHAT? THERE IS NO SUCH THING. THAT’S JUST A MYTH.
WELL. They say dragons are a myth too, but we all know that’s not true at all. They’re somewhere out there. I’LL FIND THEM.
But until then and I become a professional dragon rider, I guess I’ll stick to blogging about mythical things like books having relationships that aren’t romantic.
Now, I do actually like romance in books. I don’t like romance books, as in the romance genre. (Ugh, no. Pleeeeease give me a plot that has more than boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy and girl get back together THE END. That just puts me to sleep and/or makes me lose my lunch.) But a touch of romance on the side amidst the world ending can be nice sometimes. (Because them teenagers gotta fall in love whilst bringing down planets and saving the universe. Duh. Makes total sense.) And hey, shipping wars are great! I spend an embarrassing amount of time shipping my own characters. I get it! We like romance. We like to fangirl. That’s fine.
BUT. I do desperately wish these books would acknowledge that, hey, OTHER RELATIONSHIPS EXIST TOO. Have books, YA books especially, never heard of the terms “family” and “friendship” and “platonic love”????? Sheesh, it doesn’t even have to be nice relationships. What about sibling rivalry that ends in betrayal and death over who gets the last taco? Or childhood superpower besties who go their separate ways and one becomes a supervillian and the other a superhero? (<— Yes please.) There are so many types of relationships that can add fun and tension to the story that doesn’t have anything to do with romance.
You don’t believe me do you? (That’s okay. Sometimes I don’t believe myself, I’m so confusing.)
COME. Allow me to turn this myth into a reality!
. . .
Back in July I did a post on 7 Book Character Types I Will Never Tire Of. Because I’m obsessed with characters and lists, I’m going to do something similar today and list 7 of my favorite non-romantic relationships I love to find in books. And I’m even going to list a couple of books (and linking them to their GoodReads pages) under each point to prove that books can have more than just romantic relationships in them! (And make you add more books to your TBR because I’m evil helpful like that. You’re welcome.)
OLDER PROTECTIVE
BROTHER + YOUNGER SISTER
This one has always been special to me. Maybe because I have an older, protective brother myself? But I even featured this type of relationship in my very first story I wrote when I was 9.
There’s just nothing quite like seeing the strong, nice, brotherly type do everything in his power to keep his little sister safe. Whether that’s going to the ends of the earth to rescue her from a supervillian or simply sitting on the front porch with a shotgun to keep those annoying high school boys away. You know, just in case one of them is a sparkly vampire. He knows she could do better. Like marrying pizza or her bookshelf instead. Big Brother knows.
BOOK EXAMPLES:
Though the protagonist, Bartholomew, is young, he is very protective of his little sister Hettie. In a world where no one wants anything to do with changelings like them, he has to be. He knows they have to stick together. They’re relationship was precious, and actually is featured a bit more in the sequel, The Whatnot. Let’s just say Bartholomew kind of quite literally goes to the ends of the earth for his little sis…
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Peter Pevensie was always one of my top favorite Narnia characters. Why? Because of his protective nature. Aslan knew what he was doing when he appointed Peter as High King. He makes mistakes, but his heart is right and loyalty unmatched. Though I love his relationship with all his siblings, I always felt like he had something extra special with Lucy. She was his youngest sibling after all, his littlest sister. And you know, without a doubt, he’d do anything in the world to keep his little Lucy safe. Their relationship melts my heart!
THE BROMANCE
THIS IS MY FAVORITE.
For anyone who hasn’t heard this term, let me assure you, this is not romance in any sense of the word. It’s a term we fans use to describe those irreplaceable friendships. The kind we all wish we had. Think Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Shawn and Gus from the TV show Psych. Cory and Shawn from Boy Meets World. You gotta love ‘em! Although, despite having “bro” in the title, this term has become so popular it now means basically any friendships, no matter the genders. But, for me personally, my favorite is still the classic male besties.
This is literally my favorite relationship to find in fiction—books, TV shows, movies. Or to write it in my own novels. I DON’T CARE. JUST GIVE ME ALL THE BROS. (Why do you think BBC’s Merlin is my favorite show to exist? Merlin and Arthur’s friendship gives me life.)
BOOK EXAMPLES:
I’m not a big historical fiction fan, but I knew I HAD to have this story because BROMANCE. And oooooh my goodness. This book destroyed me. In the best way possible. Franz and Japhet have been besties since childhood. But things get a little messy when World War II breaks out because Japhet is a Jew…and Franz is not. And just SDLKJDLKJSLJDF. THIS BOOK. If you love bromances and don’t value your heart at all, READ THIS BOOK.
The Sentinel Trilogy by Jamie Foley
Darien and Jet have a complicated relationship—in that they despise each other the moment they meet. OBVIOUSLY it’s a setup for some great bromance. They bicker and clash and don’t understand each other at all. And then they throw their lives into danger for the other (and then whine about it and question their sanity later). EXCUSE ME WHILE I FANGIRL. This is one of the bessst types of bromances. It’s a popular one, and for a reason. You gotta love those friendships where they actually hate each other and then almost die for each other. #TRUEFRIENDSHIP
THE MOTLEY CREW TURNED DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY
This is my second favorite after bromances. You can't help but love a group of utterly messed up and different people coming together and forming a totally dysfunctional family. The Guardians of the Galaxy movies perfected this trope. I mean, who would have thought a pop culture-loving human, two aliens, a raccoon, and a tree could come together and save the galaxy??? But by golly THEY DID IT. Family doesn’t have to be blood. Sometimes talking raccoons and a tree can be family, too!
Occasionally members of the motley crew will form a romantic relationship. But that’s okay. Every family needs a mom and dad, right? (Nate and Sophie from Leverage anyone?) Which is another absolutely fun thing with the motley crew—seeing each person take on a specific family role. Who will be like the father? Who are the bickering siblings? Who’s the baby that must be protected? THERE IS JUST SO MUCH FUN TO BE HAD.
BOOK EXAMPLES:
With each book in this series, the motley crew became larger in larger, until we had a team of totally epic people off to destroy the evil queen. AND IT WAS THE BEST. Marissa Meyer did a brilliant job of bringing all the characters together and showing their different relationships with one another. In the end, they were like a well oiled machine, ready to save the world. #SQUADGOALS (Can I be part of the Rampion crew? PLEEEASE????)
The DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul
Donita K. Paul is a master of motley crews. When you pickup her books, you just never know what types of characters she’ll throw your way. The DragonKeeper Chronicles has it all. From a slave girl, to a crazy wizard, to a rambunctious little girl, to a reluctant librarian, to DRAGONS THE SIZE OF KITTENS. It just goes on and on. And then you get to watch all these unique peeps work together to stop wicked plots and evil wizards and just SIGN ME UP PLEASE AND THANK YOU.
TWINS
Because you can never, ever go wrong with twins. Boy twins, girl twins, boy and girl twins. I DON’T CARE. JUST TWINS. And they’re especially fun in books because they usually have some sort of magical twin connection and abilities. IT’S FUN. TWINS ARE GREAT.
BOOK EXAMPLES:
Albany and Brooklyn are SUPERPOWER TWINS. Which is doubly as awesome as normal twins. These awesome girls have a TELEPATHIC CONNECTION. Ever need to yell at your siblings but they’re all the way across the house? Well, Albany and Brooklyn can just do it WITH THEIR MINDS. So convenient.
The Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight
Kyrin and Kaden are the actual sweetest. Kyrin is brave and thoughtful and quiet. While Kaden is fun-loving and a little outspoken but just an all around teddy bear. I doubly love him, because, though he’s Kyrin’s twin, he just ooooozes with that protective older brother vibe. But both of them will literally do anything for the other. And I mean anything. (Brb sobbing.) And just SDKJ:KLJSJKDFJ. THEY ARE PRECIOUS.
A PILE OF SISTERS
For some reason I’ve always found those families that have approximately 87 sisters so fun and appealing. I have one sister and we have the bestest of times fangirling and squealing together. But just imagine if there was like 5 more of us?! The house would probably explode in glitter and it’d be fabulous. I’ve always adored Little Women for this very reason. The March sisters’ antics together make me smile every time. I love it when books feature a family of sisters literally flooding the pages with all the girly fun.
BOOK EXAMPLES:
Entwined by Heather DixonAnd literally every 12 Dancing Princesses story ever, which is why 12DP is one of my top favorite fairytales. But Entwined is the best I’ve ever read. The sister relationships in this one were spot on. Those girls had the best time together. And they were so real. They’d bicker and stay up late giggling and protect each other and tease each other and just YES. Heather Dixon did a phenomenal job balancing 12 girls and giving them all different personalities. Ugh. Now I want to go reread this book…
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I mean, duh! This is like the epitome of sisters in fiction. What I especially love about the Bennet sisters is how they each have such realistic and different relationships with one another. Lizzy and Jane are of course the older ones, and naturally closer to one another than with their younger siblings. Mary is very much the middle child left to her own devices. Kitty and Lydia are the immature young ones who influence each other for the bad. The family dynamics are so real. You gotta love them!
THE RELUCTANT ADOPTIVE PARENT + WILD CHILD
So there a man or woman sits, quietly reading a novel, minding their own business when BOOM. They’re suddenly bombarded by some random kid off the street who turns their lives completely upside down and why oh why did this happen to them? They literally just sat down. And now this child they don’t even know is making them get out of their comfy chair and save the world or some such nonsense?
I mean, they can’t say no. They’re a responsible adult. How can they send this parentless child out to save the world alone? What if they forget to bring a coat and catch a chill? What if, horror of horrors, they don’t pack enough food? What if they don’t have the proper equipment and skillsets to destroy their enemies?
You know the drill: Responsible Adult wants nothing to do with Wild Child. Wild Child worms their way into Responsible Adult’s cold, hard heart. They both become better people in the end. We all go AWWWWW!!!
I am always, always up for this type of relationship.
BOOK EXAMPLES:
Nimona by Noelle StevensonLord Ballister is a villain and Nimona is a shapeshifting little girl who insists she be his sidekick. What can go wrong? (Read: Everything. Everything can go wrong.) This is actually a graphic novel, by the way. Not something I usually read but UGH. It was so good and epic and destroyed me. (Sidenote: There was a liiittle bit of iffy stuff in it though. Not too much, and a lot was more implied than in your face, but I just want everyone to be aware.)
A Dragon’s Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans by
Miss Drake literally just wants to have a quiet life reading and sipping tea. But, ya know, that’s kind of hard when there’s suddenly a little girl named Winnie bursting into her home and causing havoc, including setting loose magical and dangerous creatures from a enchanted sketchbook and forcing Miss Drake on an adventure to go capture them all. Miss Drake and Winnie’s growing relationship was utterly adorable. And, oh yeah, did I mention Miss Drake was a SHAPESHIFTING DRAGON? Because yes. Speaking of dragons…
DRAGON + DAMSEL
(who is apparently not in distress)
HELLO??? Who needs romance when instead you can be besties with a DRAGON? In fact, I petition all fiction ever just be about dragon besties. The world would be a better place, I guarantee it.
But seriously now. Why does fiction always portray dragons as evil beings trying to imprison and eat damsels? Dragons are rather cocky creatures. Why would they eat people who like them? And, as a girl, I can assure you girls like dragons. It’s a fact. I think in the real world dragons would be flattered by our awe of them and we’d all just be epic buddies.
DRAGON BESTIES FOR LIFE.
BOOK EXAMPLES:
Out of sheer boredom of being a princess, Cimorene up and decides to run away and live with a dragon. #MyRoleModel She and the dragon Kazul form a great team. Such as when they need to scare off knights who are trying to “rescue” Cimorene from the big, scary dragon. Um, hello? She just wants to hang with her dragon bestie and read and organize the dragon library all day. (Did I mention she’s my role model. Because she’s my role model.)
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
After rescuing the heroine, Creel, from a group of bandits, the dragon Shardas offers her a free bed and board in his cave because dragons are very polite creatures. Obviously. I adored Creel and Shardas’ relationship. These two quite literally become total besties. They enjoyed just hanging out and talking and saving the kingdom together—normal friend activities. But seriously, there was something so real and cozy about their friendship. Creel would knit or crochet while Shardas talked or sung to her. I’m telling you, dragons can be very nice, domestic creatures! (Will someone pleeease get me a dragon best friend for Christmas??? *puppy dog eyes*)
. . .
SO SEE??? There can toooootally be epic relationships in books that don’t have anything to do with romance.
Also DRAGONS. Just add dragons in your books, people. It’ll make them 3000% more successful. Trust me.
LET’S FANGIRL/BOY. Name some of your favorite types of non-romantic relationships in fiction! Do we share any? Or have completely opposite opinions? And do you have any book recommendations for me that feature any of these types of relationships? (Particularly epic bromances, motley crews, or DRAGONS???) BECAUSE I NEED THEM ALL.
NOTE: Due to the fact that October is getting away from me and I still have a ton to do to prepare for NaNoWriMo (not that I’m freaking out or anything I’mtotallyfreakingout), I won’t be posting next Monday. But then the next Monday (Oct. 30th) I’ll be finally telling you guys alllll about my NaNo novel! I’ve just got to actually figure it out myself before I can, ya know, tell you about it. *nervous laughter*
The first two are THE BEST!!! ACK!! I don't know how many times I've used the older/protective brother + little sister. It never gets old. <3
ReplyDeletePS - Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli is the cutest book I've read about twins. (I AM one, so I understand it a little more, i guess. :D) It's a kid's book, so it's really easy reading, but I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!!
DeleteIt definitely never gets old! It's so precious! <3
DeleteOooh, I've read Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, but I've never read that one. I'll have to check it out! Thank you for the recommendation! And I still totally enjoy a kid's book now and again. We should never outgrow those! ;D
I KNOW!!!!!!
DeleteIt's really good. You're welcome!
Same. I sometimes find myself reading baby books when I'm bored. lol
I often read the little kid books at the bookstore I work at when it's quiet. They're just so cute, I can't help it! XD
DeleteYou work at a bookstore?! How did I not know this?.... That'd be an awesome job.
DeleteThey are.... Except for a few. *Eyes Slugs by David Greenburg and cringes*
I DO!!! It's a tiny little secondhand bookstore, and so cute and quiet and cozy. I adore it!
DeleteThere are definitely exceptions! Lol. Though I've never read Slugs, but I can tell by the name I wouldn't want to...
Sounds wonderful!!!
DeleteTeehee. You don't. My cousins got it as a present a looooooong time ago, and.... it's so WERID. and gross.
I love slugs and snails and bugs, so that's saying something.
Argh twins and bromance. I'm a complete sucker for it :) And the Rampion crew! Yes, let's both join that, please! They're totally #squadgoals.
ReplyDeleteBut this list was basically perfection and I love it, Christine. XD
Saaaaame! Can never get enough of them!
DeleteWE SHOULD TOTALLY JOIN THE RAMPION CREW TOGETHER. That'd be amazing!
Tehehe. Thanks so much, girl! <3
*squeals* SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS. I love them. I think most of my stories end up featuring siblings without me meaning to but I just love writing them so much, and reading about them too! (Maybe it's a side effect of having three siblings myself. I dunno.)
ReplyDeletePretty much all the family/friends-like-family ones are favorites. They make my heart happy. ^_^
Ooh, I've been thinking about getting the Nimona audibook from the library one of these days.
DRAGONS. *heart eyes*
Eep! I can't wait to hear about your NaNo novel!
I loooove when books have siblings! They're so fun to read AND write about. I have two siblings myself, and I couldn't imagine life without having siblings. It'd be so lonely! I want my characters to have the joys of siblings, too. *nods*
DeleteMe too! ^_^
There's an audiobook? Interesting. It's a graphic novel so I wonder how that even works with audio... Huh!
ALWAYS DRAGONS. <3
D'awww, girl! I'm honored you're excited about it! I know it's taking me aaages to tell you guys. But it's gonna happen, I promise!
I love romantic relationships as long as they aren't ALL PHYSICAL ALL THE TIME ugh that's the worst. But a little romance is cool.
ReplyDeleteI've always been a fan of the boy/girl friendships that don't turn romantic. Here are my favorite examples:
-Harry and Hermione (Harry Potter)
-Christina and Four (Divergent)
-Risa and Lev (Unwind. I haven't read the whole series so no spoilers!!!)
-Eustace and the girl from The Silver Chair
Uggggh. Yes! I cannot stand the ultra physical romantic relationships. BLEGH. But, like I said, I really DO like romance in novels. I usually actually want a little. But I also like to see OTHER types of relationships now and again, too. XD
DeleteOh yes! Boy/girl friendships are so, SO fun. You know what's said? The Silver Chair is the only one on that list I've read! :O I haven't even read Harry Potter! But I'm planning on doing it soon. Actually, I've been wanting to read ALL those. Now you're making me want to even more! :D
*shoves allll the books at your beautiful face* YAS READ THE THINGS CHRISTINE
DeleteI MUUUUUUUST!!!!
DeleteI adore this post! Yes, we need more books with these types of relationships. All of these make for a wonderful story. Especially Motley Crew and Bromances.
ReplyDeleteYou have fantastic taste, Christine!
D'awww! Thank you! I had fun writing it.
DeleteI so agree! Romance is fine to a point, but not when it completely ditches all OTHER relationships. And yesss! GIMME ALL THE MOTLEY CREWS AND BROMANCES PLEASE AND THANK YOU.
*beams* Thanks, girl! ^_^
There are certainly not enough platonic relationships in books. You hit pretty much all of them.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could see more stories that have two girl besties becoming adopted sisters. Kind of like bromance but in a sisterly way. (sismance?) I do have an "adopted little sister", so I guess I'm biased. LOL.
Catherine
catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com
No there is not, and it makes me so sad. Even if it starts out that way, it usually always ends up turning into romance. -.-
DeleteOOOOH. THAT IS A GOOD ONE. I love that, too!!! That makes me think of Samantha and Nellie from the American Girl Samantha books. XD (Did you ever read those?) It was so fun seeing their friendships and sisterly-ness evolve. Yes! I love that tooo! And "sismance", that's perfect. XD
Also, that's so precious you have an adopted little sister! <3
I like to think I am precious :D :D :D
Delete-Lilah (aka the adopted little sister she is talking about)
lilahsmusicals.blogspot.com
catholicgirlstuff.blogspot.com
Awwww! You are absolutely precious! <3 <3 <3
DeleteYes, Lilah. Yes, you are :)
DeleteI did read those!!!!! Samantha was one of my favorite American Girl dolls!!!
Catherine
Oh my goodness, that's awesome! She was mine too! :D :D :D Hers was actually the first of those books I read, and I was hooked ever since. I read ALL the American Girl books back in the day. I was obsessed. XD
DeleteLove this post!! These are all awesome relationships. I always enjoy them when they crop up in the books I read (and I actually haven't read most of the ones listed here, so thanks for the recommendations!). I'm especially fond of sibling relationships; they're so engaging. And we need more Psych- or Merlin-style bromances, as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks! :D
DeleteI get SO excited when I see any of these in books! Lol. And I'm glad I provided some recommendations! Out of all these, for you I'd most highly recommend The Peculiar. Lots of fun steampunk and creepy fairy goodness. It's great!
Sibling relationships are the bessst! (Like Nick and Crispin! <3) Yes indeed! I NEED more Shawn and Guses in my life! XD
These are fantastic! I love sibling stories, and the Reluctant Adoptive Parent + Wild Child is a fun type. I remember reading Nimona, and although some of it was iffy like you said, I liked how it turned the traditional villain and minion thing on its head.
ReplyDeleteSome other types I enjoy are:
Unusual Master and Faithful Servant - Example: Batman and Alfred, Wooster and Jeeves, Ironman and Jarvis.
Francophone and Anglophone- Example: Lumiere and Cogsworth, Poirot and Hastings
Sibling stories are amazing! And I toootally agree about Nimona. It broke so many cliches and was just a BLAST.
Delete:O
:O
:O
Unusual Master and Faithful Servant! I didn't even think of that one, BUT I LOVE IT. Yesss! The Batman and Alfred type are amazing.
And oh my word, I don't know if I would have EVER thought of the Francophone and Anglophone types, but you're right! That's too fun. I love it!
I loves them all!!! This post is literally the. BEST. You have such awesome books/series here, plus ones I've never heard of! And this ---> "I mean, who would have thought a pop culture-loving human, two aliens, a raccoon, and a tree could come together and save the galaxy??? But by golly THEY DID IT." AHAHAHAHA!! xD I nearly BURST out laughing at that. So true! Seriously though, I love the genuine bromances, the sweet-sister-pile-ups, the older bro/little sis, and all the rest of the relationships you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI haven't thought of it much, but I enjoy seeing the healthy father-daughter or mother-son, or vice-versa relationships also. Unfortunately, those are rather rare... And that's what I'm hoping my B&tB retelling will have in it. *^ - ^*
Well done, dear Lauri! This was great!
EEP. Thanks, Sarah! ^_^
DeleteLOLZY! Guardians of the Galaxy just kills me. I can't with those movies. XD
Alllll the family types of relationships are amazing! I TOTALLY agree with the father-daughter and mother-son ones! Those are SO rare in fiction and it's really sad. That is absolutely wonderful you're featuring them in your B&B story! :D My NaNo novel will be featuring some actually GOOD parents, too, and I'm excited! It's high time we had nice parents, and just parents in GENERAL (because they're sadly lacking), in fiction!
*blushes* Thank you, dear! <3
ACK YES. I love all of these. Particularly bromances because they are the GREATEST.
ReplyDeleteALSO TWINS THOUGH. I love twins. Twins are soo cool. I read an epic book recently that had a pair of twins in it and ARGH SO COOL. (The book was Burning Rose by Hope Ann -- 1000000% recommended)
BROMANCES ARE SO THE BEST! I can never get enough of them!
DeleteSo much yes to twins! They're just too fun!
Oh my goodness, I've been dying to read her stories. NOW I WANT TO EVEN MORE. THIS MUST HAPPEN YES.
Ohmigosh, LOVED this list!!! I'm planning a Peter Pan retelling with a prominent protective brother + younger sister relationship, and I'm sooooo excited because like you I love that type of relationship!
ReplyDeleteDUDE, NATE AND SOPHIE, YESSSSS. You're the first blogger I know who's openly referenced Leverage, which only like my favorite show ever!!! SO THANK YOU. XD (Parker's so cool and Elliot's just a cinnamon roll when you think about it and Hardison's so funny and aaaaaaahhhh!!!)
*grins* I'm so glad!
DeleteOH. MY. GOODNESS. Peter Pan is like one of my most favorite things on this universe, and of course you know I adore the brother-sister relationship so...AAAAHHHHHHH!!!! THAT IS AMAZING YOU'RE WRITING A PETER PAN STORY WITH THAT.
:O :O :O ANOTHER LEVERAGE FAN. *glomps* It's one of my TOP favorite shows, too! It's just so fun and funny and has such an amazing motley crew turned dysfunctional family and and and sldkjflsjldfjs. I CAN'T. ALL the characters are amazing. Eliot is totally a cinnamon roll. A cinnamon roll with like a knife hidden in the middle, but still. XD Hardison is SO hilarious and fun. And PARKER. She gives me life. XD GAH I LOVE THEM ALL. It's so fun finding another fan!
*squeals in anticipation* I get a liiiitle tired of nothing but romance myself. There are other relationships out there--in fact, a romance comes after (ideally) relationships with your parents, then siblings, then other friends.
ReplyDeleteAnd what I get tired of is the descriptions on the back of Christian romance novels: "Will she be able to unravel the family secret/discover the truth about her past/some other plot-related goal probably involving secrets? And can she find true love/open her heart to love once more?" Um, yes, hello, it's a romance. What other outcome is allowed?
Haha, I ship my own characters too! Some of which are the official story OTP, and others...aren't. But it's fun to imagine. :-)
Older protective brother + younger sister = YEEEEESSS!!! Peter and Lucy from Narnia is probably my favorite example (though it could apply kinda to Peter and Edmund too; when Peter learns Edmund has headed to the Witch's house, he says they have to find him because "he's only a kid." And I could totally see Peter keeping an eye on Eustace too because he knows good and well his cousin would be overwhelmed by any real scrape.)
"Aslan knew what he was doing when he appointed Peter the High King"--YES THANK YOU!!! Peter was a responsible, brave, take-charge, natural leader--and a bit reckless, but he grew out of that during the story.
Haha, bromance can be fun, especially if the two friends are totally different in personality. Think Pippin and Merry--Pippin is reckless and curious, while Merry is more level-headed and experienced. Or Legolas and Gimli--Legolas is a cheerful, sassy, talkative personality, while Gimli is the both-feet-on-the-ground, straightforward, get-it-done type. And they rub each other the wrong way sometimes. While being total friends.
The heroes from the TV show Star Wars: Rebels definitely fit the motley-crew-turned-dysfunctional-family category! And I love the way you provide book examples of each relationship. :-)
What I love to do with the twin relationship is use it to surprise my parent characters, who were expecting ONE new baby. (I'm probably very evil. :-) )
Oh, I love the reluctant parent + wild child relationship! I love to make up stories about that of thing--in fact, child/young characters in my stories sometimes occur because my imagination went wild with this!
YES WE NEED MORE DRAGONS! I used to be obsessed with dragons...probably still am, in fact, though I can't think of a logical way to fit a dragon in to the 19th century historical/alternate history stuff I write now. :-)
One relationship I have fun writing is an uncle + nephew/niece relationship...the main character of my WIP is a young man who loves children and absolutely adores his two nephews and one niece. Even when they bounce him awake in the mornings. It is SO MUCH FUN to write and so cute too! (which is good, because the story gets pretty heavy at times).
Great list! We need to think outside the box like this!!
Okay, first I have to tell you your whole comment just made my day! And YES to everything you said! Romance DOES come after all those other relationships! THAT IS SUCH A GOOD POINT. I don't know why family and friend relationships get fallen to the wayside in fiction. *shakes head*
DeleteOh. My. Goodness. You expressed my EXACT thoughts on those Christian romance books. I work at a bookstore and often read the blurbs of the books that come in and uggggh. They're all the SAME. You pinned the format down to perfection. XD That's why I really don't like the romance genre. I already KNOW the ending, so why bother reading it?
I'm glad I'm not the only one! Uuusually I ship just the canon ones, but occasionally I'll think up wild ships between my characters just for kicks. Actually, me doing that one time ended up giving me a great idea and I DID make the wild ship a real thing in the book, and it was awesome. XD
It's so fun finding someone who loves the older protective brothers, too! You're absolutely right about Peter. He was very protective over ALL his siblings. And I've never even thought about what his relationship with Eustace was like but I LOVE this thought. :O Head-canon accepted!
The bromances with two friends who have very different personalities are my faaaave!!! I'm totally with you on Merry and Pippin and Gimli and Legolas. They all had such fun dynamics!
Sadly, I've never seen Star Wars: Rebels. I've been curious about it though, and now hearing it has the motley crew turned dysfunctional family thing I REALLY want to watch it!
Oh my word, that is hilarious you like to surprise your parent characters! I love it! XDDD
Isn't it just so fun! That's awesome you like to make up stories with those types of characters. There are just so many fun things that can be done with them!
GIMME ALL THE DRAGONS. My dragon obsession is probably a liiiittle on the unhealthy side. XD But but but...DRAGONS. And hey, if it's ALTERNATE history you can just make it where dragons are normal in your alternate world. ;D
Ooooh, that is a good one! Uncles can be super fun! And your uncle character sounds TOO. PRECIOUS. I love it!
Thanks, girl! That's exactly what I was trying to do with this--help us think outside the box a bit. Which is why I went with some different ones instead of just the obvious siblings and parents ones and such. There are just SO many fun relationships to be had in fiction!
Seriously this list is awesome!!! I LOVE Thorne and Cinder's friendship in the Lunar Chronicles!! Dragons ALL THE DRAGONS!! I need to read more dragon books :/
ReplyDeleteI definitely will be checking out these suggestions :)
-Lilah
*BEAMS* Thank you!!! Oh my goodness, Thorne and Cinder were hilarious together! I loved them so much. And Thorne was my faaavorite character in that series!!!
DeleteDRAGONNNNNNS. My family always jokes that I only read books with dragons. XD If you haven't, I'd HIGHLY recommend The DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul. The one I mentioned up there. It's just a good, clean, totally fun series featuring SO MANY dragons!
*fangirls endlessly over this post* YES TO ALL OF THESE, this list is absolutely epic and I couldn't agree more...
ReplyDeleteOne thought that comes to mind for bromance was LOTR...Merry and Pippin, Sam & Frodo
*cries* SRSLY MORE PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS IN BOOKS PLEASE
Great post Christine <3
AWK! I'm so happy you liked it! :D
DeleteOh my goodness, YESSS. Merry and Pippin and Sam and Frodo are some of the GREATEST bromances out there. I love them all so much. <3
EXACTLY. WE NEED PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS!
Thanks, girl! ^_^
YAAASSS!
ReplyDeleteFirst, my personal fav, the protective older brother relationship. Maybe it's because I never had an older brother (or any brother) that I love this kind of relationship so much. (I seriously always wanted Peter Pevensie for my brother! He's the best, and I just adore his relationship with Lucy.)
The sister relationship is a close second, like Lizzy and Jane or Elinor and Marianne <3 Very dear to my heart.
And, of course, the "reluctant adoptive parent + wild child". Love this one, too. My favorite example of it is Anne of Green Gables:)
Anyway, I quite enjoyed this post!
~Elanor
I want Peter Pevensie for my brother too! He's the type that you just know you're safe when you're with him. It's precious! <333
DeleteJane Austen was a master at fun sister relationships! I love those too!
I was thinking about Anne of Green Gables when I made that point! I was trying to suggest some books people might haven't read before (except I did sneak in Narnia and Jane Austen, hehe) but otherwise I totally would have suggested Anne of Green Gables. It's just the sweetest story! <333
Your comment made me smile. I'm so happy you enjoyed my post. Thank you! ^_^
Hee hee. What fun. Reminds me that I want to do a story about a large family of adult siblings banding together to save the world at some point.
ReplyDeleteI loved ENTWINED. I'm writing my very own TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES retelling atm and have to admit, I cut the number or girls down to three (as in some of the variants of the story) because this story is a novella and I just don't have the space to do twelve princesses justice!
Oh my goodness. :O I AM IN LOVE WITH THAT IDEA. YOU NEED TO DO THAT YESSSS. And I especially love it because my siblings and I are all adults now and I'm trying to imagine us saving the world together and...it'd just be hilarious. XD
DeleteEntwined was so fantastic! Seriously one of my most favorite books.
That is so fun you're doing your own 12DP story!!! :D I've always wanted to try it myself, but the 12 characters kind of overwhelms me. I love your idea of doing only 3. I can definitely imagine trying to juggle 12 in a novella would not be easy, yes. Haha!
AAAH, Christine - I loved this post! AND GIRL - at last, another female that can't STAND romance books. 'high fives' Yes, just a dollop on the side of a big, adventurous plot, for me, thank you!
ReplyDeleteMy sisters and I are constantly ranting about all the relationships that are never explored in books and movies because of a (usually badly done) romance. :(
AND YES - too all your ideas (I especially love the bromance ones). One of my all time favorite sibling books is called Enemy Brothers - set in WW2 about a young boy who is raised in the Hitler Youth only to find he is the English brother of a Christian RAF pilot, kidnapped at birth. It is one of the most beautiful, amazing books I have ever read. Truly glorious and beautiful. It will bring a tear to your eye!
And having a twin myself, I can attest how cool twins are. "grins"
Oh wait - some other non-romantic relationships I would like to see are grandparent - grandchild. Cousins. And a group of girl friends - less giggling, more female comrades - we need more of that.
DeleteI would also like to see more DIVERSE casts - as in AGE diversity. Everybody is always trying to stick children in one group (story), young adults in another and older people in another. WHY CAN'T WE HAVE THEM ALL TOGETHER, LIKE IN REAL LIFE?
*grins* Thank you, Alli!!!
DeleteYou too? Huzzah! *high-fives back* I 100% agree. Just a smidge on the side of a much bigger plot is perfect.
Ugh, yes. It seems like the romances just take over EVERYTHING, and it makes me really sad.
Oh wow, that sounds like such a powerful story! I may need to get my hands on that one. Thank you for the recommendation!
It's so fun you have a twin. Twins are most definitely cool. ;D
I love all of those! Grandparents in fiction can add such depth and warmth and wisdom to a story. And SO much fun can be had with cousins! I had some cousins in a big fantasy series I wrote, and they were like my favorites to write about in the series. Nothing like cousins off saving the world together! XD A group of girl friends is also fantastic! I like those when they're both having fun AND deep comrades. Having an amazing groups of girl friends myself, I know how we can DEFINITELY get silly and giggly, but we're also there for each other in the hard times. I'd love to see that more in fiction!
:O You are so right! It DOES seem like books only allow one age group per story. I haven't really even thought about this! But YES. I agree! We totally need books with diverse age groups!
This was a really original post, good job! Not that your others aren't.... But ya know
ReplyDeleteOh yes, the enviable squads that are made throughout books that you wish you could actually be in, very real
I absolutely love the bromance, too!! It's always so sweet to see the hero people have that soft spot :)
Frodo and Sam, Eanrin and Lionheart, Harry and Ron, Bilbo and Thorin, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes ( MY FAVORITE!!!!)
So yeah, thanks for pointing out all the ( under appreciated?) sweetness :) it was such a happy, good feels post.
That makes me so happy to hear! I've been thinking about doing more bookish discussion posts, so it's wonderful to hear people are interested in that!
DeleteI know right? I want a cool squad to go save the world with. Is that too much to ask????
I can never get enough of the bromances! You named such great ones. I've never even though about Eanrin and Lionheart being one, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT. :O They're so funny together! And Steve and Bucky are one of my favorites toooo. (Just excuse me while I go sob for a millions years.)
Thanks, Varvare! Your whole comment just made me feel all happyful! ^_^
For Dragon and Damsel, H. L. Burke's Dragon's Curse is a great example. Or maybe not because the series quickly turns to romance.
ReplyDeleteI've got a protective younger brother. Or middle brother. But he's the MCs younger brother. That's a fun twist on that dynamic. There's more conflict because the big sister can be bossy without being a brat.
OH. I need to read that! I've been wanting to read more of her books! I've only ever read Coiled by her, but I liked it quite a lot. Plus if it involves dragons I'M ALL THERE. GIMME ALL THE DRAGON BOOKS. And, for some reason, I don't mind romance quite as much if it's in fantasy. And if a book is a fairytale retelling, I welcome the romance! I don't know, I'm weird. I guess I just don't want romance in REAL settings. XD But ANYWAYS. Thank you for the recommendation! XD
DeleteThat does sound fun! The bossy older sisters can be really great to write! Definitely fun dynamics there. Hehe.
I love this! My favorites are definitely the bromance one and the motley-crew-turned-dysfunctional-family. Ah, that last one is SO GOOD. All time favorite. (and Leverage is like, the perfect example of all examples. I love that show so much.) I also love the reluctant parent + wild child, and the dragon one, of course. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd someone mentioned master & servant??? YES! All of the examples are good, but I love Bruce & Alfred, especially. I think you could also add Arthur and Merlin from the TV show to that list.
Anyway, the comments on this post are making me happy, too. Just...so many good relationships. I feel very inspired to go write now, haha.
Thanks, girl! :D Those are my favorites tooooo! Which, I guess you know since you read the post, but still. XD THEY'RE SO GREAT. Oh my goodness, you're a fan of Leverage too??? It's seriously the best. Their family dynamics--the way Nate and Sophie are the parents and the other three are like bickering siblings--KILLS ME.
DeleteYES. I can't believe I didn't think of that one! The Bruce and Alfred type relationships are amazing. And you're right! Merlin and Arthur double as that AND a bromance. Gotta love 'em!
That's so sweet! Everyone's comments are making me happy too. *huggles all the amazing relationships*
LOVE LOVE LOVE ahhhh I love tons of sisters and bromances so much. The 13th Princess by Diane Zahler is a 12 Dancing Princesses retelling that I love, and BBC's Merlin has an amazing bromance.
ReplyDeleteHehehehe! It makes me so happy you enjoyed this!
DeleteTons of sisters and bromances are just SO fun! I have never even heard of The 13th Princess. :O But I just added it to my GoodReads to-read list thanks to you. I am ALWAYS up for more 12DP stories. So thank you! :D
MERLINNNNN. It's literally my favorite show ever! The Merlin and Arthur bromance is the BESTEST one out there.
You're so welcome!! Glad I could help :)
DeleteSAME OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE IT SO MUCH
I LOVE the older protective brother + younger sister trope. It's my absolute favorite to read. The motley crew turned dysfunctional family is also awesome, haha (I would also like to be part of the Rampion crew!!). Great blog post.
ReplyDeleteIt's just the sweetest! I'm always so excited when I find it in books. And yes, you gotta love the motley crews! XD
DeleteLet's just ALL join the Rampion crew! :D
Thanks, girl!
This is a great list! I especially love sibling relationships. They always give me the fuzzies. ^ ^ I also love cousin relationships. We need more of those.
ReplyDeletestoritorigrace.blogspot.com
Awww, thanks! ^_^
DeleteSiblings relationships are SO much fun. And I'm the same way. ALL the happy, fuzzy feelings! ^_^ And cousin relationships, too, YES. I had a group of siblings and cousins in a fantasy series of mine and they were such a blast to write!
I'm super late reading this but I need to just say YESSS. YES to all of these. *shrieks wildly* *while taking notes*
ReplyDeleteAlso if you were thinking of doing more posts like this one and the character types one, I vote yes. :D
- Jem Jones
*grins uncontrollably* Tehehehe. Thank you!!! This makes me so happy you liked it that much! And I'd loooove to do more character-types posts, it's like my FAVORITE subject. That thrills me people are interested in them! :D
DeleteEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE I am super late but THIS WAS AN AWESOME POST!!! I TOTALLY agree with you about non-romantic relationships in books and movies. They're the best!!! XD My favorites are the bromances and motley crew turned dysfunctional family. YES! Someone else who loves BBC Merlin!!! XD Some bromances I like are Captain America\Falcon; Cap. A\Bucky; Ironman\Rhodes; Legolas\Gimli; Sherlock\Watson; Cap. Rex\Anakin Skywalker; Finn\Poe Dameron; Merlin\Arthur; and Cap. Kirk\Spock. Ooh, and Dr. Bones McCoy\Spock is a good one. XD I LOVE the crew aspect in Star Wars: Rebels (which you totally need to watch; I agree with Christine) and Serenity (don't know if you've heard of that?). Thanks for listing all those books! Now I can go and look them up and (maybe) add them to my reading list!!! XD Can't wait to hear about your Camp Nano novel! Yes, more books need dragons. *nods* Have you read the Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson? That had a good crew\family relationship. I'll let you know if I remember any more! XD PLEASE WRITE MORE POSTS LIKE THIS!!! I NEED THEM!!! XD
ReplyDelete(Um, sorry about the long comment with a lot of capital letters and exclamation points. I was a little too excited I think. ;-D)
YOUR COMMENT IS MAKING ME SMILE SO BIG.
DeleteBROMANCES AND MOTLEY CREWS ARE THE BESSSSSST. And ooooh my goodness, your love Merlin, too? IT'S MY FAVORITE SHOW EVERRRR. All those bromances you named are AMAZING (except, as you saw, I shamefully haven't seen Star Wars: Rebels). Marvel seems to be good at bromances. XD
Isn't Serinity the movie following the show Firefly? I've never actually seen either BUT I REALLY WANT TO. I know it supposed to be amazing.
You're welcome for the book recommendations. Always happy to make people's uncontrollable TBRs even MORE monstrous. *smile, smile*
Would you believe I've NEVER read a Brandon Sanderson book????? I've been DYING to for ages, I just can never get my hands on them! BUT ONE DAY I WILL BECAUSE I KNOW THEY'RE AMAZING. And oooh, Reckoners has some good relationships? I NEED IT, PRECIOUSSS.
GAH. GIRL! I will most certainly try to do more posts like this now and again. It just makes me so happy you enjoyed it!
(Uh, look at MY comment. No need to apologize for caps and exclamation points on my blog! XD)
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XD
DeleteI think Marvel is great at bromances. *nods* :-D
Yes, it is. :-) I haven't seen Firefly yet because my dad said it's pretty inappropriate, but Serenity was pretty clean...I think. (I watched it on VidAngel, which is a movie filtering company, so I don't know for sure. :-D) And the characters and storyline and galaxy is AMAZING, so you should totally watch it. XD
YES YOU NEED TO READ THE RECKONERS SERIES! XD The crew relationships were really good! XD XD XD
I did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XD
(Okay, yay!!! XD)
I'm totally late, but AGH YES TO ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOOOOVE the motley crew turned dysfunctional family troupe!! Cinder does it soo fabulously, and I just. <3
I also really, REALLY love brother stories! I haven't read too many books with brothers in them, but one of my latest ideas has two brothers and I just LOVE IT. Also, the bromance. I just, yes, so much yes. ^_^ <3
*griiiins! YOUR COMMENT MAKES ME HAPPY.
DeleteThe motley crews, my goodness yes! When I read the Lunar Chronicles I had NO idea it was going to turn into that. But as I kept reading the series and realized it was I was just like YESSSSSSS. It made me so ridiculously happy. XD
I LOVE BROTHERS TOO. I actually almost added brothers to my list! Because I LOVE finding brothers in books. That's the best you have an idea with two brothers! :D :D :D
THESE ARE MY FAVORITES TOOOO, EEEK! So many great relationships you highlighted! And books too! I sadly haven't read a good chunk of them yet. (But The Care and Feeding of Humans is one I've been wanting to read ever since I first came across it, thanks to you.) Speaking of which: CREEL AND SHARDAS. <3 I love the two of them together!!!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, now I just want to go write all these characters. THANKS A LOT! Mostly. Because you know, time... *glares at pile of homework*
Agh, I especially want to write a great bromance and motley crew. I know I've done the latter before, but I'd love to try a fresh, new, crazy one someday! Seriously, why haven't I written more of these yet?
Oh, oh, I'm jumping all over the place, but parent-child relationships! I adore strong father-daughter scenarios, or mother-son...or mother-daughter or father-son (yassss)--so basically every combination? XD So many protagonists are either orphaned or have mommy/daddy issues!
Fantabulous post! I just love how this sort of post gets my reader side AND writer side excited. ^_^ AND IN JUST A FEW DAYS I GET TO FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR NANO NOVEL!!!!!!!!
EEP. It makes me happy other people like these types too! :D The Care and Feeding of Humans is just adorable! It is very much for younger readers, but I didn't even care. It just made me smile. ^_^
DeleteCreel and Shardas are amazing! It's been SO long since I've read that book. I really want to give it a reread!
*griiiins* You're welcoooome! ;D
It's actually surprising how little I've written bromances or motley crews myself! Though I did have a couple of super fun bromances in my Colors of a Dragon Scale series. And technically, that series also kind of brings everyone together and they're more or less the motley crew type. But I haven't REALLY done a full-fledged motley-crew-turned-family thing. BUT I REALLY WANT TO.
I 100% agree! Parent-child relationships of ANY kind are the sweetest! And I've actually been super bad through the years of having orphans or children with strained relationships with their parents. o.o My NaNo novel actually features good, proper parents because I've been wanting to bring in more solid family relationships in my stories!
D'awww! Thank you, Tracey!!! And I have my post about my NaNo novel all written. I can't wait to share! Your enthusiasm makes me feel all happy-ful! ^_^
Hey, Christine! I'm a reader from Savannah Grace's blog, and I found your blog through your guest post there. I absolutely LOVED that post of yours, and I also loved your post about Cinderella. I wish we talked about this more!
ReplyDeleteI've been creeping around here ever since. I love your blog and yet somehow never got around to commenting? But I HAD TO COMMENT ON THIS. Like, oh my word, I'm not the only girl that's into bromance? It's always felt weird to me--I'm not a guy, I'll never be in a guy/guy relationship, how would this ever help me? But I find them fascinating. Nice to know I'm not alone! :)
Not even to mention big brothers! And the motley-crew-turned family... !! I wouldn't have thought to mention that one, but ohmygoodness! I love that dynamic. Probably why I'm so in love with Guardians of the Galaxy. I literally boycotted the second movie I was so scared of them ruining those characters!
So enjoyed reading this post! Romance is awesome when it's done well, but it's so overdone! I love seeing other relationships.
-Hanna
takingmytime.rothfuss.us
Hiii! *glomps you and gives you welcome cookies* Your comment just made my day! It makes me all giddy inside to hear people like my posts. Thank you!
DeleteThat is so fun you love bromances, too! They are just the BEST. It is crazy how much we, as girls, love them since we can never have it ourselves. But maybe that's it. Maybe guy friendships are appealing to us BECAUSE it's something foreign to us girls. I ADORE finding good girl/girl friendships in books, but it's also something familiar to me. Guy friendships are different, which makes them fascinating. Just like we read fantasy to escape into new worlds we won't ever be able to go to in real life. Something we can never experience in real life is always fun to read about! And...wow. That got deep and rambley. XD ANYWAYS. Just a theory why it appeals to us!
AAAHHHHHHH!!!! Guardians of the Galaxy! I LOVE IT SO MUCH! And GIRL. You need to watch the 2nd movie. o.o It took the family dynamics to SUCH a deeper level. I honestly loved it just as much as the first movie. Trust me, it was amazing! I think you'll love it!
Totally agree! There's nothing wrong with romance in fiction, I just wish it didn't overtake entire plots and OTHER types of relationships. *nods*
Thank you so much for commenting! It made me smile. ^_^
Ohmyword, ohmyword, ohmyword!!!
ReplyDeleteCHRISTINE WE ARE TWINS!!!!
I am a super romantic person and I've decided I'm not going to be ashamed of that anymore, buuuuuut I am such a sucker for other relationships and zero romance!!! It makes for a really nice CHANGE, you know??? A break, a breath of fresh air... It's nice. I like it.
BROMANCES ARE THE BEST BECAUSE IT'S LIKE BROTYERS BUT MORE OPENLY AFFECTIONATE THAN BROTHERS FEEL COMFORTABLE BEING AND IT IS BEYOND CUTE. I really liked Kai and Thorne's relationship in TLC??? That wasn't a full-fledged bromance, but I liked it. Also I think we need a word for sisterly-romance???? BECAUSE WINTER AND SCARLET WERE BROS BUT LIKE... SISTERS. Kind of Cinder and Scarlet too...
Twinnnnnnnnsssss are the cutest ever, oh my. I want to write all of the twins!!!
MOTLEY CREWS!!!! The Avengers leap to mind... The different crews in Catching Fire and Mockingjay... TLC is the best example ever, though!!! I love how each person's relationship with the other members is subtly different: Wolf and Cinder are like fighting buddies and Cinder tries to rake care of him in the absence of Scarlet (I think Cinder is the mom-figure here???), Thorne and Cinder are good friends, Wolf scares Cress but she also feels sad for him, Jacin is kind of pals with Cinder, Jacin protects Cress, Winter and Scarlet are super close, Scarlet and Cinder look out for each other... I could yammer on and on! It's too precious!!!
The reluctant adoptive parent one... The movie Pan was like that and I died from the cute. Hook is the most irresponsible and cavalier but Peter needs a dad and he and Tigerlilly become these makeshift parents for Peter and just awwwwwwww!!!!!!!
ANYWAY THIS WAS THE BEST POST EVER THANK YOU!!!!
I THINK WE ARE TWINS. I'M BEGINNING TO BELIEVE IT! Because I'm always screaming in agreement when I read YOUR posts. We think a lot alike!
DeleteI am soooo glad someone understands! Because, yes, I LIKE romance, and yet at the same time I groan about all the romance in fiction???? I am forever a paradox. But, like, romance is FINE, I just don't want it taking over errrrrything and pushing aside what could be an epic plot. But nooo, they must focus on the ROMANCE. Blech. No. Someone save me.
YES THE BROMANCES I CAN'T. You described them PERFECTLY. You're so right! They're able to sometimes be CLOSER than blood brothers because they don't have that awkwardness and rivalry brothers often have. They're just...bros. AND IT IS PRECIOUS.
I liked Kai and Thorne's relationship in TLC as well! I always imagine later on, after the events of TLC, all their relationships grow even more and there are some epic bromances and things between them all. There was just so much epic friendship-y things going on in that series. I couldn't handle it! <3333 And YES. We need a word for girls. I think "bromance" actually encompasses female friendships now as well but...that just sounds weird to me. XD
RIGHT???? TWINS ARE THE FUNNEST.
Absolutely YES to the Avengers. Did I not mention them in the post??? O___o Because usually when I think of motley crews, I think of them! I guess I lost my brain whatever day I wrote this. XD
You know, I never thought about it much in The Hunger Game books, but you're right. Those books had it going as well. Catching Fire especially had some good motley crew stuff!
OH MY GRACIOUS. TLC. I will never recover from my burning love for that series. And again you're proving we are twins because I've had these EXACT THOUGHTS about the characters. They felt so REAL because their relationships were so different. I loved how Cress was scared of Wolf but, like you said, also felt bad for him. I agree, Cinder was kind of the mom. I think her and Kai make good parents for the crew. XD I adored Cinder's friendship with Thorne. They were great. Then of course Thorne and Cress are like my OTP. And just LSKDJFLJLSDJF. THESE BOOKS. GAH. You're making me want to reread themmm!
Oh yeah! Pan totally had that with him and Hook. And Tiger Lily, too, yeah! You are so right! Hook was GREAT in that movie buuuut that's about all I liked about it. I had like 2938493 problems with that movie because I'm a Peter Pan purist so...yeah. I wished I liked it, and I did try, but I just...didn't. Sadness.
*FLAAAAILS* Well your COMMENT is like the best ever! It's so much fun fangirling with you. THANK YOU! <33333
Right??? Right??? We're starting to rub off on each other and mess each other up psychologically muahahahahahahhaah!!!!
DeleteSAME. It's a torn feeling because I'm super romantic... but everyone does romance, so I like something ELSE for a change. (Conversely, if there is no romance, I will ship ALL THE NON-CANON THINGS!!! Almost as if... I'm a bigger fan of unconfirmed ships than confirmed ones, if that's possible?? Like... I like finding the romance MYSELF. I like searching for it where it probably isn't.)
Yassss, bros are the bessst. Oh, it does?? Yeah, sounds weird to me too...
I don't think you did... Yeah!!! Catching Fire is fun -- Johanna and Finnick and Mags add a great dynamic. And then in Mockingjay when they go on their mission. I like that crew as well... even if we do lose a few people along the way and it DEVASTATES MY SOUL.
Cinder and Thorne are the best platonic ship of all time!!! No question. (Now I want to reread them too...)
Whoops. I do love the reluctant-parent trope, though.
SAME!!