AMA about The Merry Fairy, my enchanted life and the future of my cottage

Dear friend,

Since the grand opening that took place on July 9th, 2025, 1245 guests have been buying a ticket to visit The Merry Fairy. The gross revenues less returns, chargebacks, and taxes total as of now $6,759. In the video games industry, this is called a failure. But to me, this is a success, and I want to explain why.

This year, I am turning 45 years old. For most of my life, I did not do what I really wanted to do. My life was mostly guided by obligation, fear, and shame, chasing fuzzy shoulds and trying to fit into other people's forcefully imposed realities. But at 40, awakened by the Covid situation, I decided to give myself a chance. I let go of everything I had and everyone I cared for, and moved closer to where my heart belonged. No one followed, and no one helped - nor did I ask, either. Everything untrue melted away, and I remained with nothing but myself. I remember the chilling fear I felt, I remember the great struggle to keep myself afloat, alive, to not let myself drown from despair.

This is when I started to take journaling seriously. Slowly, it made me understand myself better, become my own friend, and timidly follow my heart. One day, I wrote in my journal: "What if it will be better than I can even imagine?" and almost instantly, the Universe gave me everything I ever wanted, and more. I met the Caretaker, moved to Fairyland, and got the incredible chance to try every single dream I had. I started to grow everything from tomatoes to enough pumpkins to give to an entire (little) village. I discovered my love for cooking, foraging, crochet, pickling - you name it. I even learned how to drive a car and am about to get my license, even though I was convinced I would never be able to drive. And after a decades-long career in the video games industry, where I supported many other people's creative endeavors because I didn't believe I could ever create my game, I made The Merry Fairy.

Only The Merry Fairy is not a game.

The Merry Fairy is my home, my enchanted safe space, carefully designed to remind me that I can create what I want to create, and that my wishes are worth pursuing. It's my treasure, a lifelong collection of what I find wise, inspiring, and beautiful. It is a perpetual invitation to explore my inner magic, to dare to question shadows and fears, and an eternal reminder that life is a dance that is meant to be enjoyed and not a challenge to win or a struggle to overcome.

This is why, at The Merry Fairy, there are no shoulds, musts, and have to's. There is no progression and no story because the story is alive and made in the enchanted journal that never runs out of blank pages. There is no exploration because the exploration to be done is the introspection itself. From a design and an art perspective, The Merry Fairy is a fairly true representation of my own desk, surrounded by my journals, my art, my camera, and various trinkets.

This is the invitation that I extend to you.

I think far too many of us find ourselves in situations where we do not thrive, coerced to live in ways that make no good sense for our personal well-being, for our well-being as a species, and for the overall well-being of this wonderful planet of ours. I want to live in a world where everybody gets to be their truest self, where everybody thrives and does what they really, really want to do, without the fear of remaining without shelter or food or basic needs. I believe this is possible and inevitable, and I try to live my everyday life as if this is true. For me, this started with journaling, and today it enfolds as my enchanted Fairy home that I tend to tirelessly. Your adventure is surely different, and I want to be there for you. This is why you are invited to discover your inner magic at The Merry Fairy.

I do the best I can to make it as easy as possible for you to visit, and I offer discounts often and with joy. But given the financial situation of The Merry Fairy, localization and porting to Switch and Steam Deck remain dreams that I have yet to plan. I have no doubt they will happen eventually, but I don't know when. If you are reading this to decide whether to visit my cottage, I hope this information is helpful to you. I also strongly advise you to try The Merry Fairy Demo; even though it is based on an older build version that is cumbersome to maintain, I still think it offers a genuine taste of a visit at The Merry Fairy.

I welcome you to The Merry Fairy Discord server to Ask Me whatever you want. Meanwhile, I hope you will enjoy the broadcast I prepared for you, presenting the latest version of The Merry Fairy, which is build number 68.

Thank you for reading!