Three Favorite Animals Game (2010)

[Ambiance]

Just tried the animal game on this 20 year old Asian chick I've been seeing. I don't know how accurate it was in describing her. Her first pick was a dog, which is funny because dogs are supposed to be loyal, meanwhile she has a boyfriend she's cheating on with me. Her third pick was a wolf, and she clarified it was part of a pack, which I could see translating into a love of family. Though this girl is definitely not a ferocious hunter lol... very soft and shy until you get to know her.

The game did provide some laughs. Her second animal was a hamster, and as I was helping her think about characteristics I asked if this hamster fucks and she expressed it definitely did not fuck... which I made sure to tease her about when revealing the purpose of each animal.

If I were to play without knowing the premise, I'd probably pick Wolf, Orca, and Bear. Which I must say is quite accurate. I aspire to be like a wolf: always on the hunt, self-reliant but with a loyal and similarly-minded pack, perfect blend of aggression and caution, intelligent, cool, dark, passionate. People probably do see me as a bit like an orca: mighty, dominant, beautiful, but also alien, unapproachable, intimidating, unpredictable, maybe even sadistic. And in reality I share much with a bear: strong and majestic, solitary, territorial, lazy, intense, confident, protective, selfish, sensitive.

Fun game, and much easier to remember on the spot than The Cube. Adding it to my repertoire.

 

[Chase]

Her first pick was a dog, which is funny because dogs are supposed to be loyal, meanwhile she has a boyfriend she's cheating on with me.

The ones where "How she wants to be seen" and "How she actually is" greatly differ are always the most interesting.

Her third pick was a wolf, and she clarified it was part of a pack, which I could see translating into a love of family.

Could be other things. She could have a big gang of friends she's very attached to. Or a type who basically just always need to be in a group... i.e., can't do the lone-wolf thing.

very soft and shy until you get to know her.

Her second animal was a hamster, and as I was helping her think about characteristics I asked if this hamster fucks and she expressed it definitely did not fuck...

Seems soft and shy, probably the last girl you'd expect to be fucking around on her boyfriend...

And the way people actually see her (second animal)? "Definitely does not fuck"... last one you'd expect to be fucking around.

I still get a kick out of this game.

Wish I remembered the handle of the mASF guy who first posted about it.

Chase

 

[Conquistador]

This sounds cool, but please link and/or explain more.

 

[Chase]

This sounds cool, but please link and/or explain more.

First post, page 1 of this thread.

 

[Conquistador]

First post, page 1 of this thread.

Oh lol sorry, I didn’t realize there was a page 1

 

[KJ Francis]

18 years old, looking for "doesn't know", pot socially

• [Extended match]
  • Hey Francis what's up
• Hi there. Oh just enjoying the afternoon. Lend me your opinion on something? Can you tell me [name], is it the best or worst time to visit grandma when you're high
  • Well. My sister does it all the time. So it's the best basing my opinion from experiencing it happen in front of me. The group of us cousins always went for a "walk"
• That is a lovely memory. Funny how something can be both naughty or a sweet thing depending how you look at it
• So I think it is better to get to know someone in person. Unless you're comfortable doing that, let's play a quick game and I'll tell you what it means after.
• Tell me your 3 favorite animals and the trait you think of for each, like dog loyal, cat independent
  • Cat, warm lol
  • That's the only animal I like
• So you'd come to my doorstep and nuzzle... interesting! Kidding... we can meet out. The order is: How you want people to see you, how they see you, how you really are
• So you are super consistent. Any other cat traits?
  • I want people to see me as kind and a nice person. How people see me. I do have a resting bitch face so maybe mean sometimes but if you know me I'm nice and I love helping. How I really am. I can be a bitch if you are to me. I am a nice person if you approach me nicely and I am a giving person.
  • Other cat traits. Snuggles. Cute. Caring
• Ok kitty, you had me at resting bitch face. Jk I can be quiet, so sometimes people think I don't like them as much.
• So are you in the middle of studying for exams? Or procrastinating
  • I started studying now lol
• So you're going to need a lot of coffee this weekend?
  • I don't drink coffee lol
  • I just always have energy
  • I can stay up to 4am no problem
• Oh night owl
• Got a car?
• So you're not the need to decompress and relax type, more like extra energy to burn
  • I got a car and sometimes I like to relax but sometimes I hate relaxing I love being out of the house
• Well how about do a bit of both and come here.
• If nothing's open late we can make decaf tea and chat...
  • Maybe another day. After Tuesday it's my last exam. I'm really last minute studying. I haven't started with French yet
• Oh so close to freedom. Shoot me a text and let's keep in touch [her name. my number]
  • Hey is this Francis?

 

[Chase]

@Francis,

Gotta break up the steps, press for details (always try to aim to get her to give you at least 3 characteristics per animal), and NOT explain the game until you get all three animals. The payoff that way is WAY better if she actually gives you all the animals and fully describes them.

Also, priming, buy-in, etc. will help. e.g.:

YOU: Let's play a game. It's a quick little game, but it's going to tell me about your personality. Are you down?​

​

HER: Sure!​

​

YOU: Okay cool. FIRST OFF... what is your #1 MOST favorite animal?​

​

HER: A cat.​

​

YOU: Okay. And what are some personality characteristics of a cat? Like, a raccoon might be sneaky, thieving, clever, etc.​

​

HER: Cats are warm, lol.​

​

YOU: All right, good start. What else? Do they like to stay up late? What other personality traits do cats have?​

​

HER: They're very caring and they show they like you in subtle ways.​

​

YOU: Yeah, that's great. All right, second part: what is your #2 MOST favorite animal?​

​

HER: Cats are the only animals I like, lol.​

​

YOU: Oh come on. There's gotta be a number 2. Like ants or aardvarks or SOMETHING!​

​

HER: Okay. Eagles.​

​

YOU: All right great. Describe an eagle... what are its personality characteristics?​

Etc.

The place you need to pull teeth most is with getting second and third characteristics, and getting them to pick a third animal. That one's always the hardest... which makes sense... since it's supposed to describe them, and lots of people tend to know themselves less well than they know how they want others to see them (and how others do see them).

The girls you pull a lot of teeth with have the funniest reactions when you do the little joke at the end ("Ready to find out what it means? All right... it means nothing. It doesn't mean anything. [pause] No, I'm just kidding. Here's what it means."). I don't think I'd do that over text though... jokes + text often do not mix...

Chase

 

[KJ Francis]

Thanks Chase!! I'm going to read this a few times and let it sink in with the priming and pressing for more. It's always helpful to see these examples and get a sense of what the convo feels like.

I can definitely see this being way more fun in person, especially if playing the game properly. I suppose all her answers are really about how she wants me to see her, defeating the purpose.

I was a little surprised when she went ahead and started explaining about herself. Personalities and related topics really are chick crack huh.

 

[KJ Francis]

18 years old, looking for "doesn't know", pot socially

• [Extended match]
  • Hey Francis what's up
• Hi there. Oh just enjoying the afternoon. Lend me your opinion on something? Can you tell me [name], is it the best or worst time to visit grandma when you're high
  • Well. My sister does it all the time. So it's the best basing my opinion from experiencing it happen in front of me. The group of us cousins always went for a "walk"
• That is a lovely memory. Funny how something can be both naughty or a sweet thing depending how you look at it
• So I think it is better to get to know someone in person. Unless you're comfortable doing that, let's play a quick game and I'll tell you what it means after.
• Tell me your 3 favorite animals and the trait you think of for each, like dog loyal, cat independent
  • Cat, warm lol
  • That's the only animal I like
• So you'd come to my doorstep and nuzzle... interesting! Kidding... we can meet out. The order is: How you want people to see you, how they see you, how you really are
• So you are super consistent. Any other cat traits?
  • I want people to see me as kind and a nice person. How people see me. I do have a resting bitch face so maybe mean sometimes but if you know me I'm nice and I love helping. How I really am. I can be a bitch if you are to me. I am a nice person if you approach me nicely and I am a giving person.
  • Other cat traits. Snuggles. Cute. Caring
• Ok kitty, you had me at resting bitch face. Jk I can be quiet, so sometimes people think I don't like them as much.
• So are you in the middle of studying for exams? Or procrastinating
  • I started studying now lol
• So you're going to need a lot of coffee this weekend?
  • I don't drink coffee lol
  • I just always have energy
  • I can stay up to 4am no problem
• Oh night owl
• Got a car?
• So you're not the need to decompress and relax type, more like extra energy to burn
  • I got a car and sometimes I like to relax but sometimes I hate relaxing I love being out of the house
• Well how about do a bit of both and come here.
• If nothing's open late we can make decaf tea and chat...
  • Maybe another day. After Tuesday it's my last exam. I'm really last minute studying. I haven't started with French yet
• Oh so close to freedom. Shoot me a text and let's keep in touch [her name. my number]
  • Hey is this Francis?

@Skills off topic but this has an example of pull seeding I mentioned to you once you likely won't remember but I think of it like a grandmaster pulll. Come over, just kidding.

 

[Witcher]

I rediscovered this post after going through @Chase's article about imagine games. Back in the day I relied a lot on such games but then dropped them because they were an easy road to not develop the other aspects of one's verbal and conversational game.

A while ago I started to implement them again into my arsenal. They can be useful and fun in date and make the process of opening up to each other easier. However I the following steaking point, I would like to address to better use them during a date :

What's the best way to transition to such games?

Up to now my formal way (which is in my estimation not that good) is after I ask her the fluff talk question about how her day was then she asks me back the same question, I tell her that a friend of mine showed me this little game. Other times I surf on the opportunity sometimes it comes, and sometimes it doesn't!

What would be in your opinion a better way to transition into such a routine during a coffee date that is smooth and straightforward?

Thanks

 

[Chase]

@Witcher,

You just stop talking and let there be a little lull in the conversation.

Then you say, "All right, let's play a game. It's going to tell me about your personality. But you have to have a good imagination. You game?"

You don't need anything more complicated than that to transition in. Girls really like the idea of playing a game that reveals their personality, and if it's done in a lull it's a natural moment for the conversation to switch gears.

Chase

 

[Witcher]

@Witcher,

You just stop talking and let there be a little lull in the conversation.

Then you say, "All right, let's play a game. It's going to tell me about your personality. But you have to have a good imagination. You game?"

You don't need anything more complicated than that to transition in. Girls really like the idea of playing a game that reveals their personality, and if it's done in a lull it's a natural moment for the conversation to switch gears.

Chase

Well, I found some girls either don't want to play or become a little bit cautious when you tell them that it's a game that will tell me about their personalities.

I also use a version with more intrigue and push/pull. A little bit like in your article about "Do You Know what we say about girls who? "
Heren after the girl gives me her answers, I tell her "well you want to know what all this means right?", she answers Yes, I then tell her "It means nothing " only after that, that I start to reveal the thing.

I never found a good way to introduce them. Maybe I can tweak your sentence!

 

[Chase]

@Witcher,

Well, I found some girls either don't want to play or become a little bit cautious when you tell them that it's a game that will tell me about their personalities.

Simple persistence / objection-handling / compliance extraction always works. You just keep at it until she complies, while smiling & having fun the whole time, and she will cave and play the game. Then get really into it. Like so:

YOU: Let's play a game. It'll tell me about your personality.
​

HER: Nooooo! I'm scaaaared! What if it says something creepy about me!
​

YOU: What, are you a serial killer? Don't be ridiculous! It's just a game -- come on!
​

HER: Okaayyyy...
​

YOU: Awesome. All right. What is your #1 most favorite animal?
​

HER: A beluga.​

etc.

This is all just pacing and leading. You're leading her to a place emotionally where she is comfortable playing the game.

Voice tone, facial expressions, and gestures are all key here. You're just the cool guy telling her it's fine and to play the game.

I also use a version with more intrigue and push/pull. A little bit like in your article about "Do You Know what we say about girls who? "
Heren after the girl gives me her answers, I tell her "well you want to know what all this means right?", she answers Yes, I then tell her "It means nothing " only after that, that I start to reveal the thing.

Yep, I think that joke comes from Neil Strauss... he has it in The Game after he plays The Cube with girls IIRC. I always use it with the animals game too. I get a big kick out of the annoyed and disgusted looks girls give you and then the laughter and relief when you reassure them that actually you are just kidding.

I never found a good way to introduce them. Maybe I can tweak your sentence!

Hmm. Sounds like you might need more of a scripted routine stack with a clear transition into the game then.

I just go by feel. As soon as it feels like we're connecting, and there's a lull, that's a good time.

A lot of the time I won't use it at all, until later on, we've had a lot of good convo, but it's missing a little spark, and I might say, "Hmm, three favorite animals would be good here!" so I roll it out.

I guess if you want to try building it into a stack, you could try something like:

1. Chitchatting about whatever
2. Tell her she seems like she's a dog-person or a cat-person or whatever (cold read)
3. Brief back-and-forth about what kind of animal person she is (maybe joke around accusing her of being a hamster-person or a parakeet person)
4. Transition to three favorite animals game

Chase

 

[DarkKnight]

Hey Jim,

The best reference on the Cube is the original book on it here:

The Cube: Keep the Secret

by Annie Gottlieb and Slobodan Pesic. You set the tone with asking three questions:

• Are you intelligent?
• Are you intuitive?
• Do you have a good imagination?

The reason you do this is to get buy-in - there's nothing worse than playing a game with someone and having them stop you halfway through to tell you they can't do it. So don't bother unless she can agree to go along with all three questions.

Next you tell her to close her eyes and imagine she's moving through a desert landscape. All she sees is the sand in front of her, and the sky above. Then, as she's moving through the desert, up ahead she sees a cube. Describe the cube: how big is it, what color is it, what's it made out of? Can she see through it, or it is solid?

After she's finished describing the cube, tell her to add a ladder to the picture: where is it, what's it made up of, and how many rungs does it have? What kind of condition is it in? What's it's position to the cube?

Next, have her add a horse to the scene. Where's the horse, what kind of horse is it, what color is its hair, what is it doing, etc.?

Now, add a storm to the picture. Where is the storm and what is it doing?

Finally, add some flowers to the picture. Describe them: where are they, how many of them are there, and what do they look like?

It works like this:

• The cube is her
• The ladder is her social support network (friends, family, etc.)
• The horse is her lover
• The storm is problems in her life
• The flowers are her dreams

For cube, interpret the feel of the material as her personality - you can ask for her to tell you what she thinks it means. Generally speaking if the material is, say, steel, then she's pretty tough; if it's ice, she's pretty cold; if it's made of greenery, she's a nature lover and natural person. If you can see through it, she's easy to read; if you can't, she's cagey and tough to get a read on. If it's levitating above the ground, she's a dream with her feet off the ground (this is pretty common). And colors mean different things - brief run down from what I remember:

• Red is passion, sensuality, love, lust and aggression - she's a very passionate person
• Orange is power - she's a powerful person
• Yellow is cheerful - she's a happy person
• Green is growth - she's a growth-oriented person
• Blue is calm and communication - she's calm and good at communicating
• Brown is earthy and stable - she's firm, practical, and stable
• Black is mysterious - she's a mystery, and anything can come out of her and anything can go back in

Ladder's interesting, as that tells you about her friends and family. If the ladder's under the cube, that means she's supported by her network; if the ladder's on top of the cube, she feels like she's the one doing the supporting. If it's on the side, that's just normal, unless she has the floating cube and the ladder is extending from the cube to the earth; in that case, her network is what grounds her and keeps her real. Material it's made out of tells you how strong her network is, generally; fresh new wood is good, steel means she has a strong network; if the wood is decaying, that means her network with her friends and family is too, and the number of rungs tells you roughly how many people are in her network.

The horse is her lover, and often its coat or hair color will match her ideal type's (if you're doing it with a girl who's in love with you, you'll typically find the horse has the same color hair as you). Often girls will describe the horse as keeping the cube safe (they want a man to keep them safe), though sometimes they'll say the cube is protecting the horse and the horse is inside or under the cube (they want to save a man), or that the horse is kind of just doing its own thing (they want some guy who'll have his own life). Sometimes there's no horse, or the horse is far away, which means they're having trouble imagining a man in their lives.

The storm is simple - the closer it is to the cube, the closer the problems in her life are to her. The farther away it is, the farther away they are. If it's striking the cube with lightning bolts or hurricane winds, she's going through some pretty tough stuff right now. If it's getting nearer, she has problems on the horizon; if it's receding, her problems are in the past; if it's just staying put, problems aren't really something she's dealing with right now.

Finally, flowers are her dreams. The more of them there are and the bigger they are, the more dreams she has and the more well-nurtured they are. Occasionally you'll find girls with brown and dead flowers, which usually means they've given up dreaming. Kind of sad.

Anyway, that's a quick run down on the cube, at least as I play it. Everyone does it a little bit different.

Chase

bump this is fascinating stuff.. I was just rereading the post due to the 3 animals game which I am using today again

 

[KJ Francis]

bump this is fascinating stuff.. I was just rereading the post due to the 3 animals game which I am using today again

I haven't used the cube but the three animals is awesome! I used it a couple weeks ago. One thing I think is worth mentioning is it can be used as a "callback" to tease her or set frames depending on the result of it.

The girl in question wants to be seen as an elegant poised animal, but people see her as a flighty one. the animal she's actually like is a playful cuddly one.

so I have used it as a callback a couple times, like she is afraid to mess up her hair but I know deep down she really wants to let loose and roll around, etc.

 

[Hue]

I haven't used the cube but the three animals is awesome! I used it a couple weeks ago. One thing I think is worth mentioning is it can be used as a "callback" to tease her or set frames depending on the result of it.

The girl in question wants to be seen as an elegant poised animal, but people see her as a flighty one. the animal she's actually like is a playful cuddly one.

so I have used it as a callback a couple times, like she is afraid to mess up her hair but I know deep down she really wants to let loose and roll around, etc.

My last serious LTR, we callbacked to that the entire relationship.

For privacy I won't share the animal, but I'd be like, "there she goes again, an absolutely savage and ruthless predator " and she'd giggle since she's overall she's very feminine.