Yeah, haha, we probably get in a lot of bad habits with romance novels- thinking we have to get everything "perfect" or we'll miss out. xD You know, even after having gotten all the "passionate" routes in Gilded Shadows, and I was just rereading for fun this time, I still felt stressed like I had to choose the "right" things this time around, too. Maybe it's part of it being a game? Or the way we see it? Not sure.
Interesting! I hadn't thought of it that way (probably because I was stuck worried about not getting the "best" ending,) but I'm also the weirdo who married her first boyfriend, so this kind of more causal romantic exploration is a bit of a mystery to me. xD I definitely did get the vibe after the kiss that it wasn't huge or anything, but it did give me that romance novel sense of being "locked in," maybe just due to my own biases of how these things normally work in games. Like you have to get all the points or something- rather than just be a person.
Very cool, thanks for your insights! Hope you're having a great weekend.~