YA Best Friends
For when our edgy protagonists actually have them...
It’s February. What springs to mind? (Aside from the burgeoning Spring.) Valentine's Day. And that’s all about…yes, your friends. Because if you’re spending Valentine’s with anyone, it’s probably going to be them. You’ve watched too many trashy werewolf dramas to be able to sustain a normal functioning adult relationship anyway. That’s why I’ve dedicated this edition of Dystopian Vampires From 2009 to discussing best friend tropes - because even though most authors treat their characterisation as an afterthought, I think they’re more important than that. So let’s have a look. What makes YA best friends so iconically undeveloped?
The Secret Simp
Where to even begin? Gale from the Hunger Games. Jacob from Twilight. Mike from Twilight. Eric from Twilight. Simon from The Mortal Instruments - actually let’s stop on Simon for a second. Of all the YA best friends who are secretly in love with the protagonist, Simon might just be the most brilliant (and cursed) example. Near the beginning of the series, we witness a scene in which he just almost confesses his feelings to Clary before the super-hot, magical bad-boy Jace Wayland interrupts him. He then spends much of the rest of the series competing against his supernatural demon-slaying rival for Clary’s attention. Things look up for Simon for a brief period when they end up dating, only for it all to come cruelly crashing down when he realises that she is still in love with magical bad boy Jace (whom at this point she believes is her brother.) His involvement with Clary also results in him being transformed into a rat and then a vampire halfway through the story. Not only is his dignity obliterated, but so is his humanity.
But why? Why subject these poor male best friends to this humiliation? Gale has to watch his beloved Katniss make out with Peeta Mellark on live TV. Mike Newton gets stuck with Jessica. And they still like the MCs. They truly are the best friends who would do anything for them. The truth is that unrequited love is undeniably compelling. It’s also easier to write about romantic love than platonic love a lot of the time. That would require exploring alternative motivations to self-sacrifice, creating relationship tension that isn’t just about two people wanting to jump on top of each other… God, I’m already bored.
The NLOG Foil
The Not Like Other Girls foil is, really, just that. It’s the vapid best friend that likes pink and being bossy and gossipy and getting attention from boys. Ugh. Not our MC. She only wears black skinny jeans and Doc Martens and reads Jane Austen. But her stupid best friend keeps trying to drag her out to parties and make her wear makeup and dresses. Think Jessica from Twilight.
The Not Like Other Girls phenomenon is so interesting, especially when you consider its prevalence in YA literature. It touches on that idea of being special - so special that whatever magical entity happens to be in the vicinity wants to whisk you away. It also plays into the stereotypical identity of the teenage reader - bookish, possibly shy, not super into partying. It validates them and their own feeling of disconnection. Girls like Jessica are the caricaturish social monsters of adolescence, who act shallow, vindictive and flaky in order to fit in. Of course, the reality is that the majority of people feel alienated at those ages - but as the old saying goes: If everyone is an edgy angst-ridden Doc Martin-wearing loner, no one is. And then who would Edward Cullen fall in love with?
TikTok Poll
So I asked you guys who you’d rather spend the 14th with…
I guess that cinema scene really put everyone off, wow.
Thanks so much for reading, I hope you had fun! If you enjoyed my ponderings join me next month!