merrycrisis-if

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IS SOMEONE DYING??????? IS THAT WHY THE MOM IS CRYING???????

I SHALL GIVE AWAY NOTHINGGG ANON HAHAHA.

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This was such a phenomenal update! I’m impressed with the differences between routes. I have playthroughs with all three ROs and love them all. Shay is my favorite!

I usually go for more “slow burn” romances. But, I really appreciate how you’ve written Shay’s romance. The emotional bond I need is there (if we choose it). Their steamy scenes from the previous chapter are so incredibly good! Shay and MC have such effortless chemistry together! I absolutely love the whirlwind aspect of their relationship. It feels very soulmate to me.

Very "right person wrong place" or "right person wrong time", I guess! A bit like the premise of before sunrise, perhaps? Idk I've actually never watched the trilogy hahaha.

two 20-somethings — Jesse and Celine — spend a magical night together in Vienna before Jesse returns to America and Celine to Paris. The film spans from the moment the two first meet on the train up until the next morning when they disembark to go their separate ways.

I love writing the slow descent from quickburn attraction (probably not a real term) to slowburn feels, so - Shay is very fun for me.

Also I'm so glad you like the steamy scenes - back in my fanfic days, smut wasn't a main feature of my first so it's definitely something I've been trying to get better at/dip my toes into!

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #asks #shay

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I adore the new chapter, went for Shay for the first time and I love them so much!!! But no matter how sweet the scenes are with ros, at the back of my head, I'm worrying for mcs dad. 😞 I'm hoping and praying, begging on my knees that the mysterious event involving family isn't dad having a heart episode and landing in the hospital, my heart will break if something happens to him 💔 😞

Hehe hooray for the first Shay playthrough!!! Glad you enjoyed it!

As for everything else... 🙊🙊

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #asks #shay

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Replayed for the first time since moving away from my parents and man does the theme of home hit differently now. I always cried my eyes out at the romance scenes (and especially Qiu) but the family scenes now.... this IF has such a simple setting and premise but such a grand place in my heart. Speaking of, I've been failing horribly at playing any other route than Qiu. The new scenes with them? I want to eat them so bad even though Shay and Nat are also so sweet. I can't even do a playthrough where my character is even just a little more hesitant towards Qiu, it just feels right for him to continue throwing himself at them with reckless abandon like old times. Biting them biting them biting them

Wow!! I am so honored, this ask really made my day and made my heart sing. I hope life post-moving out has been kind to you so far, and that merry crisis can be a little reminder of home whenever you need it!

As for not being able to resist Qiu, it's like that meme with the guy looking at another woman.

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #asks #family #qiu #shay #nat

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I have a question about the Columbarium and I may just be really stupid, so please set me right.

When we go there, we visit our paternal grandparents first, so MC's father's parents, but the game then talks about how ah gong only had daughters. Is this a bug or am I misunderstanding the whole situation?

Love the game and your writing!

HAHAHAHA yes this and another ask are absolutely right. I... totally had a brain fart there and I totally forgot that one's paternal grandpa means they are the father of one's father.

Will swap around the paternal and maternal side of the grandparents so the characterisations make sense. Thanks for the catch hahhahaa smh at myself.

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Congratulations on the update it’s absolutely fantastic!!! I love all of the routes so much ❤️❤️ but Qiu’s route always has such a special place in my heart. My parents have a similar story to mc and Qiu (they were together when they were young and only reconnected by accident after over a decade apart) and reading about the way that mc and Qiu talk and think about each other (especially in the newest chapter) reminds me so much about the way my parents talk about each other. It’s an odd little personal detail but it always makes that route feel so very special ❤️❤️❤️

Ahhh!!! Your parents already sound so amazing and cool!

Thank you so much for the message!

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #asks #qiu

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It’s gonna be awkward when my mc sees nat again because how do you tactfully tell your ex of like a month/flatmate that you’re already dating someone new and plan to move back home

Ooofffff ouch. I can only hope Nat isn't coming to Singapore/knows that things are over. 💔

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #asks #nat

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Screaming at the new Qiu scenes. I love them your honor ;w; 💍

Awwww love that you loved them! 😍

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #asks #qiu

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If you feel comfortable answering, you mentioned in your plan that for Dec 28 Nat arrives in Singapore. I was wondering what happens that day for characters on other routes who may not have called Nat and told her to come visit

Various options!

(1) Go to the Columbarium if MC refused to do so the day before

(2) Some extra Shay and Qiu hang out scenes if not! (E.g. they offered to have dinner with MC if MC went to the funfair with them!)

(3) Some small(!!) career-related scenes/chill at home scenes just to round out the options. (This will probably include those that are already included in this chapter e.g. write song, go to the gym, etc.)

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Finished the update and it was really nice. I so wanted to have lunch with shay but I couldn’t bring myself to turn down our mom. Also at least shay may win some points with mc’s mom for being the reason my mc moves back home

HAHAHA. Aww, dutiful child, you. Bros (literally) over... Well. Shay isn't exactly a ho.

Anyway, I'm glad! I think the columbarium scenes are definitely worth checking out (if I may say so myself hahaha)

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #asks #shay

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QIU IS SO HORNY. IDK WHY IM SO SHOOK BUT I AM. The shallow breathing through the nose?? The STARING?? I expected Shay’s lunch to be the one with sexual tension but it was just wholesome 😭😭 meanwhile Qiu was 5 secs from throwing it all away AT THEIR WORKPLACE. MC will literally be the one on the plate when they do dinner at Qiu’s house. +1000000 points to house Qiu, we love when the ex that got away comes crawling back with feral levels of horny

HAHAHA I love this, and it's so true.

The only thing I have to add to this is that I think where I wanted to go for the lunch with Qiu and Shay is showcasing some unexpected dimension of their feelings for MC.

For Qiu, their attraction for MC has always been kept under wraps- sanitized, made to "fit" into their logical frameworks, their other priorities etc., it's also very much "simmering beneath the surface" (e.g. in class) or hidden behind a veneer of nonchalance/professionalism (or literally behind closed doors/a secret, when it comes to Qiu's mom). But following the incident and the aftermath and the years spent apart, I think Qiu's trying to demonstrate that they no longer want to bottle up their feelings, and want to be a lot more... open about them. Hence the apology in front of everyone (if so desired) at the class reunion, the horndog levels of kissing at their workplace etc.

With Shay, their relationships - at least recently - have always been primarily and almost solely physical. While they very much are also physically attracted to MC and (for MCs who are not asexual) you already see their rapid physical connection in the earlier part of the IF. But as their feelings develop, it turns into something deeper and more wholesome, than they or MC fully expected. Hence the desire for the lunch to be mostly about them chatting and getting to know each other (and also the fact that MC gets to taste/have a glimpse into all their interests + gets introduced to everyone Shay cares about -> which is something very different from what Shay usually does with their casual flings!) In other words, I wanted the lunch/boxing session and biking session to really showcase how Shay and MC interact when sex or physical intimacy isn't necessarily in the picture/the main goal.

Thanks for the interesting message :)

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #asks #qiu #shay

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hello! I just read the latest update and your writing is phenomenal as always. I've only played through Qiu's route so far and I'm so happy with both MC and Qiu's progression. however, this made me a bit worried for the future since so many commitments were made. may I ask how many chapters are left (if you know) or how close we are to the end? thank you for writing and sharing with us!

Ahh! Merry crisis is a lot more "bounded" in scope and chapters than CT:OS so I actually have an answer for this!

Rough outline below the cut (In case purist folks want absolutely no spoilers!)

Prologue: before 24th Dec

Chapter 1: 24th Dec (published)

Chapter 2: 25th Dec (published)

Chapter 3: 26th Dec (published)

Chapter 4: 27th Dec (published)

Chapter 5: 28th Dec (Nat arrives! Hang out at the conference/after... or not)

Chapter 6: 29th Dec (free day to hang with ROs/fam, head to island? 🏝)

Chapter 7: 30th Dec (MYSTERY EVENT👀 largely family related)

Chapter 8: 31st Dec (New year's eve! Decisions to be made... 🎆)

Epilogue: 1st Jan and beyond (vignettes of MC's future)

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #asks #timeline #chapters #plan

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I’m soooo curious about what is going on with our mom 👀 wanting to say something but cutting herself off when we’re cooking together 👀 👀 crying at the columbarium 👀 👀 👀 mom tell me your secrets please

Hehehehe won't spoiler anything but MC will find out before the end of this trip!! :)

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #asks #MC

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I don't know if this in intentional, but you get the commit advancement twice? I committed to qiu, then wanted to spend tomorrow with Nat, and then I committed to qiu again?

Gotchu, this is fixed, thanks! :)

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #bugs

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in regard to the messsge where someone said they can’t access the shay boxing scene, i has the same problem but then realized the only way it worked for me was to also click on the ask qiu if they’d like to hang at lunch

and then i was giving the option to choose boxing with shay haha

Hmm, for folks having this problem, you can try this fix (it existed from before, when I accidentally was checking for q_offer_lunch) but it really shouldn't be the case with the edited code... hahaha.

Still, if you don't want to replay from the start of the chapter I think this workaround would be effective! :) Thanks guys!

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #asks #bugs

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Hello!! So I’ve played through a couple times (obligatory absolutely obsessed with qiu statement here) but I just wanted to point out one of the things that might be a bug or an oversight is that my trans girl mc during the scene where her mom is doing dishes I think is referred to as having experienced the cultural expectations of having grown up a girl which (having transitioned at post 18 iirc) she wouldn’t have? Just wanted to bring that to your attention!!

This game is so fucking good and as someone who lived away from my country of origin for almost a decade it hits so so so hard. Thank you for your time!!

AHH! I knew there were still a couple of scenes here and there I forgot to edit. Thanks for the shout! I've edited :)

P.S. I'm so amazed and happy that you've stumbled across Merry Crisis, and very honored that it speaks to you!

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #asks #bugs

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mc really getting the hallmark experience, huh? leaving their partner in new york, falling in love with an ex in their old small town

HHAHA. + Going to a winter fair, hot neighbour throwing up complications... I've always conceived of this IF as a tropical take on a Hallmark movie and am unabashed about that :P

#interactive fiction #merry crisis #if #asks #qiu #shay #nat