[VIDEO] Owner of a Lonely Heart?

[songbird_slayer]

[This stage is familiar, but the decor is the beginning of a passionate spring, roses of red and white gabbled with bits of pink tucked in here and there. The statues are dressed in crowns of bright flowers, and the little cherubs are extra polished today to really stand out.

The music is, in short, appropriate thanks to the in-house band. Orchestral sweeps are joined by the petite horned woman twirling into the frame wrapped in a vintage white dress decorated in hearts. She then stood at attention, clicking her t-strap heels. She wore a pair of tiny white wings on her back, and gave a prop heart-topped scepter that looked better-suited in the hands of a magical girl a twirl.]

Good evening, citizens and otherworlders of Vaikuntha! Now, I know a certain thorn in our side is coming around the corner, but in this- the month of Love and Adoration- one mustn't forget their very hearts!

Why, these poor little things beat in our chests every day and many go completely neglected. Or worse: They yearn for another, but just don't know how to open up, or even how to begin searching.

Well, today is your day to change all of that! Welcome to the Love 101 Q&A, your place to get those questions answered! I'll be your co-host and female perspective should you need it, but... hmmm. Looks like I need a master of chemistry. Who better than a scientist?

[Suddenly, there's a distant VRRRRROM sound as Papyrus, clad in a stylish black suit with a fire-patterned collar as well as one of the many hats Kanji provided him, zooms in, does a little flip, and lands right beside Madhuri. Oh, and that certainly is an arm draping over her shoulder while he adjusts a pair of heart-shaped shades.]

FEAR NOT, CITIZENS!!! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE A PHD IN ALL THINGS CHEMISTRY! AS WELL AS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IN THE WILD AND ALLEGEDLY DAUNTING WORLD OF ROMANCE!

[Which may surprise people! Not everyone knows of his love life, but he doesn't want to boast too much. Nyeh heh... hopefully he's at least doing okay so far!

But it seems so considering Madhuri, caught by surprise by the display, has to put both hands over her face to mask the giggling. How was she to know skeletons could get so smooth?]

Well, there you have it! We're live for the next couple of hours, folks! Let the questions rain down like Cupid's arrows, so that we may fire them back and strike true! Make up a name for yourself if you must, and your answer will be aired for all to see while keeping your privacy intact!

YES!!!! HOLD NOTHING BACK! I, LOVE DOCTOR PAPYRUS, BELIEVE IN YOU!



[ooc: It's simple: Comments are private to Madhuri and Papyrus and you can directly address one or both of them. Their responses, however, are an open broadcast over the network in the name of helping everyone. Take notes!]

Comments

[bladeofconquest]

I, um...initially I didn't think I had anything to ask, but the more I think on it, I think there is something I could use some advice on.

Not about courtship or romance or anything of that sort, I've...already sorted all that out to my satisfaction. I'm happily married, in fact, to my best friend from childhood. I love him with all my heart.

And I've been separated from him for almost...Gods, five months now. And it promises to be even longer than that.

Normally I can deal with having to live with that; I keep busy enough and I've made many good friends since I arrived here, many dear ones in fact. It's only occasionally, mostly at night, that the loneliness and heartache becomes...difficult. But it's been manageable so far.

But this month I can already tell is going to be harder. I don't wish to sound, or be like a stick in the mud, I'm actually quite pleased at the idea of a holiday celebrating love in all its forms, but at the same time it's also a reminder of the man I love, and the hole in my life that comes from his absence. And I have important work to do this month, and I can ill afford the distractions.

So, I guess my question is...how do I deal with it? I fear even when this month passes, as my stay here on Vaikuntha becomes more extended, my ability to deal with these episodes might become more difficult to deal with and I honestly don't know how I might shore up my defenses. Any coping strategies the two of you could help me figure out would be greatly appreciated.

...Oh, and congratulations to the both of you! I don't know either of you half as well as I should like, but I can see how happy the two of you are, and it's wonderful. I wish you both the absolute best.

I'm sure our mutual friend agrees as well, Madhuri. Hee.

[songbird_slayer]

[She lowered her head, smiled, and curtsied. She'll keep that last part private.] ...Thank you.

[But now, the question. She folded her arms behind her back.]

And here, viewers, we've a rather lonesome heart: Happily wed, yet separated from their other half upon arriving here in Vaikuntha. A month like this can be quite difficult when surrounded by lavish displays of affection when one cannot express it themselves... and the impending threats we face make it no easier.

How does one cope?

[She took a breath, and smiled.]

...When I was on the run, afraid of myself when I was separated from my family, most nights were filled with terrible images playing over and over in my head. My eyes played tricks. I thought I'd turn and see them, but they would vanish like smoke on the wind. I always felt that I never had enough time with them, and that's time I'll never have.

But that didn't stop me from talking to them, in my own way.

[She pulled up the bench from the nearby piano and had a seat, neatly folding her hands before she opened them like a book in her lap.]

I bought a notebook. Blank pages. Whenever something happened, whenever I faced an amazing foe or had a lovely meal, anything that I would have loved to share with them... I'd write a "letter" to them. I'd write about my day and everything I experienced. I filled that notebook in no time flat, and began to fill others. Somewhere back home, I have over a dozen little books filled with years of my life, everything I'd seen, everywhere I'd been. I even put little drawings inside. It's my desire someday to revisit that world, and bury the books where I'd laid my family to rest.

But you...? You get to see him again! Oh, just imagine the stories you'll have for him when you get back! Write each and every one of those experiences, save them, cherish them, and you get to place those memories into his hands so that he gets to live them, too.

Also, goodness... certainly you have many stories to tell about him, and I'm a bard. I love stories! I'd dearly like to hear them sometime.