♡ Call 004 [audio, May 9, afternoon]

[amorini]

[Today, Death City is greeted with a little crackle of audio and a quiet whisper of 'ready?' before the following-]

Hey there everyone, your resident goddess of love here with special guest miss Rise Kujikawa for the first ever Death City broadcast of my show!

Hey everyone! I'm really excited to be here for such a special occasion. Thank you for having me on the show, Cupid-chan!

Thank you for agreeing to help out, Rise! Now, in just a few moments, Rise and I will start off with advice to questions that were left in my inbox in this last week or so. After that you're all free to send in texts to my inbox or just comment right here and we'll get to any questions you might have or have been too bashful to send in!

And don't be shy about it. Remember, there's probably at least one other person out there who's wondered the same thing you are, or had similar troubles to those you're having. So by asking our advice you're not only helping yourself, you're helping those other people too.

Now, since this is a little different than my usual shows, I just have a couple of rules to put in place. One- nothing that will make me have to paraphrase for the sake of the younger residents without a filter, and two- no commentary about how 'romance is stupid'. If you're going to act like a pre-teen, I will not hesitate to take you to school on the matter.

Right. And serious questions only, please. If you think the subject matter means it's okay for you to waste our time with fake nonsense questions, you'd better think again. We'd much rather spend our time helping those who genuinely need our help.

Now, with that said, let's get to our questions, shall we Rise?

Absolutely. You first - this is your show, after all.

[ooc: If you've left a response in Cupid's inbox (L, Bakura, Lezard, Giroro) then there's a thread in here for you. Everyone else is free to ask more questions as themselves or anonymously, of course- and to reply to the post in general!]

Comments

Anonymous [Ryou Bakura]

[amorini]

Alrigh, our first question is... well, honestly the first 'question' I got was really skeevy, and all I'm going to say is that whoever wrote that needs to reconsider before doing it again. That was really messed up dude.

But the first real question I have reads as follows- Dear Cupid...

Well first, you have to let your friend understand that while you value their opinion, it’s not their place to try and make your decisions for you. Your decisions- and mistakes, should it come to that- are yours and yours only to make, and shouldn’t be questioned unless they’re a threat to your safety or someone else’s… and since it seems to me like this decision is a pretty sound one, your friend should learn to leave well enough alone. If they insist on pressing the issue, I’d suggest finding friends who aren’t quite so… controlling. You’re a good person for not trying to push your feelings onto someone else, and your friend could stand to learn from that.


Now, our next question...Rise?

[Not here]

[shiromadoushi]

[[wait.. that...

...oh. Right, he had sent in that question... how many days ago was that now? And somehow with in that time it had become an utterly moot point.... Awkward....

...he really really hoped Takuto wasn't listening. Really hoped....]]

Anonymous [ L Lawliet ]

[tofu_idol]

Thanks, Cupid-chan. Our next question...actually I'm sensing a connection here but anyway.

Our next question is: Dear Cupid...

First things first, there is nothing wrong with feeling that way about other men. If that's how he feels, that's how he feels. But you can't force someone to accept themselves. You can support him and make it clear that it doesn't change how you feel about him as a friend, and that'll probably help, but ultimately he has to decide that he's ready to accept that about himself. But saying that, having friends who will stand by him will help a lot.

Now, with regards to his crush. Obviously if his crush is straight and taken, it's a bad idea for your friend to confess - he'll only end up making things awkward for everyone involved and if this is connected to the last question, he already realises that. But that doesn't mean his love life is over. He sounds like a wonderful guy and I'm sure there's someone out there who he will fall for and who will return his feelings. But it's not his current crush and confessing to this guy isn't going to help your friend become any more confident. What he needs to focus on is finding his confidence so that when Mr Right comes along, he'll be brave enough to make his move.

Now, who's next?

[Also not here]

[shiromadoushi]

[[... Don't mind him, he's just going to... hide in his room now.

...dang it, guys. Which ever of you it was....]]

Anonymous

[dead_black_eyes]

Finding his confidence? I see...

Also... your first question. The "skeevy" one. I wonder if that person genuinely needs help.

Anonymous [Lezard Valeth]

[amorini]

Mmm, right! Our next question reads Dear Cupid...

Sounds like you’re pretty smitten- but sweetie, you’re both adults in this situation, so why not cut out the preschool ‘pull a girl’s pigtails ‘cause you like her’ tactics and just… try actually being nice to her? And when I say ‘nice’, of course, I mean ‘sweet’. No woman is going to go for a guy that constantly has her feeling like she should be tearing her hair out to deal with him- and no man should make a woman feel like that if they really like her. Try and find some common ground to start off with, and see if you can’t build from there. But if you really like her, then I'm sure you'll be willing to put in the effort to show her that the two of you just got off on the wrong foot. Just remember that it might take some time- Rome wasn’t built in a day, and sometimes a good romance needs time as well as effort to really bloom... especially if the first impression wasn't a great one.


Now for our final question- Rise?

[Not Here]

[vintage_magic]

[It's probably a good thing that Lily's communicator spends most of its time in the back of a kitchen drawer so that she doesn't hear this broadcast and put two and two together. She'd probably think it was yet another way of that magical nuisance next door trying to irritate her and then there would be even more bickering!]

Anonymous [ Giroro ]

[tofu_idol]

Our final question is from another anonymous caller - man, you guys are all really shy about this, huh?

Anyway, our final question: Dear Cupid...

Well, first of all, I'm not sure how useful this advice is going to be while we're in Death City but just in case your warrior princess ends up coming here too or in case you end up going back to her, here's what I can suggest. First of all, timing is everything - arrange a time to meet her when neither of you is going to be distracted by other things. You want it to be somewhere you guys can talk in peace and it's probably better you choose somewhere neutral just in case she doesn't feel the same way - that way it's less awkward than being at your place or hers. Restaurants are good because you can talk during the meal and then you can get a feel for when the right moment is to confess.

And when that moment comes? Just be honest. Don't try to impress her with flowery speech unless you know you can pull it off. Just tell her how you feel and make sure you make it clear you like everything about her. Try not to focus too much on the physical - calling her beautiful is fine but don't go overboard in complimenting her physical features. Focus on her personality, on what draws you to her. Maybe it still won't work, but at least you'll know and so will she.

Anonymous | text

[this_is_keron]

Would a shooting range be suitable as neutral grounds? And what do I do if I become tongue tied?

Anonymous [TEXT]

[computations]

[Wow, this is really embarrassing but questions must be answered!]

My girlfriend enjoys romance novels that are often considered 'bad' and 'low class' among a larger community of readers who are interested the same genre. I do not mind if this is her hobby but it leaves me rather clueless in what her romantic interests actually are.

However, I do not think I could ask her directly. If you could provide a step-by-step, detailed plan on how to find out the things she may enjoy in a relationship, I would be thankful.

[amorini]

That is a little troublesome, but in a situation like that the best thing that you can do is actually to communicate your confusion to her. I know it might be difficult, but sometimes you have to do things you think you might not be able to in order to work things out. Let her know that you'd like to do the best you can for the relationship, but don't push it if she's not sure how she wants things to go. Sometimes it's easier to just let things happen as they will for some.

But most importantly, realize that no one can give you a step-by-step guide for your relationship other than the other person who's a part of it. Every relationship is different, and every person wants different things, and the easiest way to find that out is just by asking. Communication is an important part of every relationship, so don't worry about being embarrassed or seeming like you don't know what to do. Chances are, your girlfriend will be glad that you're so considerate to what she wants that you went through the trouble of asking.

[amorini]

Oh, we've got another one in the inbox! Anonymous asks: Dear Cupid...

The trouble with that is, if you're attracted to someone but you don't want to be, it's not an easy thing to talk yourself out of. But if you're really intent on doing it, just keep reminding yourself that you value them as a friend more than as a potential romantic interest. Being attracted to your friends is fine- and really, it happens to everyone, once in a while- but if it's not something you actually want to pursue, or something you can see working out between you, then it's best to just leave well enough alone.

If you have to, take a break from seeing them in person for a bit- don't cut off contact entirely, but just keep to text or voice conversation. It might help to remind you that you care for them as a friend, and not as a romantic interest.

But if that doesn't work, you might consider approaching them honestly about it. Who knows, it might work out better than you think- or they might give you the reasons you need to stop seeing them in any light but a platonic one.

[text | anonymous]

[tauborn]

Not seeing each other in person isn't really an option. What do you mean exactly by the honest approach? He knows how I feel already.

[anonymous/text]

[diedforyoursins]

[oh wow, anonymous relationship help lines are definitely the highest achievement of the lilin culture.]

A friend implied that they have a romantic interest in me, but my kind does not work in the same manner as far as love goes. They took my explanation of that to mean that I can only see them as a friend and seemed upset, but at the same time insisted it should remain that way due to their relationship with another mutual friend. I am not sure how to tell them that I am not limited to the boundaries of what they consider "friendship" and that I would be happy to be close with them however they like, and whether I should say anything at all due to their relationship with our other friend.

[amorini]

[Well, at least Cupid straddles the mortal/not-quite mortal line pretty well?]

Oh geez.

[She's starting to see where this is going, and she's not sure they're going to like her answer.]

Well, while it's great that you're so accepting, especially given the cultural difference, it sounds to me like your friend put you in a really awkward position as far as his feelings go. It's one thing to tell someone that you like them, but it's another thing entirely to do so when you're already in a preexisting relationship. Unless the person he's in a relationship is in would be alright with it, he honestly probably shouldn't have said anything to begin with. That puts a lot of pressure on you to consider both your friendship with him and his significant other while trying to balance the boundaries of what your species is comfortable with.

With the fact that you don't know how their significant other would react being the biggest detractor here, I'm going to assume you don't feel comfortable bringing it up to them because you're worried about the effect it might have on your friendship?

[not here]

[companyvita]

[Clair does not have a question. He is just enjoying listening to all of this.]

[not here]

[amorini]

[She hopes you're entertained, Clair.]

[Anonymous]

[dead_black_eyes]

Sorry, but... you seem to actually know what you're talking about, so I just have one question, in all seriousness.

I need to know. Is the opposite of love hate, or indifference?

[amorini]

If this were a show about the philosophy of romance, I'd be glad to answer you, but it's not- so unless you have an actual question, I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you, sorry.

[ anonymous text ]

[braidedwonder]

What do you do if you've been brought here, and you end up living and working with someone who was passably a friend but more notably a comrade in arms in your world, but you find yourself growing really affectionate over him here? Like, I'm not even sure that this would have ever even worked out back in our world, and though we won't remember it if we go back to ours, I don't want to make the wrong impression or be... that guy who tries to hit on his friend and gets turned down, no matter how gently he does it...

Also, advice on dating your boss or superior?

[amorini]

Well, moving things from platonic to romantic is always tricky. The main thing to remember is that you can't assume anything about how the other person might feel, so broaching the subject carefully may be in your best interests. Regardless of the situation and how it came about, if you think it's worth a shot then the only problem you really have is whether or not you're willing to take the chance and face the possibility of rejection. There's no such thing as a sure thing when it comes to romance, but a lot of the time, it's all just a matter of taking the leap.


...um, is your boss the same person you're talking about, or...?

[ anon text ]

[begrudged]

There's not anyone I like but is it possible for someone to like someone that's really ugly.

Like disfigured. For life. Doesn't even have a face a mother could love, you get the gist.

And I don't need pity this is a real question.

[amorini]

Oh, I don't doubt it's a real question- and it's a perfectly valid one to have.

Almost everyone struggles with the way they look at least once in their life, and with thinking they have to fit some kind of ideal in order to qualify for love. But let me tell you, it's not always about looks, anonymous. Where I'm from, there are monsters of all kinds that get together- and I mean monsters in the actual, literal sense, not as an insult.

When it comes to love, be it monster or normie or whatever, if you're willing to try, you're sure to find someone who cares more about who you are on the inside than what you look like on the outside. It's all a matter of being patient enough to wait for that someone to come along, and not letting those who think you have to be picture perfect in order to be worth something get you down.

NOT anonymous because HE IS A MAN ᕙ(⇀‸↼)ᕗ and also in video.

[ferroustigmata]

I've had to deal with my loved ones being torn from me in the past, but my stay here fills me with a sense of... ...homesickness, I suppose...that I haven't felt before. How do I deal with that?

And for a more loaded question: What does it mean to love someone?

[The second one is asked with an obvious amount of amusement. He knows what his own answer is, but he wants to know how the Cupid of myth would define it.]

awww yeah Sasha

[amorini]

Well... that's really more someone else's department but- I can tell you that maybe finding things to do here that remind you of home, or maybe even places, might help ease the transition a little. It's certainly helped me some.

[She pauses there for a long time, considering her answer carefully.]

The thing is, I could sit here and try and define it, but it's not something that's really all that easy to pin down. Love is different things to different people- it can be anything from always wanting to be by their side to being willing to die for them. And because everyone loves differently, there's no single definition that works... but the closest I can give you is that loving someone means that without them, somehow, your world just isn't complete.