Thank you so much for answering! This game hit so well on the red-hot core of shame, and I think the shame of an unwanted crush is well-highlighted by the shame of *actually* having done something terrible. It allows us to explore the peak of the emotion more effectively.
Further question: What impressed me most was how the diaries are so clearly related, yet never in a way that compromises the plot's integrity. (For example: One diary discusses helping Brian with his poetry homework, the other then has a poetry puzzle.) It seems so obvious that the two diaries are in communication from a narrative standpoint, but it doesn't feel ham-handed, and the twist remains completely believable in retrospect.
How did you go about coordinating the diaries to one another? What was your process for making sure there weren't plot holes or continuity errors? The story is so damn *effective,* and it seems like it must have required a lot of careful coordination.