Ask somebody out
Invite somebody you’d like to write to, or set up two friends you think should meet. Each of them decides for themselves.
Go on a date
in letters.
Instead of dinner and small talk, the two of you write each other letters. Proper ones, romantic if you like, with a map to travel together and a few games for when you want an excuse to ask something new.
Bring somebody new, your partner, or the friend you keep meaning to get to know better.
Free · 18+ · Letters in English
An invitation
Marginalia would like a date in letters with you.
“I keep thinking about what you said in the book thread, and I’d like to hear more of it. Write to me for a while?”
Marginalia
Write to each other
A coin decides who writes first. After that it’s letters back and forth, about your day and whatever you’re curious about. When you need a nudge, there’s a drawer of questions and a few games.
See where it takes you
Your letters move you along a map you share. Between strangers, faces turn up slowly as you go. Keep writing for as long as it’s good.
How a round works
A pretend round, so you can see how it works. Marginalia is made up. Nothing here is saved.
A letter from Marginalia is on the mat.
For the next minute you’re Fieldfare. The coin picked Marginalia to write first. On a real date, the letter is from somebody you asked, or somebody a friend set you up with.
A little adventure,
on paper.
Every pair gets its own map. Each good letter moves you along it, and so does every question you both answer. Further in there are deeper questions, a quiz about each other, and whatever you’ve each chosen to show.
You can only move together. If one of you stops writing, you both stay where you are.
Chapter 1 · levels 1–3
Politely, at first
The first awkward minutes. Everybody starts here, even two people who share a kitchen.
- Level 2: First names. You see each other’s first names.
- Level 3: Warmer questions. Warmer questions can be chosen.
Tap a stop to look around.
Something to look
forward to in the post.
A letter has room for the whole story, and for the question you thought of on the bus home. You don’t need to be a good writer. It helps to be curious about the other person.
You choose when your post arrives: as it comes, twice a day, or once. Nobody can see when you’ve read their letter or that you’re typing, so take your time and write back when you’ve got something to say.
Be one of
the first to try it.
Textrodate is new and still small. Ask somebody to a date, and afterwards tell us what you loved and what felt odd.
Ask somebody to a dateQuestions you might have.
So what is a date in letters?
A date where you write instead of meeting for dinner. You send each other letters, a few days or a few hours apart, and get to know each other the slow way. It can be romantic, it can be a friendship, and it can be two people who have been together for years and want to hear each other again.
Why the name?
A textrovert is somebody who comes alive in writing. You might be quiet at a party and very funny in a letter. If that sounds like you, you’ll feel at home here.
Is there a long form to fill in?
No. A pen name, your first name, your date of birth and your time zone. You can add lists, a few words about yourself and a photograph later, or never. All of it can be changed.
Are there photos?
Only if you add them, and nobody can browse them. Between two people who are new to each other, your photograph uncovers bit by bit as you write, at the point you chose. If you already know each other there’s no face to uncover, so your lists turn over instead.
Can I write to somebody I already know?
Yes. Invite them from your desk and tick that you know each other. You’ll use your first names from the first letter, and nothing you write is changed. The questions and the quiz are still there, and they tend to dig up things you’d never get to over dinner. Dating a friend is allowed.
Can I set two friends up?
Yes. From your desk, give their two email addresses and a line about why you think they’d get on. Each of them says yes or not this time. You only find out if the letters started. Nobody is ever told about a no.
What if it isn’t working?
You can end a conversation kindly whenever you like. The other person is told it has ended, but not why, and it isn’t held against either of you.
Can I start now?
Yes. Invite somebody from your desk, or wait for a friend to set you up. Nobody is matched by an algorithm.
What happens after I sign up?
You set up your desk: a pen name and three facts, a few minutes at most. Then you invite somebody, or set two friends up. Once both of you say yes, a coin decides who writes first, and off you go.
What are the ground rules?
Write to the person you’re talking to, not to everybody. Copy-pasted letters get noticed and can get you banned. You can skip any question, block or report somebody, and leave whenever you want. Your email address is never shown to the people you write to. Read all the rules.
How do I get help, or complain?
Write to us. A real person reads every message, whether it’s about your account, a decision you want us to look at again, or the app itself. To report somebody, use the button inside the conversation. They won’t be told.