You're not wrong, it really did feel like I was gaming the system with her. There are moments when you seem to break through and have a "normal" conversation (i.e. her not slamming the door in your face after your third sincere word), but this avoidant dance is making me really tired.
I seem to have reached the same point, we're Best Friends (down from Loved) and she's not messaging me anymore. Fun. I've been through this IRL more than I'd care to remember.
Oh, yeah, it's a whole thing! The writing's very good, but the time limits and overall progression dynamics are a bit... frustrating at times. Moreso because the characters are well written!
Like, you get one Chat per day (consisting of anywhere from 2-3 lines, to a hefty, in-depth discussion on a subject) and you can also screw it up pretty badly in some very abstract ways (see my example above and expanded in my other comment). And it being Warframe, the mechanics are blackbox, so you're stuck wondering if you have to brainwash the characters into resetting your status with them, or hang in there hoping there are some twists and turns in character dynamics which will allow you to progress and develop your interactions with them.
Honestly, the contrast stands elsewhere for me, in that with a real person, I at least know there's still a chance to talk things out if I play my cards right. In this case, though, I have no idea whether or not this is one of those "this will branch out into a related convo which will either solidify or completely cancel," which would motivate me to keep trying to navigate this situation and would pull me into the game even more, or if it's "you triggered the Ick flag and now you're out unless you mind wipe them," which just sounds sociopathic in and of itself, so no. Just no. As a person who's really into the not being able to retread choices aspect, means that something may have been blocked off for me for a really shitty and unjust reason (yes, I still believe it's an unjustified reaction based on the conversation, although a realistic one - realism does not imply healthiness).
And all I know now is that I triggered her NoDate flag, and I barely even know what that means other than she literally hates my guts for saying I'm never leaving. Not even kidding, her reaction to my asking to date her again would suggest I insulted half of her family tree...
Thanks for the support, kinda' regret getting into the dating sim part. They wrote the characters well enough for their presence or absence to matter, and it feels a lot like a real break-up would, although the impact is far smaller. It still fucking sucks to see an empty apartment and just go through with the grind after that.
Fair, could've used a few lighter nudges beforehand. We came close to kissing a couple of times before, but it never materialised and I've never been one to push.
Plus, in all fairness, I was baked out of my gourd and mesmerised by the movie (I can't say I like Sandler movies, but they sorta' entrance my brain into trying to make sense of them every time). It was most certainly not a sexy times kinda' mood for me:))
I don't even know why I bother with this train of though at this point, but I just can't figure out if he seriously believes the shit he's spouting, or if he's just playing up the shock value like an edgelord. I mean, it's clear he's way dumber than he thinks himself to be, but I can't get the nuance in it...
Hah! Had something very similar happen to me in high-school.
Had this very metal friend, and being the hormonal teenager I was, I kinda' lusted pretty badly after her. I didn't do or say anything about it, getting along and having someone with whom to chat during metal concerts and while hanging out at the local dive spot for people with such inclinations was enough.
We used to hang out a lot after class, she was one year younger so we had similar schedules. She sorta' hinted that she "didn't dislike" me every now and again, but had a... tumultuous repertoire of random relationships, so my gut told me to hang back. She not once invited me over to her place, though. Until one afternoon when she did.
It was nearing the summer vacation, it was a torrid day from the start, the dive was closed for "renovations" (meaning someone probably puked over the bar again), so we were just sitting aimlessly on a random curb, thinking about what to do. She presented the idea of schmoozing over to hers for a toke and a comedy. My beautiful brain instantly dismissed any 'nefarious' potentialities and set itself to "friendly."
We got over to hers, rolled one up, she selected some Adam Sandler comedy (I honestly don't remember which one, they all blend together in my memory...), and we started happily baking. About halfway through the movie, she tells me she's headed for the washroom to freshen up. I don't even think I registered the though, I just kept absorbing the movie.
She comes out ten minutes later, buck naked and confident. Says nothing and starts returning to the couch. I swivel my head toward her as I felt she was coming, and get but a flash of flesh. My right hand instantly flies to my eyes, I start spouting panicked apologies and a jumble of "fucks" and "shits," then I hurry toward the front door while keeping my eyes covered.
I realised what had happened several months later. She didn't say anything about that afternoon again, and neither did I. We continued hanging out for a couple more years, I think.
Weirdly enough, I let him do his thing and it eventually broke down. Which seems organic, he got to trust me and no longer feels the need to secure cooperation through debt.
Unlike Lettie, who seems to be thrown even farther into avoidance the closer you get to her. Which, again, makes sense! But nah. No more, thanks... She has become yet another reason why one should never dip their pen in company ink.