Beautiful stranger—the concept is the start of many cheesy fics here on this glorious site.

Maybe they're beautiful because of their appearance. Maybe it's their personality. Maybe it's the beauty of two humans being stuck in a situation where friendship is the only option. Or maybe, we're just a bit too poetic here at the Double D's.

Whatever it is, there's a new player in your arena that you want to befriend.

All the pain of the endeavor will be worth it when you reach the end goal... Just keep reminding yourself this every time you say something awkward and want to crawl into a ball and hide in a closet for the rest of your life.

HOW TO LITTLE PONY IT UP AND OBTAIN THE MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP:

How 'bout you: 
You know what's a classic? Get the person to talk about themselves. Ask about their opinions and preferences and extrapolate from there. What if they love something you don't? Obviously you shouldn't lie because it will eventually catch up with you, but you can dodge the topic or downplay how much you dislike it. Now that's some smooth moves right there.

Stalker: 
If you can't ask, stalk! Of course, we don't condone the idea of a stalker in the classical sense, but that doesn't mean you can't get some *insider* info.  Notice that maybe this person talks about their favorite band constantly. You know what you do can casually mention? Their favorite flipping band. Get the conversation started with something they're passionate about. Mention that trip that you just so happened to notice on one of their social medias. If it's out there for the world, it's fair play, right? Just make sure it isn't obvious that you went through all their posts over the last three years for that perfect conversation topic.

Nike: 
Like the currently controversial brand reminds you, just do it! See literally anything? Good! Talk about it. (Unless you're blind, but that begs the question of how are you even reading this). Anything can start a conversation if you try hard enough. That pencil? Phenomenal! Talk about that oh so attractive graphite hardness. The window a million miles away? Wow, dear readers, you're really catching on! You can talk about the *sparking* glass. Although this may seem a bit silly, the point still stands— you can make a conversation out of anything so just do it!

Attention:
Unlike the Charlie Puth song, you do want this person's heart—platonically, at least. You know what's a real attention getter? Learning a skill that will blow your friend-crush away completely. Can you crochet an insane scarf? Bring those crochet hooks to school because you're going to be lassoing a new friend in with the power of your yarn. Or if you're a more risky person, you can always try to play the role of the class clown. That's a bit dangerous though. If you can tread the incredibly thin line between funny and idiotic, go ahead! We here at the Double D's are cheering for you.

Konami Code: 
This is it. You've farmed all the exp that you can in one night. It's final boss mode. You stride up confidently as the dramatic 8-bit music starts to play. How did it go again? Up, down, up? Right, right, b? As you sit there trying to remember the infamous sequence, the time is running out until you're finally KO'ed. Perhaps standing there with a gaping mouth isn't the most attractive of friendship propositions. Don't worry. You can try again tomorrow, only the settings will be harder. All we can say is good luck, dear reader.

◼⬛◼