More Than A Little Romance
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Romance isn’t just the province of romantic couples. It’s not all heaving bosoms and swarthy heroes. It’s not always big, obvious and showy. It doesn’t always end with a happy couple riding away into the sunset.
More often, true romance is overlooked because it’s not traditional, not lovey-dovey romance. To me, platonic friendships can be equally as romantic as sexual relationships.
Today’s post is inspired by one of my favorite bloggists, Jason Cantrell. He recently wrote a post, Friendships Among Your Characters, that got me to thinking – yet again – about all the romantic friendships populating the Song of Solstice.
Prospector and Tonyo are the obvious choice for me to discuss today. Even though there’s a paternal element to how Prospector feels about his nomad companion, they are best friends despite the difference in their ages. Two men from drastically different places who team up to face an uncertain future together certainly sounds romantic, doesn’t it?
Yeah, I’m not referring to them today 
It’s the friendship between Awnyx Tiell and his best friend Snatch that interests me. Irrelevant is the fact that Snatch has been dead for over ten years, or that the two of them only had a brief couple of years together before tragedy took Snatch away.
It was a friendship defining the lives of both men and a friendship that sustains Awnyx long after Snatch dies. They met cute, Nyx and Snatch, when one foolishly picked a drunken fight with other on a fateful night in Iolytia. They were just boys at the time, and fought with the stamina and single-mindedness of boys. By the end of that prolonged battle, they were best friends. Comrades.
Spending the next couple of years together, Awnyx and Snatch happily fought, drank and whored throughout the indigo tier. Their affection for each other was tangible, it made others jealous because of its intensity. And it was romantic, two disparate brothers encouraging each other to LIVE BIG while the chance was theirs.
More than a decade after Snatch’s death, Awnyx still mourns for his best friend. The Big Man blames himself for his friend’s cruel demise, letting his guilt drive him forward on a mission he doesn’t believe in. The Boss chooses to intervene on Awnyx’s guilt, chooses to reunite the two best friends, if only in a dream.
Snatch gives the mission meaning for Awnyx, ensuring the Captain will do his duty and carry out the odd orders given by his superiors. But at the heart of it is Snatch, still trying to do right by his best friend, still making sure his best friend LIVES BIG.
Now, that to me is romance, true romance. It’s not bounded by social convention, sexual desire or even death. It’s a relationship that never truly ends as long as one person is still alive to remember.
Awnyx and Snatch are not done with each other, not by a country mile. In Solstice, anything is possible and dreams are as real as real life. Because real romance never really ends.
How important are characters to the story? How do you define romance? Please share your thoughts with me!
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