History Main / PseudoRomanticFriendship

* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': At the start of the series, Alicent and Rhaenyra's relationship is extremely close, as Alicent is her primary lady in waiting and closest confidant. In the first episode, with her [[LapPillow head in Alicent's lap]], Rhaenyra tells Alicent ride off into the sunset on dragonback with Alicent by her side and eat cake. Their relationship begins to deteriorate once Alicent marries Viserys, with Rhaenyra becoming notably cool towards Alicent, not unlike a jilted ex, but it absolutely crumbles once Alicent learns Rhaenyra lied to her about [[spoiler:sleeping with Daemon]], with Alicent exhibiting some barely contained TranquilFury. Seeing as Alicent's father was deposed as Hand because Rhaenyra swore he was lying about that, it's not unwarranted but the depth of the betrayal comes off just as much as a WomanScorned, especially since Alicent's relationship with her father was cool at best.

** In the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 PS3]] version, they have a character sidequest wherein, they care for a lost infant overnight. It culminates in a cutscene where they say they wish to remain together, be it interpreted [[HeterosexualLifePartners as BFFs]], or [[LesYay otherwise.]]

* The relationship between witches and their familiars in ''Manhwa/CielTheLastAutumnStory'' has heavy shades of this. As witches need another witch to pull them out of their field(and thus perform magic), and once such a partnership is set up, it's set for life, their relationships tend to be very close...and then end along with their witch career when they marry. Though not all witch pairs end, and Yvienne focusing on her [[TeacherStudentRomance relationship]] with [[InterspeciesRomance Krohiten]] over her relationship with Lariatte ends up being a very big mistake.

%% * Even though the eponymous character from ''ComicBook/YokoTsuno'' readily [[LesYay bonds with other girls]], those relationships never become quite as intense as the one she has with the musician Ingrid in the earlier albums.
%% * Practically a staple of anything Creator/ChrisClaremont wrote during his long run on Comicbook/XMen. Comicbook/{{Storm}} and Yukio, Danielle Moonstar and Wolfsbane, and ComicBook/KittyPryde and Karma are some of the more notable examples.
%% ** ''ComicBook/XMen'' has ComicBook/KittyPryde and [[ComicBook/{{Magik}} Illyana Rasputin]], sister of her ex-boyfriend Colossus. The two are really close.
%% * ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' has two. The better-known one is Nico Minoru and Karolina Dean, which has gone back and forth between either Romantic Two-Girl Friendship and HeterosexualLifePartners for years, finally landing on outright girlfriends. The more recent and innocent one is Molly Hayes and Klara Prast, who are almost inseparable and can be fiercely protective of one another, to the point where Klara once jumped in front of an advancing Sentinel after hearing that they kill mutants. When Klara declines to return to the team in the 2017 series, Molly reacts like she's been dumped, sulking in her room.
* ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} has this kind of relationship with several heroines of Franchise/TheDCU, mainly ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}--whether she's Barbara Gordon or Stephanie Brown--and ComicBook/WonderGirl (Cassandra Sandsmark). Kara and Babs have [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y9IbO6gXfkA/WN476czbxeI/AAAAAAAAuNw/A0LoUWcalNcxnuMww353OCpiGLO2WgwJwCLcB/s1600/5a.jpg hugged]] and [[https://78.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8vbraq4Bs1qbujox.jpg carried each other bridal style]] more times than you can count, Kara and Cassie [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 kissed at one point]], and Kara and Steph... [[ComicBook/Batgirl2009 well...]]

%% * In ''ComicBook/{{Lucifer}}'' the two schoolgirls [[ISeeDeadPeople Elaine]] and [[CuteGhostGirl Mona]] had this sort of relationship when they were both alive, and continued it even after Mona gets murdered in her first appearance. The phrase "romantic friendship" is explicitly used by Mona's headmaster [[spoiler:and murderer]] to describe them.

** On the male side, Cory Matthews and Shawn Hunter were '''the''' example of this for children in the nineties. Even when Cory and Topanga, two main characters, got married in a later season, Topanga regularly concedes that Cory's loves his best friend Shawn more than her, and that Shawn reciprocates. In fact, some people credit this show for the resurgence of "bro-mance" in millenials.

* ''VideoGame/Persona4'' gives us [[{{Tomboy}} Chie Satonaka]] and [[YamatoNadeshiko Yukiko Amagi]]. [[ChildhoodFriends Childhood best friends]], they think the world of one another and are very often seen together. However, it's a bit more evident with Chie given how her facing Shadow embodies her envy of Yukiko being more traditionally feminine and beautiful than her while also enjoying how Yukiko relies on Chie to protect her. Also subverted on Chie’s side as, according to Chie’s VA in ''Golden'', Erin Fitzgerald, she is secretly in love with Yukiko.
** For a male example, Yosuke is this to the protagonist. Originally planned as a gay (well, bi, given his infatuation with Saki) option, he instead became the protagonist's closest friend and thus if the player has not had the protagonist romance anyone, he hangs out usually with Yosuke. The two call the other "partner" and have a close and understanding bond (likely as both were outsiders to Inaba and as [[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth PQ2]] later revealed, both moved around alot as children and thus had friendless backgrounds.) However, Yosuke becomes uncomfortable at any implications at his and the protagonist's bond being romantic and his motivation in the game originated when his FirstLove was murdered.

* Tarma and Kethry in the ''[[Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar Vows and Honor]]'' trilogy explicitly have {{Incompatible Orientation}}s. Tarma had a boyfriend before he was murdered with the rest of her clan and she then swore herself to serve her Goddess, which means becoming asexual. Kethry likes men. However, they become [[BloodBrothers oathsisters]], which to Tarma's people is the most recognized and esteemed relationship save for [[OneTrueLove lifebonds]], making it more important than a normal marriage - when she takes Kethry to the Plains, there are shades of MalignedMixedMarriage in how people react. The partners wear matching rings, are "closer than sisters, closer than lovers", and live together for their whole lives. The first story of the first book ends with them sharing a bed, HoldingHands, and "in the darkness of the night it is sometimes possible to say things that are too intense and too true for daylight." Kethry swears to have children for Tarma, and her desire to do so with a man she loves who also cares for Tarma and won't try to keep them apart lends a strong ThreesomeSubtext.

** There's also Rainbow Dash's friendship with Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie which could be interpreted as this. They all have massive amounts of subtle LesYay between them (Rainbow Dash managing to stay amazingly patient for Fluttershy in Hurricane Fluttershy, the butterfly migration which she even has a ''picture'' of for a keepsake in Dragon Quest, helping her get her bird whistle in "Trade Ya", and even letting her in on her plan to hoard cider.) While Applejack and Rainbow share a few moments (their rivalry for one) as do Pinkie Pie and Dashie, but most prevalent next to Fluttershy and Dash is probably Applejack and Rarity who have some slight ShipTease in Look Before You Sleep (what with the very tomboyish Applejack actually willing to try a makeover), Trade Ya (both are willing to trade everything they have just to make the other happy, fighting like a married couple), and Rarity seems jealous of Applejack receiving Trenderhoof's affection, because she's madly in a crush with him, going as far as to act like Applejack) Tellingly, Rarity and AJ make up by agreeing that their friendship is much stronger than Rarity's crush, and it's not long before the struggle turned into something personal between them, and Trenderhoof was quickly put to the side as they worked out their rivalry.
** Fluttershy and Rarity count too as they attend the spa together on a weekly basis in Green Isn't Your Color, have been referred specifically as best friends in addition to Rarity telling Fluttershy that there is no pony that can match her beauty and poise, and in Putting Your Hoof Down Rarity repeatedly calls Fluttershy "sweetie". The aforementioned episode and Filli Vanilli also show that Rarity is the one who is most aware of how timid Fluttershy really is, and instead tries to gently coax her out of her shell in a major contrast to the rest of the Mane Six's more blunt attempts for that very reason.
** The 100th episode, as a sendup to the most prominent fan pairing, has Lyra and Bon Bon acting like an old married couple with the constant qualifier of "best friends". After revealing her secret identity as a spy to Lyra, Bonbon and her have a falling out, Lyra questioning if their friendship meant anything, or if it was just another part of her cover. Thankfully, they do reconcile by the end, again putting particular stress on the words "best friend" as if to draw attention to the phrase as much as they can. [[spoiler: Subverted after they propose to each other in "The Big Mac Question.]]

Friendship is a powerful thing, [[ThePowerOfFriendship as we all know]]. Usually, though, there’s a degree of distance between friends, like physical lines they’re not willing to cross with each other. Sometimes, however, the friendship between two people can get very close indeed, as in hugging and holding hands all the time close. Perhaps they're so close that they even [[PlatonicKissing kiss]], cuddle, [[FinishingEachOthersSentences finish each other's sentences]], and/or platonically share a bed. Now, to an outside observer, this may look like they’ve taken the next step and become full-blown lovers, but not so! They’re still JustFriends, albeit friends who have grown so close that they’re comfortable doing things like this together without any romantic undertones, as they and their friends will tell you right out. It’s all just a sign of their adoration for each other and their deep-seated friendship. This relationship, called a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_friendship romantic friendship]] by the other wiki, can be done between children or adults (never between a child and adult [[PaedoHunt for obvious reasons]]).

This sort of thing was much more common in older works but started dying off around the late 19th/early 20th centuries as [[ValuesDissonance values shifted]] when such things started being seen as more sexual and homophobia became a major phenomenon, though it's still around to some extent, and even making a small comeback in the forms of "bromance", {{Man Hug}}s, and AirHugging. However, the more extreme versions, like cuddling, sharing a bed, and kissing at the most extreme are largely gone from these friendships and, in fiction, are mainly used to suggest certain homoerotic undertones that the characters may or may not be in denial about, or just to screw with the audience. Even when used without intentionally offering said undertones, it tends to make people think there's [[HoYay something more going on]]. That said, there is one demographic where such activities are still present and treated relatively innocently in media, especially in Japan: young girls. In Japan, when this happens, it's known as a "class S" relationship, and they're expected to grow out of it and move on to heterosexual relationships. For similar reasons, this is also why the GayRomanticPhase trope remains popular there, even as it has been mostly rejected by western audiences for its homophobic implications. Naturally, this also makes the subversion of this trope a popular initial setup in the YuriGenre, as a young couple gradually realises that they're not just practicing for adulthood, but are very seriously in love.

* Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux of ''Film/BlueIsTheWarmestColor'' developed a very strong friendship that continued long after filming ended and are very affectionate with each other in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HZkxmQi5ug film festivals]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGKlgZQwVAM interviews]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YovrrYMnH_A photo shoots]], and with Adèle thanking L&a in her speech and calling her [[AffectionateNickname ''my boo'']] after winning best actress at the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilr7yvSXak8 LAFCA awards]]. This causes massive {{Squee}} among the fans of the film which makes them ship the actresses hard even if they have boyfriends at present and both have said they're straight.

* ''VideoGame/Persona4'' gives us [[{{Tomboy}} Chie Satonaka]] and [[YamatoNadeshiko Yukiko Amagi]]. [[ChildhoodFriends Childhood best friends]], they think the world of one another and are very often seen together. However, it's a bit more evident with Chie given how her facing Shadow embodies her envy of Yukiko being more traditionally feminine and beautiful than her while also enjoying how Yukiko relies on Chie to protect her.

** For a male example, Yosuke is this to the protagonist. Originally planned as a gay (well, bi) option, he instead became the protagonist's closest friend and thus if the player has not had the protagonist romance anyone, he hangs out usually with Yosuke. The two call the other "partner" and have a close and understanding bond (likely as both were outsiders to Inaba and as [[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth PQ2]] later revealed, both moved around alot as children and thus had friendless backgrounds.) However, Yosuke becomes uncomfortable at any implications at his and the protagonist's bond being romantic and his motivation in the game originated when his FirstLove was murdered.

%% * In a similar [[IncrediblyLamePun vein]], Lissa and Rose from ''[[Literature/VampireAcademy Vampire Academy]]''. They're teenagers, older than some targets of this trope, but definitely fulfill the "suspiciously close and tender female friendship" qualification. Their fight in ''Shadow Kiss'' when [[spoiler:Rose leaves St. Vladimir's intending to kill Dimitri]] has been compared to a messy breakup, complete with Lissa crying and asking Rose not to leave her. Unsurprisingly, the [[YuriFan femslashy]] segment of the fandom [[FanPreferredCouple loves them]].

* Literature/JessicaDarling and her best friend Hope were ''extremely'' close, to the point where Hope moving away throws Jess into a year-long depression. Despite that, Jess is surprised and annoyed that anyone [[MistakenForGay would think]] that she's a [[IncrediblyLamePun "vagitarian."]]

* Latooni and Princess Shine's relationship has strong hints of this in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'', though they have clear romantic affections for SRX Team members Ryusei and Rai, respectively. It's probably worth noting that the series also has an example of the stereotypical connotations of immaturity lesbianism has in Japan. The somewhat childish and flighty 20-something [[CoolBigSis Excellen Browning]], though in a comitted relationship with fellow mecha pilot Kyosuke Nanbu, often flirts with other female characters ([[AnythingThatMoves male ones, too]]) and has an especially strong girl-crush on ''SRW Alpha'''s Viletta.

%% * Hime-chan and Erika's relationship in ''Manga/HimechanNoRibon'' is very much like this even though they spend a huge amount of time apart, saying they love each other, etc.

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* Many of Creator/LawrenceAlmaTadema's paintings feature young women in moments of intimate friendship. Prominent examples include ''Whispering Noon'', ''The Baths of Caracalla'', and ''In a Rose Garden'' (which also includes a bonus LapPillow).

%% * [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Miyako Inoue and Hikari Yagami]] of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' have more than a few shades of the trope, ''especially'' in the 31st episode, where they ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Ken]]) find themselves trapped in the Sea of Darkness. The scene in which Miyako slaps Hikari to calm her down and swears that she won't leave her alone wouldn't be out of place in a {{yuri}} anime. The fact that the very same episode is also when they learn how to FusionDance their partner Digimon doesn't help, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything especially given the part where they're thinking they can hear each others' heartbeats synchronize]].

%% * The plot of ''Manga/TheRowsOfCherryTrees'' centers around a Class S LoveTriangle between an OneeSama and two of her [[SenpaiKohai kohai.]]

* In ''Manga/ATropicalFishYearnsForSnow'', Konatsu Amano, a transfer student, forms a very close friendship with her [[SenpaiKohai sempai]] and clubmate Koyuki Honami. The two share a lot of LesYay, and it's ultimately left ambiguous as to whether they're merely friends or have feelings for one another.

* Played for laughs in ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': Matsuri is rather comically adoring of and affectionate to his ''[[SenpaiKohai senpai]]''/rival Soga, going as far to publicly hug him and [[FriendVersusLover beg Soga not to be replaced by a girlfriend]]. Since Matsuri was turned into a girl, many characters wonder if he's JumpingTheGenderBarrier, something he blithely ignores (and [[ObliviousToLove fails to notice]] Soga ''has'' fallen for him).