Tag: Calvin and Hobbes

Trope Tuesday: Childhood Friend Romance

Oh come on--you just KNOW that they get together!

There’s something heartwarming about a romantic couple that knew each other as children.  Maybe it’s that return to innocence, or a sense that destiny is on your side, but I find these kinds of stories hopeful and encouraging.

My favorite example of this is probably Deanna and Michael from For Better or for Worse.  My sister was obsessed with that comic growing up, so my parents bought her just about every book and I got to read them all.  I still remember when Deanna showed up again, after seven or eight books: at first, I was like “holy cow, is it the same girl from way back when Michael was a little boy?” And then he started dating her, and I was like “YES!!!”

Another good example is Phantom of the Opera, with Christine and Raoul.  Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain also had a long-running friendship between Taran and Eilonwy, which eventually took a romantic turn.  Apparently, Jane Austen was also fond of this trope, though I haven’t read enough of her to be able to say.

A lot of times, this trope is coupled with a childhood marriage promise.  It doesn’t have to be, though; I just love the thought that Calvin and Susie eventually end up together, even though they hate each other as kids.  As a storytelling device, this trope can also work well in conjunction with first girl wins.

Sometimes, though, the love is unrequited.  In many stories, this happens when one of the friends thinks their relationship is more like a brother and sister thing.  The scientific rationale for this is called the Westermarck effect, where people become sexually desensitized to those with whom they grow up together.  A good example of this would probably be Cyrano de Bergerac; the whole nose thing was more a self-esteem issue for Cyrano than a turnoff for Roxane.

In the Middle East, where it’s still common for first cousins to marry, this trope tends to be a lot more prevalent.  In Arabic 202, we read several magazine stories about couples who fell in love after growing up together.  There might be a bit of a squick factor there for Western readers, though–and that’s something you have to look out for with this trope.  If the characters really are like brother and sister, and they get together anyway…ew.

So there you have it.  For an innocent, hopeful, satisfying romance or romantic subplot–or a crushingly depressing tale of unrequited love–the childhood friend romance trope can be used to great effect.

Image courtesy sora1589. Line art by nami86.

Apocalyptic story idea

Ok, here’s another crazy story idea.

When I was really young, I used to hang upside down off the edge of the bed and look up at the ceiling, trying to imagine what it would be like if the ceiling were the floor and the floor were the ceiling.  You should try it sometime–it really changes the landscape of your house.  I think there was a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip on this same concept, too.

So, here’s the idea.  It’s a little wacky, but here goes.  What if everyone, all over the world, suddenly fell UP instead of falling DOWN?  Not objects, or animals, or anything else–just people.

Imagine where you are sitting right now.  Look up.  What would it be like if all of a sudden you fell down–or, rather, up?  Would it hurt?  How much?  Would you die?  Would you be able to grab onto something?  What would it be like once you stood up and found yourself on the ceiling?

Then, imagine the change to the landscape!  Imagine the change to the WORLD!  Instead of sky, there’d be nothing but ground overhead, and a giant, bottomless blue abyss beneath!  Would you be able to leave the building you’re in?  If you were in your car, what would you do?  If you were in your car, and you got into an accident, what would you do?

Imagine all those people, walking around outside in the city streets, or walking around campus the moment the apocalypse hits, and BAM!  They’re all falling skyward!  How crazy would that be?  How tragic!

What would you do after you’d realized what happened?  Would you be able to get around?  If you had access to a car, probably–just lie down on the ceiling and drive upside down, I suppose.  But then again, what about the accelerator pedal?  How would you reach it?  You’d have to rig something up–it would be difficult.

And what if you were trapped in a building with no way out?  What if your car were parked outside somewhere?  How would you survive?  Where would you get food?  What would you do once that ran out?  How would you contact people?  Would you even make it?

What if the ceiling weren’t strong enough to support your weight?  What if you fell through it?  What if you were with someone who fell through a weak part in the ceiling?  What would happen?

You get the idea.  It’s a pretty wacky idea, but think about it–if it happened, it really WOULD be apocalyptic!  Crazy!