Readers Mail - Tumblr Posts

Ehy ciao!! Ma che bello trovare autori italiani di interactive fiction qui su tumblr, mi sento l’unica italiana ad apprezzare questo genere di libri 🥲 Ho visto il reblog del tuo libro su interact-if e ho detto “wait a second… ma quella è Napoli” e sono andata subito sul tuo Tumblr a controllare se effettivamente lo fosse. Vado subito a leggere ✨

Ammetto che questo messaggio mi ha fatto ridere più del dovuto!

Nel caso fossi curiosa riguardo la genesi e le meccaniche di TIB, le ho spiegate nelle risposte ad alcune altre domande (tag #readers mail sul mio blog).

Spero che possa essere di tuo gradimento!

I tried checking the stats carefully like you said and I succeeded on the 5th try! and I'm really satisfied😆 really like your game, you're really talented!!! Looking forward to your next products🤩

Yay! I’m glad you made it! Can I ask which ending you got? There are seven in total ☺

Thank you so much for your kind words! I don’t have any other published games at the moment, but you can follow my works in progress here on Tumblr (check the tags #After Dark and #The In-Between on my blog), on the forum (After Dark and The In-Between threads), and generally on Patreon (with the #Hope Abides exclusive as well). You can also stay in touch via Discord if you’d like!

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! ☺

I have In The Embrace Of Dionysus and your game really means a lot to me lol it reminds me of my dream of wanting to help people with psychological problems and continuing to work hard in making that dream come true,hope that this time next year I will graduate the university and become a pychologist😆😆😆

Good luck with your degree! If you approach the profession this way, I can already tell you’re going to help a lot of people.

I have so much admiration for therapists, so I’m truly honored by your words. Thank you for sharing all of this with me!

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!

How tf did I miss you are the author of Long Weekend??? I loved this game! And I love the in between as well, the story is just so unique!

Also a setting not in the america <3 love italy, need to visit again.

How kind of you to say that, thank you!! A Long Weekend got quite a bit of criticism for being too realistic and dramatic, so when I receive compliments about it, it kind of heals my heart a little, lol.

I'm really happy that you're also enjoying The In-Between! I don't know if you've ever visited Naples during your travels, but all the places mentioned are real :)

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!

For "in between" I have few questions!

Does the ex like their current partner as much as they like Chiara, a girl they just met? Lol I have to say, theirs is a very deep love 🤣🤣

Will it be possible to have a platonic route?

Did MC and the ex-current-partner already know each other, before the cheating happened? Did they knew that Alessandro/a was in a relationship when they got together?

Hi! So, let's see...

Question 1:

I'm not sure I understand it, who do you mean by 'ex'?

(I started writing a more detailed reply but realized I was probably adding a few spoilers, so I scrapped it and went for something simpler…)

Here are all the current relationships as of Chapter 8:

Ale 1 (friend) <-[flirt]-> Cinzia

Ale 1 (friend) —[crush]-> Chiara

Chiara —[crush]-> Ale 2 (bad guy)

Chiara’s unnamed ex —[crush]-> Chiara

Chiara —[hurt from]-> Chiara’s unnamed ex

Ale 2 —[???]-> MC

Ale 2 <-[???]-> Mirko/Mika

MC —[disdain]-> Ale 2

I'm thinking of creating an in-game character index because I'm starting to need diagrams to explain the relationships, lol!

Question 2:

If by 'platonic route' you mean a relationship without sex, yes, it's possible. If you mean finishing the game without any romantic relationship, that's also possible. However, it's implied that MC does have sexual encounters outside of their main (possible) relationship, even though they're not explicit in the SFW version of the story.

Question 3:

MC's relationships are intentionally mysterious and foggy right now, but that’s all part of the plot! Things will get more understandable soon, I promise ♥

Hi for the in between, is it just Alessandro/a that you can romance? 🥰

Hi! No, even though MC hasn't had the chance to explore their romantic possibilities for now... but they will very soon 🫢

Hi 🙂, so... my reaction after reading chapter 9....

Me: I'm not jealous!!! I SWEAR I'M NOT!!! 😭😭😭

Mc is single and ready to mingle~

Can we play as a virgin? Hoho 🤭

LOL! I know, I know, MC is loneeeely right now. I'm sorry, I know y'all like the angst though 👀

You can't play as a virgin strictly speaking, but you can finish the story without a RO if that's what floats your boat! ♥

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!

Watching everybody being love-dovey with their partners, and I'll be like; "Omg! I'm so happy for you guys!"

😂😂 I feel that! Still, Chiara didn't seem all that happy to me, and neither did Mirko/Mika... and even Ale1 doesn’t seem completely carefree when thinking about Chiara. It’s all about perspective I guess 😌

Cinzia is enjoying life tho :D

Are all the ROs in "The In-Between" are bi/pan?

Not exactly, but their gender and orientation depend on those of MC (Ale 2 is the only character who's always bisexual). In fact, this applies to all characters, not just the ROs!

This might be a bit of a spoiler, but if you want to know, here are the gender and orientation of the characters introduced so far:

If MC is a straight man or a lesbian woman: Ale 1, Cinzia, and Mika are lesbian women, Chiara and Ale 2 are bisexual women, and Gio is a straight man.

If MC is a gay man or a straight woman: Ale 1 and Gio are straight men, Chiara and Cinzia are straight women, Ale 2 is a bisexual man, and Mirko is a gay man.

I hope this satisfied your curiosity! ☺

Hey! I was just wondering when do you think you will fully release the in between? Don’t mean to put you pressure I just am really eager to read the whole book ( I hope my English is okay, it’s not my first language ) thank you 🙏🏻

Hi! Thank you for your interest in The In Between ☺

It’s still a bit too early to give a definite timeline for a final release. Writing (and coding) IFs takes time, especially when you have many other responsibilities IRL! However, I’m working on a consistent schedule and I plan to keep releasing monthly updates until the end.

I truly appreciate your eagerness, my readers' support means so much to me! I hope you’ll keep enjoying the story until its full release ♥

Hiii, how are you???

I just saw your prior post about Ros sexuality, and I have a question, you can't date Ale 1 and Gio as a gay male?

Hi! Please note that a gay male MC can't date Ale 1 and Gio because they aren’t even romance options to start with! Their roles in the story are fixed based on MC's gender and orientation, but they’re not part of MC's romance options ☺

Hope this clears things up!

Is it spoilers to know Ros in the in between?

Let's say that the list of characters isn't complete yet! You still have other people to meet. ☺

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 🫢 

Going off the asks about the MC being gay or straight, If we keep the original genders does that allude to MC being bi/pan?

I suppose you're talking about The In-Between. In that case, no, since in the original story, MC is a gay man ☺

However, MC's orientation is never made explicit in the IF, so much so that only the characters' gender is mentioned. You can just imagine that MC is bi/pan, but that at this time in their life they're only attracted to people of a specific gender.

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! ☺

Hey, I was curious, Could you tell us some fun facts about yourself? Not to be nosey, and of course if you are not comfortable in doing so please don’t feel pressured. But reading through some of the questions you answered you come across as a very interesting person 😁 like why you went to Italy? How fluent are you in Italian et. Thank you 🤗

Hi! Thanks for the question, but I'm afraid my answer will disappoint you, haha. I'm Italian and I'm a native Italian speaker ☺

I’m not really sure what to say about myself, but since you asked for something fun, here’s a random funny story.

A few years ago, on a November evening, I was at a bar in Dublin enjoying a pint of Guinness. It was raining outside (no surprise here), and they were showing a derby match on TV. I was just minding my own business when a middle-aged guy dressed like a cowboy sat down next to me. No, I’m not joking. He was dressed like a cowboy in the movies—hat, boots, and a big leather belt. His hair was more grey than black, but he didn’t seem to care. He tipped his hat, winked at me, and tried to chat me up.

Yep, you read that right. A cowboy-dressed dude tried to hit on me in a bar in Dublin, Ireland.