‘Dear authors.. friendships’ or more well known as Merphy spends 17 minutes convincing us to read The Lies of Locke Lamora by mentioning Locke and Jean every thirty seconds 😂
I definitely got sold to the idea. Just gotta wait for the libraries to open up again as it's not available digitally in my area. (Library wise. I'm not spending owt on a book I don't know if I'll like.)
@@pretendtheresaname9213 I beg to differ, on the surface, he seems to like your average goofy sidekick. But, there's much more to him, considering his backstory, struggles with depression, and the way he puts himself down and tells himself that he doesn't matter. He hides his pain with a smile, something that I definitely relate to. Though, it's okay if you don't feel the same, not everyone has the same opinions on characters
Right?! I was thinking about my favourite childhood books recently and realised that most of them are about friendships between men. Don't get me wrong, I still love the friendships between Natty Bumppo and Chingachgook, Ishmael and Queequeg, Sam and Frodo, and suchlike, but it would have been great if more books about deep friendships between girls or women had been available.
I’ve read lots of books with great female friendships, usually they’re in the paranormal romance genre, they’re like two sassy peas (the friends) in the same mess up pod (the paranormal world they just learned about).
But when men are put against each other is ok, right? So, it's only ok when men or two different genders are put against each other? I'm sorry, I know where you're coming from, but most rivalries between PEOPLE are mostly justified in books. Sure, there might be more "women against each other" just because of their gender, but I've seen the same done with men "just cause they're men" and that are actual words I've read.
@@SebzDevYT There is nothing in OP's post to suggest that she thinks it's OK if male characters are pitted against each other for no plausible reason. (For my part, I think that is just as annoying.) The post is not about male characters at all. She just pointed out that it would be nice to have more books focusing on female friendships, not mainly on female rivalries.
I hate the concept of: we are friends, so you have to tell me EVERYTHING, if you don't tell me your every secret I'll get angry and it will ruin our friendship.
In my book, one of the guys keeps a bunch of secrets from his best friend who doesn’t care because he trusts him, but the mc finds it hard to trust him because he is so secretive. Secrets keep coming out and mc is like are u even on our side, but the best friend is just taking in all the awesomeness and connecting the dots like how did i not see this coming I think they both rep the readers perspective, trying to connect the dots while wondering if he will betray them in the end
Wouldn’t it be kind of awkward though, I mean there’s always a chance those feelings could come back. I mean I wish I could be deep friends with my ex but with most people it’s just not believable. Would love to see me proved wrong tho.
I think one of Rowling’s best qualities is her friendships. Like Harry and Luna, who there was never anything romantic with. Or Ron, who was utterly loyal but still was kinda jealous about being in Harry’s shadow.
Completely agreed with that! JK ROWLING's friendships are one of the best. I don't k why merphy does not mention them frequently. We spend 7 books with Harry Ron Hermione being a trio with so many other friendships in which romance is nowhere close. I reread Harry Potter just because of the friendships and childhood joy and friendly love and care. And yes Harry and luna were very interesting as friends,their interactions were pretty cool.😊
Mentioned this in another comment, but I think one thing that makes the friendships so great is that it's not just that Ron and Hermione (for example) are there for Harry... it's that it's reciprocated. They're not just Harry's friends, _Harry_ is _their_ friend. _He's_ there for _them_ too. That's actually... remarkably rare in any story where there's a hero protagonist.
@@sophiaanna7458 its to the really bad batman vs superman movie that came out a a couple years ago. basically the movie has batman and superman fighting to the death but then they find out their moms have the same name and just get along after that.
The last one can be summed up when Harry and Ron become friends with Hermione, “There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.”
Here's a hot take I saw once: instead of unrequited romantic love, what about unrequited platonic love? Like, "you're my best and only friend, but I'm only one of yours," or "you're like a parent to me but you only see me as a pupil/mentee"
"I would die for you" I've got friendships that have lasted decades. There are legit people I would die for. But no-one talks like that. In any situation. Especially to the person- just imagine how awkward that situation would be.
That's the point where you think/feel it, but never say it or hint at it. (Just imply it with "love you") On the other hand, I have no problem saying I'd beat someone for someone or the like, because they know how strongly I feel on making sure they're safe. (They also know I have no qualms of putting shite people in their place....)
Tsundere people can still be friends without it becoming a tsundere romance. The whole point is dislike/hate to like/love, to me that doesn't equal romance unless you want it to.
Check out the book of the ancestor trilogy by mark lawrence, the core of the books are the female mc friendships with other girls and it's absolutely AMAZING if you like fantasy edit: if you prefer YA fantasy, six of crows by leigh bardugo has a really good friendship between the two female main characters (though the book is more of an ensemble cast)
The reason why Sam and Frodo’s friendship is so great and beloved is that it shows why we need friends. Frodo may be the protagonist of LotR, but Sam is the real hero of the story - as Tolkien himself put it “the chief hero”. Without Sam, Frodo wouldn’t have made it to Mount Doom on his own. Their friendship much like the rest of the series is based upon Tolkien’s war experience where soldiers would have their own batman who would give them whatever support needed to carry out their missions be it militarily or personal. Even though Frodo technically failed in his mission to destroy the One Ring, it was through the emotional support of his best friend that he learned to move on from the Shire and leave for the Undying Lands to properly heal from his trauma. Before he left the Shire for good, though, he entrusted Sam to finish his story because Sam was the only person who really could. It’s one of the most beautiful platonic relationships ever depicted, and it gives those who read LotR a reason why friendships can change your life for the better.
Sam is the more conventional hero. Frodo becomes a saintly, Christ-like character, especially in the book, but as he does so the point of view shifts to Sam because it’s hard to relate to a martyr or saint.
@@timswabb Frodo is a failed Christ character. He doesn't succeed in destroying the Ring in the end, which means he had a Christ-like burden that he couldn't carry out.
That would be pretty awesome. Nothing makes me cringe harder than reading siblings calling each other 'bro' and 'sis' unironically, and I see a lot about that online, but you rarely see advice on writing parent/child relationships. I guess most people just kill of the characters' parents so they don't have to deal with that problem. The Witcher 3 (and I assume the books, though I've never read them) is one of my favourite parent/child relationships, even though the characters aren't genetically related.
@@touisbetterthanpi I have a character who’s an orphan, but she was adopted as a baby and only knows her adopted family. It’s not so that she has no family, I just liked the idea of having an adopted character and that is almost never seen in fiction without it being something to do with their birth parents. Is that okay?
@@ihopeicanchangethisnamelat7108 I was being a little tongue in cheek. It’s certainly a very common trope I think mostly because authors don’t want to worry about parents. And sometimes I think that is interesting. But certainly having them be orphans isn’t “wrong”.
One of my favorite type of friendships to write is male + female friendships where they love each other dearly and would die for each other, but there is nothing at all romantic between them and they are into other people. Every time I like those, though, other people seem to really want them to be a couple, so maybe I’m just weird. 😂
I don't think that is strange as someone who has many friends of the opposite gender, however I think a lot cultures discourage friendship with opposite gender to try and prevent opportunities for infidelity. To me that seems like the wrong approach but I can respect it when it is done by people in positions of authority that want to avoid the appearance of immoral behavior. I also think there are some individuals that are very desperate for a romantic connection and view every person of the group they are attracted to through that lens.
I agree completely. Since my best friend is a woman, I know exactly how it works. And that friendship was fundamental to write the friendship of the main protagonists of my novel, who treat each other like brother and sister, even tho they're not related to each other. It's all about having boundaries, and each one understanding how much a platonic friendship can be sometimes more important than a romantic one. For example: To be that one person you go to when the person you decided to marry pisses you off or make you sad. There is something magic about it... But it's a shame that male + female friendships are often seeing with another eyes, or prelude to a romantic one most times rather than not
I agree 100%. And however I believe "friends to lovers" is one of the best romantic tropes, it is overused in comparison to friends being friends. And it is partially because of it that people do not believe that strong friendships could exist between males and females (siblings being the only exception), and they think that always had to be something emotional or sexual in so strong relationships. And it is extremely annoying, especially in real life.
There is a large group of people out there that don't believe in friendship. They see romance every time two people get along (or don't get along). The concept of them not being romantic boggles their minds.
You're not weird, males and females should be allowed to be friends (as society seems to disagree most of the time) and we do really need more of that in books. Anybody have a good recommendation for it?^^
My favourite friendship is probably Harry and Hermione. Two people who are so different in personalities, interests and talents, bicker a lot and just seem like they wouldn't fit together *at all* fit *so* incredibly well together. Despite their obvious differences they always support one another and they are always there for each other. And it's always fun reading them bickering and making up, and just interacting. It's the Golden Trio's friendship that really made Harry Potter amazing for me, but Harry and Hermione take the cake.
One of my favorite friendship moments between them is after Harry’s disastrous date with Cho (when Cho got upset that Harry was going to meet Hermoine after her), and Hermoine’s like, “Duh, you should have told her that you think I’m bossy and ugly,” and Harry’s like, “But I don’t think you’re ugly! D:” It was just a very cute moment, and I really liked when Hermoine tried to help him out with Cho when she could see how Cedric’s death had really hurt them both.
I agree with both of you. Harry,Ron and Hermione are the best as friends. We spend 7 books,7 books!!!!!!!! reading about them, seeing them grow as people and friends and seeing their friendship develop with love,fights, anger and reunion. I swear to god now I want to reread the series.
Harry and Hermione are best friends but I don’t really remember them bickering that much. Harry bickered with Ron at times and Ron bickered with Hermione all the time, but Harry and Hermione got along pretty well.
I tend to find the term "comic relief character" pretty insulting to honest. If humor is the only thing the character brings to the table then fair enough. But characters like Fred and George, Merry and Pippin, Sokka I've never considered to be comic relief. Yes they might involved with a lot of the humor in the series but they add so much more. Though pranksters throughout the series, Fred and George at their core are Harry's big brothers, looking out for him. From helping Ron rescue him from the Dursley's, to giving Harry the priceless gift that is the Marauders Map, Fred and George always had Harry's back from day one. Merry and Pippin were the same with frodo. For me, these aspects always overshadowed their humour despite their humorous side being a more than welcome trait. Anyone that labels them comic relief is under selling them as characters.
@ellisg95 Oh wow, I never really made the connection that Fred and George could be considered big brothers to Harry until I thought about the examples you provided, and now my heart is warmed...
@@LadyDecember I'm glad to hear it. In the second book Harry basically becomes an unofficial Weasley. So much so that in the Order of Phoenix the Weasleys basically choose Harry over their blood relative Percy because they knew that Harry was telling the truth and the Percy cared more about his career than what was right. Fred and George not only looked out for Harry during his earlier years but stuck by him when things got tough in the Order of Phoenix and beyond, putting their own lives at risk. Think Harry's true appreciation of the twins is summed up when he chooses to give them his tri-wizard winnings.
It’s just funny how people are always like “two men/two women can just be friends” and never men/women it’s almost like this is motivated by being uncomfortable with same gender relationships not pro friendship 🤔🤔🤔
I have a men/men/women friendship in one of muy books and there's no even a love triangle! They are just friends, both admits she's pretty and brave but none of them have romantic feelings for her they only see her as a soul sister and them see each other just like brothers ♥ i never understand why male/women characters can rarely be just friends :/
That's why i don't really like the Harry and Hermione ship. They were the first male and female friends i read about that stayed friends and weren't ever romantically interested in each other.
I don't think you have to be homophobic to be annoyed when shippers are always like "But why don't they pork?", platonic relationships, age differences or even blood relations be dammed.
Oh man, I just realized a new pet peeve: when a writer tries to sell you on a friendship between several characters who you’ve barely seen interact. JJ Abrams did this twice with Kirk and Spock in Star Trek Into Darkness and then again with Rey, Poe, and Finn in Rise of Skywalker. But like, come on, you can’t claim these characters are besties if you don’t spend any time developing their friendship. 😡
Sapphire Seraph The crazy thing is Finn actually WAS best friends with Rey and Poe. But somehow TROS managed to make their friendships boring. Rey treats Finn like crap the entire film and Poe and Finn’s friendship turns them into one-note caricatures of themselves.
Yeah, I never understood that Star Wars friendship set. I mean, they just met two days ago and now they'd die for each other? (Also don't understand the whole Kylo x Rey connection....or really any of it to be honest. It felt like the entire set of movies were rushed and never really fully planned because there was too much going on and not enough story, if you get what I mean.)
As someone who is actually working on a graphic novel, is it generally ok if they are already really close friends by the time the book starts but still regularly show that bond? Or is it starting with them already friends in general?
I have one rule to friendships: If two people hate each other but have to work with each other, they both don’t have to immediately become friendly towards each other after one fight, but they also don’t have to become friendly at all. If anything, two characters which hate each other can give space for comic relief moments or more things could happen vital to the overall plot. Making two characters immediately friendly makes it seemed rushed.
And it's possible for characters to remain salty to each other while slowly liking each other more throughout the series, especially if finally on the end something major happens where one of those characters ends up showing in a huge way how much they care, yet still try to pass it off as casual
ceci ok, so I am not sure about it, but however it is possible. Ok so I actually might be in trouble. Ok so this is not funny anymore. Ok so please stop. Ok so please!
One friendship that I particularly enjoy is the one between the characters Gon and Killua in the Hunter x Hunter series. Those two little guys truly care about each other in every way and they both hold each other up quite a bit. It is one of the strongest aspects of the series and, in my opinion, is one of Togashi's greatest strengths as a writer. His previous series, Yu Yu Hakusho, was basically built on the backs of the great friendships built between the four main characters. Both of these works knock friendships totally out of the park.
As a fan of the series, I 100% percent agree with you. They have one of the best platonic friendships in anime. I love their dynamic: Killua being an assassin who just wants to be a regular kid while Gon is a regular kid who doesn't judge anyone. That's why they're perfect for one another. Gon gives Killua a childhood, while Killua supports Gon's dream of finding his father. Though, they do have a few minor arugments, usually about self-sacrifing, they always bounce back to eachother. I'd say their only dividing point was in the Chimera Ant Arc, where Gon took his anger out on Killua. I wish there was more female friendships like theirs.
Agree completely. They are dynamic characters who compliment each other. They are not perfect. Gon is selfish and reckless and Killua struggles to discover himself and push past the limitations set on him. They care for and trust the other. I love how their flaws aren’t overlooked and how they depend on each other. Best friendship.
Percy Jackson has some of the best friendships too. But none can match sam and Frodo. Well, Ron, Hermione and Harry are also great. Maybe these friendships made me get my hopes up on real ones.😕
@@sthirukk You will definitely appreciate LOTR a lot more having read The Hobbit, and so it'll be easier to get through. But at the same time LOTR stands very strongly on its own. Edit: Actually yes, I highly recommend you read The Hobbit first. I just remembered that it sets up a pretty important plotline in LOTR lmao.
@@sthirukk yeah, Tolkeins writting style can be hard to get used to. I struggled a lot as english is not my first language. Hobbit will help you with that and it also sets up an important plotline from lord of the rings. It will also help you decide if lotr is a book which you will enjoy.
@@sthirukk You could begin with The Hobbit, it's helpful, but not necessary. I began with LoTR, since I knew nothing about it (it was pre movies) and I understood everything just fine. The thing is just that... They are very different books. The Hobbit is a lighthearted, sometimes goofy narrative and LoTR is a dense, intense and poetic piece of literature.
@@tlf2818 I did the same. I read LOTR in my childhood before the movies came out. I loved it (more like adored it), I then tried to read the Hobbit but I couldn't finish it. I just didn't like it, much to my disappointment. Depends on personal preferences, the atmosphere of both books are very different. But you definitely don't need to read the Hobbit to understand it at all, it's just a prequel, it won't affect your understanding because Frodo knows nothing and you just learn the plot along with him.
While I agree that not all friendships need to end in a romance, I see a lot of people apply that to same gender relationships, but don't blind an eye when characters of opposite genders end up together in the end. I want more m/f friendships and more m/m or f/f that are friends to lovers (while still having good friendships with other characters).
"You know the friendship is true, intimate, heartfelt, and yet perfectly normal and acceptable everyone including the characters, when people think they're a ship... But they're not." Zutara
@Liza Johnson Yes, well, teen romance was not the focus and seems forced in all the relationships. It’s like Rowling thought it was necessary but also a bother.
@@timswabb I dont really see how that's a problem. Not EVERY friendship turned romance is bad. Plus I'm more referring to how Harry needed them to make it through all of his trials.
I think one of my favourite types of friendships that I don't see a lot in writing is two people that seemingly have no business being friends but they just click. I mean differing personalities to the point where you have to ask yourself "why do you like each other?"
I agree to some extent but I feel that this friendship is one sided. I like Legolas and gimli as friends slightly (just slightly) disclaimer...just slightly above sam and Frodo. But of course Sam is such a sweetheart of a character!
I really love Rons and Harrys friendship and it is so underrated. While reading their conversations, you can feel how honest and close they are to each other. While Harry was at times reserved towards hermione, because he didn't want to hurt her feelings, for example while thinking the time with her was often boring, i had the feeling he could speak with Ron very openly, free and easy, without any hesitation. Their relationship was a represintation of two typical teenage boys who had fun together and being playful with each other. It felt really realistic and natural, because they're on the same page. When they had a fight in GoF or DH, you can feel from Harrys point of view how much Ron means to him, he was literally the thing he would miss most. When they were together, Harry could be just Harry and not "the chosen one" or " the boy who lived", like a normal teenager. I also Love the fact they complete each other. Both have something the other doesn't have and wishes. While Harry has a lot of money and is famous, and Ron is very poor and lives in everyones shadow, Harry has no family, while Ron does. Their friendship started naturally and pure, because both of them liked each other from the very beginning, they didn't needed a giant troll to come up. Ron gave Harry the feeling of a family, Harry even looked at the burrow as his second home after hogwarts. They were basically brothers by bound and the fact, that despite how arrogant and stubborn Harry could be or how dangerous the long journey / adventures were, Ron always followed him through everything, he even overcame his spider fear for him and left his family behind in darkest of times helping Harry to find the horcruxes, while knowing his family could be in danger. The fact that he sacrifised himself for him three times, tells that he was willing to die for Harry, he was actually more important to him than his own life. Harry and Ron are the greatest example of a strong and deep friendship for me.
This is great! Also, I wish there were female female friendships like this in literature. All the ones I come across seem to be men. Female friendships frequently end in betrayal or something associated with a romance, either between the friends or just one of the friends gets a romantic partner and then it's like the friend just disappears. Authors seem to more often pit women against one another and never make them close friends. It exists IRL, I swear! Put it on the page too!
Ikr? It's so annoying. Especially when you can clearly see that the author inserted a friendship between the main female character and another female just so she could confort and push her into the other main character's arms 😭 And then, they just disappear off the surface of the earth and just reappear when their relationship (btwn main characters) is wavering 😒 It's like authors barely respect or value friendships anymore. They're just there for temporary confort or comic relief
@@Claire-td1ng True. I only see really strong friendships in children's books. Apparently once you reach the age of consent, friendships are no longer of importance and it's all about the romance! I beg to differ.
@@angelaluz405 It's so frustrating too. I know some people think that romance is stronger than friendship but I disagree. True friendship is something anyone should strive for and cherish when they have it. Because when you have true friends, that means that they know you for who you truly are and accept it. So I really don't understand why authors persist in making their characters easily put aside years/decades of friendship for a guy/girl they've known for two seconds in the name of true love. Life isn't a fairytale and I find beautiful friendships in books much more moving than passionate romances that are often quite unhealthy anyway 😅
Sam from Lord of the Rings made me evaluate myself as a friend and my friends too. That loyalty really moved me! Sam encourages you and puts you in your place if you veer from your goals. We'd be the best of friends!
Sam is great but there is a downside to his portrayal. Tolkien romanticizes class differences and the master-servant relationship. He shows Sam breaking through class barriers but then explains it by giving him hidden aristocratic blood which magically strengthens in his blonde, fair-haired daughter.
@@abskorditis1232 nothing too big, just trying to perfect something I can be proud of and maybe publish it but I have a long way to go, thank you sm for showing interest tho
@@whydontduckswanttobemyfriends ikr! It really helps to know what readers like and dislike. Is it just me who doesn't like xyz characters or will everyone hate them to? Is the villian completely useless? Just so many things are great when I have a mass opinion
I really don't like it when the author keeps telling me how good of friends they are but doesn't show it - when every time they are on the page they are bickering, bitter or keeping secrets. (Conversation With Friends by Sally Rooney is a really good example of bad "best friends")
If you enjoy friendships, I think you’d like the manga/anime Hunter x Hunter; two of the protagonists (Gon and Killua) have probably one of the best friendships I’ve ever seen. 😊
I missed this one but I always really love friendships where they can be apart for years and still love and support each other just as strongly. I also dislike that romance seems to be endgame; not only for friendships but for readers in general. Ending a book with a solid friendship is not any weaker than with a romance. People can be even closer with their friends than they'd be with a romantic partner. Romance is not a stronger form of friendship.
"People can be even closer with their friends than they'd be with a romantic partner. Romance is not a stronger form of friendship." I disagree. IT CAN, and is supposed to, be a stronger form. If someone is closer with their friends than they are with their romantic partner...... well, in my experience, that's a sign of a bad relationship.
Meh, I disagree with the whole “Friendships can be closer than a romantic relationship” bc if you’re really close to your friend and not your partner that’s weird. There are ways friends can be closer than partners without it being weird, but idk it’s not common. But I do agree that ending with a solid friendship is great and not less than a romantic ending.
I like how harry and hermione started their friendship. They didn't instantly become friends, what made them friends is the Troll. So their friendship was tested before they became friends, which is a really good way to start it in my opinion.
My favourite best friend pairing is still Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. That is a deep connection that in my opinion is unparalleled in other stories :)
I CANT BELIVIE YOU DID’NT BROUGTH UP GOOD OMENS. A and Cs shipping alone is a goldmine, there friendship is so funny and heartfelt, they are like an old marryed couple.
A lot of young authors (including myself) have found this awesome series! Merphy, do you realize what you're doing?? You're helping raise a whole new generation of writers! A generation who will do things differently..... Thanks to you and all the other readers.
Something I find myself struggeling with when it comes to friendships is when the author (for example in a contemporary novel) wants to create a climax by making his protagonist do something wrong so everything comes crushing down on him and then their friends try to make it about them when it was never about them at all. That is not how a friendship works. An example for this is Love, Simon I think it‘s Leah who is angry at Simon for not telling her he is gay (it‘s been a really long time since I‘ve read this so maybe I don‘t remember it right) and I hated to see Simon so hurt and led down by his friends while he‘s going through such a hard time. Even if your friend hurts you or makes a mistake: you don‘t let them on their own when they need you so badly (beautiful example: Letters to the lost: when Declan and Rev have a fight and Declan asks him if he could come over and he responses with ‘always‘) and over all TALK TO THEM. By this I don‘t mean that characters can‘t walk away from each other when they had a fight I just don‘t think it‘s reasonable that you would let a friend down so easily who is obviously suffering.
I agree. I never liked that trope since when someone is trouble, it's upsetting to see that character's friend try to make that problem about them, but that part in Love Simon was only in the movie. The reason Leah was angry at Simon in the book was because she felt like he and Nick were replacing her with Abby since they hung out together without her (then again, I didn't like that either because it was only once and instead of talking about it with them, she ghosted them and blew Simon off every time he tried to found out what he did wrong). Abby and Nick were slightly more understandable and rather than just avoiding him even said they needed time to think about it, but with friendships, if there's a problem, you talk about it, not just walk away, especially when that person is going through a hard time
man I have recently been re-watching buffy the vampire slayer and this happened after she killed Angel and that just always really pissed me off. She went through something absolutely horrible and all her friends do when she comes back is complain and make it about what they had to go through. It didn't even seem that it was because they missed her, it was that they had to do her job for a few months. Buffy was wrong to run away but honestly, her whole life went to shit and all anyone did when she came back for that episode is say that "yeah your life sucked but did you ever stop to think about me?"
One of my favorite friendships ever: Will and Jem from the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. I love them, and I love how a romantic relationship doesn't get in the way of their friendship.
When Merphy went off about liking scenes where friends fight because they know they can do better honestly reminds me of Crooled Kingdom with Kaz and Jesper when *SPOILERS* Kaz and Jesper get in a fist fight and Kaz accidentally calls Jesper his brother's name. That was some juicy stuff to read! One of my favorite moments in the book :)
Merphy, as a writer, I love this series! I don’t necessarily agree with everything, but I feel like it is an excellent resource for authors. I also agree with you that solid friendships are amazing to see in media. They are one of my favorite things to read/view and write! Watched this video and checked things off on the friendship in my book. I realize the points on the video are opinions, but I feel like if my writing is on track with some of the comments, it is confirmation that I am doing something right. Thank you for making this series. I eagerly await each new video!
Annabeth and Percy are one of my favourites. It does become a romantic relationship but it happens slowly they become best friends first. I just love it so much
I think the sister hood of the traveling pants does this well. There doesn’t need to be romance between any of the girls. Growing up together allows to then to have a strong bond with each other but are never afraid to have separate lives apart from each other. They fight but always make up eventually. They push each other to do better. Books and films.
I definitely needed to hear these! I'm writing a book right now and I really want them to have a super strong friendship that doesn't fall flat! Thank you for this!!
I also loved Juliette and Kenji's friendship from the Shatter me series. Kenji was always there to call out Juliette on her wallowing and was there to encourage her and Juliette was always there to listen to him and saw that there was more to him than just his jokes. They really had a strong bond and knew they could rely on each other whenever and for whatever. It was really beautiful.
Love the friendship between Bucky and Sam in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. They pretend to hate each other but will always show up for each other. They can disagree but still talk without yelling or ignoring the other
Honestly all of this advicr is great advice for writing healthy romantic relationships too. If they aren't starting out as friends especially, but even if they do start out as friends. It would make a whole lot less 'I rely on you for all of my needs and any ex you have is a threat'. And a whole lot more 'I dont need to worry about your ex because I know we're both here for each other whenever'.
I love Locke and Jean, however, Harry and Murphy from the Dresden Files is so great because you get to see how that friendship grows over time as they come to trust each other over the course of several books. You see Murphy's skepticism of both magic and her distrust of Harry grow to be one of the strongest friendships in fantasy. Granted, that entire series is filled with some of the best side characters and friendships in any series.
One of my favorite friendships is HP-RW-HG I’ve always loved their dynamics and how truly they care for each other, I think is one of the realest friendships I’ve read with all the ups and downs at some one I’ve identified with each one of them.
Okay, Stormlight theory. The budding and unlikely friendship between Adolin and Kaladin I think may be one of the best elements of the series. There is so much potential there!!! Bonus, the weird love triangle could just be a subplot, a challenge, that helps make the bromance stronger in the end. About that too, these are fresh relationships. Maybe you know instantly how you will categorize everyone you meet (friend, lust, love, hate, love/hate, super friend...). Some people seem to do that. I do not. I don’t even understand that. I think for most people it takes time to figure out what direction things will go. Like puzzle pieces you try one way then another until it clicks in the right spot. Maybe this love triangle is just that, figuring it out. It read that way to me. But I swear, I can see the seeds of a seriously awesome bromance there and I hope, BIG HOPE, that it’s actual foreshadowing that pays off and not just me reading into things.
When I think of a comedic best friend done extremely well I think of Stiles in Teen Wolf. So good, such a needed part of the plot, Scott really needs him, has his own arc, absolutely hilarious too!
Everything you've spoken about perfectly describes the relationship between Fitz and the Fool from Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings and imo is one of the greatest friendships in literature.
When u talked about how two friends always get shipped together when they’re just close u reminded me of my friendships with my meat friends The amount of times ppl have asked me if I’m dating either of them istg...
The are the fantasy friendships that crushed me while reading or watching it. Frodo & Sam, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes, Aza & Daisy, Charles Xavier & Erik Lehnsherr - Looking forward reading The Lies of Locke Lamora soon. I almost picked the book up before the lockdown but ended up with The Little Prince, lol
Man do I love you’re dear author vids. My favorite friendship is Nick and Monroe from the Amazon prime show Grimm. It’s about a detective who learns that he can see the “true form”(/animalistic forms)of certain people and his ancestry to hunt them down. Without Monroe Nick would be dead and/or never learn how to deal with certain cases. I just love how their friendship progresses throughout the series to the point in which when the main plot takes over Monroe is like “No. I have been with you since the beginning and I will be by your side till the end”. (Lol, to how they meet). Same with Nick, when Monroe is dealing with stuff he helps Monroe his way (lawful, sometimes). The support these two have for one another is amazing. When one becomes emotional/reckless, the other calls them out and says “Stop. This is a bad idea. It won’t help anyone.”. The story starts out like a detective story, but the story progresses and the characters change and ahh. I’m like Murphy with the lies of locklamora when it comes to Grimm. It does have its faults, but just ahh. The side plots and the romances that are realistic, are just the best. Villains are amazing (my fav is shown in the pilot episode) and have decent motivation (it depends on who we’re following). I will say that there is a lot of violence at times and nick does kill a lot of people (not without reason and someone even calls him out in one episode). But man do I love these side characters, not so much nick. He’s good, but I do wish they added one or two more layers in his character. Man this became a rant, but to anyone who may read this highly recommend Grimm.
One that i always thought was a great friendship was Royce and Hadrian in The Riyria Chronicles. You could always tell no matter what they were going to have each others backs.
I kind of would like to see authors write more about friendships that naturally drift apart. it’s a natural part of life and honestly all of my best friends that stayed with me from elementary school, to middle school, to high school, the people I thought I was gonna be best friends with forever, eventually drifted apart from each other. I’ve made new friends, rekindled old friendships (kinda), formed a closer bond to acquaintances, but none of my friends now were my best friends from before. I don’t have any best friends atm, at least, I don’t have someone who I consider a best friend who would also consider me as their best friend, but I’m learning to live with that. Maybe I’ll find a best friend when I go to college, who knows. The hardest part about accepting that you drifted apart from your best friend(s) though, is when your parents constantly ask about them and bringing up how close you used to be, even if they didn’t always like them. (My bestest friend that stayed the longest before we eventually drifted apart sometime late Junior year of high school, my parents honestly weren’t the biggest fan of hers and my sister straight up didn’t like her, my brother didn’t really have any opinion tbh, but that didn’t stop me from hanging out with her. Us drifting apart was honestly the hardest to accept and it REALLY didn’t help that my parents kept bringing attention to it by constantly asking about her and why we don’t hang out anymore and stuff.)
I think one of my favorite friendships is Royce and Hadrian from Michael J Sullivans Riyria Series. They are amazing and always there even when they don't like each other!
I know that we talk about books here but when we are discussing friends person that comes to my mind together with Sam& Frodo and Golden trio is Stiles from Teen Wolf. People often call him comic relief because he is sarcastic and quirky. But in reality, without him, everyone would be dead in the first few episodes. His research skills are crazy, he is super smart even tho his ADHD give him some problems in his academic performance. He isn't scared to get into danger even if he is human in a supernatural world. He is loyal to friends even if they take him for granted, don't show that they care about his well being and are too self-centred.
I forgot to comment this before, so I guess I'll just say it here. One of my biggest issues with friendships in books is how mean-spirited and toxic they feel. The whole "playful bullying/teasing" each other thing (which just sounds wrong tbh, why do people do this?) is sometimes the only exchanges between the characters. It makes it seem more like they hate each other. The "teasing" comments made at each other just feel like they're bullying each other at times. A lot of books I've read with this in it also don't have the friend take anything seriously, even when the main character is going through something rough, it just loops back to insults all over again. It's really weird and I don't understand why so many writers believe this is the only thing that happens in friendship. And I'm saying this as someone who does have friends who playfully insult each other. We know our limits and when to stop. Book friendships don't, but they really should.
I am a little late, but I love seeing a friend developing a crush on one another, but then realize that it’s just platonic, because this just feels so real to me. Also my experience with friendship is that the friendships that have the best chemistry and just feel the best are the ones that started with not liking each other. That’s not just in fiction, but also in real life. And it’s just so great seeing something developing. Like something forcing them to work together and then realizing that their first impressions were wrong. I love that. It just feels so good to getting to know each other and then realizing that they like each other.
@@llio2489 You won't know if you try. It's okay to feel insecure, I feel the same as a writer myself, but it's good to take that leap of faith and see where it takes you. But no rush, you are content to take as much time as you need.
totally agree with don't pair them up! unless it makes sense. i get so disappointed when friends are paired up and there wasn't even chemistry or a clue of a relationship
This video about friendship make me think about Merlin and Arthur relationship in the Tv series Merlin (I know it's not a book). I think that their friendship is the best and I really wish that we could have more of that rappresentation in books. Anyway, I love your videos, you make such interesting contents❤
The best thing is that it starts out with them, for a long time, having nothing in common. Merlin is devoted to Arthur by duty; Arthur hardly notices him and doesn't think much of him when he does. But after going through so much together and risking so much for each other they become true friends
Sherlock and Watson in CBS's Elementary is one of the best examples of platonic friendships I have ever seen. I love how it is portrayed. Despite them being so close, they never become romantic. The character chemistry is brilliant
So it wasn't really mentioned here I would luke to bring up separating two friends and how to satisfactorily bring them together again. The pen pal relationship is one I see a lot in older fiction and it is my favorite way to reinforce a freindship while one of the pair is off the page. When two pen pals come together and realize that they regret seperating it can hit just as hard as the faithful companions who would do anything for eachother.
One of the best examples that immediately comes to mind regarding friends that are complete opposites but realize that they need each other, thus resulting in an unbreakable bond with each other is the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey and Doctor Stephen Maturin from Patrick O'Brien's Master and Commander series. Their friendship drove an entire saga of novels about the age of sail and the Napoleonic Wars.
One of my favourite tropes, although it doesn’t happen all that often, is enemies/nemeses to friends. There’s just something so cathartic about people who were once enemies coming together, putting aside their differences and eventually forming a strong bond that makes this trope so appealing to me. Some of my favourites are: Zuko and basically the whole of the Avatar Squad (but especially Zuko and Katara’s relationship-only in a platonic way); Naruto and Sasuke; Yusuke and Kuwabara; Hinata and Kageyama.
I'm currently reading "Red seas under red skies" and I like the friendship there. I don't think I've got yet to that point where I can see them as "the greatest friendship ever" but for now it's really nice (also Jean is my fave). By the way everyone here should watch (or read since it's a manga) Hunter x Hunter (2011), it has THE BEST FRIENDSHIPS EVER.
Kamina from ttgl is a great example of the freindship described in this video, and he's such a good standalone character that you mistake him for the main character upon first viewing (which is on purpose), but he is even greater in relation to the real main character, as he loves him as a brother but wont let his anxiety stand in the way of his potential.
The friendship between Will and Jem in the Infernal Devices series is one of the only redeeming qualities of Cassandra Clare's entire body of work. I was super into her books as a teen (cringe, I know, I've since changed my opinion drastically) and even back then I could see a lot of problems with the way she writes romances and didn't really take Will's "bad boy with a dark past" character seriously. But I LOVED the relationship between him and his "soul brother" Jem. Jem was the only person that Will seemed to genuinely care about despite his super contrived "cursed to never love but not actually cursed" plot device thingy, and Jem's death scene where Will can literally feel Jem's soul being ripped from his is genuinely heartbreaking and would probably still make me cry despite how I feel about the books now. Even as a slash fic obsessed 15 year old I had no desire to see them end up together; I enjoyed their platonic friendship exactly the way it was. The fact that they were both "cursed" seemed to give them an unspoken understanding that none of the other characters could truly relate to, and their banter was entertaining. Aaaand then Cassandra Clare had to go and be Cassandra Clare and have Will bang his best friend's fiancee before his body was even cold. That coupled with the constant emotional cheating between Will and Theresa completely poisons an otherwise beautiful friendship. So yeah, there's an example of how NOT to do the thing.
@@pratappurswani7212 that's another thing I liked, that the love triangle didn't destroy their friendship. I still think they did Jem dirty but he's such a forgiving person.
@@emmakoski8145 They absolutely did! While I do like Jem and Will's friendship I cannot support Will and Tessa's relationship. Jem and Tessa were going to get *married.* He was very serious about her! And it was truly shocking that Will and Tessa hopped into bed with each other not two days after his death. That really pissed me off. It was also super annoying that Jem and Will never came to terms with each other over their feelings for Tessa. That's the thing that frustrates me the most about Cassandra Clare's characters. They have the potential to have good character arcs. But she never explores them in a deep way. It's all so shallow and superficial. I'm done with her books now too, lol. The last one I read was Lord of Shadows. And the whole book was literally one love triangle after another.
@@janhavi1977 Exactly! Thank you for putting it so well. I used to read them with my high school bf and though we both loved some parts we also had parts that we would absolutely roast for being frustrating and/or creepy. Also I completely forgot that she went by Tessa, lol
All the friendships in the Artemis Fowl books are AMAZING, Merphy you HAVE to read them. My other favourite friendships are Mary, Colin and Dickson (from The Secret Garden); Sam and Frodo (of course); the kids' friendships in Swallows and Amazons; and Tom Long and Hattie Melbourne from Tom's Midnight Garden (which is one of my favourite ever books)
i think that friends vs lovers is doe to a basic confusion that we have. LOVE IS FRIENDSHIP! a couple being "in love" is done poorly so many times exactly because of that. i don't care if two people have affection to each other, i care if they are good with each other, aka that they are friends! "maybe love is supposed to be deeper", you may say, but don't pretend that frodo leaving didn't hurt just as much (sometimes more) than lovers separating. love is friendship with commitment for life.
You have to be immortal to be able to read all those books on that shelf and i have a feeling thats still not your entire collection. Like damn thats the first time I've seen that many books in one room outside of a library, props to the love for the pastime and dedication to your craft
There are several ways to do resurrection, each different. It can be common, in which case death loses meaning and murder may become a misdemeanor. It can be unique, as in the stories of Jesus or Gandalf, in which case there should be a reason this one character gets a unique gift. Or it can be uncommon but comes at a terrible price, as in the Malazan series, where many resurrected and undead characters wish they had remained dead or better yet had never been born at all. There’s no one way to do resurrection, but it should be foreshadowed, consistent, and plausible within the rules of your story. And you should think carefully about the consequences of resurrection in your world, and how it changes the world.
@@timswabb in other words don't do a Patterson with the characters in his Maximum Ride series. (If you ever read it, you'll get what I mean. If you haven't, I won't spoil it for you. But it's full on lame and will make you want to bang your (or his) head against a wall.)
Because I haven’t seen it here, I just want to put out there that the Ranger’s Apprentice series has so much good friendship development that feels so believable. The characters go though the story together and really depend on one another’s strengths and help each other’s weaknesses. I know it might be considered a kids book, but I honestly think this series does not get the recognition it should. I think Merphy would really enjoy the series
Normalize male/female friendships without there being a romance. Its annoying anytime a male/female character show any hint of a friendship that the author goes and makes them a couple.
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‘Dear authors.. friendships’ or more well known as Merphy spends 17 minutes convincing us to read The Lies of Locke Lamora by mentioning Locke and Jean every thirty seconds 😂
Yes 😂😂😂
But she is doing it for a good reason. The lies of locke lamora is a genius novel. The other 2 books are also good though.
I'm not going to pretend this isn't true
@@merphynapier42 You did convince me
I definitely got sold to the idea. Just gotta wait for the libraries to open up again as it's not available digitally in my area. (Library wise. I'm not spending owt on a book I don't know if I'll like.)
Read the sequel hello future me or aka an entire channel to make you watch avatar the last airbender
The best example of a character being comic relief while being layered still: Sokka
Not to mention, Leo from Heroes of Olympus, and many others
@@randomcomment1286 Leo is not layered at all.
@@randomcomment1286 Oh, I love Leo so much! He was great
Avatar is overrated trash
@@pretendtheresaname9213 I beg to differ, on the surface, he seems to like your average goofy sidekick. But, there's much more to him, considering his backstory, struggles with depression, and the way he puts himself down and tells himself that he doesn't matter. He hides his pain with a smile, something that I definitely relate to. Though, it's okay if you don't feel the same, not everyone has the same opinions on characters
Dear authors: More friendships between women, stop putting us to compete against each other!!! ❤
Right?! I was thinking about my favourite childhood books recently and realised that most of them are about friendships between men. Don't get me wrong, I still love the friendships between Natty Bumppo and Chingachgook, Ishmael and Queequeg, Sam and Frodo, and suchlike, but it would have been great if more books about deep friendships between girls or women had been available.
I’ve read lots of books with great female friendships, usually they’re in the paranormal romance genre, they’re like two sassy peas (the friends) in the same mess up pod (the paranormal world they just learned about).
But when men are put against each other is ok, right? So, it's only ok when men or two different genders are put against each other? I'm sorry, I know where you're coming from, but most rivalries between PEOPLE are mostly justified in books. Sure, there might be more "women against each other" just because of their gender, but I've seen the same done with men "just cause they're men" and that are actual words I've read.
Well, if an author wants to make art that reflects life, then he won't do what you are suggesting.
@@SebzDevYT There is nothing in OP's post to suggest that she thinks it's OK if male characters are pitted against each other for no plausible reason. (For my part, I think that is just as annoying.) The post is not about male characters at all. She just pointed out that it would be nice to have more books focusing on female friendships, not mainly on female rivalries.
Dear Authors,
More girl/boy friendship that don't end in romance
I agree. I hate it when it happens.
Harry and Hermione - best platonic friendship between a boy and a girl.
@@janhavi1977 yes, but that about it
Studies show that just staying friends between Men and Women is actually harder than a Guy/Guy or Girl/Girl friendship.
@@janhavi1977 Except JK stated she originally wanted them together
I hate the concept of: we are friends, so you have to tell me EVERYTHING, if you don't tell me your every secret I'll get angry and it will ruin our friendship.
It sounds like totalitarianism or the Treaty of Versailles.
@@boogiewoogie343 😂😂😂👌👌👌
In my book, one of the guys keeps a bunch of secrets from his best friend who doesn’t care because he trusts him, but the mc finds it hard to trust him because he is so secretive.
Secrets keep coming out and mc is like are u even on our side, but the best friend is just taking in all the awesomeness and connecting the dots like how did i not see this coming
I think they both rep the readers perspective, trying to connect the dots while wondering if he will betray them in the end
@@dhenderson319 GIVE ME THIS MASTERPIECE
100% agree, such an annoying trope!
Lovers to friends is one I don't see enough. Like they got together it didn't work but they still need eachother in their lives
Elaine and Jerry in Seinfeld is a rare example of this. But I must admit it’s uncommon in real life.
@@timswabb exactly which is why I want to see it in fantasy/fiction lmao
Wouldn’t it be kind of awkward though, I mean there’s always a chance those feelings could come back. I mean I wish I could be deep friends with my ex but with most people it’s just not believable. Would love to see me proved wrong tho.
This actually just happened to me in real life 😅
@Blake Isbell In a slight variation, one of my wife’s best friends is the sister of a man she used to date before she met me.
I think one of Rowling’s best qualities is her friendships. Like Harry and Luna, who there was never anything romantic with. Or Ron, who was utterly loyal but still was kinda jealous about being in Harry’s shadow.
Completely agreed with that! JK ROWLING's friendships are one of the best. I don't k why merphy does not mention them frequently. We spend 7 books with Harry Ron Hermione being a trio with so many other friendships in which romance is nowhere close. I reread Harry Potter just because of the friendships and childhood joy and friendly love and care. And yes Harry and luna were very interesting as friends,their interactions were pretty cool.😊
Don't forget Sirius and James. Their friendship was so strong and amazing!!!!
@@sharnyagarg7865 beautiful username. Chef's kiss worthy.
@@sharnyagarg7865 how can we forget sirius black and James and lupin.
Mentioned this in another comment, but I think one thing that makes the friendships so great is that it's not just that Ron and Hermione (for example) are there for Harry... it's that it's reciprocated. They're not just Harry's friends, _Harry_ is _their_ friend. _He's_ there for _them_ too. That's actually... remarkably rare in any story where there's a hero protagonist.
Shoutout to whoever said "just because their dead mothers have the same name" knowing Merphy had a 0% chance of getting that reference.
"WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME???" 🤣
marthaaaa
What reference is it?
@@sophiaanna7458 its to the really bad batman vs superman movie that came out a a couple years ago. basically the movie has batman and superman fighting to the death but then they find out their moms have the same name and just get along after that.
Like actually though 🤣🤣🤣
The last one can be summed up when Harry and Ron become friends with Hermione, “There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.”
Here's a hot take I saw once: instead of unrequited romantic love, what about unrequited platonic love? Like, "you're my best and only friend, but I'm only one of yours," or "you're like a parent to me but you only see me as a pupil/mentee"
T H I S
Literally the book I'm writing. Hope I can pull it off!
I kinda remembered the "I hate you" thing between Batman and Joker in that playmobile movie
@@QuanticDreamer you mean the Lego Batman movie? Lol
I want to see this too like this is so rare
"I would die for you"
I've got friendships that have lasted decades. There are legit people I would die for.
But no-one talks like that. In any situation. Especially to the person- just imagine how awkward that situation would be.
Right, how do you even answer to that? Like "Yeah, same" or "Ok". Whatever you say, it ends up sounding awkward.
@spill the hot chocolate What about “OMG saaaame!”
That's the point where you think/feel it, but never say it or hint at it. (Just imply it with "love you")
On the other hand, I have no problem saying I'd beat someone for someone or the like, because they know how strongly I feel on making sure they're safe. (They also know I have no qualms of putting shite people in their place....)
You can probably pull it off in the midst of a battle, but that's pretty much the only situation where it might work
@@aino-kaisav5504 you Han Solo it;
"I would die for you"
"I know" 😐
Ah, one my favorite narrative tools.
Actual friendship.
No tsuderes.
No love interests.
No nemesis.
ACTUAL FRIENDSHIP.
Nemeses is plural of nemesis 😅😇
Tsundere people can still be friends without it becoming a tsundere romance. The whole point is dislike/hate to like/love, to me that doesn't equal romance unless you want it to.
Same! Could you recommend some books/stories please? I need more Friendships and less romance in books^^
Ah yes, well-done friendship.
Just like my pancakes.
I love nemisis they are fun but I agree.
I read somewhere that what makes the golden trio perfect in Harry Potter is the fact that they all are the awkward third wheel in some way.
Friendships are my greatest weakness in fiction. If u give me a good friendship I’ll bawl my eyes out at every sad moment.
I think I've never read a two girls friendship. The only one I can think about is Toph and Katara's friendship
Jose Rives Lol well if you’re interested in more Avatar stuff, The Rise of Kyoshi has a strong female friendship between Kyoshi and her friend Rangi.
@@tariqthomas9090 Thank you so much, I didn't know about it. I've only read the first three comics that go after the show
We really do need more
Check out the book of the ancestor trilogy by mark lawrence, the core of the books are the female mc friendships with other girls and it's absolutely AMAZING if you like fantasy
edit: if you prefer YA fantasy, six of crows by leigh bardugo has a really good friendship between the two female main characters (though the book is more of an ensemble cast)
Alexa and Katie from Alexa and Katie is an AWESOME friendship I also remembered that Anne and Diana's relationship from Anne with an E is also good
I feel like when Sam followed Frodo into the water even though he couldn’t swim is the true definition of “I would die for you”
wow so much message in jusy a single action😍😍😍😍😍
The reason why Sam and Frodo’s friendship is so great and beloved is that it shows why we need friends. Frodo may be the protagonist of LotR, but Sam is the real hero of the story - as Tolkien himself put it “the chief hero”. Without Sam, Frodo wouldn’t have made it to Mount Doom on his own. Their friendship much like the rest of the series is based upon Tolkien’s war experience where soldiers would have their own batman who would give them whatever support needed to carry out their missions be it militarily or personal. Even though Frodo technically failed in his mission to destroy the One Ring, it was through the emotional support of his best friend that he learned to move on from the Shire and leave for the Undying Lands to properly heal from his trauma. Before he left the Shire for good, though, he entrusted Sam to finish his story because Sam was the only person who really could. It’s one of the most beautiful platonic relationships ever depicted, and it gives those who read LotR a reason why friendships can change your life for the better.
Sam is the more conventional hero. Frodo becomes a saintly, Christ-like character, especially in the book, but as he does so the point of view shifts to Sam because it’s hard to relate to a martyr or saint.
Amazing Observation. Totally agree!
@@timswabb Frodo is a failed Christ character. He doesn't succeed in destroying the Ring in the end, which means he had a Christ-like burden that he couldn't carry out.
This is honestly why I don't like shipping them. I'm not mad at people that do, but when I see it, I always inevitably cringe.
and why you are doomed when you don't have that haha
You should do a dear authors... family dynamics. Parents, siblings, children and so on.
That would be pretty awesome. Nothing makes me cringe harder than reading siblings calling each other 'bro' and 'sis' unironically, and I see a lot about that online, but you rarely see advice on writing parent/child relationships. I guess most people just kill of the characters' parents so they don't have to deal with that problem.
The Witcher 3 (and I assume the books, though I've never read them) is one of my favourite parent/child relationships, even though the characters aren't genetically related.
Dear authors.... not everyone needs to be an orphan
@@touisbetterthanpi I have a character who’s an orphan, but she was adopted as a baby and only knows her adopted family. It’s not so that she has no family, I just liked the idea of having an adopted character and that is almost never seen in fiction without it being something to do with their birth parents. Is that okay?
@@ihopeicanchangethisnamelat7108 I was being a little tongue in cheek. It’s certainly a very common trope I think mostly because authors don’t want to worry about parents. And sometimes I think that is interesting. But certainly having them be orphans isn’t “wrong”.
@@touisbetterthanpi okay, thanks. I guess it is often a way for authors not to bother about creating other characters
One of my favorite type of friendships to write is male + female friendships where they love each other dearly and would die for each other, but there is nothing at all romantic between them and they are into other people. Every time I like those, though, other people seem to really want them to be a couple, so maybe I’m just weird. 😂
I don't think that is strange as someone who has many friends of the opposite gender, however I think a lot cultures discourage friendship with opposite gender to try and prevent opportunities for infidelity. To me that seems like the wrong approach but I can respect it when it is done by people in positions of authority that want to avoid the appearance of immoral behavior. I also think there are some individuals that are very desperate for a romantic connection and view every person of the group they are attracted to through that lens.
I agree completely. Since my best friend is a woman, I know exactly how it works. And that friendship was fundamental to write the friendship of the main protagonists of my novel, who treat each other like brother and sister, even tho they're not related to each other. It's all about having boundaries, and each one understanding how much a platonic friendship can be sometimes more important than a romantic one. For example: To be that one person you go to when the person you decided to marry pisses you off or make you sad. There is something magic about it... But it's a shame that male + female friendships are often seeing with another eyes, or prelude to a romantic one most times rather than not
I agree 100%. And however I believe "friends to lovers" is one of the best romantic tropes, it is overused in comparison to friends being friends. And it is partially because of it that people do not believe that strong friendships could exist between males and females (siblings being the only exception), and they think that always had to be something emotional or sexual in so strong relationships.
And it is extremely annoying, especially in real life.
There is a large group of people out there that don't believe in friendship. They see romance every time two people get along (or don't get along). The concept of them not being romantic boggles their minds.
You're not weird, males and females should be allowed to be friends (as society seems to disagree most of the time) and we do really need more of that in books. Anybody have a good recommendation for it?^^
My favourite friendship is probably Harry and Hermione. Two people who are so different in personalities, interests and talents, bicker a lot and just seem like they wouldn't fit together *at all* fit *so* incredibly well together. Despite their obvious differences they always support one another and they are always there for each other. And it's always fun reading them bickering and making up, and just interacting. It's the Golden Trio's friendship that really made Harry Potter amazing for me, but Harry and Hermione take the cake.
One of my favorite friendship moments between them is after Harry’s disastrous date with Cho (when Cho got upset that Harry was going to meet Hermoine after her), and Hermoine’s like, “Duh, you should have told her that you think I’m bossy and ugly,” and Harry’s like, “But I don’t think you’re ugly! D:” It was just a very cute moment, and I really liked when Hermoine tried to help him out with Cho when she could see how Cedric’s death had really hurt them both.
I agree with both of you. Harry,Ron and Hermione are the best as friends. We spend 7 books,7 books!!!!!!!! reading about them, seeing them grow as people and friends and seeing their friendship develop with love,fights, anger and reunion. I swear to god now I want to reread the series.
I don’t think they bicker.
Harry and Hermione are best friends but I don’t really remember them bickering that much. Harry bickered with Ron at times and Ron bickered with Hermione all the time, but Harry and Hermione got along pretty well.
@@tariqthomas9090 as far as I remember they had pretty good time in prisoner of askaban, order of phoenix and deathly hallows.
I entered this video knowing: she will mention Locke and Jean XD
I have read the books recently and yes ! Locke and Jean are really great friends. They deserve to be honest onn the list.
Not big fan of the series but yes, they have a solid dynamic between them
"mention" about a hundred times lol
Yeah she would
I tend to find the term "comic relief character" pretty insulting to honest. If humor is the only thing the character brings to the table then fair enough. But characters like Fred and George, Merry and Pippin, Sokka I've never considered to be comic relief. Yes they might involved with a lot of the humor in the series but they add so much more.
Though pranksters throughout the series, Fred and George at their core are Harry's big brothers, looking out for him. From helping Ron rescue him from the Dursley's, to giving Harry the priceless gift that is the Marauders Map, Fred and George always had Harry's back from day one. Merry and Pippin were the same with frodo. For me, these aspects always overshadowed their humour despite their humorous side being a more than welcome trait. Anyone that labels them comic relief is under selling them as characters.
ellisg95 Who is Sokka from?
@@thedangerousivy Avatar: The Last Airbender
@ellisg95 Oh wow, I never really made the connection that Fred and George could be considered big brothers to Harry until I thought about the examples you provided, and now my heart is warmed...
@@LadyDecember Well it only follows since Harry is sort of a surrogate Weasley it's really the only family he's ever known.
@@LadyDecember I'm glad to hear it. In the second book Harry basically becomes an unofficial Weasley. So much so that in the Order of Phoenix the Weasleys basically choose Harry over their blood relative Percy because they knew that Harry was telling the truth and the Percy cared more about his career than what was right. Fred and George not only looked out for Harry during his earlier years but stuck by him when things got tough in the Order of Phoenix and beyond, putting their own lives at risk. Think Harry's true appreciation of the twins is summed up when he chooses to give them his tri-wizard winnings.
It’s just funny how people are always like “two men/two women can just be friends” and never men/women it’s almost like this is motivated by being uncomfortable with same gender relationships not pro friendship 🤔🤔🤔
PREACH
Yeah I thought that distinction was odd too. I almost commented on it and wish I had
I have a men/men/women friendship in one of muy books and there's no even a love triangle! They are just friends, both admits she's pretty and brave but none of them have romantic feelings for her they only see her as a soul sister and them see each other just like brothers ♥ i never understand why male/women characters can rarely be just friends :/
That's why i don't really like the Harry and Hermione ship. They were the first male and female friends i read about that stayed friends and weren't ever romantically interested in each other.
I don't think you have to be homophobic to be annoyed when shippers are always like "But why don't they pork?", platonic relationships, age differences or even blood relations be dammed.
Oh man, I just realized a new pet peeve: when a writer tries to sell you on a friendship between several characters who you’ve barely seen interact. JJ Abrams did this twice with Kirk and Spock in Star Trek Into Darkness and then again with Rey, Poe, and Finn in Rise of Skywalker. But like, come on, you can’t claim these characters are besties if you don’t spend any time developing their friendship. 😡
Sapphire Seraph The crazy thing is Finn actually WAS best friends with Rey and Poe. But somehow TROS managed to make their friendships boring. Rey treats Finn like crap the entire film and Poe and Finn’s friendship turns them into one-note caricatures of themselves.
Yeah, I never understood that Star Wars friendship set. I mean, they just met two days ago and now they'd die for each other?
(Also don't understand the whole Kylo x Rey connection....or really any of it to be honest. It felt like the entire set of movies were rushed and never really fully planned because there was too much going on and not enough story, if you get what I mean.)
Yeah, there doesn't seem to be any camaraderie between Rey, Finn, and Poe.
@@janhavi1977 I thought the actors did a decent job selling a relationship that wasn't really there. Too bad the script was bad.
As someone who is actually working on a graphic novel, is it generally ok if they are already really close friends by the time the book starts but still regularly show that bond? Or is it starting with them already friends in general?
I have one rule to friendships:
If two people hate each other but have to work with each other, they both don’t have to immediately become friendly towards each other after one fight, but they also don’t have to become friendly at all. If anything, two characters which hate each other can give space for comic relief moments or more things could happen vital to the overall plot. Making two characters immediately friendly makes it seemed rushed.
Reminds me of Avatar. Don't wanna spoil, but I think if you've seen it you know what I'm referring to
I was thinking of Spike and Angel in season 5 of Angel. I've also been on a Buffyverse kick, though, so that could be why.
And it's possible for characters to remain salty to each other while slowly liking each other more throughout the series, especially if finally on the end something major happens where one of those characters ends up showing in a huge way how much they care, yet still try to pass it off as casual
So like Rohan and Josuke? They certainly don't like each other, but kind of respect each other a little bit at least.
That's happens a lot in anime.
Who else now starts sentences
With "okay so... "
Me too, it’s becoming a problem
Okay so I have all like these bad speaking habits I can’t even...
ceci ok, so I am not sure about it, but however it is possible. Ok so I actually might be in trouble. Ok so this is not funny anymore. Ok so please stop. Ok so please!
My English was better before I was exposed to the internet language
I find it more impactful if there's a threat to a strong friendship rather than just another romance
Except if the threat is betrayal. Even a strong friendship is vulnerable to betrayal.
Oh yes!
Romance is a threat
Bridesmaids movie came to mind where 2 women were not fighting over a guy but were competing to a friend, the bride.
One friendship that I particularly enjoy is the one between the characters Gon and Killua in the Hunter x Hunter series. Those two little guys truly care about each other in every way and they both hold each other up quite a bit. It is one of the strongest aspects of the series and, in my opinion, is one of Togashi's greatest strengths as a writer. His previous series, Yu Yu Hakusho, was basically built on the backs of the great friendships built between the four main characters. Both of these works knock friendships totally out of the park.
As a fan of the series, I 100% percent agree with you. They have one of the best platonic friendships in anime. I love their dynamic: Killua being an assassin who just wants to be a regular kid while Gon is a regular kid who doesn't judge anyone. That's why they're perfect for one another. Gon gives Killua a childhood, while Killua supports Gon's dream of finding his father. Though, they do have a few minor arugments, usually about self-sacrifing, they always bounce back to eachother. I'd say their only dividing point was in the Chimera Ant Arc, where Gon took his anger out on Killua. I wish there was more female friendships like theirs.
Agree completely. They are dynamic characters who compliment each other. They are not perfect. Gon is selfish and reckless and Killua struggles to discover himself and push past the limitations set on him. They care for and trust the other. I love how their flaws aren’t overlooked and how they depend on each other. Best friendship.
Was going to say the same thing. I'm not sure if she watches anime, but if she does, based on this video she would love love love that series.
Their friendship is truly precious ♥
Percy Jackson has some of the best friendships too. But none can match sam and Frodo. Well, Ron, Hermione and Harry are also great.
Maybe these friendships made me get my hopes up on real ones.😕
Same, love pjo's friendship, the golden trio was the highlight of my childhood. I haven't read LOTR yet, am I supposed to read the Hobbit first?
@@sthirukk You will definitely appreciate LOTR a lot more having read The Hobbit, and so it'll be easier to get through. But at the same time LOTR stands very strongly on its own.
Edit: Actually yes, I highly recommend you read The Hobbit first. I just remembered that it sets up a pretty important plotline in LOTR lmao.
@@sthirukk yeah, Tolkeins writting style can be hard to get used to. I struggled a lot as english is not my first language. Hobbit will help you with that and it also sets up an important plotline from lord of the rings. It will also help you decide if lotr is a book which you will enjoy.
@@sthirukk You could begin with The Hobbit, it's helpful, but not necessary. I began with LoTR, since I knew nothing about it (it was pre movies) and I understood everything just fine.
The thing is just that... They are very different books. The Hobbit is a lighthearted, sometimes goofy narrative and LoTR is a dense, intense and poetic piece of literature.
@@tlf2818 I did the same. I read LOTR in my childhood before the movies came out. I loved it (more like adored it), I then tried to read the Hobbit but I couldn't finish it. I just didn't like it, much to my disappointment. Depends on personal preferences, the atmosphere of both books are very different. But you definitely don't need to read the Hobbit to understand it at all, it's just a prequel, it won't affect your understanding because Frodo knows nothing and you just learn the plot along with him.
While I agree that not all friendships need to end in a romance, I see a lot of people apply that to same gender relationships, but don't blind an eye when characters of opposite genders end up together in the end. I want more m/f friendships and more m/m or f/f that are friends to lovers (while still having good friendships with other characters).
"You know the friendship is true, intimate, heartfelt, and yet perfectly normal and acceptable everyone including the characters, when people think they're a ship... But they're not."
Zutara
Im surprised you didnt bring up the HP trio when you talked about friends "needing" each other.
The problem is that two of them became romantically involved.
@Liza Johnson Yes, well, teen romance was not the focus and seems forced in all the relationships. It’s like Rowling thought it was necessary but also a bother.
@@timswabb I dont really see how that's a problem. Not EVERY friendship turned romance is bad. Plus I'm more referring to how Harry needed them to make it through all of his trials.
Ron is never a good friend in the movies, only Harry and Hermione
@@isalisa3058 The movies didn't portray him accurately
I think one of my favourite types of friendships that I don't see a lot in writing is two people that seemingly have no business being friends but they just click. I mean differing personalities to the point where you have to ask yourself "why do you like each other?"
That sounds really good actually! I would love to read a friendship like that!
Even though Hermione and Ron ended up together, the golden trio was such a great friendship. They always supported eachother ♥️
Sam and Frodo is the best friendship ever made and no one can convince me otherwise ;)
I'm here!
.
.
.
.
To stand with you Ofcourse
Nah. Not when Zuko and Toph's exists
I couldn't agree more!! Sam is my favorite character of all time as well :)
I agree to some extent but I feel that this friendship is one sided. I like Legolas and gimli as friends slightly (just slightly) disclaimer...just slightly above sam and Frodo. But of course Sam is such a sweetheart of a character!
@@worldofskylands "What? You've all had a life changing field trip with him, now it's my turn!"
I really love Rons and Harrys friendship and it is so underrated. While reading their conversations, you can feel how honest and close they are to each other. While Harry was at times reserved towards hermione, because he didn't want to hurt her feelings, for example while thinking the time with her was often boring, i had the feeling he could speak with Ron very openly, free and easy, without any hesitation. Their relationship was a represintation of two typical teenage boys who had fun together and being playful with each other. It felt really realistic and natural, because they're on the same page. When they had a fight in GoF or DH, you can feel from Harrys point of view how much Ron means to him, he was literally the thing he would miss most. When they were together, Harry could be just Harry and not "the chosen one" or " the boy who lived", like a normal teenager. I also Love the fact they complete each other. Both have something the other doesn't have and wishes. While Harry has a lot of money and is famous, and Ron is very poor and lives in everyones shadow, Harry has no family, while Ron does. Their friendship started naturally and pure, because both of them liked each other from the very beginning, they didn't needed a giant troll to come up. Ron gave Harry the feeling of a family, Harry even looked at the burrow as his second home after hogwarts. They were basically brothers by bound and the fact, that despite how arrogant and stubborn Harry could be or how dangerous the long journey / adventures were, Ron always followed him through everything, he even overcame his spider fear for him and left his family behind in darkest of times helping Harry to find the horcruxes, while knowing his family could be in danger. The fact that he sacrifised himself for him three times, tells that he was willing to die for Harry, he was actually more important to him than his own life. Harry and Ron are the greatest example of a strong and deep friendship for me.
This is great! Also, I wish there were female female friendships like this in literature. All the ones I come across seem to be men. Female friendships frequently end in betrayal or something associated with a romance, either between the friends or just one of the friends gets a romantic partner and then it's like the friend just disappears. Authors seem to more often pit women against one another and never make them close friends. It exists IRL, I swear! Put it on the page too!
Ikr? It's so annoying. Especially when you can clearly see that the author inserted a friendship between the main female character and another female just so she could confort and push her into the other main character's arms 😭
And then, they just disappear off the surface of the earth and just reappear when their relationship (btwn main characters) is wavering 😒 It's like authors barely respect or value friendships anymore. They're just there for temporary confort or comic relief
@@Claire-td1ng True. I only see really strong friendships in children's books. Apparently once you reach the age of consent, friendships are no longer of importance and it's all about the romance! I beg to differ.
@@angelaluz405 It's so frustrating too. I know some people think that romance is stronger than friendship but I disagree. True friendship is something anyone should strive for and cherish when they have it. Because when you have true friends, that means that they know you for who you truly are and accept it. So I really don't understand why authors persist in making their characters easily put aside years/decades of friendship for a guy/girl they've known for two seconds in the name of true love. Life isn't a fairytale and I find beautiful friendships in books much more moving than passionate romances that are often quite unhealthy anyway 😅
Sam from Lord of the Rings made me evaluate myself as a friend and my friends too. That loyalty really moved me! Sam encourages you and puts you in your place if you veer from your goals.
We'd be the best of friends!
Sam is great but there is a downside to his portrayal. Tolkien romanticizes class differences and the master-servant relationship. He shows Sam breaking through class barriers but then explains it by giving him hidden aristocratic blood which magically strengthens in his blonde, fair-haired daughter.
as a writer, this is actually so helpful. Thank you for these!
What are you writing if it's not a secret.
Same! My writing has totally improved!
@@abskorditis1232 nothing too big, just trying to perfect something I can be proud of and maybe publish it but I have a long way to go, thank you sm for showing interest tho
@@whydontduckswanttobemyfriends ikr! It really helps to know what readers like and dislike. Is it just me who doesn't like xyz characters or will everyone hate them to? Is the villian completely useless? Just so many things are great when I have a mass opinion
I really don't like it when the author keeps telling me how good of friends they are but doesn't show it - when every time they are on the page they are bickering, bitter or keeping secrets.
(Conversation With Friends by Sally Rooney is a really good example of bad "best friends")
“I love platonic friendships.”
*The Mortal Instruments has entered the chat*
James Hinkle that reminds me, Simon and Clary is an example of lovers to friends. Well best friends to lovers to best friends.
If you enjoy friendships, I think you’d like the manga/anime Hunter x Hunter; two of the protagonists (Gon and Killua) have probably one of the best friendships I’ve ever seen. 😊
Waiting for thos comment
This was the first example I thought of when I started the video.
I missed this one but I always really love friendships where they can be apart for years and still love and support each other just as strongly. I also dislike that romance seems to be endgame; not only for friendships but for readers in general. Ending a book with a solid friendship is not any weaker than with a romance. People can be even closer with their friends than they'd be with a romantic partner. Romance is not a stronger form of friendship.
"People can be even closer with their friends than they'd be with a romantic partner. Romance is not a stronger form of friendship."
I disagree. IT CAN, and is supposed to, be a stronger form. If someone is closer with their friends than they are with their romantic partner...... well, in my experience, that's a sign of a bad relationship.
Meh, I disagree with the whole “Friendships can be closer than a romantic relationship” bc if you’re really close to your friend and not your partner that’s weird. There are ways friends can be closer than partners without it being weird, but idk it’s not common. But I do agree that ending with a solid friendship is great and not less than a romantic ending.
Agreed wholeheartedly
I like how harry and hermione started their friendship. They didn't instantly become friends, what made them friends is the Troll. So their friendship was tested before they became friends, which is a really good way to start it in my opinion.
Yes!!!
I agree
I like that too
“there are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve foot mountain troll is one of them.”
@@elisethierbach2784 That line's always tugged at my heartstrings
Philosopher's Stone is a really precious book overall
My favourite best friend pairing is still Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. That is a deep connection that in my opinion is unparalleled in other stories :)
I CANT BELIVIE YOU DID’NT BROUGTH UP GOOD OMENS. A and Cs shipping alone is a goldmine, there friendship is so funny and heartfelt, they are like an old marryed couple.
Trueeee!
A lot of young authors (including myself) have found this awesome series! Merphy, do you realize what you're doing?? You're helping raise a whole new generation of writers! A generation who will do things differently..... Thanks to you and all the other readers.
Something I find myself struggeling with when it comes to friendships is when the author (for example in a contemporary novel) wants to create a climax by making his protagonist do something wrong so everything comes crushing down on him and then their friends try to make it about them when it was never about them at all. That is not how a friendship works. An example for this is Love, Simon I think it‘s Leah who is angry at Simon for not telling her he is gay (it‘s been a really long time since I‘ve read this so maybe I don‘t remember it right) and I hated to see Simon so hurt and led down by his friends while he‘s going through such a hard time. Even if your friend hurts you or makes a mistake: you don‘t let them on their own when they need you so badly (beautiful example: Letters to the lost: when Declan and Rev have a fight and Declan asks him if he could come over and he responses with ‘always‘) and over all TALK TO THEM. By this I don‘t mean that characters can‘t walk away from each other when they had a fight I just don‘t think it‘s reasonable that you would let a friend down so easily who is obviously suffering.
I agree. I never liked that trope since when someone is trouble, it's upsetting to see that character's friend try to make that problem about them, but that part in Love Simon was only in the movie. The reason Leah was angry at Simon in the book was because she felt like he and Nick were replacing her with Abby since they hung out together without her (then again, I didn't like that either because it was only once and instead of talking about it with them, she ghosted them and blew Simon off every time he tried to found out what he did wrong). Abby and Nick were slightly more understandable and rather than just avoiding him even said they needed time to think about it, but with friendships, if there's a problem, you talk about it, not just walk away, especially when that person is going through a hard time
RosettaStarlight Oh, thanks for correcting that! I had a feeling that I mixed something up with the movie but I didn‘t know the story exactly anymore
@@andreagruenewald No problem! :)
man I have recently been re-watching buffy the vampire slayer and this happened after she killed Angel and that just always really pissed me off. She went through something absolutely horrible and all her friends do when she comes back is complain and make it about what they had to go through. It didn't even seem that it was because they missed her, it was that they had to do her job for a few months. Buffy was wrong to run away but honestly, her whole life went to shit and all anyone did when she came back for that episode is say that "yeah your life sucked but did you ever stop to think about me?"
One of my favorite friendships ever: Will and Jem from the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. I love them, and I love how a romantic relationship doesn't get in the way of their friendship.
I appreciate a good friendly rivalry. Friends who get on each other's nerves but are actually really close.
(Zoro and Sanji)
One Piece in general has fantastic friendships, but yeah Zoro and Sanji definitely stand out :D
I also really love Ruffy's, Usopp's and chopper's friendship.
(sorry if I wrote the names wrong)
I hope no one took a drink every time Merphy mentioned Locke and Jean. They are probably still recovering.
When Merphy went off about liking scenes where friends fight because they know they can do better honestly reminds me of Crooled Kingdom with Kaz and Jesper when *SPOILERS*
Kaz and Jesper get in a fist fight and Kaz accidentally calls Jesper his brother's name. That was some juicy stuff to read! One of my favorite moments in the book :)
I can't wait until you read or watch Hunter x Hunter. Incredible magic system but the friendship of Gon and Killua is GOALS.
Merphy, as a writer, I love this series! I don’t necessarily agree with everything, but I feel like it is an excellent resource for authors. I also agree with you that solid friendships are amazing to see in media. They are one of my favorite things to read/view and write! Watched this video and checked things off on the friendship in my book. I realize the points on the video are opinions, but I feel like if my writing is on track with some of the comments, it is confirmation that I am doing something right. Thank you for making this series. I eagerly await each new video!
Annabeth and Percy are one
of my favourites. It does become a romantic relationship but it happens slowly they become best friends first. I just love it so much
I think the sister hood of the traveling pants does this well. There doesn’t need to be romance between any of the girls. Growing up together allows to then to have a strong bond with each other but are never afraid to have separate lives apart from each other. They fight but always make up eventually. They push each other to do better. Books and films.
Can’t wait to make two characters have an amazing, genuine friendship, only to remember one of them is gonna kill the other..
I definitely needed to hear these! I'm writing a book right now and I really want them to have a super strong friendship that doesn't fall flat! Thank you for this!!
I also loved Juliette and Kenji's friendship from the Shatter me series. Kenji was always there to call out Juliette on her wallowing and was there to encourage her and Juliette was always there to listen to him and saw that there was more to him than just his jokes. They really had a strong bond and knew they could rely on each other whenever and for whatever. It was really beautiful.
Omg yes. They were amazing and Kenji was my absolute favorite character
One of my favorite friendships is Kvothe and Auri from The Kingkiller Chronicles. That friendship is so pure and innocent.
Love the friendship between Bucky and Sam in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. They pretend to hate each other but will always show up for each other. They can disagree but still talk without yelling or ignoring the other
Alternative title: Merphy gushing about Locke and Jean's friendship haha, I love it
Honestly all of this advicr is great advice for writing healthy romantic relationships too. If they aren't starting out as friends especially, but even if they do start out as friends. It would make a whole lot less 'I rely on you for all of my needs and any ex you have is a threat'. And a whole lot more 'I dont need to worry about your ex because I know we're both here for each other whenever'.
I love Locke and Jean, however, Harry and Murphy from the Dresden Files is so great because you get to see how that friendship grows over time as they come to trust each other over the course of several books. You see Murphy's skepticism of both magic and her distrust of Harry grow to be one of the strongest friendships in fantasy.
Granted, that entire series is filled with some of the best side characters and friendships in any series.
Yes but no. I just don't like how Harry makes comments about the body of every woman he sees, and especially Murphy. Just no.
@@Yummyumchan Lol. It is not that bad, unless you are overly sensitive. I'd say to get over the couple of sentences in an entire book, and move on.
One of my favorite friendships is HP-RW-HG I’ve always loved their dynamics and how truly they care for each other, I think is one of the realest friendships I’ve read with all the ups and downs at some one I’ve identified with each one of them.
Okay, Stormlight theory. The budding and unlikely friendship between Adolin and Kaladin I think may be one of the best elements of the series. There is so much potential there!!! Bonus, the weird love triangle could just be a subplot, a challenge, that helps make the bromance stronger in the end.
About that too, these are fresh relationships. Maybe you know instantly how you will categorize everyone you meet (friend, lust, love, hate, love/hate, super friend...). Some people seem to do that. I do not. I don’t even understand that. I think for most people it takes time to figure out what direction things will go. Like puzzle pieces you try one way then another until it clicks in the right spot. Maybe this love triangle is just that, figuring it out. It read that way to me.
But I swear, I can see the seeds of a seriously awesome bromance there and I hope, BIG HOPE, that it’s actual foreshadowing that pays off and not just me reading into things.
When I think of a comedic best friend done extremely well I think of Stiles in Teen Wolf. So good, such a needed part of the plot, Scott really needs him, has his own arc, absolutely hilarious too!
Drinking game: take a shot every time Merphy mentions "Locke and Jean"
That makes Merphy a gateway drug to alcoholism!
I don’t have the liver for that
Everything you've spoken about perfectly describes the relationship between Fitz and the Fool from Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings and imo is one of the greatest friendships in literature.
When u talked about how two friends always get shipped together when they’re just close u reminded me of my friendships with my meat friends
The amount of times ppl have asked me if I’m dating either of them istg...
Geralt and dandelion’s friendship is an amazing example of really different people growing to love each other done really well
The are the fantasy friendships that crushed me while reading or watching it. Frodo & Sam, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes, Aza & Daisy, Charles Xavier & Erik Lehnsherr - Looking forward reading The Lies of Locke Lamora soon. I almost picked the book up before the lockdown but ended up with The Little Prince, lol
Man do I love you’re dear author vids. My favorite friendship is Nick and Monroe from the Amazon prime show Grimm. It’s about a detective who learns that he can see the “true form”(/animalistic forms)of certain people and his ancestry to hunt them down. Without Monroe Nick would be dead and/or never learn how to deal with certain cases. I just love how their friendship progresses throughout the series to the point in which when the main plot takes over Monroe is like “No. I have been with you since the beginning and I will be by your side till the end”. (Lol, to how they meet). Same with Nick, when Monroe is dealing with stuff he helps Monroe his way (lawful, sometimes). The support these two have for one another is amazing. When one becomes emotional/reckless, the other calls them out and says “Stop. This is a bad idea. It won’t help anyone.”. The story starts out like a detective story, but the story progresses and the characters change and ahh. I’m like Murphy with the lies of locklamora when it comes to Grimm. It does have its faults, but just ahh. The side plots and the romances that are realistic, are just the best. Villains are amazing (my fav is shown in the pilot episode) and have decent motivation (it depends on who we’re following). I will say that there is a lot of violence at times and nick does kill a lot of people (not without reason and someone even calls him out in one episode). But man do I love these side characters, not so much nick. He’s good, but I do wish they added one or two more layers in his character. Man this became a rant, but to anyone who may read this highly recommend Grimm.
One that i always thought was a great friendship was Royce and Hadrian in The Riyria Chronicles. You could always tell no matter what they were going to have each others backs.
I kind of would like to see authors write more about friendships that naturally drift apart. it’s a natural part of life and honestly all of my best friends that stayed with me from elementary school, to middle school, to high school, the people I thought I was gonna be best friends with forever, eventually drifted apart from each other. I’ve made new friends, rekindled old friendships (kinda), formed a closer bond to acquaintances, but none of my friends now were my best friends from before. I don’t have any best friends atm, at least, I don’t have someone who I consider a best friend who would also consider me as their best friend, but I’m learning to live with that. Maybe I’ll find a best friend when I go to college, who knows. The hardest part about accepting that you drifted apart from your best friend(s) though, is when your parents constantly ask about them and bringing up how close you used to be, even if they didn’t always like them. (My bestest friend that stayed the longest before we eventually drifted apart sometime late Junior year of high school, my parents honestly weren’t the biggest fan of hers and my sister straight up didn’t like her, my brother didn’t really have any opinion tbh, but that didn’t stop me from hanging out with her. Us drifting apart was honestly the hardest to accept and it REALLY didn’t help that my parents kept bringing attention to it by constantly asking about her and why we don’t hang out anymore and stuff.)
I think one of my favorite friendships is Royce and Hadrian from Michael J Sullivans Riyria Series. They are amazing and always there even when they don't like each other!
I know that we talk about books here but when we are discussing friends person that comes to my mind together with Sam& Frodo and Golden trio is Stiles from Teen Wolf.
People often call him comic relief because he is sarcastic and quirky. But in reality, without him, everyone would be dead in the first few episodes. His research skills are crazy, he is super smart even tho his ADHD give him some problems in his academic performance. He isn't scared to get into danger even if he is human in a supernatural world. He is loyal to friends even if they take him for granted, don't show that they care about his well being and are too self-centred.
I forgot to comment this before, so I guess I'll just say it here. One of my biggest issues with friendships in books is how mean-spirited and toxic they feel. The whole "playful bullying/teasing" each other thing (which just sounds wrong tbh, why do people do this?) is sometimes the only exchanges between the characters. It makes it seem more like they hate each other. The "teasing" comments made at each other just feel like they're bullying each other at times. A lot of books I've read with this in it also don't have the friend take anything seriously, even when the main character is going through something rough, it just loops back to insults all over again. It's really weird and I don't understand why so many writers believe this is the only thing that happens in friendship. And I'm saying this as someone who does have friends who playfully insult each other. We know our limits and when to stop. Book friendships don't, but they really should.
I am a little late, but I love seeing a friend developing a crush on one another, but then realize that it’s just platonic, because this just feels so real to me. Also my experience with friendship is that the friendships that have the best chemistry and just feel the best are the ones that started with not liking each other. That’s not just in fiction, but also in real life. And it’s just so great seeing something developing. Like something forcing them to work together and then realizing that their first impressions were wrong. I love that. It just feels so good to getting to know each other and then realizing that they like each other.
I am starting a new book in which there will be almost no romance and a lot of friendships so this helps me so much!! Thank youuu
@Zara Ebrahim probably not, i dont have enough confidence for that :
@@llio2489 You won't know if you try. It's okay to feel insecure, I feel the same as a writer myself, but it's good to take that leap of faith and see where it takes you. But no rush, you are content to take as much time as you need.
@@randomcomment1286 Thank you so mcuh! Maybe one day, after I am certain about a book, I will publish it or at least try :)) Just a little more time😅
Honestly, only with that it already sounds like a book I'd love to read, so don't feel underconfident about publishing it some day^^
totally agree with don't pair them up! unless it makes sense. i get so disappointed when friends are paired up and there wasn't even chemistry or a clue of a relationship
This video about friendship make me think about Merlin and Arthur relationship in the Tv series Merlin (I know it's not a book). I think that their friendship is the best and I really wish that we could have more of that rappresentation in books. Anyway, I love your videos, you make such interesting contents❤
Yes! I love that show and their friendship is my favorite!!😊😊
The best thing is that it starts out with them, for a long time, having nothing in common. Merlin is devoted to Arthur by duty; Arthur hardly notices him and doesn't think much of him when he does. But after going through so much together and risking so much for each other they become true friends
Sherlock and Watson in CBS's Elementary is one of the best examples of platonic friendships I have ever seen. I love how it is portrayed. Despite them being so close, they never become romantic. The character chemistry is brilliant
Strong friendships in books are soooo much better to read than some dumb relationship XD
I loved reading the Riyria series for many reasons, but the friendship between Royce and Hadrian is definitely at the top of the list!
So it wasn't really mentioned here I would luke to bring up separating two friends and how to satisfactorily bring them together again. The pen pal relationship is one I see a lot in older fiction and it is my favorite way to reinforce a freindship while one of the pair is off the page. When two pen pals come together and realize that they regret seperating it can hit just as hard as the faithful companions who would do anything for eachother.
One of the best examples that immediately comes to mind regarding friends that are complete opposites but realize that they need each other, thus resulting in an unbreakable bond with each other is the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey and Doctor Stephen Maturin from Patrick O'Brien's Master and Commander series. Their friendship drove an entire saga of novels about the age of sail and the Napoleonic Wars.
Here is advice how to be good friend: Don't be Griffith!
Wow, I couldn't agree more.
You also made me happy putting a manga reference here, it's not that common. Thank you.
Griffith did EVERYTHING WRONG.
What book is that from?
#GriffithDidNothingWrong
@@mischarowe berserk
One of my favourite tropes, although it doesn’t happen all that often, is enemies/nemeses to friends. There’s just something so cathartic about people who were once enemies coming together, putting aside their differences and eventually forming a strong bond that makes this trope so appealing to me. Some of my favourites are: Zuko and basically the whole of the Avatar Squad (but especially Zuko and Katara’s relationship-only in a platonic way); Naruto and Sasuke; Yusuke and Kuwabara; Hinata and Kageyama.
I'm currently reading "Red seas under red skies" and I like the friendship there. I don't think I've got yet to that point where I can see them as "the greatest friendship ever" but for now it's really nice (also Jean is my fave). By the way everyone here should watch (or read since it's a manga) Hunter x Hunter (2011), it has THE BEST FRIENDSHIPS EVER.
Kamina from ttgl is a great example of the freindship described in this video, and he's such a good standalone character that you mistake him for the main character upon first viewing (which is on purpose), but he is even greater in relation to the real main character, as he loves him as a brother but wont let his anxiety stand in the way of his potential.
The friendship between Will and Jem in the Infernal Devices series is one of the only redeeming qualities of Cassandra Clare's entire body of work. I was super into her books as a teen (cringe, I know, I've since changed my opinion drastically) and even back then I could see a lot of problems with the way she writes romances and didn't really take Will's "bad boy with a dark past" character seriously. But I LOVED the relationship between him and his "soul brother" Jem. Jem was the only person that Will seemed to genuinely care about despite his super contrived "cursed to never love but not actually cursed" plot device thingy, and Jem's death scene where Will can literally feel Jem's soul being ripped from his is genuinely heartbreaking and would probably still make me cry despite how I feel about the books now. Even as a slash fic obsessed 15 year old I had no desire to see them end up together; I enjoyed their platonic friendship exactly the way it was. The fact that they were both "cursed" seemed to give them an unspoken understanding that none of the other characters could truly relate to, and their banter was entertaining. Aaaand then Cassandra Clare had to go and be Cassandra Clare and have Will bang his best friend's fiancee before his body was even cold. That coupled with the constant emotional cheating between Will and Theresa completely poisons an otherwise beautiful friendship. So yeah, there's an example of how NOT to do the thing.
Also I really loved when Jem told Will to go because 'now you understand and give me a reason to make you go find her' or something
@@pratappurswani7212 that's another thing I liked, that the love triangle didn't destroy their friendship. I still think they did Jem dirty but he's such a forgiving person.
@@emmakoski8145 They absolutely did! While I do like Jem and Will's friendship I cannot support Will and Tessa's relationship. Jem and Tessa were going to get *married.* He was very serious about her! And it was truly shocking that Will and Tessa hopped into bed with each other not two days after his death. That really pissed me off. It was also super annoying that Jem and Will never came to terms with each other over their feelings for Tessa. That's the thing that frustrates me the most about Cassandra Clare's characters. They have the potential to have good character arcs. But she never explores them in a deep way. It's all so shallow and superficial. I'm done with her books now too, lol. The last one I read was Lord of Shadows. And the whole book was literally one love triangle after another.
@@janhavi1977 Exactly! Thank you for putting it so well. I used to read them with my high school bf and though we both loved some parts we also had parts that we would absolutely roast for being frustrating and/or creepy. Also I completely forgot that she went by Tessa, lol
All the friendships in the Artemis Fowl books are AMAZING, Merphy you HAVE to read them. My other favourite friendships are Mary, Colin and Dickson (from The Secret Garden); Sam and Frodo (of course); the kids' friendships in Swallows and Amazons; and Tom Long and Hattie Melbourne from Tom's Midnight Garden (which is one of my favourite ever books)
i think that friends vs lovers is doe to a basic confusion that we have. LOVE IS FRIENDSHIP! a couple being "in love" is done poorly so many times exactly because of that. i don't care if two people have affection to each other, i care if they are good with each other, aka that they are friends! "maybe love is supposed to be deeper", you may say, but don't pretend that frodo leaving didn't hurt just as much (sometimes more) than lovers separating. love is friendship with commitment for life.
You have to be immortal to be able to read all those books on that shelf and i have a feeling thats still not your entire collection. Like damn thats the first time I've seen that many books in one room outside of a library, props to the love for the pastime and dedication to your craft
Thank you very much for covering this subject!
Could you make a Dear Author on Death (and resurrection) of main characters?
There are several ways to do resurrection, each different. It can be common, in which case death loses meaning and murder may become a misdemeanor. It can be unique, as in the stories of Jesus or Gandalf, in which case there should be a reason this one character gets a unique gift. Or it can be uncommon but comes at a terrible price, as in the Malazan series, where many resurrected and undead characters wish they had remained dead or better yet had never been born at all. There’s no one way to do resurrection, but it should be foreshadowed, consistent, and plausible within the rules of your story. And you should think carefully about the consequences of resurrection in your world, and how it changes the world.
@@timswabb in other words don't do a Patterson with the characters in his Maximum Ride series. (If you ever read it, you'll get what I mean. If you haven't, I won't spoil it for you. But it's full on lame and will make you want to bang your (or his) head against a wall.)
I love when friends fight. Like it's not always perfect and they don't always agree!
When you realize that you're actually terrible at writing everything. It's okay, though, because it means I have areas I can grow in
Because I haven’t seen it here, I just want to put out there that the Ranger’s Apprentice series has so much good friendship development that feels so believable. The characters go though the story together and really depend on one another’s strengths and help each other’s weaknesses. I know it might be considered a kids book, but I honestly think this series does not get the recognition it should. I think Merphy would really enjoy the series
Normalize male/female friendships without there being a romance. Its annoying anytime a male/female character show any hint of a friendship that the author goes and makes them a couple.