Brotherly Love

Whoo! Last two weeks have been BEYOND busy! Sorry for poofing on your guys. However, I am back with a writing-related post on-- you guessed it-- bromance! I absolutely love bromance. There's something about affection between guys that makes a girl's heart melt.

So, what is bromance? It's not a slash pairing! Bromance is strictly brotherly friendship between male characters. There are quite a few types:

Tolerance: My personal favorite. Character A is the big, brooding bad boy, while Character B is annoying/funny/idiotic best friend that grows on Character A, even after being shoved away many a time. Ex: Jason and Spinelli (General Hospital), Dillon and Ziggy (Power Rangers RPM), Lightning and Mater (Cars).

Bickering: My very very very close second favorite. In which Character A and Character B apparently hate each other's guts, but over a period of time come to rely on their constant gripes at each other until it's so natural they don't even realize they're friends. Ex: Tony and Clint (Avengers), Merlin and Arthur (Merlin), Shawn and Gus and Lassiter (Psych), Wes and Travis (Common Law), Tony and McGee (NCIS) ... too many to count.

Mentor/Sidekick: Similar to Tolerance, I should think, in most reluctant mentor/sidekick partnerships. But the real friendship we see is when the mentor finally admits he cares about his protege. Ex: Anakin and Obi-Wan (Star Wars), Bruce Wayne and any of the Robins (Batman), Kyrian and Nick (Chronicles of Nick).

Big Brother/Little Brother: The one in which one feels responsible for the other one. Ex: Jack and Daniel (Stargate SG-1), Morgan and Reid (Criminal Minds), Castiel and Dean (Supernatural).

Rivalry: What's bromance without constant competition? Ex: Han and Luke (Star Wars), Legolas and Gimli (Lord of the Rings), Steve and Dano (Hawaii Five-O).

Besties Since Birth: Okay, maybe not birth, but since childhood? Few things could cement a bond so strong. Ex: Chuck and Morgan (Chuck), Kendall, Logan, James and Carlos (Big Time Rush), Shawn and Gus (Psych)

Partners: Oh, you know this one-- in practically every cop show there's some bromance between partners, am I right? Ex: Sam and Callen (NCIS: LA), Lee and Carter (Rush Hour), John and Sherlock (Sherlock), Ryan and Esposito (Castle).

Unwaveringly Loyal: Those who stick by your side no matter what the cost, no matter what fights you've ever had, no matter how bad you've treated them. Ex: Sam and Frodo (Lord of the Rings), Jason and Sonny (General Hospital), Hiccup and Toothless (How to Train Your Dragon).

So as you can see, the list is pretty much limitless. There are people who fall into mulitple catagories (I didn't add Sam and Dean, and Frank and Joe, because they're actually brothers and I don't think that counts :P ) but there were far too many to mention. Believe me, I would if I could've!

I like bromance because it shows a guy's vulnerable side. It's kind of gratifying to know they have a heart, isn't it? There is truly nothing better. ^_^

Honorable mentions:

• Timon and Pumba (The Lion King)
• Han and Chewie (Star Wars)
• Shaggy and Scooby (Scooby-Doo)

Have a favorite bromance type? In books, TV, or in a movie? Tell me! I'd love to hear your opinions. :)