Valentine's Special: Platonic Love

02/14/2020

Since it is Valentine's Day/weekend, I decided to pause my little series on magic systems to bring you a special post on love. Today, however, I am not talking about romantic love. That is all well and good and overrated and perhaps a bit cliché. What I want to focus on today are three types of non-romantic relationships that are featured in my WIP and how they are just as if not more significant than romantic love as they apply to the story. Now, don't quote me on the scientific terms for relationship types; I'm only stating my personal observations and am not by any means an expert. What I do know is what I have observed in life, literature, and other influences, and I thought it would be fun to do a little analysis on these relationship types: siblings, mentors, and friends.

Sibling relationships are ones that I tend to gravitate toward in writing as I am from a big family and find this specific bond interesting. This relationship is the focus in my manuscript, displayed through the five princes and how they interact with one another. Though Terrance is the protagonist, his four younger brothers are central characters, nearly as important as he. They help to drive the plot, shape his decisions, and remind him of what they are striving for.

Siblings in literature are, I admit, seemingly difficult to find. Good sibling relationships that is. I was trying to think of classics with this sort of bond, and the majority of them are either not explored or not central to the plot. However, there is one series that comes to mind when I think of sibling love. This is The Chronicles of Narnia.

The Chronicles of Narnia has an outstanding story focused on siblings helping to drive the plot, aid one another, and choose their own paths. I love this series I think because of the sibling protagonists (thought Edmund can be classified as an antagonist for most of the first book).

The one thing I like most about this story is how real the siblings are with one another. They each have their individual personalities and ways of looking at the world, and this is what drives them to make their decisions. They argue and encourage, have snowball fights or abandon the group to find something they believe is better. One struggles with trying to be everyone's mother. Another struggles with lying. And despite their differences, they stick together until the end, guiding each other to reach their individual and group goals.

The second relationship central to my story is the relationship between mentors and apprentices. A big part of the culture of Codinya is the discovery of who someone will become in life, and this begins at a young age. When a child turns thirteen, they can choose a trade in anything they desire, and they are paired with a mentor in that trade. Most often, children choose what their parents do, but there is no discrimination of ability or class if a child decides to do something different.

There are some things children are simply born into that are inescapable, however. This happens most often with children of nobles, as they are to inherit their parent's property. So, while Terrance's brothers can choose a trade and mentor, he is stuck with learning how to be king. Instead, Terrance finds his own mentors in the Evanders, an elite archery squad.

The three big mentors Terrance has are Cadence, Julan, and Gideon. Gideon is his closest mentor, but he is also his best friend, so I'll save talking about him for later. As for Cadence and Julan, they each have their ways of mentoring Terrance that can seem quite contradictory. Cadence displays a motherly love toward him, teaching him with baby steps and much encouragement. Julan is harsher, more direct, and demands respect.

One series I used to read as a kid comes to mind what I think of literal mentor relationships such as in this case. This would be the Warriors series by Erin Hunter, focused on wild clan cats. If we are looking at fewer literal interpretations of the mentor relationships, this one pops up quite often in both classic and contemporary literature. There is the relationship between Huck Finn and Jim in Huckleberry Finn, the adventures of Frodo and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the bond between D'artagnan and the three musketeers in The Three Musketeers. These relationships are exciting in that they show how the teacher/s and students interact and teach one another.

The third and final relationship is probably the most common relationship in literature. This is friendship: The Frodo and Sam of LOTR, the Benvolio and Romeo of the famous tragedy, or the Jo and Laurie of Little Women. This relationship is quite central to many young adult books, as it displays the need for a protagonist to have that best friend at their side. The best friend usually cheers for and pushes the protagonist. They have an undying loyalty for one another, and their banter can become a favorite part of the story.

Terrance has a relationship like this with Gideon, his Lieutenant and former captain of the Evanders. Though Gideon falls into the mentor category, he is nonetheless Terrance's closest friend outside of his brothers, and he provides the best friend role for our timid prince. He pushes Terrance beyond his comfort zone, calls him out when he is being immature, and stands at his side no matter the consequences. They argue quite often, but this arguing shows how much Gideon cares about Terrance's success.

So, there you have it: my three favorite types of relationships. I love working with relationships other than romance, as they show stronger bonds than that of attraction that are far less fleeting. Of course, there still are difficult times, fall-outs, and issues with loyalty. There always will be. Even so, the bonds here are what make stories memorable.

Call to writers: what types of relationships are central to your story? How do they strengthen or drive the plot, going beyond that of knowing the protagonist and doing anything they can to aid your main character?

Happy Valentine's day! Tell someone you love them. And don't give me that sass about not having a SO. Tell your best friend, your mentor, your brother or sister or parents. Tell someone you love them. And once again, thank you for readin my ramblin! 

By: Carissa Borders/ Writer

© 2021 Carissa Borders. All rights reserved.
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