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Friendship as Courtship

 Friendship as Courtship
type
FeatureClass
 Friendship as Courtship
label
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship
page
FriendshipAsCourtship
 Friendship as Courtship
comment
Most Western cultures expect that a marriage proposal is preceded by some form of courtship period. Fiction generally reflects this, with most Relationship Upgrades occurring via the characters involved switching from platonic friends to dating each other.
However, some characters have known each other long enough that any courtship would be redundant. After all, good friends who have been close for a long time — in many cases, since they were children — presumably know pretty much all there is to know about their prospective partner. So, when they finally realize (or acknowledge) that there is Unresolved Sexual Tension between them, it ends up resolved by an on-the-spot marriage proposal.
Compare to First Girl After All and Fallback Marriage Pact. A Childhood Marriage Promise might involve this if the two actually end up together. Contrast with Fourth-Date Marriage (when characters have only just met and get married) and I Don't Want to Ruin Our Friendship and Better as Friends (when one or both prefer friendship to romance). For the more antagonistic variant, see Rivalry as Courtship (though there can be overlap if it's a Friendly Rivalry).
 Friendship as Courtship
fetched
2023-11-07T01:32:03Z
 Friendship as Courtship
parsed
2023-11-07T01:32:03Z
 Friendship as Courtship
processingComment
Dropped link to DefiedTrope: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Friendship as Courtship
processingComment
Dropped link to GoneWithTheWind: Not an Item - UNKNOWN
 Friendship as Courtship
processingComment
Dropped link to PairTheSpares: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Friendship as Courtship
processingUnknown
GoneWithTheWind
 Friendship as Courtship
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Friendship as Courtship / int_135f97c9
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_135f97c9
comment
Emma: When Emma and Mr. Knightley realize that they love each other, they get engaged with no formal courtship. They don't really need one, though, because they've known each other for literally her entire life and have been the best of friends for years.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_135f97c9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_135f97c9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Emma
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_135f97c9
 Friendship as Courtship / int_158b0cbb
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_158b0cbb
comment
Apparently, this was the case for Mister Rogers. According to his widow Joanne, they had been friends in college and continued to correspond by letter after they graduated. One day she got a letter from him asking her to marry him, and after thinking it over, she called him to say yes. They remained Happily Married until his death.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_158b0cbb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_158b0cbb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_158b0cbb
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2192aeb3
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2192aeb3
comment
In Fire Emblem the support system requires a pair of characters to carry on a thread of three or four related conversations before they declare their love for one another. It's implied that they talk more than three times and these are the only conversations the player gets to hear. And occasionally it's implied that they start dating after the final conversation and then are married sometime later in the epilogue. However, in Awakening, by conversation four someone actually pops the question, engagement ring in hand.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2192aeb3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2192aeb3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Fire Emblem (Franchise)
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_2192aeb3
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2313563f
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2313563f
comment
Suits : Donna and Harvey have been in each other lives for twelve years and had a long going Will They or Won't They?, so when they finally do get together in season 8, they get married ten episodes later.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2313563f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2313563f
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1.0
 Suits
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_2313563f
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2c822801
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2c822801
comment
In the Chronicles of Prydain, Taran and Eilonwy meet and become friendly in the first book; since she has nowhere else to go and her entire family is dead, she comes to live with him at his master's house, Caer Dallben. They remain friends as they grow up, and while Taran gradually works out that he's in love with her, he doesn't make too much of an effort to court her - mostly because she's a princess and he doesn't even know who his parents were. Finally, near the end of the very last book, he blurts out a marriage proposal which she accepts, noting that she's been wondering when he'd finally get around to asking.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2c822801
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2c822801
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1.0
 Chronicles of Prydain
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_2c822801
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2e889d61
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2e889d61
comment
Half of the couples in The Drowsy Chaperone: Underling has been Mrs. Tottendale's butler since Mr. Tottendale was alive, and it's implied that Kitty has been a problem performer for Feldzieg for a while. Regardless, the pairs end up married by the end of the show.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2e889d61
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_2e889d61
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Drowsy Chaperone (Theatre)
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_2e889d61
 Friendship as Courtship / int_30d05f40
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_30d05f40
comment
A Thousand Splendid Suns: Immediately after they consummate their relationship, Tariq proposes marriage to Laila. They've been best friends since they were children and their relationship had recently become romantic in nature (although it's also because Tariq is moving away soon and wants Laila to come with him). Laila wants to say yes, but ultimately refuses because she feels she'd be abandoning her parents. When they meet up again after eleven years apart, they find they still love each other and pick up where they left off, getting married soon after Laila's abusive husband is killed.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_30d05f40
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_30d05f40
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1.0
 A Thousand Splendid Suns
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_30d05f40
 Friendship as Courtship / int_32233a78
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_32233a78
comment
In Ozy and Millie, at the end of the strip's run, Ozy's dad and Millie's mom decide to get married after years of being very good friends. Interestingly, Ms. Mudd proposed to Llewellyn while they were washing dishes. Although the comic ends right after their wedding, Millie discusses the idea that she and Ozy could end up invoking this trope even though they are now step-siblings.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_32233a78
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_32233a78
featureConfidence
1.0
 Ozy and Millie (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_32233a78
 Friendship as Courtship / int_32c541e6
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_32c541e6
comment
At the end of Fullmetal Alchemist Edward proposes to Winry (well, sort of). They've known each other from a young age and have been Love Interests the entire series, and Ed has had Single-Target Sexuality towards only her, but prior to that they never even outright said they loved each other, let alone dated. It's nevertheless a happy marriage, and Word of God notes that they go on to have several children.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_32c541e6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_32c541e6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Fullmetal Alchemist (Manga)
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_32c541e6
 Friendship as Courtship / int_3790ae45
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_3790ae45
comment
Zigzagged in Double Homework. The protagonist and Rachel dated before, and along with Morgan and Amy, Rachel can end up in a zone somewhere between friendship and dating with the protagonist. Lauren averts this trope by asking the protagonist out right away, and then by putting the question to him early about whether or not they are "dating."
 Friendship as Courtship / int_3790ae45
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_3790ae45
featureConfidence
1.0
 Double Homework (Visual Novel)
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_3790ae45
 Friendship as Courtship / int_4a90c60b
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_4a90c60b
comment
The White Queen: Because they are Childhood Friends imbued with Puppy Love, Richard of Gloucester and Anne Neville's burgeoning romance requires merely four encounters (once at the Battle of Tewkesbury, once at a hunting gathering, and twice in a garden) before he pops the question, which she eagerly accepts.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_4a90c60b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_4a90c60b
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1.0
 The White Queen
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_4a90c60b
 Friendship as Courtship / int_53b32cf6
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_53b32cf6
comment
This presents a problem for Another World's Jake and Vicky when they decide to take their relationship to the next level. Jake can't come up with any ideas for their first official date—when another friend suggests that they go out for burgers and beer, he dismisses the idea, saying, "We do that all the time!"
 Friendship as Courtship / int_53b32cf6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_53b32cf6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Another World
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_53b32cf6
 Friendship as Courtship / int_564871a
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_564871a
comment
Blue Bloods' Jamie and Eddie get engaged after a Near-Death Experience makes them finally realize and admit that they love each other, clearly deciding that they don't need to date after several years of friendship and being partners.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_564871a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_564871a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Bloods
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_564871a
 Friendship as Courtship / int_584365d4
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_584365d4
comment
In Melody, this is used in general for the protagonist's relationships with Melody, Becca, Amy, Sophia, and Xianne. Lampshaded with the relationship "levels" with Melody; "Friends" and "Best Friends" come before the romantic levels.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_584365d4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_584365d4
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1.0
 Melody (Visual Novel)
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_584365d4
 Friendship as Courtship / int_5908ee91
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_5908ee91
comment
This is basically how romance works in Skyrim. The setting is so frigid and full of danger that the residents just don't have time for fripperies like courtship, so once a connection is established between two people, they agree to marry and make arrangements with the priest. In terms of the game's mechanics, if the Dragonborn does a favor or resolves a quest (of varying difficulty) for an NPC, the game thereafter regards that NPC as the player's friend; as long as the NPC in question is one of the 22 potential spouses, the player then has the option to marry their friend.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_5908ee91
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_5908ee91
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Video Game)
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_5908ee91
 Friendship as Courtship / int_60c47244
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_60c47244
comment
Made of Honor: Tom and Hannah marry at the end without any apparent dating, having learned enough about each other and fallen in love over a decade of friendship.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_60c47244
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_60c47244
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1.0
 Made of Honor
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_60c47244
 Friendship as Courtship / int_7a88c855
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_7a88c855
comment
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement ends with Queen Clarisse's longtime bodyguard's spontaneous proposal to her following an hour and a half of Unresolved Sexual Tension, which she accepts.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_7a88c855
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_7a88c855
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1.0
 The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_7a88c855
 Friendship as Courtship / int_829b2f67
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_829b2f67
comment
In The Sound of Music, Georg and Maria get from the love confessions to the marriage proposal in the space of just a few minutes. It works anyway, because a) they've been sharing a house for months already, and b) they are so obviously right for each other that it makes perfect sense.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_829b2f67
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_829b2f67
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Sound of Music (Theatre)
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_829b2f67
 Friendship as Courtship / int_96a429e8
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_96a429e8
comment
The main pairing in Beyond Heroes: Of Sunshine and Red Lyrium have been friends for over a dozen years at the time of the story, since she first arrived in Kirkwall. There is no courtship per se; the hero confesses his feelings in the form of a marriage proposal. When asked about it later, he comments that the courtship "was apparently happening for a few months before I realized it."
 Friendship as Courtship / int_96a429e8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_96a429e8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond Heroes (Fanfic)
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_96a429e8
 Friendship as Courtship / int_ad43200e
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_ad43200e
comment
Four Weddings and a Funeral: Bernard and Lydia hook up at the first wedding. Theirs is the second, taking place only 3 months later. Dialogue implies that they've known each other for years and therefore don't really need to date, thus explaining their rapid trip to the altar.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_ad43200e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_ad43200e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Four Weddings and a Funeral
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_ad43200e
 Friendship as Courtship / int_d8534d26
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_d8534d26
comment
Boq tries to invoke this in Wicked by offering to be friends with his crush Galinda and work up from there. It doesn't work.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_d8534d26
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_d8534d26
featureConfidence
1.0
 Wicked
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_d8534d26
 Friendship as Courtship / int_db96ded4
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_db96ded4
comment
Varrick and Zhu Li from The Legend of Korra have been working together for years but their relationship was always on a platonic, professional level. She eventually gets sick of feeling like a Beleaguered Assistant who isn't treated as Varrick's equal, but right before they go into a dangerous battle, Varrick proposes to her. They get married afterwards.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_db96ded4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_db96ded4
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Legend of Korra
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_db96ded4
 Friendship as Courtship / int_e500f417
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_e500f417
comment
The default in Harvest Moon. Some games have dates (anywhere from a few festivals a year to more formal ones), but for the most part courting consists of giving your love interest presents, seeing their heart events, then proposing (or, in some cases, waiting until they propose to you).
 Friendship as Courtship / int_e500f417
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_e500f417
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harvest Moon (Video Game)
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_e500f417
 Friendship as Courtship / int_f6caf36c
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_f6caf36c
comment
In Triumph of a Tsar, Tsar Alexei and Princess Ileana don't have any sort of courtship period before he proposes, though Ileana admits that she'd been expecting his proposal for awhile. This is because they've been close since they met as children in 1914, and became even more so after he ascended the throne. They don't need a proper courtship to know that they're right for each other, despite their young ages.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_f6caf36c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_f6caf36c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Triumph of a Tsar
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_f6caf36c
 Friendship as Courtship / int_fc451dc6
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_fc451dc6
comment
This is technically the case for the leads in Cinderjuice and its sequels. Despite how it appears to certain members of the supporting cast (mainly her parents), they at no time actually date, and instead go from being Best Friends to being Happily Married via Magically-Binding Contract. This (mostly) makes sense to them, because there's never really been anyone else for either of them.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_fc451dc6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_fc451dc6
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1.0
 Cinderjuice / Fan Fic
hasFeature
Friendship as Courtship / int_fc451dc6
 Friendship as Courtship / int_fe83b608
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship / int_fe83b608
comment
In the Law & Order: UK fanfic Dreadlock Holiday, Matt Devlin flees to Jamaica after being humiliated in court over an error made during an investigation. Alesha follows him to apologize and they end up declaring their love for each other and consummating their relationship. After several days of bliss, he impulsively proposes and she accepts.
 Friendship as Courtship / int_fe83b608
featureApplicability
1.0
 Friendship as Courtship / int_fe83b608
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1.0
 Law & Order: UK
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Friendship as Courtship / int_fe83b608

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Friendship as Courtship
processingCategory2
Flirting and Courtship
 Friendship as Courtship
processingCategory2
Marriage Tropes
 The Smeet Series (Fanfic) / int_4715cf36
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Hester Street / int_4715cf36
type
Friendship as Courtship
 The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement / int_4715cf36
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Beauty and the Beast / int_4715cf36
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Mix Beer With Liquor And You Will Get Sicker / int_4715cf36
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Ordinary Time / int_4715cf36
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Pachinko / int_4715cf36
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Triumph of a Tsar / int_4715cf36
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Providence / int_4715cf36
type
Friendship as Courtship
 The White Queen / int_4715cf36
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Story of Seasons (Video Game) / int_4715cf36
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Double Homework (Visual Novel) / int_4715cf36
type
Friendship as Courtship
 Melody (Visual Novel) / int_4715cf36
type
Friendship as Courtship