36 Questions: A Joanne Fanfiction

The Thirty-Six Questions:

So what actually are the 36 questions?

"The 36 questions that lead to love" are questions, which start of innocent at first, before becoming more intimate and are designed so that two almost strangers can learn enough intimate information about each other that they can fall in love. There is evidence to prove that they can actually work, and there's numerous articles on them, and even a podcast musical that includes them. If this story is what has introduced you to them, I'd totally recommend watching strangers answer them on Jubilee YouTube channel, they're all really heart-warming.

On the off chance you have found them as intriguing as I did when I first heard about them here is the full list of questions:

Set One:

1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?

2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?

3. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?

4. What would constitute a "perfect" day for you?

5. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?

6. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?

7. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?

8. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.

9. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?

10. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

11. Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible.

12. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?

Set Two:

1. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?

2. Is there something that you've dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven't you done it?

3. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?

4. What do you value most in a friendship?

5. What is your most treasured memory?

6. What is your most terrible memory?

7. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?

8. What does friendship mean to you?

9. What roles do love and affection play in your life?

10. Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items.

11. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people's?

12. How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?

Set Three:

1. Make three true "we" statements each. For instance, "We are both in this room feeling ..."

2. Complete this sentence: "I wish I had someone with whom I could share ..."

3. If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know.

4. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you've just met.

5. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.

6. When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?

7. Tell your partner something that you like about them already.

8. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?

9. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven't you told them yet?

10. Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?

11. Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?

12. Share a personal problem and ask your partner's advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen.

In some versions, after the 36 questions are asked, the participants are asked to stare into each other's eyes for four minutes, which is the version I have decided to use. In other versions, this is only for two minutes, and in other versions this time doesn't exist at all, but I thought that they are an important part of the questions.

In hindsight, I probably should have tagged this as a 'slow burn' or something, but I hope the wait of almost 70,000 words was worth it!

As an IB psychology student, I immediately found the questions intriguing and wanted to base something around them, although I couldn't find the right characters. This year, I found myself wondering how a certain two people would answer them, and I'd like to thank everyone I pestered for potential ideas for answers, you know who you are-some answers were certainly more difficult than others, but please remember that in no way am I suggesting that these are the answers that Joe and Dianne would give, these are only my interpretations. Thank you so much for reading up to this point and thank you for every vote and comment-they all mean a lot to me. 

As for writing something else, I have just posted the first part of my latest project, so if you're interested in reading something else by me please check it out! Oh and if anyone reading this has done/is doing the IB please let me know if I can count this as CAS haha!

Thank you once again!

:)