Between Here and There

[on hiatus] an interactive fiction heavily focused on decision-making and relationships

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My dear grandchild, Though I hoped to see you grow further, I knew I would leave you early. I will not ask for your forgiveness, as is customary in post mortem letters, for Death is neither malicious nor avoidable. However, I must apologise for leaving things unsaid. If you found this book while cleaning up the bookshop, please read it carefully and keep it somewhere safe; if something—or someone—prompted you to find it, I beg you to keep yourself safe first. I am going to tell you one last fairy tale, a tale that stretches far back in time and that is not quite yet finished. Perhaps you could finish it yourself, later. It starts once upon a time…

Between Here and There is an interactive fiction heavily focused on decision-making, relationships and magic.

game to be released

▸Play as the Daydreamer and explore the Human, the Fae and the Dream realms

▸Build your personality with each decision and see it affect your relationship with others

▸Customize your gender, appearance and pronouns

▸Talk to a stranger in your dreams, meet another in your grandfather's bookshop and get closer to your best friend

▸Uncover the secrets your grandfather left behind

▸Decide the shape of the world

▸ ... and be careful with the Dream Eater

♡ Flann (m/f) a snarky fae with a long history of troublemaking who knows more than they let through. White freckled skin, short bright red hair, 190cm/6'3, muscular build.

♡ Cornelius/Cornelia (m/f) one of the smartest faes you'll ever know with an agenda of their own. Hopefully, their plans will be the same as yours. Brown skin, long dark hair, 170cm/5'7, thin build.

♡ Gael (nb) your best friend and solid ground to keep you rooted in the human world. It's a good thing that they are just as lost as you are. Black skin, short coiled hair, 178cm/5'10, curvy build.

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In case you are wondering

Hi everyone.

So. It's been over two years since I started this blog, yet I have never published any updates on the story's progress, much less a demo.

A lot has happened in my personal life over those past two years, truly a rollercoaster of events, but I'm finally reaching a point where I can breathe again. Despite everything, I have never stopped thinking about Between Here and There.

I can't express enough how many times I stared blankly at the pages, wondering what to do next, and even questioning myself if I should turn this into a novel or just scrap the entire thing and give up. I know that most creatives think the same of their own artwork at one point or another, but it upsets me deeply that I seem to be unable to make any progress at all. And I want to write this story, I really do.

I have decided to archive this blog for the time being, and perhaps start fresh in the future. A lot of things that I planned for this story have changed and will change even more, so I don't want to have conflicting information in what is supposed to be my main platform. More than that, I want the freedom to move things around in my planning, not worrying if I wrote the opposite in a blog post two years ago.

I truly appreciate everyone's interest when I first promoted this idea. Knowing that so many people wanted to read a story like this gave me the confidence to keep trying. Thank you so much.

I'm not going to make any promises on when or how Between Here and There will reach you, but I will update you on this blog when the time comes. And of course, you can still contact me here or through my main blog.

See you in our dreams,

Fer

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Happy pride month!!!!!!

Happy pride month, dear!

Stay safe while protesting and enjoy the parties! 💖

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No pressure, but I was wondering when there might be a demo out? It's no rush, I'm just excited for your story!!!

Thank you so much for your support! It truly means the world to me to know that there are people interested in this idea.

However, I must be completely honest and open with you. I suck at time management and most of the time when I try writing, my mind just blanks and I stare at the screen for an hour before giving up. What I have written so far is not enough for even a bite-sized demo.

I have no idea when I will be able to show you something. I am deeply sorry. I know you didn't mean anything by asking, but I feel like you deserve an explanation because it is not fair to keep you in the dark about it.

Anyway, I am doing my best to keep going with this story and not let it have the same fate of all of my other long forgotten projects.

Thank you again for your interest 💖

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What does magic sort of..... feel like in your world?? Like what does it feel like to use it and how does it feel being cast on you? Can you even tell? Are different peoples magic different beyond just how they tend to use it? Thanks!

The timing of your question is perfect hahahah I recently started reading A Court of Thorns and Roses and how magic is described there made me ask myself the same thing!

Magic is strongest in Faërie and it comes in various forms, so different kinds of Fae have different ways of using it (and limitations on what they can and cannot do). So for example, the High Fae excel in conjuration, but even them struggle with divination.

How it feels like will also depend on what kind of magic it is being used and to what end.

When you are the caster and you want a physical result on someone or something, like moving an object or holding a person in place, it feels like magnets - like trying to pull apart or rub together two opposing forces. Elemental magic will also add a flavour to it, so fire magic will also give you a tingling sensation, earth magic will shake you to the core, etc.

Magic that is done to someone's mind or emotions is like a mind fog. Your mind drifts away from your control and you are not sure what is reality and what is not. You know what you are doing, but you are not sure why or how. When, or if, you are finally released from this magic, your memories will be vague and out of order, as if you just woke up from a very weird dream.

Finally, there is also Scholar magic, which is more practical and, although much more complicated to learn and understand, it has fewer consequences to the user because it won't always require them to put something personal in it. These practices are like alchemy, sigils, some healing, etc. You can make a potion with only a few herbs and suffer no toll on it; or you can use your own blood in an alchemy circle and be forever bound to your creation - if you feel anything during or after using magic, it is going to depend entirely on what you are doing.

Hope this answers your question, and thanks for reaching out!

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How long will this IF be? Just curious!!

Oh I have No Idea LMAO

I'm trying to make at least 3 arcs, one focused on the Dream Realm, another on Faerie and another on the Human world, just so we can explore all of those places. So probably around uuuhhh 20~30 chapters?

How long the chapters will be will vary on how much stuff is happening in each of them. But in general, I'm just going with the natural flow of the story, not worrying too much about the format. And I'm 99% sure it is only going to be "one book", in the sense that I won't have Between Here And There 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Thanks for asking!

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What are your favorite character archetypes and character arcs?

Hi there! Thanks for the super fun ask!

My favourite character arc for sure is the Hero's Journey. There is something very comforting in following the story of a little guy who's living their life unbothered and then suddenly goes through so much hardship that you feel anxious and sorry and so excited.... and then it ends and they just go back to their simple little life, but forever changed by something. This arc is easy to relate to as a reader and is perfect for fantasy settings. I think Sam's speech in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers movie sums up my feelings:

Sam: It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something. Frodo : What are we holding onto, Sam? Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it's worth fighting for.

As for character archetypes, I am very weak for The Outlaw and the Trickster. If done well, those can be very tridimensional characters and feel more "real" than others. They are also a great tool to push forward character growth and plot. Also,,,, they make great blorbos,,,,, problem child,,,,

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Oooh I'm a big fan of any Fae that are themed after the cosmos too!! So like sun, moon, stars, etc

It's such a nice concept!!!

I'm writing a series of short stories on the side, unrelated to this IF, and the first one is called Love Letter in the Stars. It's about the Moon falling in love with the Sun and makes me all gkjefjjefjjef 🥺 to think of it.

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What type of Fae would you want to be? What type is your favorite?

Oh 🥺🥺 oh anon.....

I would love to be a dryad. Surrounded by trees, unbothered by the human world, laughing with my nymph sisters.... What a life it would be!

There will probably be a dryad in Between Here and There, but she is by no means a self insert lol Her partner is a faun, and I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I do in my silly little head ♥

As for my favourite type of Fae... Not gonna lie, I do love elves. Classic, Tolkienesque elves with long hair and questionable morals. I watched LOTR when I was 6 and somehow Legolas became part of my DNA, what can I say. But usually I go for faes that are forest and/or sun/moon related.

What about you? I would love to know what kind of faes you guys prefer, though! Maybe I can fit some in the story.... 👀

Thank you for your ask!

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Oh there are different kinds of Fae? How many kinds?

Thousands and thousands of them!

I picture Faërie as a place where all magical, mythical and fantastic creatures live together, so there are countless races. Each of them have their own traits, powers and culture; some have kingdoms of their own and some share the same.

Usually the strongest and immortal races are the ones leading the kingdoms, and the lesser fae will stick around for protection and comfort. Some, however, live free to their own will and are not bound to any government, so you can find races like mushroom people that are welcome everywhere.

For the many kinds, it's simple: if you have ever heard of it before, then it's probably living in Faërie. They have sirens, harpies, elves, fairies, centaurs, banshees, witches, dragons and so on. ❤️

Some races there also equate to our animals, being creatures with their own lives and that we love, but that we can't really communicate. If you want a dog there, you will have to settle for a hellhound, for example lol

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Are Neli and Flann super powerful and/or immortal fae? How is that measured?

Hmmm 👀 I'm going to let you ask them about it later on in the story...

I'm just going to say that all Fae races are unique, so their mortality, or lack thereof, changes from one to another. Flann and Neli are different kinds of Fae, so their answer is going to be different as well.

**

Gael enters the room, not looking at anyone in the crowd. They walk to the microphone stand, tapping it to test the sound. They clear their throat and put their hands behind their back.

"I am a 25 year old human, not very powerful myself, but my life expectancy is around 73 years old. Thank you."

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Ooh what's an Alchemist in the context of your universe?

They are very specialized professionals who branch out in different jobs!

Some are medical doctors, trying to brew elixirs to cure curses and diseases, others will focus on manipulating materials for forging and construction, and some will even work on the spiritual aspect of it, studying the souls, essences and gods, and trying to isolate pure mana.

Basically there can be an Alchemist for anything in Faërie, it is just super difficult to understand it and even more to practice it. So if you want your bakery to be the most successful in town, you better hire an expert instead of trying alchemy yourself.

Alchemists must go through academies to practice properly and spend years learning. They don't have to be powerful in magic to graduate, although it helps depending on what they are trying to achieve. Humans can try to be alchemists, but it is going to be much easier to do it if they focus on materials instead of essences, and they must be in Faërie otherwise it will be nearly impossible to achieve anything—might as well just stick with chemistry around here lol.

In the story, you may find one or two alchemists around 😌

Thank you for your ask, anon!

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On that topic, do the ROs have any allergies?

None of them has any allergies!

Fae folk don't have as many allergies as humans, especially if they are very powerful and/or immortal, but neither Flann nor Neli have any. The same goes for Gael, they're just a super (lucky) powerful human!

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I love the image of Neli trying to prepare a cat for college though

Neli very seriously: Your toe beans can't carry you through life forever

LMAO right!

Neli, staring deeply into a cat's eyes: you're going to be an Alchemist. I know it. [Pets their tiny lil head and gives a kiss on their forehead] Perhaps an engineer.

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Are the ROs good with animals? Kids? Plants?

Oh boy, if you want to trust any living thing to one of them, Gael is your best option. They have tons of healthy plants in their apartment, and grew up with cats. They're very responsible, so taking care of kids would also be easy for them. Gael would love it, even!

Flann..... Well, let's just say that things don't tend to stay alive around them. They never tried to adopt a pet exactly because they don't trust themselves enough to provide for it, especially because Flann is always on the road, so it's not a good environment for a pet and much less for a kid. They would make an awesome aunt/uncle, thought, lots of fun!

Cornelius/Cornelia would do better with pets than with plants or kids. It's the right amount of attention that they can provide: plants require too little, so they would probably forgot about it and let it die; and kids are too much, they would feel overwhelmed raising one by themselves. With pets it's just enough: they surely need lots of attention and love, but can also care for themselves from time to time and you don't have to prepare one for college.

Thank you for your ask! 😚

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Is iron more like an allergy for the fae or is it more like sunlight is for vampires?

It's like sunlight for vampires! Some fae are stronger than others, but in general touching iron will burn them as if it was incandescent.

Faes that use a lot of magic can get dizzy or uncomfortable if they enter a place that has too much iron around, as well. So old prisons, castles and churches in Earth can be harmful places.

Hybrids of human/fae may or may not have this aversion, it is going to depend on who their parents are and what traits they got from each.

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What are some cultural norms and traditions for the Fae?

Oh I love this question 👀 thank you, anon!

There are a lot of different cultures in Faërie, so it truly depends on who you are asking.

Neli's family, for example, has a tradition to gift a tiny box of salt to new allies. It's a way of saying "I have your back and I will protect you." For that same reason, throwing salt over your shoulder (as humans do to ward off back luck) is considered extremely rude and a sign of betrayal.

The Fairy Courts are for sure the ones with most social norms. There are ways to address the Fae King and Queen, ways to pour your mead during a summer solstice, tons of celebrations, etc. It can get very overwhelming if you don't have anyone to guide you through it or if you were not born into it. Their most important holidays are Summer and Winter Solstice, when they will have week-long feasts, dances and rituals.

The Winternight Waltz and the Summerday Ballet are part of the solstice celebrations. Each of them are lead by the Fae King and Queen during the peak of solstice, and followed by their guests right after. Some of the most excitable trooping fairies will even pass out from dancing for too long lol. You may be able to take part in one of those parties in the story 👀

Then of course there are traditions among the Fae folk that may or may not be related to magic, so it is better not to risk disrespecting it. The classic example is fairy circles, which can be used by mushroom people to just have a quick nap inside.... Or to imprison someone else. Either way you don't want to take your chances stepping into it, right?

The only thing that all Fae have in common, although is not really a tradition, is the aversion for iron. It is only found in Earth and it can cause great harm to them, so handling it is a delicate and dangerous job.

I could really spend and afternoon talking about the Fae, so I hope this is enough for now! Thank you again for your ask, dear!