I turn my head slightly to the right and catch the gaze of young blond college student staring back at me. Luckily my strategic positioning of placing my body next to her at the bar allowed for an easy opening.
“Hello” I say in a cheerful voice
She responds in kind with a shy “hello”
“Looks like you gals are celebrating, those shots seem to be going down pretty smooth?”
“It’s our birthdays!” they shout in unison
“Oh really, both of you? well then, I suppose a happy birthday is in order”
“Hey, lets play a little game, you guys like fun games, right?” I ask
“Yea ok!”
I explain to both girls the Attraction Triangle Game and that out of the three signs of attraction they could choose in a mate: Intelligence, Good Looks, Emotional stability; which two would they pick.
Naturally, they both pick Intelligence and Emotional Stability, proudly exclaiming that in the long run, all one really needs is love, and that looks don’t really matter much. Yeah, right:) Of course, I was prepared for this response.
“Awww, that’s too bad, I guess we could never be together then.” I say
“What!? Why?!”
“Well you see, I’m a pretty smart guy and I have the boyish good looks down, so I don’t really match your two pieces of criteria.”
“Wait, so are you saying you’re not emotionally stable?” she asks
“Here’s the thing, I have a confession to make… sometimes, when I’m home by myself, I’ll watch chick flicks and then cry myself to sleep…” I say in an overly serious tone.
The girls aren’t sure whether they should laugh or sympathize. I’ve just successfully thrown in some vulnerability game as part of my new routine. They’re hooked and I use this as jumping off point to create multiple conversation threads on the topic of relationships.
The conversation goes well and am able to transition with my original target into some light banter and comfort building. I begin the kino escalation with some hand caressing, which eventually leads to an eskimo kiss.
I’m able to get the digits, as the friend is pestering her to go home.
Overall, I’m quite pleased with the new routine. I think sometimes we get a bad rap from the public for using routines, but lets face it, they can be fun and interesting ways to get a good conversation going.
Is it manipulative? I don’t think so. I thought it was fun. The girls certainly found it worth their time and attention.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice job. EVERYTHING is a routine, just most normal folks give it a bad rap because it sounds contrived or manipulative. Whatever. When I tell a story or a joke, that’s a routine, and it has a intended effect, whether that’s to make someone laugh or demonstrate value.
In this set I would have taken a different tack, and acted more asshole-y and aggressive. That’s my usual style but of course I’m not calibrated to the set so who knows what would have happened.
One line I use a lot for situations like this is “So what’s the occasion?” It’s usually someone’s birthday or special night or whatever so it’s an easy way to hook. Even if it’s for nothing in particular, it leads to easy conversation.
Lance,
There was definitely some banter and teasing going on during the various conversation threads, nothing too “asshole-y” as you say, but that’s not really my style anyways.
I use the “what’s the occassion?” line often too, it’s such an easy opener, that it’s a no-brainer most of the time, particularly when you see a large group of girls hanging out together.
That’s a really interesting technique – vulnerability game. It’s nice to see someone trying something new and creative. It’ll mean you’re always one step ahead.
{ 1 trackback }