Romance Novel - Tumblr Posts

Hey! In the novel the in between, what genders are the actual love interest? I know for the interactive novel you can select preferred gender but I was curious what you had assigned them in the novel ( would love to read just am not sure where to buy it from ) thank you ❤️

This is so sweet, thank you! I never actually published the novel in Italian I straight up converted it into an interactive fiction in English, but I really appreciate the thought.

I started writing the novel in 2017, and coming from a rather homophobic environment, the first thing that struck me about that university was how open-minded it was. I had already published a fiction book, and I was about to release a second one, an LGBT-themed drama set in the last century. But this time, I thought, why not write a story with non-cishet characters living in a setting that reflects my everyday life… and actually make it work! At the same time, though, I didn’t want that to be the main focus. It had to be a drama novel, yes, but of a different kind...

The protagonist in the original novel is Nicola, a skinny, introverted guy. He meets Alessandro at university, who’s super friendly, and Chiara, who’s also really outgoing. But soon after, another Alessandro shows up (this is kind of a joke since Alessandro is such a common name—think of something like Liam or Noah in the U.S.).

From this point on, there are spoilers under the cut. If you'd rather avoid them, you can stop here! Otherwise, if you want to get to the conclusion, there’s a gif marking the end of the spoilers—just scroll down to the cat image!

Nicola’s old acquaintance Alessandro not only got him involved in something dangerous, but he’s also his ex-boyfriend, the one who cheated on him. Nicola, who’s gay, broke up with him, and by the time he starts university, he’s single. Alessandro, on the other hand, is bi/pan and keeps seeing Mirko, the guy he cheated on Nicola with, but it’s more of a convenience thing than anything else.

Meanwhile, the other Alessandro is straight and has a huge crush on Chiara, but eventually ends up with Cinzia, Chiara’s childhood friend. Chiara, who’s also straight, was dating Gio, but she’s got a crush on the other Alessandro.

*confused noises*

...So yeah, it’s kind of a mess (YA college drama everyone?), but it only serves as a backdrop to the family drama and the themes of freedom that gradually take center stage in the story.

That said, this is just one version of the story, and it’s now a lot more accessible! It’s a bit tricky to tweak some of the parts that are kind of “hard-wired” into the concept of “I’m a young gay man in the closet,” but I’m doing my best to put those behaviors on MC's inherent shyness and introversion instead.

I hope this answers your question! Thanks again for your interest ♥

bro I want to say that I really enjoyed your long weekend!!! You're so good! but for god's sake I've played it three times and the ending still isn't what I thought it would be💀 so please tell me what can I do to make my MC have a good ending, I'm starting to doubt that my MC actually was originally no good ending lol

Hi! I’m really glad you enjoyed A Long Weekend!

I had written a short guide on the forum, but it didn’t attract much interest, and since it’s quite a bit of work, I didn’t finish writing the walkthroughs. Let’s see if I can help you here now!

First of all, let me ask you a few questions (sorry if they’re a bit basic, but I’m basing this on my past experiences!):

Do you check the stats while you play? Right from the start, there’s not much, but you do need to keep an eye on the "Mind" and "Energy" bars!

Do you try to balance Mind and Energy? What values do you reach toward the end of the game?

Do you meet Alex? If so, what are your choices?

Do you generally choose "passive" actions? Like, staying in bed, not going out, etc.?

Do you generally choose "jealous" actions? Like, checking the photos, calling the bff, writing a negative email, etc.?

By understanding your playstyle, I can guide you a bit better in the right direction!

Thanks for playing A Long Weekend and for reaching out to me about it ♥

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!

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!

Hey friends, remember that the next free update of The In-Between will be online tomorrow!

Don't miss Chapter 9 in just 24 hours ♥

Wanna read more? Remember that patrons receive TIB updates about ten days earlier!

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 🫢