Contemporary Romance - Tumblr Posts

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 🫢

Chapter 9 is now free to read for everyone!

What's everyone up to when you're not around? And... who's sleeping with whom? 👀

Chapter 9 adds about 2,7k words, for a total of about 27k words!

Click on "Public Demo" to read it! ♥

[ Patreon ][ Discord ][ Public Demo ]

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! ☺

I'm just now seeing this fanart, and it honestly fills my heart! 😭

You’re super talented, thank you for drawing them!!! ♥

A Long Weekend. My MC Ezra and his co-worker turned lover Alex.

Hi! Love your games, your writing style is really unique <3

I have to ask, will you continue your guide on the "a long weekend" endings? No matter what I do, I can't reach a good ending :(

Hi! Thank you, I really appreciate it ♥

I didn't think there was still demand on the guide, actually! Sure, I will work on it in the next few days.

In the meantime, maybe this could be helpful. Please, let me know if you manage to get the ending you want to achieve! ☺

Hey! I’m just wondering when you were creating the wonderful characters of the in between, did you completely invent them from your imagination or did you base them off actors you liked? If so, who inspired you? Thank you 😁😁

You're very kind! ♥ All my characters are always original, and I usually don't focus much on their physical appearance—that’s because I have congenital prosopagnosia, so faces are really complicated for me. For the same reason, I couldn't say which real actors my characters look like. But if you have suggestions, feel free to share them—I think it's a funny idea! ☺

Any news on the character list in the in between? I'm taking notes for myself but it would be nice to have it in game, like in the menu or something

Good news for you! The character list is almost finished, and in fact, it will be accessible from the stats menu starting from the Chapter 10 update ☺

(Entries will be unlocked as you encounter each character, so don't worry if you can't see all of them at once!)

Chapter 10 in Early Access is heeere! ♥

Along with the new chapter (+3.2k words), there are a couple of new things:

I've added a character list accessible from the Stats menu. Characters will appear as they become relevant, so if someone hasn't shown up yet, just wait until they're mentioned!

There are also a couple of new variables that, if the game doesn't read them correctly, could cause some issues down the line. To be safe, it's best to start a fresh playthrough.

That's all—enjoy! ♥

[ Patreon ][ Discord ][ Public Demo ]

Hi! Really excited for the update <3 I found The In Between a few days ago and I love it so much. Just wanted to ask, is the update patreon only at the minute and if so, when does everyone else get access to it? Thank you! ❤️

Hi! Yes, Chapter 10 is in Early Access. It will be free to read in a couple of week or so—it isn't the same every month, but you can always check the current #roadmap on my blog or on Patreon (for free, of course!).

Thank you for your nice words, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Updated: A Long Weekend's Achievements Guide and Endings Walkthrough

Hey there! Since I've been asked a few times lately about this, I've updated the guide and walkthrough for A Long Weekend.

Endings 1, 5, 6 and 7 have been added to the CoG forum thread (and more will come soon!)

Enjoy ♥