February 13th marks the official, fictitious holiday of Galentine's Day. Basically it's a holiday celebrating friendship, a different kind of love that seems to be completely overlooked on Valentine's Day. In honor of Leslie Knope, I've decided to make a list of some of my favorite fictional friendships. Since I am nothing short of a somewhat bitter single and a self-proclaimed pro-female, pro-male feminist who believes in empowering women without degrading men in the process, I've decided to include guys on the list, too. Just call me the U.N. because I'm making peaceful resolutions all up in this joint. In no particular order:
Leslie Knope, Anne Perkins Parks and Recreation
What better way to start off than with the creator of Galentine's Day, Leslie Knope and her best friend, Anne Perkins? Their friendship is by no means perfect (they once got into a drunken fight at a club that resulted in some harsh words and a pretty vicious dance-off), but Anne calms Leslie's crazy, and Leslie constantly showers Anne with encouragement ("She's the most beautiful nurse in the world.") Uteruses before Duderuses, indeed.
Troy, Abed Community
Everyone needs a friend who sees your crazy, and not only accepts it, but goes right along with it. Troy and Abed are the kind of friends who make up Spanish rap songs, create fictitious morning shows, build massive blanket forts, watch Inspector Space Time together, and create Firefly suicide pacts together. They even have a secret handshake, and admittedly, I'm slightly jealous. Speaking of Firefly . . .
Mal, Zoe Firefly, Shepard, Garrus Mass Effect
Every Captain (or Commander) needs a solid right hand man (er, woman and Turian respectively) they can trust to help keep the crew motivated and to stand by their side as they march into hell to save the 'verse from some impending doom (Reavers and Reapers respectively). Mal and Zoe mourned Serenity Valley together, and when Mal lost his faith in God, Zoe was right there to help pick up the pieces. And while Garrus wasn't there physically when Cerberus picked up the pieces of Shepard's lifeless body, he certainly answered the call on Omega even after he took a missile to the face. That's what friendship should look like for big damn heroes.
Veronica, Wallace Veronica Mars, Daria, Jane Daria
Let's get one thing straight: high school is the worst. It's cruel, and everyone's a monster. The only thing that makes it suck less is sarcasm. Lots and lots of sarcasm. And having a solid friend who appreciates and encourages such sarcasm. Or in Wallace's case, a friend who cuts you down from the school's flag pole. When the entirety of Neptune turned its back on Veronica, Wallace remained a loyal and steadfast friend. When Daria couldn't find a single redeemable student at Lawndale, she met Jane, another outcast who willingly tried to set her up with her older brother. The only way high school could be worse is if . . .
Buffy, Willow, Xander Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry, Ron, Hermione Harry Potter
. . . everyone is literally a monster. Whether your Big Bad is some kind of vampire who has been around since the dawn of time, or a murderous wizard who's number one goal is to murder you, it's tough to keep friends around who really get it. Other than Buffy, there's nothing remarkable or super power-y about any of these people, except for their courage, their loyalty, and their love for their friends. The Scoobies and Harry's group definitely have their downs (remember that time Willow became evil, or that time Ron dated Lavender?), but they stick by each other because they understand friendship is about way more than weekends at Hosgmeade or week nights at the Bronze. It's about sometimes having to stand up to your friends when they're out of line.
Dean and Sam Winchester, Supernatural
The Winchester brothers' relationship can be defined in one word: sacrifice. Sam gave up his future prospect of becoming a lawyer in order to travel across the country in a '67 Impala with his older brother in order to rid the world of evil, whatever form it may take. Dean willingly signed away his life in order to keep Sam alive, taking after his dad to did the same thing to save him. To an extent, their behavior may be considered excessive, but more than love, I truly believe that family makes you do the wacky. You may hate them, you may fight with them, call them names, but at the end of the day, they're still family, and you'll do everything in your power to protect them.
Tenth Doctor, Donna Noble Doctor Who
Any man would be devastated if the woman he loved left him. Even more devastating would be if that same woman did so because she was trapped in a freaking parallel world. (Sci-fi problems, amirite?) Donna Noble, more than any other companion, traveled through all of space and time with the Doctor expecting nothing more than adventure, witty banter, and occasionally saving the universe. The Doctor saved Donna from a world of mediocrity, and in turn, Donna supported him, vexed him, later became part time lord, and eventually became the most important woman in the universe. Their friendship was a thing of beauty, and as a fan, watching him have to wipe her memory of all their time together was one of the most heartbreaking moments of the series.
Keelah Se'lai, and Happy Galentine's Day!
The General
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