Hiya! First off, thank you for taking the time to write all of this out. I really appreciate you sharing your thought process! Getting to see how players are interpreting the characters this early on is genuinely helpful 😊
A lot of what you brought up (the predetermined pairs, why only Dmitry and Kalea are available initially, how the first Warm Up Ceremony works, and why I chose the pairings I did) are actually questions I've answered in more detail on Tumblr, so rather than make you read another wall of text here, I'll just link those posts:
As for the suggestion about randomizing the first ceremony, it's definitely something I've thought about initially! Ultimately, though, I decided against it because the pairings are tied into the game's overall narrative and character arcs. Some relationships are meant to develop differently depending on the week, so having completely randomized couples would create a huge amount of additional branching and also change the intended progression of several characters' stories.
That said, I completely understand why the initial pairings might feel fast. The characters are making decisions with very little information, just like contestants on real dating shows often do, and first impressions don't always end up reflecting where they eventually end up. Some couples click, some don't, and those early choices aren't necessarily an indication that they're perfect matches.
Thanks again for the thoughtful feedback! I really do appreciate it 💗