Hi! I Read About The Difference Between The Novel And The If Version Of "in Between" And The Difficulty

Hi! I read about the difference between the novel and the if version of "in between" and the difficulty to translate the gay-man-in-the-closet's challenges to introverted-mc's challenges, and it made me wonder did you ever thought on a MC-asexual path? I'm personally both demiromantic and demisexual, and there can be similar challenges, for example the pressure to date or have sexual encounters with people in which there isn't any interest in, because it's normal to have that kind of interest (especially sexual). Obv it's just a suggestion! I totally get if it's too much, especially since you've already have the demo, and since the asexual spectrum is quite wide! PS: I love your story and I'm running off to read the new chapter! ❤️

Hi! Thanks for the question ☺

In this particular story, it would get a bit too complicated because MC has had (and will have) romantic interests that are part of the plot. So, for my own sanity, I decided to make them allosexual.

However, I’m working on two other projects! One is After Dark, a post-apocalyptic horror where you can choose for MC to be asexual (though that’s more of a secondary aspect). The other is Hope Abides, a drama/modern-historical/management game focused on an LGBTQIA+ main character, and it also explores the challenges of being asexual (or aromantic, or both).

I’ve only published the prologue for Hope Abides so far, and it’s a Patreon exclusive for now. I know it’s not exactly what you were hoping for, but I promise I’m doing my best!

https://www.tumblr.com/dalekowrites/762632677253840896/hiii-how-are-you-i-just-saw-your-prior-post?source=share

Could you specify who are the ROs then, please? Or is it spoiler?

Yeah, right now it would indeed spoil the fun! You can make guesses about the current romantic developments, but not all the characters have been introduced yet, and there’s still a lot evolving! ☺

I'm not really a therapist yet, still have a year and countless essays to complete but thank you for your words, I'll do my best!

Very spoiler-y I think, so feel free to ignore it! But will Chiara have a chance to get involved with Ale 2? And not only in the fun/romantic way 🤣, will she have the "luck" to understand why MC was so frantic into telling her to stay away from Ale2?

Well, Chiara is a curious and very persistent girl, so I doubt she will drop everything altogether 🫢 

Do you have a timeframe of the after dark and the in between will be finished? Or are you just going with the flow? I read and re read both of them they are very interesting and had me hooked!

Hi, thank you for asking! I'm glad you're enjoying them ☺

"In theory, I have a timeframe for both, but to be honest, I’m re-evaluating the composition of After Dark (three separate routes in the first book from the start). The writing and coding for it is really complex, especially considering the multitude of side things you can do with the phone, the collectables, the individual scenes with RO characters, and so on.

For The In-Between, the situation is a bit simpler because it’s more of a novel than a game, but there are still some things to consider when you add interactivity into the mix. To give you a practical example, the original story up to this point consists of 17,747 words. The IF version consists of 27,606 words! So you can imagine what I mean lol

There’s a bit of personal ranting after the cut, so if you’re not in the mood for various unnecessary complaints, you can stop here! ♥

Also, over the past few years, I’ve had a string of bad luck, one thing after another—losses, health issues, bureaucratic problems. It’s been a real mess, and I’ve had to juggle all of it while constantly working (at least) two jobs, earning a degree, and taking extra university courses. Honestly, I’m surprised I’ve managed to get... even the little that I’ve accomplished done, lol. Things haven’t really improved much (I have degenerative health issues, so it’s not like they’re going to get better), and I won’t have any more free time with the PhD and everything. But mentally, I feel stable enough to keep working on my projects. I just hope I can finish them before the next family tragedy, or at least find the catharsis I need through writing.

Sorry for the unnecessary personal rant, but I think it did me good to put it in writing, so thank you for giving me the chance to do so! ☺

woah holy shit, YOU'RE the author of A Long Weekend??? Omg, that was one of the first if games I ever played!! It was so long ago, and I was wondering like a week ago where it was and who wrote it! I really liked A Long Weekend, it felt like a very good introduction into a new obsession

Thank you so much, it’s so nice to read something like that—I’m speechless 😭

Since your message is anonymous, I can’t tell if you follow me or have already interacted with some of my posts, so I'm sorry if this is something you already know—but have you seen my work in progress The In-Between? It’s not exactly the same thing as A Long Weekend, but it’s a drama IF with romantic elements, so you might like it!