440 lines
9.9 KiB
Markdown
440 lines
9.9 KiB
Markdown
# Closer Question Writing Guide v7
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## Mission
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Closer is not a questionnaire.
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Closer is not therapy homework.
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Closer is not a personality quiz.
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Closer should feel like a conversation game couples voluntarily keep playing because they are having fun.
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Every question should move the couple toward at least one of these:
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* laughing
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* flirting
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* learning something new
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* remembering something
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* planning something together
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* feeling understood
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* feeling appreciated
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* creating a future memory
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If a question does none of those things, delete it.
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## Consumer First
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Every question must pass this test:
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```text
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Would a real couple willingly answer this on a Friday night?
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```
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If not, rewrite it.
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Never write for psychologists.
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Write for normal couples.
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## Product Standard
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Closer should feel premium.
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Every category should feel handwritten by an experienced relationship coach and game designer, not generated by AI.
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If a user can predict the next question, the category fails.
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## Standard Question Mix
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Standard 250 question packs should use this mix:
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| Type | Count |
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|---|---:|
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| multi_choice | 140 |
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| single_choice | 50 |
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| scale | 35 |
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| this_or_that | 15 |
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| written | 10 |
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At least 76 percent must be choice based.
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Typing should feel rare and meaningful.
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Special packs may override this mix only when the override is documented in the pack metadata and in `QUESTION_REWRITE_PLAN.md`.
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## Emotional Mix
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Each standard category should roughly contain:
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* 35 percent playful
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* 25 percent everyday relationship
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* 20 percent meaningful
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* 10 percent future focused
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* 10 percent deeper vulnerability
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Never stack several heavy questions together.
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Daily packs should lean more playful, fun, sweet, and low pressure than standard category packs.
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## Conversation Goals
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Every question should create at least one of these reactions:
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* "I did not know that."
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* "That is adorable."
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* "We should actually do that."
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* "I cannot believe you picked that."
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* "I never thought about that."
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* "That is a really good point."
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If none apply, rewrite it.
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## Daily Single Choice Voice Standard
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Daily questions are different from normal category packs.
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They should feel like small couples game moments.
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They should sound like two people deciding what to do, eat, watch, laugh about, try, flirt with, or enjoy together today.
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Daily questions should be:
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* quick
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* warm
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* concrete
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* playful
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* fun before merely useful
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* game-like
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* easy to answer in under 10 seconds
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* relationship focused
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* doable in normal life
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Daily questions should not sound like:
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* therapy homework
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* self-help worksheets
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* HR wellness surveys
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* abstract emotional processing
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* generic AI relationship advice
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* household admin
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* bedtime logistics
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* chore planning
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If the question sounds like a couples counselor wrote it, rewrite it.
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If the question sounds like roommates managing a house, rewrite it.
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## Daily Fun Gate
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A daily question passes only if it creates at least one of these:
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* a smile
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* a laugh
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* a flirt
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* a cute choice
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* a tiny date idea
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* a playful debate
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* a small memory
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* a small thing the couple might actually try tonight
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Warm is not enough. Concrete is not enough. Useful is not enough.
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Ask this before approving any daily question:
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```text
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Would this feel fun, sweet, or playful inside the app tonight?
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```
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If the honest answer is "useful, but not fun", rewrite it.
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## Research-Informed Fun Rules
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Recent relationship-question products and articles point to the same pattern: the strongest prompts feel like a game first, then create connection as a side effect. Paired markets quick, fun check-ins and says the relationship should not feel like work. Conversation-card coverage emphasizes that cards give people permission to skip small talk and reveal something interesting. Date-night and couples-question lists work best when they use preferences, memories, flirty choices, funny hypotheticals, tiny adventures, and low-pressure honesty.
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Use this as the daily pack standard:
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* Game first, insight second.
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* A question should create a choice, mini-mission, playful debate, flirt, memory, or laugh.
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* Avoid questions that only ask users to manage the relationship better.
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* Avoid questions that sound like advice, coaching, therapy, or household planning.
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* Ask about wants, favorites, memories, tiny plans, silly preferences, and sweet attention.
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* For flirty or spicy prompts, start light, keep it consent-based, and never make the user feel cornered.
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* For deeper prompts, make them feel like a game card, not a therapy intake form.
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A daily question should answer at least one of these:
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* What would be fun to choose right now?
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* What would be cute to try tonight?
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* What would make us laugh?
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* What would make us flirt a little?
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* What would help us learn a tiny new thing about each other?
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* What would create a small shared memory?
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If the answer is only "this would be responsible", reject it. Adults already have bills. The app does not need to become another one.
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## Daily Game Mechanics
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Every daily question should use at least one clear game mechanic.
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Preferred mechanics:
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* Would-you-rather style choice
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* Fake award
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* Tiny mission
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* Mini date pick
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* Snack draft
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* Silly bet
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* Guilty-pleasure pick
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* Memory pick
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* Flirty pick
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* Compliment choice
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* Photo challenge
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* One-song challenge
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* Mystery treat
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* Cute dare, kept low pressure
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* "Choose our vibe" for the next hour
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Do not overuse one mechanic. A full weekday should not feel like 70 versions of the same snack question wearing different socks.
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### Option Quality Standard
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Daily options should be:
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* vivid enough to picture
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* short enough to tap quickly
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* similar in effort
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* similar in emotional weight
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* tied to the prompt
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* fun, sweet, flirty, silly, or date-like
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Avoid vague options like:
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* Something sweet
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* A cute moment
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* More connection
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* Better communication
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* Quality time
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Avoid weird domestic options like:
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* The good blanket saved
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* A clean counter
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* A bedtime plan
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* Dishes handled
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* The laundry moved
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Better option style:
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* A two-song kitchen dance
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* A dessert walk
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* A ridiculous fake award
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* A flirty text from across the room
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* A corner-store snack hunt
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* A couch movie trailer voice
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## Daily Option Direction
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Prefer daily options like:
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* snacks
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* tiny dates
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* silly bets
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* inside jokes
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* couch games
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* music picks
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* mini adventures
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* playful compliments
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* low-pressure flirting
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* cozy but fun moments
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* small surprises
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* dramatic fake awards
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* guilty-pleasure shows
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* cute photos
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* dessert runs
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* short walks with a purpose
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Avoid daily options centered on:
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* bills
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* laundry
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* dishes
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* clean counters
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* errands
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* appointments
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* calendars
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* bedtime planning
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* household maintenance
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* saved blankets
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* clinical reassurance phrasing
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These can exist in real relationships. They should not dominate the daily fun pack.
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## Banned Daily Tone Words
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Avoid these in daily questions:
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* reset
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* process
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* mental load
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* emotional load
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* autopilot
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* pressure
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* soft landing
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* relationship dynamic
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* name the mood
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* emotional processing
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* communication style
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* conflict framework
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These are not banned from every serious category forever, but they should almost never appear in daily questions.
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## Daily Good vs Bad
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Good daily question:
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```text
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What tiny date move sounds best tonight?
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```
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Good options:
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* Dessert on the couch
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* A two-song kitchen dance
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* A short walk with snacks
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* A ridiculous movie pick
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Bad daily question:
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```text
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Before phones win, what would make the night nicer?
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```
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Bad options:
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* A clean counter
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* A quick shoulder rub
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* A simple bedtime plan
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* The good blanket saved
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Why it fails:
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* too much household admin
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* not playful enough
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* one option is weirdly phrased
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* it does not feel like a couples game
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## Daily Single Choice Weekday Lineup
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This is a special daily pack, not a standard 250 question category pack.
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Target counts:
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* 500 total
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* 75 free
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* 425 premium
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* 500 single_choice
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Weekday themes:
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* Monday: Mood Check Monday
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* Tuesday: Tiny Win Tuesday
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* Wednesday: Real One Wednesday
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* Thursday: Laugh It Off Thursday
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* Friday: Flirty Friday
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* Saturday: Side Quest Saturday
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* Sunday: Slow Burn Sunday
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See `DAILY_SINGLE_CHOICE_WEEKDAY_SYSTEM.md` for full theme rules.
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## Daily Voice Enforcement
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The daily weekday pack must use a review loop, not a one-pass bulk rewrite.
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Daily questions must be written in small batches, reviewed, marked, fixed, and reviewed again before scaling.
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A daily question is not approved until:
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* the prompt sounds natural out loud
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* the options cleanly answer the prompt
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* the wording is concrete, not abstract
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* the question feels like a game moment
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* the question feels fun, sweet, playful, flirty, or date-like
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* the theme is clear without sounding forced
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If the question passes JSON validation but sounds weird when read out loud, it fails.
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If the question is useful but not fun, it fails.
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## General Tone Rules
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Avoid robotic openings:
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* Describe
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* Reflect on
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* Discuss
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* Evaluate
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* In what ways
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* How satisfied are you
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* Explore your feelings
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* Identify the ways
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Use normal human wording.
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Better:
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```text
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What tiny date move sounds best tonight?
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```
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Worse:
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```text
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In what ways could we improve our relational connection this evening?
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```
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## Option Rules
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For choice questions:
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* options must answer the exact prompt
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* options must be similar in weight
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* options must not overlap too much
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* options must not shame either partner
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* options must sound like real choices
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* options should be short
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Reject answer sets where one option is obviously the "correct" healthy answer and the rest are fake.
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## Written Question Rules
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Written questions must earn the keyboard.
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Use written questions only for:
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* memories
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* appreciation
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* future plans
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* short stories
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* meaningful personal answers
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Do not use written questions for basic preferences.
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## Final Content Test
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Before shipping a pack, read random questions out loud.
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Reject anything that sounds like:
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* AI filler
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* therapy homework
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* a survey
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* a worksheet
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* household admin
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* a chore list
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* an app trying too hard to be deep
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Closer questions should make couples want to keep tapping.
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