Love Plus Entry 1
Last night, my new girlfriend Rinko confessed her feelings to me. Of course, I couldn't help but respond in kind. After all, I had had feelings for her for quite a while now. I was a wee bit surprised she took the initiative though. It was really refreshing to not have to be the one to tell her. Kind of embarrassing. Heh.
Oh. In case I forgot to tell you. Rinko is a video game character in Konami's dating sim, Love Plus.
You see, there were initially three girls that had caught my eye (Out of three. Lulz). There was Nene the waitress who I worked with at Dixies, Manaka the sporty tennis playing girl, and Rinko the somewhat cynical but deceptively quiet girl who worked in the library. Initially, I thought that I would find myself more attracted to Manaka. I felt that the fact that she played Tennis would make her a more assertive, fun girl to be with. I like girls who are strong and speak their mind. But as I began to talk to her more, I found that she was actually rather meek, and seemed to shy away from talking to men period. This bothered me as I felt that we could never have anything really if I was in an overwhelming position of power. Way too awkward.
Nene, while different from what I was initially expecting (The meek Moe girl with huge boobs), was still really not all that interesting. Fun perhaps, but she struck me as the sort of girl who you'd have the on and off fling with, and neither of you would be terribly satisfied. Still, she gets a thumbs up from me for at least being more than she appeared to be, though I never got to know her better so who knows.
The one who really surprised me was Rinko the library girl. I tend to gravitate toward smart women, but Rinko had me nervous if only because the archetype you frequently see associated with the library are the meek, quiet, weak types who need saving from some internal struggle. Imagine my surprise when I first walked into the library to find a rough, no-nonsense girl telling me how to do my job. Clearly she was spunky.
Consider me interested, I thought to myself.
As the days wore on, I tried to learn more about her by hanging out at the library and doing some studying of my own so we could speak on the same level. Eventually she started to agree with me walking home with her and I discovered she was a huge music lover. And to top things off, she loved cats? Sweet. It was one night when I was going to the local convenience store for a snack that I saw her, still in her uniform listening to music and reading a magazine.
She had problems at home, mostly because her mother had left her father and herself, and she now had a new stepmother and step siblings. She knew they were good people, it was just hard to deal with all of a sudden. Rather than try to force my opinions down her throat, I told her she should do what she felt was best for her, and a few weeks later she came back to me happily proclaiming that she had spoken with her family and everything was going to be all right.
A few 'not-dates' later, and we were not only walking to school together in the morning, but coming home too. We exchanged phone mails all through the day, and it seemed like she was really taking a liking to me.
Finally one evening she called me to the roof of the school. She told me she wanted to watch the sun set with me. What she said next though surprised me; she wanted to keep watching that sunset together with me even after today. It was then she turned to me and said these words: Suki da (I like you). I responded in kind, and we shared our first kiss. A short, but sweet exchange.
And then the credits rolled.
You see, up until now Love Plus, while providing a fairly wide set of options for the user, was functioning as no more than a very interactive and engaging dating simulation. However after the credits rolled, the game didn't end. Instead, it asked me if I wanted to switch to Real time mode, which would have me gaining stats and going on dates in real time. Of course I chose that option, and promptly set up all my settings for the game.
This is where the real challenge starts my friends. Will I be able to maintain my relationship with Rinko? Or will it collapse in my hands as quickly as it started?
-Ryo
Oh. In case I forgot to tell you. Rinko is a video game character in Konami's dating sim, Love Plus.
You see, there were initially three girls that had caught my eye (Out of three. Lulz). There was Nene the waitress who I worked with at Dixies, Manaka the sporty tennis playing girl, and Rinko the somewhat cynical but deceptively quiet girl who worked in the library. Initially, I thought that I would find myself more attracted to Manaka. I felt that the fact that she played Tennis would make her a more assertive, fun girl to be with. I like girls who are strong and speak their mind. But as I began to talk to her more, I found that she was actually rather meek, and seemed to shy away from talking to men period. This bothered me as I felt that we could never have anything really if I was in an overwhelming position of power. Way too awkward.
Nene, while different from what I was initially expecting (The meek Moe girl with huge boobs), was still really not all that interesting. Fun perhaps, but she struck me as the sort of girl who you'd have the on and off fling with, and neither of you would be terribly satisfied. Still, she gets a thumbs up from me for at least being more than she appeared to be, though I never got to know her better so who knows.
The one who really surprised me was Rinko the library girl. I tend to gravitate toward smart women, but Rinko had me nervous if only because the archetype you frequently see associated with the library are the meek, quiet, weak types who need saving from some internal struggle. Imagine my surprise when I first walked into the library to find a rough, no-nonsense girl telling me how to do my job. Clearly she was spunky.
Consider me interested, I thought to myself.
As the days wore on, I tried to learn more about her by hanging out at the library and doing some studying of my own so we could speak on the same level. Eventually she started to agree with me walking home with her and I discovered she was a huge music lover. And to top things off, she loved cats? Sweet. It was one night when I was going to the local convenience store for a snack that I saw her, still in her uniform listening to music and reading a magazine.
She had problems at home, mostly because her mother had left her father and herself, and she now had a new stepmother and step siblings. She knew they were good people, it was just hard to deal with all of a sudden. Rather than try to force my opinions down her throat, I told her she should do what she felt was best for her, and a few weeks later she came back to me happily proclaiming that she had spoken with her family and everything was going to be all right.
A few 'not-dates' later, and we were not only walking to school together in the morning, but coming home too. We exchanged phone mails all through the day, and it seemed like she was really taking a liking to me.
Finally one evening she called me to the roof of the school. She told me she wanted to watch the sun set with me. What she said next though surprised me; she wanted to keep watching that sunset together with me even after today. It was then she turned to me and said these words: Suki da (I like you). I responded in kind, and we shared our first kiss. A short, but sweet exchange.
And then the credits rolled.
You see, up until now Love Plus, while providing a fairly wide set of options for the user, was functioning as no more than a very interactive and engaging dating simulation. However after the credits rolled, the game didn't end. Instead, it asked me if I wanted to switch to Real time mode, which would have me gaining stats and going on dates in real time. Of course I chose that option, and promptly set up all my settings for the game.
This is where the real challenge starts my friends. Will I be able to maintain my relationship with Rinko? Or will it collapse in my hands as quickly as it started?
-Ryo