In search of your next binge-worthy YA romance series? Look no further than Netflix’s Forever, which hit the streaming platform on May 8. Based on the 1975 novel by Judy Blume, Forever is about two teenagers, Keisha (Lovie Simone) and Justin (Michael Cooper Jr.), navigating first love and all the awkward moments that come with it. The series has it all, from drama that will make you say “just one more episode” to adorable heartfelt romance — including the true love game that Keisha plays in the show.
While Keisha is still just crushing on Justin early on in the show, she consults one of the most reliable methods of testing your compatibility with your crush: the true love game. In Episode 2, Keisha writes down hers and Justin’s names on the back of her school test (which she scored 100% on, of course), along with the words “true love.” But how exactly does the game work? Let me break it down for you.
Reminiscent to the games that we all played as kids (M.A.S.H., anyone?), all you need to play the true love game is a paper and a pencil. First, write your own name and your crush’s name down side by side. Keisha uses only first names, but full names work, too (and may even give you a better probability of being compatible with your crush). Then, jot down “true” and “love” vertically next to each other.
For each letter in the words “true” and “love,” count how many times that letter shows up in each of your names and write the number next to that letter. Once you’ve gone through each letter, it’s time to tally the results. Add up all the numbers in “true” and all the numbers in “love” respectively, writing the final total under each word. Finally, put the two numbers together next to each other and add a percentage symbol. Congratulations, you’ve calculated the compatibility percentage between you and your crush!
When Keisha plays the game using hers and Justin’s names, their compatibility calculates to a 31%, which she quickly scribbles out to adjust to an 81%. This moment is a good reminder to not take things like compatibility tests, horoscopes, or enneagrams too seriously. Now that you’re a true love game pro, you can experiment with anyone and everyone’s names to test whose odds are looking the best — someone you’ve been talking to, a celebrity crush, or even your favorite TV show character. (Hey, I won’t judge.)