Second Entry

[gobetween]

Sender: Hermes (Greek mythology) | Gobo Fraggle

Recipient: Everyone but Wembley Fraggle


Hey, everyone. I've got a pretty simple question- well actually I don't know if it's really all that simple but-

I'm getting ahead of myself.

So, I don't know all that much about being in a relationship. I didn't even have a word for it until I was talking to someone else and it came up. Sure, I know about hanging out together and doing special things with each other, and different things like that.

But what can you do to become closer? Me and Wembley, we're really close already, but I wouldn't call that "relationship close." And Fraggles, we have romance and stuff but nothing really special, not like I've seen with the Gorgs- oh uh, other people from my home world -or others here in the Index, like special customs. So I'm basically just asking for ideas of something Wembley and I can do together, or that I can do for Wembley, that would make our relationship really something.

Just don't mention it to Wembley if you know him, eh? I wanna surprise him.

Comments

[kawkaw]

To be honest, I don't really have much experience with this kind of thing. But I think it shouldn't really matter what you both do together. The point of a relationship is just being together, because that time you spend with each other is what makes it special.

Of course, there should be some thought in what you want to do with him. But you know him better than anyone, don't you? So you would know best what would make him happy, especially if he gets to do that thing with you.

[gobetween]

I do know him better, yeah... And I know he gets a lot of enjoyment out of just doing things with me, you know? Because it's me.

I just wanna do something extra special for him, especially since it seems like we've already done anything I'd think of on my own. Like... exploring together, or eating together, for example.

[kawkaw]

Well, just because you've done those things together before doesn't mean they can't be special. Maybe take him on a picnic, or create an adventure that leads to something he'd like to see.

[gobetween]

Yeah, I guess that's true. Anything we do together could be seen as special, now that we ARE together.

[kawkaw]

Exactly. The important thing is that you're spending that time together. Whatever you end up doing, it'll probably still mean a lot to him.

[gobetween]

[He considers a moment, and the look of his next writing carries his cheer.]

Yeah! Wembley loves doing anything with me, I imagine that'll just get even better now.

[kawkaw]

Exactly. And as long as you do your best to make him happy, then he probably will be.

[gobetween]

That's what Fraggles are all about! Making ourselves, and each other, happy. I think this'll be just fine.

Thanks!

[kawkaw]

You're welcome. And good luck.

Karkat Vantas || Sun Wukong

[cancercarcino]

OH GREAT, ANOTHER GODDAMN ALIEN WHO'S STUCK IN THE SHIT-END OF THE ROMANCE POOL BECAUSE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW TO SORT OUT THEIR FEELINGS FOR ANOTHER LIFE FORM.
SERIOUSLY, IS EVERYONE HERE JUST FUCKING SPONGE-DAMAGED OR SOMETHING WHEN IT COMES TO ROMANCE??
FIRST IT WAS THE IDIOT WHO MADE A FOOL OF THEMSELVES IN THE JOURNAL A WHILE BACK, THEN THE NOOKWHIFFER FROM THE STORY WE JUST FIXED, AND NOW THIS.
HOW ANYONE GETS ANYWHERE IN THE ROMANCE DEPARTMENT IS BEYOND ME AND THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING.
BUT FEAR NOT, YOU POOR, MISGUIDED FOOL.
I'VE HEARD YOUR CRY FOR HELP AND HAVE DECIDED TO ENLIGHTEN YOU ON HOW TO PROGRESS IN THIS WHOLE ENDEAVOUR, BECAUSE IF I DON'T OFFER ANY HELP THEN FUCK KNOWS WHAT OTHER DIPSHIT HERE WILL TELL YOU.
YOU'RE TALKING TO AN EXPERT OF ALL ROMANCE HERE, SO YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL!

[gobetween]

I've sorted out my feelings plenty. I know how I feel about Wembley, it's what to do to make that more special that's got me writing here.

[Gobo that's not the point-]

But thanks, whatever advice you've got, I'm more than open to.

[cancercarcino]

WELL GREAT! THAT SAVES US FROM WORKING OUT THE MOST PAINFUL PART OF THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION.
OKAY, SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR DATING ADVICE, THEN YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF DATE IT'S GOING TO BE.
SO THIS WEMBLEY PERSON.
WHICH OF YOUR QUADRANTS ARE THEY IN?
BECAUSE DOING SOMETHING THAT'S MORE FLUSHED WHEN YOU WANT SOMETHING PITCH IS GOING TO CAUSE A LOT OF MIXED SIGNALS AND CONFUSION YOU'D PROBABLY WANT TO AVOID.

[gobetween]

[Er, hold please. That went completely over his head and in the space of not yet replying and then some he notices that Karkat's been busy on a journal thing of his own. Gobo flips to that and reads- wow, make that skims -said words as it goes on and on, and what this eventual if slightly accidental cross-reference eventually comes down to is a single, simple answer.

...That he's. pretty sure is right, but honestly he was starting to get a headache right between the eyes-]

I'm pretty sure we both want something flushed. I know Wembley pretty well by now and none of the others sound like what we have going on right now.

[Sort of. That other red one had kinda sounded like their 'Before' but again eyes crossing, headache, etc.]

[cancercarcino]

WAIT, YOU ACTUALLY GET WHAT I'M SAYING WITHOUT FLIPPING YOUR SHIT OVER IT?
HOLY FUCK, SOMEONE ACTUALLY BOTHERED TO READ AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT I WAS TRYING TO TEACH!
IT'S ALMOST LIKE I'M NOT TALKING OUT OF MY ASS ALL THE TIME!
IT'S A SHAME MY IDIOT OF A FRIEND ISN'T HERE BECAUSE HE'D SHIT HIMSELF WITH GLEE OVER THIS ABSOLUTE MIRACLE.
AT LEAST, I THINK HE WOULD. IT'S HARD TO TELL ANYMORE.

[He cracks his knuckles before continuing.]

OKAY, SO YOU WANT TO TRY BEING MATESPRITS.
THAT'S AN EASY ENOUGH QUADRANT, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR POTENTIAL PARTNER, YOU'D PROBABLY WANT TO DO SOMETHING THEY'D LIKE TO DO.
WHAT SORT OF THINGS DO THEY LIKE?

[gobetween]

Honestly, what you said wasn't any more complicated than the rules of rock hockey, which as coach back home I've got to know inside and out. So I got the gist of what you meant.

[Eventually. That's still a loooot of text at once, even for someone like him.]

Wembley likes following me around, honestly. He doesn't make decisions easily, so he tends to go along with whatever the people around him are doing. Which is fine! It doesn't get him into trouble much anymore. But his activities tend to be "Whatever the person nearby is doing" as a result.

He likes going on explorations with me, or playing different games together. Or if I feel like just sitting and reading, checking out maps for a while, he does that too. Oh! But he really likes making up songs on his own, even more than us Fraggles do normally. And he likes food, a lot. And being up in the air.

[cancercarcino]

UGH, THOSE TYPES OF PEOPLE CAN BE SO SHITTY.
NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING BAD WITH IT, BUT SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE THEM ACTUALLY OFFER A SUGGESTION ONCE IN A WHILE.
BUT, OKAY. I THINK WE CAN WORK WITH THIS HERE.
YOU SAY HE LIKES EXPLORING AND EATING AND BEING UP IN THE AIR?
WELL... WHAT IF YOU PLANNED OUT SOME KIND OF EXPLORATION THAT ENDS IN A LAWNMEAL OR SOMETHING?
MAKE IT OUT TO BE SOME SORT OF CUTESY ADVENTURE THING AND BE LIKE OH HEY LOOK AT THIS I WONDER WHERE WE WILL GO IF WE EMBARK ON THIS TOTALLY UNPLANNED JOURNEY TOGETHER?
ONLY, SURPRISE! IT WAS TOTALLY PLANNED OUT THE WHOLE TIME!

[gobetween]

[He could go on and on about his difficulties with Wembley's wembling; look he loves the guy, but sometimes he drives him nuts! But that would divert the conversation too much and he'd rather focus on the matter at hand instead.]

That's a really good idea! I could pull that off pretty simply too, and I think without Wembley noticing.

[cancercarcino]

WELL THERE YOU GO.
IT SHOULDN'T BE TOO HARD, RIGHT?
I MEAN, LAWNMEALS AREN'T EXACTLY THAT HARD TO FUCK UP, SO YOU SHOULD BE FINE.
AND IF THIS WEMBLEY HAS FLUSHED INCLINATIONS FOR YOU ALREADY THEN IT'LL PROBABLY WORK OUT OKAY.

[gobetween]

["Not hard to fuck up" hasn't yet met Gobo "ALL THE SALT" Fraggle, which isn't a reference to bad attitude either. But, he can give it his best shot.]

It should, hopefully. Wembley and I have had our major differences, but he and I are still pretty close.

So, you must be some kinda romance expert then, I take it?

[cancercarcino]

YOU BET YOUR ASS I’M AN EXPERT AT ROMANCE!
I’VE READ COUNTLESS TEXTS ON THE VARIOUS FORMS OF ROMANTIC ENDEAVOURS AND SEEN JUST AS MANY MOVIES ON THE MATTER AS WELL.
YOU COUKD EVEN SAY I’M A SCHOLAR OF THE WAYS OF QUADRANTS!
WHY PEOPLE DON’T INSTANTLY LAY PROSTRATE BEFORE MY VAST ARRAY OF KNOWLEDGE IS BEYOND ME.
SOME PEOPLE COULD REALLY USE SOME GUIDANCE, IT’S ALMOST LAUGHABLE.

Scrooge McDuck (2017) | Odin - Here to ruin everything.

[richestduck]

[There's a couple of ink stains as if the writer dropped his pen.]

Well, it depends on what you mean by "closer". There's a lot of different kinds of being close to a romantic partner.

Omg please

[gobetween]

See, that's the thing! I'm not sure what I want yet. This kinda stuff is pretty new to me, and up until now- [aka when it only became personally relevant] -I wasn't interested in romantic stuff at all.

I feel like I don't even know what the different kinds ARE. Which is why I'm here.

This is going to be terrible. I love it.

[richestduck]

Well, that depends on how intimate you want things to be.

[Oh, gods, he didn't mean for that other meaning! Someone kill him.]

[Still, that does bring up an important question...]

This might seem unrelated, but you are aware of where little Fraggles come from...?

Oh *absolutely*, on both counts

[gobetween]

[The reply takes several seconds to come through, and there's a couple ink splots of his own before.]

Yes I know.

...Are- you insinuating what I think you are?

I hardly get to use this icon. BLESS THIS THREAD.

[richestduck]

[More ink splots and several things attempted to be written but violently scratched out to being illegible.]

It's one way for a romantic relationship to become closer. Not the only way.

HAH, yes XD

[gobetween]

[It's a good thing this is over the journals because he's embarrassingly red right now, chewing on one end of his scarf as an anxious sort of fidget.]

I [PAUSE] guess that would be another way, wouldn't it. Not one I've ever considered, though. Ever.

[richestduck]

Ah. I see. Good to know then.

[Please kill him.]

So you meant more along the lines of spending more time together?

[gobetween]

Wouldn't that be spending more time together anyway...

[He wrote it, then thought better of the sarcasm and scratched it out, though not very well. You live with your mistakes, Gobo.]

That's about what I'm thinking, yes. Or ways to make our time together differently special, since we're almost always together anyway. We're roommates and best friends, just like we were back at Fraggle Rock, so Wembley's almost always around.

[richestduck]

[Look, your original question was ambiguous. How did nobody else try to advise you like this?]

Well, some basic suggestions would be to periodically surprise this Wembley with things that they like: a favorite food for a meal, going to visit somewhere they enjoy, etc.

That's the best advice I can give.

[gobetween]

[LOOK. ...Yeah that's all I've got.]

Surprise him with something, eh? Yeah, I can manage that.

Thanks, I really appreciate it.

[richestduck]

Glad to help, lad, but let's keep the beginnings of this conversation between you and me, aye?

[gobetween]

[He looked at the journal and its open nature, briefly wonders if he can retroactively make something private by circling it, then sighs.]

Sure. But there's nothing.... wrong with that- that sorta thing. For the record.

I mean, I may not look it to Silly Creatures like you who're unfamiliar with Fraggles but I AM an adult, you know. Even if I've never considered that before, or uh, after.

[Look he's bad at this "relationship" thing.]

[richestduck]

Of course nothing's wrong with it. It's instinct if nothing else.

But it's a bit...difficult...to talk about sometimes.

[gobetween]

Well.... yeah, that part's true.

[He's just going to sink into his turtleneck now.]

I'm glad Wembley won't see this.

[He's not sure he can back-lock this conversation but at least he figured out how to keep it from Wembley's sight in the first place. Right now he's very thankful for that.]

[richestduck]

[You can't hear it, but Scrooge is gonna awkwardly clear his throat.]

Regardless, I'm not the best person to ask for advice, so good luck with Wembley.

[gobetween]

[Tail, twisting into knots, over here. Wonder what would happen if he painted the entire conversation's page black?]

Your advice- the other stuff [Man that got written in fast] has been good so. Thank you.

[richestduck]

You're welcome.

[And now let's never speak of this conversation again.]

Coriander Bliss | Second Wife (Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree)

[rhododendronhoney]

Oh, is there any kind of craft you're particularly good at? You could make something for him and personalize it! It's what I've done for my own datemates.