Ahhh, thank you so much! And thank you for sharing how you personally related to the game. Even though I'm AuDHD myself, I was most nervous about how it would land with folks from the community, so I'm really glad it felt authentic.
I know folks like us can also deal with rejection sensitivity (so glad to finally have language for it), which is why one of the meds I'm on targets exactly that. It's made a huge difference in my confidence and in speaking my mind without apologizing for taking up space. I knew I needed at least one character to get defensive, and Adam felt like the best fit based on how I wrote his personality in my GDD. He eventually comes around, though (again, that pesky rejection sensitivity).
It's sprinkled in but not explicit: they all met at UCLA, and now they're in their late 20s/early 30s, still in LA, and found out later in life that they're ADHD. I've noticed that, just like in my queer circles, folks like us tend to be magnets for each other. Conversations just feel better in a way that's hard to explain, like being able to juggle four topics at once, lol, where neurotypical folks might find that confusing or get flustered. We're also less likely to mask around each other, intentionally or not. That's how it went with my friend group too: I found out first, then they started going "OH," and it snowballed from there in the best way. I've started telling people, "Congratulations. If we're friends, you're likely queer and/or neurodivergent." 🤣
SO, Twine! It's a combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and you can add your own CSS and JavaScript right in. There are tons of great free macros and widgets out there that can really elevate your storytelling. If you use Twine with SugarCube, it unlocks powerful features like audio. I'm currently pushing the boundaries with it, and even I'm surprised by what you can do with passages. I kept getting stuck thinking I could only make branching games, but it's honestly incredible what's possible.
Thanks again 💜