Death Of A Fangirl

WOW, that Wholesome Direct! I wasn't able to watch it live, but I just watched the replay, and oh my goodness. So many wonderful games and exciting news has come forward from the Direct... truly unbelievable.

Paralives, one of the life sims set to rival the Sims, (review incoming) has a collab with Unpacking and released updates with it that fixed some bugs and include group eating and teen romance, which is absolutely fantastic! I can't wait to get into game and see how things shake out.

The news that excites me the most is, of course, Fields of Mistria 1.0 release on August 5th! (!!!!!!!!!!!!) So soon!!!! For my favorite farming sim to finally be fully released soon... I'm breathless with excitement!

I think my favorite upcoming games mentioned were Dressmaker, (marked with a release of September 2026) a game where you can create dresses to the specifications of your clients' wishes, and Fourleaf Fields, a farming sim where you're "smaller than a carrot"! God, Fourleaf Fields looks so cute! There's a beta but it isn't accepting more playtesters at the moment, and it broke my heart a little, haha!

I'm also a bit excited about Spirit Crossing, a life-sim MMO where you meet spirits and build -- going to give the beta for that one a try with one of my best friends! I'll be sure to write even a small review on how that is, if I do end up sinking some hours into it.

Humblets looked super cute; a game where you craft and play cards with spirits and make animal friends! It seems to have multiplayer as well? Cutieful!

I'm also looking to give the Pelican Post demo, where you deliver mail and help solve villager problems as a pelican mailman, and Papaya Plaza demo, where you're a cat mayor of your own tourist town, a try, and probably write little reviews when/if I do!

Of course, we also got another teaser from Moonlight Peaks, the gothic vampire farming sim that's set to unlock on July 7th, and I'm sufficiently excited for that! I'm still a little chastened by the release price, but if it means everyone gets paid fairly and adequately, then I'm happy!

How do y'all feel about Moonlight Peaks?

Do you like it? Is it worth buying?

And then I went to the USAmerican Midwest

Rains frequently, but the worst is like standing under a bathroom shower. Genuinely inhospitable rainstorms are uncommon.

Along the coast, it's pretty easy in most areas to walk to at least one store, or else there's usually a bus or shuttle available. There are sidewalks and bike lanes everywhere.

It's a temperate boreal rainforest, so while there are many freshwater lakes and rivers, they're usually pretty cold. The biggest danger is typically getting caught in a strong current, and the most dangerous animals in swimming distance are on land.

Earthquakes happen almost every day, but the vast majority go unnoticed. Buildings are designed to withstand bigger seismic activity, so unless it's a 5 or higher it just kind of feels like having low blood sugar for a second. There are no tornados

Rural Illinois, USA:

One minute it's sunny, then ten minutes later that distant smudge on the horizon has swallowed the entire sky in black clouds and the water is coming down like waterfall and you literally CANNOT SEE. Then there's a crash like cymbals and you need to get indoors because the thunder and lightening are on TOP of you

No sidewalks until you are in the smack dab center of town, which is a three hour walk or twenty minute drive from wherever you are.

There aren't many natural bodies of water other than small ponds and creeks, and because the environment is so much warmer, those are filled with snapping turtles that can grow bigger than a nine year old child and water snakes that are incredibly venomous. These are paired with leeches and mosquitos for that sweet umami flavor.

-ancient roman posca: water, red or white wine vinegar, honey, salt, herbs (coriander, mint, thyme)

-switchel: water, ginger, vinegar, sweetener, lemon, salt

-ayran: yogurt, water, salt, mint

-sees the reports of the heatwave in Europe-