colors_tcg | Advent Calendar Day 09

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Advent Calendar Day 09

Here we are at Day Nine, so soon! Today's post is brought to you by two fabulous mods, myself (

aestivalis) and Fel (

shinsengumi, and you have her to thank for the adorable banner GOSH I LOVE ZELOS AND CHERIA SO MUCH YOU GUYS). I hope you all have been having a great time with this event - I certainly have!

Anyway, let's get this advent day moving \o\!

DAY NINE: DYNAMIC DUOS

Since this post is coming to you from two individuals, it only seems right to focus on partnerships. This isn't a shipping post, though! Nor is it particularly about familial bonds! Instead, just tell us about two characters you enjoy who share a significant non-romantic bond. We're talking about Roy Mustang and Maes Hughes, we're talking about Nana O. and Nana K., we're talking Sanzo and Goku, you get the idea!

Still want more examples? We'll take your Ladd Russo and Claire Stanfield, we'll have Caster and Ryuunosuke Uryuu, bring us Revy and Eda! Positive or negative, we want to know about some of your favourite bonds between people. After all, two are better than one.

For joining in with today's conversation, you may take two choice character cards with something in common. What things in common? Just like this round of Switch It Up, it's up to you! The only rule is that your choice cards must be from different decks. Make sure to drop an explanation with your comment and to post by December 31st!

Enjoy the rest of your Advent Calendar! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

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~~I was going to say Ichigo and Rukia but since this is non-shippy... :'D~~

I really love Snow Villiers and Hope Estheim's relationship. They--well, Hope, anyway, started out hating Snow, and they were thrown together out of necessity. From then, after Snow saved Hope several times and explained himself, Hope started to warm up to him. I really love that type of development...! And they also work pretty well together in battle. c:

Taking lovegun15 and dance15! Both are from Bleach and numbered 15.

I absolutely adore rivals. Like crazy. So it's so hard to choose JUST ONE. So I guess I'll compromise with the two that are on my mind the most lately.

First, there's Rin Matsuoka and Haruka Nanase from Free. I just love how these two motivate each other and help open the other's eyes to new perspectives, even while they're busy trying to one up the other. I love Rin's fire and stupidly sensitive emotions and how well they play off the more cool and quiet Haru. But more than anything, I love how they can stand on equal ground with each other. There's a powerplay at times, but it's pretty evenly matched and that's one of my favorite things in rivals. Of course, I love when they finally understand each other too. Dumb swimming boys.

Second, there's Motomiya Daisuke and Ichijouji Ken from Digimon 02. I adored the evolution of their friendship from heated bitter enemies/rivals to super good friends. I loved how Daisuke was willing to see the good in Ken when the others were more cautious and how Daisuke was Ken's first real friend (aside from Wormmon). I love how Ken always knows how to push Daisuke to keep him focused and how Daisuke knows how to give Ken just the encouragement he needs to pull through.

Sob so many rival feelings...

I'm taking savior07, sinner05 since they are siblings and share the same name of Mudou.

Edited 2013-12-24 00:12 (UTC)

oh let me talk about megucas. For all that the fandom ships Madoka/Homura and Sayaka/Kyouko I think Madoka and Sayaka's relationship is really overshadowed ;_; It's a small detail, but Madoka was willing to use her wish and become a puella magi to save Sayaka (and actually did in The Different Story). And, yanno, there's the whole 'U R MY WIFE' thing idk how more blatant it needs to get. I could write an essay on how much I love those two, but I'll stop here 8D;;

gonna take chiefmaid20 and border07. both are from Touhou, but if you want more specifics Sakuya (chiefmaid) fought Yukari (border) in the Phantasm stage of Perfect Cherry Blossom o/

Edited 2013-12-09 23:02 (UTC)

Non-shippy, huh...

I like the relationship between Hinata and Komaeda from SDR2 some? It's very hard to describe it without spoiling anything, but it's extremely antagonistic and -- unique, basically. There's no denying they're a big part of each other's lives throughout the game, but it's extremely hard to get into without spoilers, so I won't say anything other than that.

I also like the partnership between all the Idolm@ster girls. Though they can generally be broken into smaller groups, as a whole they work very well together and make beautiful music, which is something I admire.

Taking Hall Monitor01 and Wrestler01, both Dangan Ronpa characters with 01 cards.

I know exactly what you mean about Hinata and Komaeda! One of my friends said that she thought they weren't friends and I told her that to me that was not as important as the potential they had TO BE friends. Sob, they get me so bad. I don't really like them in a romantic way, but since the fandom does, I put up with it lol

Ahh my favourite relationship between two people that are platonic is Chocolat & Vanilla's (Sugar Sugar Rune) for their awesome friendship. I love my beautiful magical girls who would do anything for each other. I actually like that in ships too, but these girls are cutie pies and idk. Friendship :'(

Taking: soldier02 and naska05; they're both from the same series!

I love the bond between Nanami Aoyama and Mashiro Shiina from Sakurasou No Pet Na Kanojo. It took Nanami time to warm up to Mashiro, but there are many instances in the series where both Nanami and Mashiro directly and indirectly motivate the other. Even if they're technically rivals in a way, seeing as both of them have romantic feelings for the same person, they're still able to become friends and positively effect each others lives.

For my choice cards I'll be taking: mission08 and stamina08. Both cards are from Little Busters! decks and end with 08. Both of the cards feature the characters as children, as well. Thank you!

where do i start with this omg

well there's madoka and homura. it's up to you if you interpret their relationship anyway you want but i love how dedicated homura is to madoka? it's an unhealthy, obsessive type of love but seeing everything homura went through for madoka and how much she sacrificed for her is really heartbreaking.

and then there's ja'far and sinbad. ja'far is a former assassin and has known sinbad since they were young. not much is clear about their past together but sinbad probably saved ja'far or something he did that clearly changed ja'far from a cold, emotionless child to the person he is now. since then ja'far has been nothing but endlessly loyal and devoted to sinbad and they've gone through so much together. no matter what path sinbad chooses in the end, ja'far will remain by his side.

taking wires06 and seashells14 because they're both from magi and they're both part of the eight generals

...Dang. It's hard to think of this kind of thing but then I had an idea.

Yggdra and Aegina (Yggdra Union) have got to be two of the most tragic sisters in anything, for kind of spoilers reasons. I mean, Yggdra doesn't even know she has a sister and only ever sees Aegina as an enemy - and Aegina can't see Yggdra as anything other than an enemy either, since her father had to abandon her.

But then you see them actually getting along in Blaze Union's good B ending and it's just aaaaaaaaaaaah these two (I think. Blaze Union was never released outside of Japan...)

I'll take thinking16 and sohcahtoa03, both featuring video game characters that receive extensive tattoos or other bodily markings partway through the game.

Edited 2013-12-09 23:18 (UTC)

... I love non-romantic bonds so I HAVE A LOT OF CHOICES but for this event I'll pick Tiir Rumibul & Ene Lune from Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu / The Legend of the Legendary Heroes. o7

Despite the fact that you see them interact a grand total of one time maybe arguably two, you do get a sense of closeness between the two through those few interactions/mentions they make of each other. Their personalities just contrast each other's really nicely, with Tiir's bitterness and Ene's serenity, and while I can't go into detail without mentioning spoilers, there's something very sweet about how their relationship comes full circle through Ene's minor role and the lengths they'll go for each other. uwu

Taking bishoujo03 and heroking08, who are both main characters/people of the Roland Empire from the same series! And are another example of a lovely non-romantic bond, but I digress.

...Considering most everything I like can be considered shippable, but I tend to lean towards not to I am gonna have to go with the Roy Mustang thing but instead of with Maes I'll go with Riza Hawkeye.

Mostly because there's this really good dynamic there. And you can even add Maes into this. Because all three of them went into Ishval together, and there's an understanding of that between all of them. But with Roy and Riza we get a different perspective-- the student and the master's daughter. The "savior" and the cursed. The Flame Alchemist and the Hawk's Eye. They're the most renowned heroes of Ishval and it's not something either one of them take any pride in it.

But it's the bond that developed from their time together that is important. They could definitely be considered a ship, but to me when I see them I see them as a constant support system for each other. As long as they're in the military any signs of affection have to be put to the side, so in that way they're unshippable. But there's definitely a lot of affection and understanding between them that is borderline familial and for good reason-- growing up together as they did and then their war efforts.

Also, throwing more Maes in there BECAUSE I CAN. Because Roy's whole arc revolves around finding his killer. Maes was the second one to support him through his dream (the whole reason Riza joined the military was because Roy wanted to change things). And he did everything in his power to help Roy out and we know what happened. This is also how Riza and Maes are alike because they both believe in Roy enough to change the country y-yes.

Taking ninja13 and 75th17. They're both in main uniforms (Kanata's is the usual one we see irl but also one of the main ones that all of 00 wears). Character connection is that they're both not the main characters in their canons but have arcs they go through anyway. They also have similar arcs in a way in that they have secrets they can't tell the people they're closest to (Akira being a girl/telling Takumi, Kanata wanting to avenge her father/not telling Mimori).

Edited 2013-12-09 23:57 (UTC)

Let's go with Yvienne and Lariatte from Ciel: The Last Autumn Story! Though this is arguably romantic as well.

They are each other's witch and familiar and partners in a very true, soul bound sense, and they manage to bring out the best in each other. Before meeting Lariatte, Yvienne was a very empty person who didn't care much for her own life, but Lariatte gave her a reason to exist and be and anything was possible at her side. Lariatte also helped her realize that it was okay for Yvienne to be herself, and that she didn't have to change or become a better person in order to feel like she should be allowed to exist and understand that there were people who cared about her. Yvienne gave Lariatte a place in return, a true purpose and someone to protect with everything she had, no matter the cost.

But, at the end of the day, when they weren't caught up in a war bigger than either of them, they were just happy to be by the other's side.

They go together well too, both aesthetically and with Lariatte being the more serious and grounded one and keeping care free and capricious Yvienne from flying away.

Taking palemoon14 and chairman14, both are card number 14.

a recent non-platonic relationship i love would be athena and apollo from ace attorney. need i say more, honestly

ace attorney 5 has been getting a lot of flack that i agree with, but the dynamic between the lawyers is perfection to me, especially these two. they just got along so well and their cases together had a perfect chemistry when it came to their interactions. this day speaks to me in general though, because i love bromance pairings just as much (if not more) than romantic so it's actually hard to name just one LMAO. these two are my most recent though!

as for the cards, i'll be taking littlepuppy01 and perceive01. both are brown haired protags with brown haired cute sidekick girls (trucy in this case) with orange borders and an 01!

Edited 2013-12-09 23:41 (UTC)

I'm not terribly big on shipping, so I have a lot of these!

To choose a couple in particular, I absolutely adore Isaac and Miria's relationship with Ennis in Baccano! In Ennis's case, I found Isaac and Miria to be the characters that were the most compatible with her (more than Firo, who's "romantic" relationship with her is just tedious and forced.) Whether or not they meant to, they changed her life, offering her support and kind words when she had none. More than that, they genuinely meant it. They tried to defend her when she felt that no one would and left such a lasting effect on her that she was willing to die for their sake.

Even after she survived that ordeal, her being dragged into their shenanigans remained one of the highlights of the series for me--the sharp contrast in personalities is adorable. It never fails to make me smile how earnest that pair is, but Ennis herself is very honest and kind. They balance each other out well and just. I really can't get enough of that trio. It's cute and fun and funny and absolutely perfect. I also love Isaac and Miria's relationship with Czeslaw (that scene on the top of the train gets me every time,) but I can't think of nearly as much to say about it right now!

Likewise, Czeslaw and Maiza's relationship is one of my favorite things, but I'm not entirely sure how much I can say about it. They really do feel like old friends, though, and that's pretty significant for a character like Czeslaw, who's constantly treated like a child. In general I have a lot of feelings about all of the above characters, though...I am just drowning in a sea of Baccano! feelings.

For my choice cards, I'll be taking sacrifice10 and kamisaruzuki03. They're both ladies from the Fatal Frame series who have connections to the central antagonists of their respective games.

Edited 2013-12-09 23:42 (UTC)

I have a lot of favorite non-romantic bonds. Actually sometimes I feel like I support more of the friendships than the relationships, which is fun in it's own way (though I am also really shippy).

I'll pick Shiba Reiichirou and Chika Akatsuki from Zombie-Loan. The two of them used to be friends and they made their lives more interesting together. I feel that without Chika, Shiba feels sort of incomplete, which lead him to a wronger path and Chika clearly enjoys spending time with Chika and cares about him even after all the bad things he's done. They're a duo I would have loved to see more of in Zombie-Loan, both anime and manga, but alas.

Taking spot18 & bloodshot18, because they're both from the same series, both the same numbered cards and both of them are second year students in middle school.

Okokok! I REALLLLLLLLLY love the relationship between Mary, Shelley and Gaignun (and Jr.) (though I kind of ship Mary/Shelley/Gaignun). Their interactions with each other. Mary and Shelley look after Junior a lot and attempt to keep him out of trouble, but also make sure Gaignun knows what's up. Mary and Shelley both adore and admire Gaignun, not only because he has opened his arms and accepted them on the ship, he's a pretty cool guy. I mean, being the CEO of the Kukai foundation means you are cool and get all the ladies, amirite? haha!

taking kaka15 and al-thamen15 because they're both 15... :)

First that comes to mind is Tezuka and Genichirou from Prince of Tennis. At first I really hated both of them (heh ...) but towards the end of the anime, they converted me. I don't know ... I think they work really hard to defeat each other, they push each other. My other favorite non-romantic bond is Tezuka and Atobe. Did you see that match in the semi-finals or wherever when they played until both dropped and they held each other's hands up at the end of the match ... sportsmanship to the max.

I'm taking principal12 and writer12 because both are from yellow colored decks, both are numbered 12 and both feature male characters with blond hair.

Oh, tenipuri bonds. The series has pretty good dynamics in general, but I have to agree with Atobe and Tezuka. They're such sportsmen. Sanada and Tezuka too, but I'm biased.

As soon as I read non-shippy I swear every single thought flew out of my head because I was all set to start rambling about Makoto and Haruka. So I sat and thought and decided to talk about Alvin and Elise Lutus instead.

YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND FATHER-DAUGHTER BONDS IN FOUND FAMILY UNITS ARE SO IMPORTANT TO ME. Alvin is admittedly a really shady guy and Elise rightfully took major issue with some of the things he's done but in the end she was there for him when he needed it most and I just want to cry. They're precious. I want him to adopt her when he's cleaned up his act some. I'm also really fond of Jude and Elise's similar bond, he's so protective of her and it's lovely to see boys taking the guardianship role in a Tales game for a change.

I'll be taking backstroke01 and calculation01; they're both from Free! and are numbered 01.

Alvin and Elise's relationship is so cuuuute and one of my favorites, s-sob.

I LOVE THIS PROMPT SO MUCH SCREECHES

But no, I love platonic relationships. My favorite is probably all of the friendships in Vagrant Soldier Ares–although the most meaningful one for me is Baroona and Ares. While they start off being close their relationship is kind of secondary to the main two until circumstances change and they're pretty much all they have left. The entire last volume of the series is pretty much only about their bond and how stubborn they both are about letting the other go because they're both the only ones left after a long string of dead friends and I just get really really emotional about them. I'm trying really hard not to ramble nonsensically right now.

Anyway, that's my favorite type of relationship: where two characters stake such high importance on each other that losing the other would ruin them. A lot of the times it can be interpreted to be shippy but I always usually prefer it to be platonic since I think it means more that way? I feel like when you're in a romantic relationship (an ideal one) that type of thing is expected, but not so much in friendship–which I think makes it more meaningful? I dON'T KNOW I COULd BE WRONG but I just have a lot of emotions about friendship.

taking delusions20 and weakness05 because both characters have really big crushes on girls in their canon!!

When it comes to best bros, I go back to Goku and Krillin. They started out as rivals and only cared about being the winner (for extremely different reasons... ), but by the time their training was through, they were best friends for life. Shouting encouragement at each other, helping out, just being pals. They split up for years to keep training independently, and something changed. Krillin, to help his friend, offered to go and do something nice and get his lost memento. In doing that, he wound up dying. Goku took on the greatest enemy known to the planet Earth just to get back at him for the murder of his best friend - a move he mirrored more than a decade later. Despite being out of his league, Krillin never backed down and always tagged along to every fight. For emotional support, since he couldn't offer backup, but he and Goku were always there for each other. Best friends, man. Best friends.

And I've mastered both those decks sooo my choice cards will be avalanche17 and uncouth03, who fight in the same RPG party and are another pair of ragtag adventuring world saving friends.

Just because this is the first time I've seen a TCG with both of them in it, I'm going with Netto and Enzan from Rockman.EXE.

Netto's this fairly cheerful guy (whose Navi does a lot of the hard work for him) who tends to enjoy net battling and roller-blading his way around town. He's a super loyal friend who will do anything to make sure his friends, family and natch, even the world are protected when the chips (aha, unplanned pun) are down. Enzan's this high-society, genius kid who's tasked with taking over his father's company (or at least basically helping to run the darned thing) and doesn't have time for such foolish things as friends. His only companion is his own Navi, who isn't too far off the old chipping block either, the silent type.

When these two guys collide, sparks do fly (from their own Navis battling it out time and time again) to sacrifices on both sides of the aisle. One learns that maybe having friends isn't as much of a burden as one would originally think and the second learns that maybe having responsiblit….oh heck, I can't even type that with a straight face. I'm sure Netto learns something too from Enzan, even if he wouldn't readily admit it.

Going to pick up kitsune20 and ipc20; as both Renamon and Enzan learn to slightly shed their icy outer personas and gain friends over the course of their respective series.

I could seriously talk about these things forever, and it's taking me a while to settle on who, so I'll rattle on about a few!

One of my favorite things about Final Fantasy XIII was the father-daughter-style relationship between Sazh Katzroy and Oerba dia Vanille. Sazh is kind of Team Dad for everyone anyway, but it's especially so with Vanille. They travel together, they bond, they learn about each other, they learn to trust each other - it's just really sweet. The scene in Nautilus where a lot of truth comes out and Sazh has to make the choice about whether or not to kill the girl that's (practically) become another daughter to him - and doesn't - is one of the most touching ones in the game, in my opinion.

I can't let this go by without talking about how much I love Pi and Kuhn's relationship in .hack//G.U., either. I ship them romantically, too, but they have a working relationship where Pi's too serious for her own good sometimes, and Kuhn's too mellow for his own good, but they balance each other out really nicely. They just have a really nice relationship.

And the cards I'll be taking are center06 and nova06 - from Chieri Sono and Nagisa Motomiya's decks. The thing they have in common: they're both AKB0048 trainees, and they're rivals. These two are another pair I love a lot. They cheer each other on when it really counts and they don't let the other outshine them. I love their relationship a lot.

SPEAKING OF SANZO AND GOKU I was actually talking to someone about their relationship the other day. I really like that despite the volatile friendship they have, they're still very important to each other. Even if Sanzo repeatedly threatens him, hits him and calls him an idiot, Goku is still fiercely loyal to him for all that Sanzo has done for him. Their friendship (and basically that entire groups friendship lbr) is basically 'no one can mess with them but me' and for some reason I really like that.

annnd taking benishigure17 and erokappa17 because they're both red and they're both numbered 17! plus they both have scars on their faces

Oh god I could go on for days, but to keep to things I've been re-reading recently, I think Elliot and Leo from Pandora Hearts stands out; I thought it was really interesting that rather than 'calm stoic keeps his troublemaking obnoxious friend out of hot water,' the former keeps the latter in check by being this loud, high-spirited guy who always loses his temper first haha. It was really easy to tell how close the two of them were, and it's probably my favorite dynamic from the series.

There's also X and Zero from Mega Man, which has been one of my favorite dynamic duos since grade school :') Actually canonical best friends that go through robot hell together; even across all the spin-offs, it's really neat to see that their relationship never degrades.

Taking hotheaded01 and hotblooded02, who are (if their decknames don't give it away, haha) both brash, hot-tempered teenage boys!

Edited 2013-12-10 00:36 (UTC)

X and Zero are amazing and you should feel good for this answer.

(no subject)

scaleless - 2013-12-11 07:18 (UTC) - Expand

I absolutely love, love, love the bromance between Nagisa and Rei from Free! Unlike majority of the fandom, I actually prefer them better as BFFs. But anyway, Rei is this dorky, critical thinking kind of guy while Nagisa is the cheerful, mischievous type who makes fun of Rei so relentlessly. Despite how Rei gets annoyed at Nagisa's antics at times and how Nagisa never stops poking fun of Rei, the two boys really care about one another and support each other — in swimming and other things. Seeing their scenes together is hilarious.

In Madoka Magica, I also adore Mami being the mentor-type to both Madoka and Sayaka, but who also finds comfort in their friendship.

I'll take record20 and magical10; both come from the same series and feature Tomoyo and Sakura respectively, a pair of best friends who care about each other a lot.

I am the biggest friendship-in-media fan in the world, especially if there is one or more women/girls involved. (Doubly so if it's a male-female friendship that never turns romantic: while couples where it's obvious they are also best friends are nice, so is the reminder that men and women can be friends without being romantic.)

In Madoka, I liked that the bonds with other people was played up as important, especially given the end: Madoka cared about Sayaka and Mami and Homura and even Kyouko, so she wanted to help all of them. (Sailor Moon is much the same: Usagi befriended a lot of girls who were alone for whatever reason*, not just because they were her fellow senshi, but because she was a friendly and open girl.)

Also, the Digimon franchise, and not just for the 'mon.

(I'm also watching Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and it seems like one of the themes is camaraderie: that Ed, and Roy, and Al can win people over and get people working together, and that extends through most of the protagonists. Even a scary general like Olivier Armstrong or a morally-gray loner like Scar has people.)

My choice cards are kendo16 and blunt01. Both are characters from the same series, and Miyako and Iori are also friends and neighbors.

* Rei less so in the anime, IIRC. In the manga she was a lot more isolated for being a spooky priestess.

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