X takes a corner, O takes another corner, X takes a third corner (threatening a win through the intervening side or center), O blocks, X takes the last corner (giving them all corners of a triangle with only one of its edges blocked), O blocks a second edge of the triangle, X completes the third to win.
Once upon a time, there was a straight tree and a crooked tree, and they grew next to each other. Every day the straight tree would say to the crooked tree, “You’re crooked! You’ve always been crooked, and you will continue to be crooked. But look at me, look at me,” said the straight tree, “I’m straight, and I’m proud.” Well, one day the lumberjacks came to the forest and looked around, and the manager in charge said “Cut all the straight trees.” And that crooked tree eventually also died, apparently, which kind of undercuts this whole parable.
One of the perils of being on the internet is that I’ve seen my plenty of remarks about unicorns having phallic symbols on their faces. “Feminine-coded” is only one of the perspectives on them.
X takes a corner, O takes another corner, X takes a third corner (threatening a win through the intervening side or center), O blocks, X takes the last corner (giving them all corners of a triangle with only one of its edges blocked), O blocks a second edge of the triangle, X completes the third to win.