Context: In 1988, famous Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, otherwise known as IZ, called his studio at about 3 AM asking if he could record. They let him in and in a single take recorded his covers of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and What a Wonderful World. The room reportedly fell silent after he finished

At first I thought the video was reversed but I was wrong..

I'm personally not a fan of dating simulators or most romance arcs in games (specifically the ones where the character's arc is locked behind an optional romance, all the characters fall in love with you regardless of what you do, or let you romance as many characters as possible). But I like it when a game gives a dating option and puts the player on the other side by letting the characters refuse them, hold them to a standard, or otherwise explore their relationship in a way that isn't solely dictated by romance.

This trope covers games that give you romance options, but actually treat a relationship as something that requires you to respect the other sides' wishes and WORK through it, rather than something you can rush through carefree.

1) Dusa (Hades)

Dusa is a gorgon custodian in the service in the house of Hades, and a very friendly character to Zagreus, the son of Hades. She's one of the three romanceable characters in-game, and if Zagreus keeps gifting her Ambrosia and Nectar (food of the gods and a highly-desirable commodity in the Underworld), Dusa will pick up on his romantic intentions.

The game actually explores the ramifications of Zagreus' relationship with Dusa, especially with the power gap between himself and Dusa (who is under his parents' employ), and is often overburdened by work. Some of the members of the house will note Zagreus' relationship, and caution him for Dusa's sake.

Should Zagreus continue on with romancing Dusa, she will take him aside for an intimate conversation... and admit she's realized she's not looking for an intimate relationship, and feels terrible for it. Zagreus handles it with grace, and Dusa even offers to return the gifts he gave her (giving Zagreus the option to accept or not). Still, this doesn't ruin their relationship, and Dusa in fact has a far-better relationship with Zagreus for him respecting her personal decisions (even down to personally assisting him in his battle against his father).

2) Lilienne the Net-Picker (Disco Elysium)

Disco Elysium puts you in the shoes of an amnesiac detective with a severe alcohol addiction. Throughout the game, he and his partner, Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi, are tasked with resolving the case of a man hanged outside a hostel. Along the way, the protagonist can also engage in several other cases: side-activities to help him regain his bearings and develop his new personality after obliterating his memory during a three day drinking binge.

One of these tasks is to take a local woman out on a date. This woman, Lilienne, is a local fisherwoman, mother, and provider for three kids. She lost her drunken husband not too long ago, and she's not unreceptive if you succeed in asking her out. However, you NEED to do it properly. If you sexually proposition her or make her feel at all threatened, Lilienne will sadly turn you down, wishing you were better than that. But if you take her on a walk on the coast near her home, you simply have a nice little walk and a chat while you watch the sun over the coast.

And more importantly, she won't go on another date with you, at least right away. You're still an alcoholic (and at best, a recovering alcoholic) who needs time to improve himself. Still, she had a nice time with you, and likes you well enough to give you her sword as a gift. And your skills will even note that she might be an option in the future if you spend the time genuinely working on your best self.

This date is a minor thing in the context of the present, but it's everything for Harry, who is haunted by the ghost of his last relationship, his ex who left him due to his growing instability and addiction issues. While you can never fix that relationship and it still haunts you even after your amnesia, dating Lilienne is a huge point of growth for Harry, and shows he can move on beyond the failures of his past and find something better for himself by engaging in life as it is. And if he doesn't give up on improving himself, he might be able to have something more with her, or somebody else.

Doesn't this go against the core pillar of "Protect and nurture social experiences"?

I always thought it was a little obnoxious for Pam to expect her coworkers to show up to her art show and then be disappointed when they didn't. It's a work relationship, not everyone is obligated to spend their personal time supporting your hobbies.

And honestly, does Pam not have any friends outside of work? Literally nobody showed up for her besides Michael and Oscar. At some point, that's on Pam, not everyone else.

I get why she was disappointed, but I think most people in real life would've skipped it too.