Event Log - Mistletoe

[lucetimods]

Who: E'eryone
What: Mwah Mwah Hanky Panky
When: December 26th - January 1st
Where: E'erywhere
Summary: Mistletoe has once again cropped up in Luceti. It's time to kiss!
Rating: Anything about PG-13, take it off-comm.

Comments

[cilantro]

...Well, actually, they would likely be considered more than just best friends as well--if anything, they would likely be considered a couple...

[Don't tell us you forgot what a couple was, Ash...]

[friendshipfirst]

A couple?

[ Thinking... thinking... ]

Is it like when we helped th' Cottonee?

[cilantro]

[Oh good, we're getting closer to being on the same page.]

Yes, that's right! It's a similar taste to the relationship that the Cottonees had! [Except, you know, with people instead of Pokemon.]

[friendshipfirst]

So they became better friends than I thought! They would be um... best best friends right?

[ You forget Cilan. He thought that the one Cottonee became good friends with the other one ]

[cilantro]

That's...um. [He really should have seen that coming.] Well, depending on who you ask, being a couple is different than being friends--even best best friends--with one another. There are some things that couples do with one another that you might not do with your best friends, for example.

[friendshipfirst]

[ He thinks about this a little. So couples do thinks that you might not do with friends... ]

So is it like havin' a new sibling or somethin'? 'Cause there would be some things y' would do with your brothers but not with friends right?

[ Ash what are you saying are you listening to yourself. ]

[cilantro]

Sibling--no, not like that. [Good lord what pit have we dug ourselves into.] While it is true that there are some things that you might do with your family and not with your friends, being a couple with someone can be a different relationship than one you might have with members of your family as well.

[It's not the same thing as best friends or siblings Ash, it's a whole separate thing??]

[friendshipfirst]

[ Now he's confused. He doesn't get what you're saying at all now Cilan. ]

So is it a new kind of friendship?

[cilantro]

I...yes, I suppose that's one way to look at it. [Maybe Cilan is finally starting to realize that this is going nowhere??] It's a new type of relationship that differs in taste when compared to the friendships you have with some people or Pokemon, or the bonds you have with your family.

[Please tell us that we're getting somewhere closer to a plane of understanding with at least this much...]

[friendshipfirst]

So it's a friendship that is more than best friends but is different from family.

[ ...

....

........ ]

So what 'bout when people are sayin' they have a couple of friends? Are all these friends of theirs couples?

[ ????? ]

[cilantro]

[what] ...No. Usually when someone says they have "a couple of friends", it means that they have more than one person that they think of as a friend. It's a different expression than saying you and another person are considered a couple together.

[friendshipfirst]

Then why d' they use th' word 'couple'? Shouldn't they use a different word?

[cilantro]

Well...there are other words that some people might use to describe that kind of relationship, but "couple" is one of the most commonly used ones for it. Otherwise, they might be considered "lovers", or refer to one another as their "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" to distinguish them from their other close friends.

[friendshipfirst]

....... But aren't all friends a boy or a girl friend?

[cilantro]

[god what did we do to deserve this]

Technically-speaking yes, but...uh, what I meant was... [To be honest, Cilan isn't sure what he should even be saying right now that will help make this any clearer, this isn't exactly his area of expertise.] It's like a term of endearment for some people that are in that kind of relationship?

[friendshipfirst]

But how? It doesn't sound like anything special t' me callin' your friend a boy friend or girl friend 'cause they're more than best friends.

[ Doesn't get it at all ]

[cilantro]

[Ash, you're starting to make me question why this is even a thing...]

Perhaps to you, but it does seem to have a special flavor for those people who feel that way about someone. Also, in some ways, it's easier for others to refer to someone as "that person's boyfriend" or "that person's girlfriend" when talking about two people that are a couple.

[friendshipfirst]

[ Ash can do that do you ]

But why? Can't they just say that this person is that other person's couple?

[ Does that make any sense to you Ash? Any? ]

[cilantro]

No, because saying that "this person is that other person's couple" would be grammatically incorrect, unless it was phrased as "this person and that person are a couple", or something to that effect.

[Cilan no don't turn this into a grammar lesson too...]

[friendshipfirst]

Okay so why can't they just say that then?

[ Thank you for the lesson Cilan but the question overall is still there ]

[cilantro]

Some people do say that, it's just that other people have different ways of saying it too.

[Like the people who refer to them as "lovers" or slightly cruder things or what not...]

[friendshipfirst]

How many ways are there?

[ Why is this level of friendship so confusing Cilan he doesn't understand and he's supposed to be like an expert on the subject! ]

[cilantro]

[Uh...] I...don't know the exact number for how many ways there is to say it, but for you, I say it's easier to just call people that are in that kind of relationship a couple?

[And hopefully not ask people what other ways there are or more details about this, because he really doesn't want someone potentially saying something child-unfriendly to Ash about what people do when they're dating...]

[friendshipfirst]

How can y' tell if they're a "couple"?

[ YEAH that wouldn't end well better make sure he sort of understands before this conversation ends ]

[cilantro]

Well...a couple tends to be more physically affectionate with one another than they might be with their friends. For example, you might see them kissing each other without the influence of those plants hanging over head, and not just doing so around this time of year.

[He'd say "basically like how our parents act", but we don't have parents, and while you do have a mom, you don't have a dad around, so that's not a very good example to compare.]