It's been hard to respond to comments since I got sick in January (I'm still fighting memory loss and in recovery at the moment, 2022 has been very heavy for me) but I had to reply to this ASAP for reasons that will become obvious.
I made Somewhere Near Romance in 2017. This was before I knew a lot of things about myself: before I realized I'm on the autistic spectrum, and more importantly to your comment, before I realized I'm on the asexual and aromatic spectrum. I didn't realize my own autism and asexuality until 2019. And as for my own place on the aromantic spectrum, that's something I didn't realize about myself until literally last month (for future readers, I'm writing this comment in August of 2022). After reading the book Loveless by Alice Oseman, it gave me a lot to think about concerning myself, and shed light on my own attitudes towards romance & relationships. I went into the novel just expecting to cheer for an asexual YA book and the protagonist's journey to realizing her own aceness, but came out of it with a deeper understanding of who I am.
When I replay this game, it becomes very clear to me that part of its purpose, alongside being a philosophical exploration of what love can mean between two people, was to be a space to discuss parts ofmyself before I knew who I was inside. That's a lot of the reason why asexuality and aromanticism can both be seen in the work: it was made by an aro-ace-spectrum person who didn't realize they were on the aro-ace spectrum yet.
I've gotten a lot of suggestions for what the sequel to this game should be over the years, since I included in the list of questions. It's something I've thought about a lot over the almost half-decade this game has existed. But what I'm realizing these days is that if I ever make a continuation, I would like it to be one that reflects the things I realized about myself since I made this 5 years ago. Most likely, it will be a discussion of what it means to be asexual & aromantic, as well as what relationships can mean to people within those spectrums. It's something I want to navigate carefully, as I know that portraying asexuality and aromanticism as a non-human trait can bring more harm than good. So I want to take my time with this.
Please don't expect it to be out anytime soon, as I'm still in recovery at the moment; that is my main focus right now. Not to mention that because of the memory loss, I can barely remember the production of the original game right now. But, when I have some time, this is something I definitely want to do. I hope it can be out someday soon when I'm better.
Thanks for commenting. Oh, and QPRs for the win. <3