Tuesday, January 5, 2016

My Favorite "Platoniships" and Why it Should Be a Word

Shipping is the best. It's one of my favorite things to do while fangirling over my favorite fandoms. But all too often we focus on the romantic ships and forget the other, just as important relationships. Don't get me wrong, I love my adorable OTPs as much as the next fangirl, but what about the friendships? I've been calling these "platoniships," and I have just as many of these ships as I do my romantic ones, if not more. A few examples . . .

Harry, Ron, and Hermione from the Harry Potter series

I so wish I could find an illustration of these three by Jim Kay, because his drawings are GORGEOUS.
This trio was the perfect balance of mischief and heroism. Sure they broke the rules sometimes, but you always, always rooted for them. And no matter how often any combination of the three fought, they stuck together when it mattered most. Harry wouldn't have been able to do 90% of the things he did without help from the other two. Teamwork at its finest!

The Marauders from the Harry Potter series


OKAY BUT LOOK AT HOW CUTE LUPIN IS WITH HIS CHOCOLATE
I. Love. These. Guys. So many fan-fiction possibilities with these four. And before, you know, Peter betrayed everyone, they were the best friends any of them could've asked for. James, Sirius, and Peter all broke the law and became unregistered animagi just so Remus wouldn't have to be alone! If that's not love, I don't know what is.

Calvin and Hobbes from the Calvin and Hobbes series

These two may be at the top of my list. Even looking for a picture was difficult because there were so many different ways to portray them! I could've gone for sweet, silly, fun, etc. Ultimately I decided on this one, because I think at the heart of it, Calvin and Hobbes were about laughter. They wanted to goof off and smile and imagine whole new worlds they could have a blast in. This is my favorite comic strip series ever for that reason.

The Doctor and Donna from "Doctor Who"


How awesome are Ten and Donna?! The answer is SO AWESOME. They're hysterical, fun, sassy, gutsy, and make a fabulous team. Not to mention a couple of the kindest hearts to ever walk the Whovian earth. The Doctor showed Donna wonders and Donna made the Doctor more human in the best way. They had some of the best chemistry any two people have had on TV ever. I'm still so sad they only lasted a season.

Sherlock and John from "Sherlock"


THESE TWO. However you ship it, you can't deny that they're brilliant together. Solving murders and giggling at the crime scenes while they do it? It's the perfect blend of drama and humor. And can we talk about how much Sherlock has grown over the seasons thanks to John's friendship? (And John because of Sherlock's, for that matter!) Yay for character development!

Sam and Dean from "Supernatural"



Who says siblings can't be friends? And these brothers have one of the BEST sibling relationships I have ever seen in fiction ever. EVER, I TELL YOU. Sam and Dean behave just like normal siblings would (teasing each other, pulling pranks, getting into heated debates about music and other pop culture stuff, etc.), and they would literally sacrifice themselves for the other in a heartbeat. Eleven seasons of this show and it's still going strong, all because of them.

Charlie and Dean from "Supernatural"



Dean once described Charlie as "the little sister he never wanted," and I think that's the perfect way to sum up their friendship. He's definitely an older brother figure to her, and that's exactly what Charlie needed in her life. After all the pain and loneliness she went through, Dean became her rock. And not only have they shared some sweet moments, but plenty of fun ones, too. (Who can forget the famous "Walking On Sunshine" montage?)

Lorelai and Rory from "Gilmore Girls"


I totally think kids can be friends with their parents, and Lorelai and Rory are proof of that. They're supportive of the dreams of the other, they encourage and inspire each other, and they're so close they can practically finish each other's sentences. And when they do talk, it's hard to get a word in edgewise. The dialogue is constantly fast-paced. The wit is unreal. Watching them interact on screen is addictive. It's like opening a package of M&M's and just eating one. Which is absurd, because you never eat just one. You have to eat the entire thing, clearly. Watching a few minutes isn't enough to get your Gilmore fix. You need to watch an entire episode (or three).

Chandler and Joey from "Friends"

And for those of you who haven't watched "Friends," yes, yes they are riding on a statue of a dog.
Ah, Chandler and Joey. Once of the best TV bromances. Watching them crack each other up and go through life together is a joy. Most of my favorite scenes involve the two of them getting into all kinds of mayhem. ("What kind of scary ass clowns came to your birthday?") Could they BE anymore awesome?

Scott and Stiles from "Teen Wolf"


Out of all the possible ships, romantic or otherwise, in this show, Scott and Stiles are my favorite. They remind me a lot of Chandler and Joey in some ways, Stiles being the sarcastic one, although Scott is wayyy smarter than Joey. The unconditional support and friendship they have for each other gives me all the feels. I can never have too much of them in a single episode.

Cinder and Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles


Ermahgerd, I can't even with these two!!! Thorne is a fabulous Han Solo/Captain Jack Harkness/Dean Winchester type, the perfect blend of cockiness and sarcastic humor (even though everybody knows he's a total teddy bear on the inside). Cinder is smart and impatient and can totally kick butt in any situation. Watching the two of them collide and go from bickering to . . . well, more bickering has been one of the best parts of the entire series. I love them. I need more. Now.

Rey and Finn from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"


This is the best picture I could find considering how new the movie is.
Can I get a round of applause for brother-sister type friendships? Because that's exactly what this one is, in my mind. Banter and teamwork and protectiveness, FTW! I'm sooo freaking excited to see more of them in future movies. (And BB-8, of course, who's just a little ball of adorable sunshine.)

Parker and Hardison from "Leverage"


Parker and Hardison are a tentative addition since I'm only in the middle of season one and Cait has suggested I might end up "shippy shipping" them (her awesome words). But for now, how sweet are they together?! Apparently I'm a sucker for brother-sister friendships. Parker deserves all the hugs, and Hardison has the best ridiculous scenes. I love it so much.

Your turn! What are you favorite platoniships? Leave a comment! :)

7 comments:

Carly said...

My whole life basically revolves around shipping. XD I've shipped a couple of friendships, but I've never really thought about it before.
Harry, Ron and Hermione are the ultimate platoniship, as you call it. WE NEED A SERIES ENTIRELY ABOUT THE MARAUDERS THOUGH.
I love Friends! Chandler and Joey's bromance is easily one of the strongest bonds in the show I think.
Cinder and Thorne's banter was probably my favorite part of Winter (Well, so far since I'm not even done with the book yet XD). I just love their character dynamic and I can't find the right words to express my love for their friendship.
On the topic of Parker and Hardison... I agree with Cait on this one. You shall see soon enough... XD
One platoniship that I like is Clary and Simon. Eventhough there were more than a few bumps in the road for them, their friendship has lived through it all in all of its nerdy glory.
Another that I just thought of is Ted and Marshall from How I Met Your Mother. Their bromance is a lot like Chandler and Joey to me.
There are probably more, but my brain is just not working at the moment. XD

Lara Liz said...

I HAVE NEEDED A NAME FOR THIS PHENOMENON FOREVER. Thank you for coining the term - and yes to Chandler and Joey.

I love the relationship between Ross and Monica in Friends, even if - and you cannot tell anyone this - I don't think Ross is the nicest person. He's a good brother though . . . most of the time.

Hannah said...

Friendships and sibling relationships are my favourite type of relationship :) My favourite platoniships are -
Supernatural: Obviously, I second you on Sam and Dean and Charlie and Dean ;) Also, Rufus and Bobby.
Heroes of Olympus: Reyna and Nico, Jason and Nico, Jason and Percy
Embassy Row: Grace and Noah
Harry Potter: Dean and Seamus (even though they're REALLY minor characters), and Fred and George
The Raven Boys: Ronan and Noah
Various animes/mangas: Hiei and Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho, Gon and Killua from Hunter x Hunter, Aladdin, Alibaba and Morgiana, Kouha and Koumei, and Alibaba and Orba, all from Magi, Al, Ed and Winry from Fullmetal Alchemist, Train, Sven and Eve from Black Cat, the Sand Siblings from Naruto... I'm going to stop now.

Anonymous said...

I ship Parker and Hardison, too! Good to know I'm not the only Leverage fan out there

Boquinha said...

Adam Goldberg and Muscles Mirsky.
Veronica Mars and Wallace (though you're right about her ditching him sometimes).
Monica and Chandler (only because I love when platoniships turns into relationships sometimes).
Sheldon and Leonard (and yes, character development).
Penny, Amy, and Bernadette.

Ahem. I apparently watch a lot of television . . .

I also want to say about some of these (Joey/Chandler and Lorelai/Rory) that the episodes where they're not getting along are sadder for me than when the "daters" (Ross/Rachel) aren't getting along. So sad.

Boquinha said...

Oh, I also love the women on Jane the Virgin.

(More television).

And I love your word for this. :)

The Magic Violinist said...

@Carly You're not alone. xD It's my favorite part of getting sucked into a new show.

DON'T WE THOUGH. I would pay so much money for that series . . .

Agreed! I like them better than some of the romances on the show.

They're the beeeest. (Apart from all the squee-worthy shippy ship moments. Marissa Meyer is a ship master.) I so hope the series gets made into a series of movies or a TV show so we can see their banter on the screen, too.

I think I'm already beginning to see it the more I watch. xD

Ooh, yes!! Clary and Simon are fantastic. They were always there for each other and Simon is adorable.

@Lara Liz Ha ha, you're welcome! :) I figured it needed some sort of name since I was doing so much of it.

Don't worry, he bugs me sometimes, too. But you're right about that, they have a good relationship most of the time. And it's a pretty accurate representation of the usual squabbles siblings get into.

@Rain

Ahhh, Rufus and Bobby were fantastic! I love the episode where Rufus shows up at Bobby's and says, "Oh good, you're home. You have to help me bury a Bobby." And Bobby just rolls his eyes because things like this are always happening.

Ooh, all of the Raven Boys and Blue have great chemistry as a group. I love that gang so much.

My brother (he's at http://idonteatmydrumsticks.blogspot.com/) is a HUGE anime and manga fan, especially when it comes to Full Metal Alchemist. I'm sure I've heard all of these names at some point. xD

@Anne Marie Kluthe I'm not even halfway through the series and I'm already sad there's only a few seasons! It's great. :)

@Boquinha These are all great! Sheldon and Leonard totally remind me of Sherlock and John. I love all of TBBT characters. And yeah, that's the only reason I didn't put Veronica and Wallace on the list. :P I had to find some way to keep it from getting ridiculously long, and Veronica could get absorbed in her own activities like Rory would with Lane at times.

Oh, I totally should've added "Jane the Virgin" characters! Michael and Rogelio are awesome together, too.

Thank you! :)