 Sometimes I feel like I'm the only world of warcraft player who doesn't take the game seriously. I have never done a raid. I don't know what gear I use or what half of the chat abbreviations I see in the general chat are. Please don't ask me my thoughts on Shadowlands, Battle for Azeroth or Dragonflight either because I haven't even gotten that far into the game's content despite playing this mmo off and on since 2010. I do have a handful of world of warcraft hobbies that have been keeping me busy all these years though which include:
I've become a little bit obsessed with keeping track of my silly little gaming projects so today I wanted to share 10 of the things that I have been working on over the last six months that are keeping me entertained as a solo, casual as heck world of warcraft player.  #1 | max leveling my new main characterSince Dragonflight released, I decided to start fresh with a new main toon. I'm currently at level 58 with my new draenei hunter going through a bunch of questlines that I have missed over the years. #2 | working towards the universal explorer achievementThis has been the achievement that I have obsessed over for years but have still not gotten because I'm so far behind on getting through all of the expansion content! #3 | also the loremaster achievementI doubt I'll ever get this achievement and title but that doesn't stop me from chipping away at the laundry list of questlines I still have left to complete! #4 | collecting cute hunter petsHunters may get cyberbullied to no end online but I will continue to endure the slander because I refuse to stop adventuring with Milo, my pet seagull, who has been traveling around Azeroth by my side since 2018.  #5 | hoarding trader's tender every monthI have become a complete sucker for checking out the monthly trading post items. Usually there are only one or two things I really want each month which works perfectly for me. I'm not the type of player who will ever complete all of the trading post tasks, but the trading post has been such a fun way to get some recolored mounts, pets, and transmog. #6 | max archeology on my new main characterIf this game was just a massive online world where all you did was fly around doing archeology, I would not be upset about it. I still need to get my fancy moose spirit mount too, now that I think about it. #7 | unlocking the vulperaI told you I'm really behind on my content! Honestly, I need to unlock most of the allied races. I think I've only unlocked the void elves and lightforged draenei so far? #8 | max leveling my pacifist druidSometimes when I just want to mindlessly game and watch something, I'll play as my pacifist druid which just means that I can't kill anything with that character and if I get killed, I have to start my character over from scratch again. I think I'm at level 12 or 13 on my current pacifist toon with zero deaths so far! #9 | collecting pet battle crittersI haven't focused a ton of my play time on pet battles, but when I notice that I'm around a critter I haven't captured yet, I try to snatch them up to add to my collection. #10 | max level a horde characterNow that I'm playing on a different server than my old one, I want to take the opportunity to eventually level up a fresh new blood elf so that I can play on the horde side when the mood strikes.. and so I have an excuse to visit eversong woods :)
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 I know I’m not the only one with what feels like a thousand unplayed games sitting on my shelves and in my steam library, dreaming about the day that I will eventually get around to playing them. At this point in my ~gamer girl~ life, I have put a freeze on buying new games and have instead been focusing on some of the bigger, long-term gaming projects that I have been wanting to check off for years! Here’s my current gaming bucket list which was last updated on: may 5th 2023. the must play games
the sim challenges
the achievements
the stardew stuff
the world of warcraft stuff
childhood gamer girl dreams
 At the end of March I had the amazing opportunity to attend three days of PAX East 2023 in Boston! For those unfamiliar, PAX East is a gaming convention that celebrates gaming of all types. It's got it all: professional gaming tournaments, panels, people walking around in cosplay, food trucks, after parties. The best part? The gigantic expo hall packed with small business vendors, game developers, and publishers. This was my first time attending a large scale convention and it was absolutely overwhelming to explore! While wandering the convention center, I was on the lookout for games that were either cute as hell, had a unique concept, or games that I had heard about before but wanted to get more information on. Here are, in no particular order, my top 13 games from PAX East this year!  Go-Go Town | Prideful Sloth | coming soon | wishlist on steam game summary: As mayor, it’s up to you to breathe life back into this rundown town. Construct shops, hire staff, automate deliveries with couriers, and attract tourists to town, all while managing infrastructure and avoiding catastrophes! why I love it: It was obvious after playing this demo that Go-Go Town is everything I want in a cozy game. It’s got the town building and decorating. It’s got the quests and tasks to keep you busy. You can farm. You can fish. You can high-five the other townspeople. It’s adorable all around!  Loco Motive | Chucklefish | coming 2023 | wishlist on steam game summary: On the Reuss Express a passenger has been murdered, and you’re the prime suspects. Uncover a thrilling mystery and solve satisfying point and click puzzles to prove your innocence! why I love it: I am a sucker for nostalgic point-and-click adventures, especially when the story involves solving a mystery. I played the demo and what I experienced was absolutely hilarious!  Botany Manor | Whitethorn Games | coming 2023 | wishlist on steam game summary: Welcome to Botany Manor, a stately home in 19th century England. You play as inhabitant Arabella Greene, a retired botanist. Explore your house and gardens, filled with research, to figure out the ideal habitat of forgotten flora. why I love it: This game is beautifully relaxing from the music to the manor gardens. I also love that you play from a first-person perspective which makes exploring and gardening feel more immersive.  Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island | Whitethorn Games | coming 2023 | wishlist on steam game summary: You’re shipwrecked on a lost mythical island. As backpacker Alex, you must befriend the forgotten gods of Greek mythology and restore their memories. Explore the dynamic island and its story sandbox to build new friendships, solve the mystery and save the gods. why I love it: The art style is stunning and the mythical gods and goddesses are portrayed as a diverse cast of characters. The island itself is filled with gorgeous detail that I can’t wait to explore!  Roots of Pacha | Crytivo | coming april 2023 | wishlist on steam game summary: Be a part of a thriving stone age community. Discover “ideas,” domesticate crops, befriend animals, and contribute to the growth of your village. why I love it: This game reminds me so much of the Virtual Villagers games I obsessed over as a kid. Mix that with Stardew Valley set in the prehistoric era and you’ve got Roots of Pacha. This game will also have online co-op if you want to play with pals which is siiiiick!  Mineko’s Night Market | Humble Games | coming soon | wishlist on steam game summary: Mineko’s Night Market is a narrative-driven, social simulation adventure game that celebrates Japanese culture and invites players to craft whimsical items, eat delicious snacks, and ultimately enjoy all the cats. why I love it: The setting and art style really is what drew me into this adventure game. Also, there are cats, so no further reasons are needed here.  Paper Trail | Newfangled Games | coming 2023 | wishlist on steam game summary: Paper Trail is a top-down puzzle adventure about leaving home, set in a foldable, paper world. why I love it: A beautiful puzzle game with a beautiful soundtrack to match. Using the paper folding mechanics to solve puzzles is equal parts challenging yet satisfying as hell when you figure out how to unlock the path in front of your character. Paper Trail has been on my radar for a hot minute so it was awesome to check out the demo at PAX!  Harmony’s Odyssey | MythicOwl | available now! | wishlist on steam game summary: Harmony’s Odyssey is a 3D fantasy adventure puzzle game set on mythical dioramas full of riddles, perky creatures and magic. why I love it: I’m a sucker for a cute puzzle game. The game looks so vibrant and whimsical which is reason enough for me to be interested!  The Wandering Village | Stray Fawn Publishing | available now! | wishlist on steam game summary: The Wandering Village is a city-building simulation game on the back of a giant, wandering creature. Build your settlement and form a symbiotic relationship with the colossus. why I love it: This is such a unique concept for a city/civilization-building game. It also kind of gives me Rimworld vibes a little bit which only gets me more hyped about picking this up during the next big steam sale.  Tiny Life | Top Hat Studios | coming may 2023 | wishlist on steam game summary: In Tiny Life, you control a set of people that live together in a household. You take care of their daily needs, build their skills, forge new relationships... or just mess up their entire life in whatever way you can think of! why I love it: Tiny Life is like the pixel art spiritual successor of The Sims 1. I am absolutely going to devour this game when it’s released next month. For those interested, there is a demo available on steam that you can try for free right now!  Broombot Battlegrounds | The Cleanup Kings LLC | available now! | wishlist on steam game summary: Battle to the death as adorable household cleaning robots in this frantic physics-based arena combat game! Compete in 1-4 player cage matches with your friends (or enemies) to be the meanest clean-machine of them all! why I love it: This is something goofy that I can play with friends regardless of their gaming experience level. The customization options for your broombot are fun and the number of unique stages and game modes made this a stand out game option for future community game nights.  American Arcadia | Raw Fury | coming soon | wishlist on steam game summary: Welcome to Arcadia! A retro-futuristic metropolis where the citizens don't know they're contestants on the most watched reality show on the planet! why I love it: We love a Truman Show moment wrapped in video game packaging. I’m especially stoked because according to the game’s steam page, the “story will be presented as a documentary with interviews and police interrogations of the characters” which just seems neat as hell.  Amanda the Adventurer | DreadXP | coming april 2023 | wishlist on steam game summary: Join Amanda and her pal Wooly on a series of adventures as they explore and learn about our wonderful world! With several NEW play-along, laugh-along, learn-along episodes there's always fun to be had! Just make sure to do everything Amanda says or she might get angry. why I love it: Okay, I am not typically a spooky gamer girl BUT something about being forced to watch an evil Blues Clues knock-off VHS tape series speaks to me. Will this game make me pee my pants? Yes. Will I still play it? Duh. before you go!If any of these games sound interesting to you, be sure to add them to your steam wishlist! Wishlisting games on steam is a free way to support the game developers plus you’ll be notified when these games release and if they are ever on sale in the future.
Happy gaming everyone :)  It’s April 1st which means it’s the start of the second quarter of the year! I’ve got a few gaming goals for the next few months. I think cutting down to three feels more realistic for me to achieve without abandoning my actual life to play my silly little games so here we go! goal #1 - complete 20 shrines in breath of the wild I’m the slowest gamer that probably has ever existed and the only way for me to get through big games is to break it down into teeny tiny pieces. Giving myself a goal of finding and completing one shrine per play session x20 seems reasonable for me, especially if I’m using the player’s guide if I get stuck. goal #2 - play through three households in my sims 2 pleasantview save I’m playing a Pleasantview save that I started in April 2021 and currently I am on round 5. I play each house for one in-game season and my goal is to play until all of the OG Pleasantview sims die from either old age or other circumstances. goal #3 - play the three frog detective games It has been SO long since I’ve played a game from start to finish and the frog detective games have been on my radar forever, since I watched my pal nerdershewrote stream the first one on twitch awhile back. Since these are short, I should be able to get through all of them by the end of June :)
 It’s the end of march and I have returned with my first quarterly gaming goal update! Let’s chat about how the first quarter goals went and tomorrow I’ll share my new goals :) goal #1 - play legend of zelda: breath of the wild (for real this time)I have been having soo much fun playing breath of the wild! This is the most I’ve ever played of a zelda game. I also finished the first four shrines on my own without looking anything up which, for me, is shocking. Since the game is pretty gigantic and this is my first zelda game experience, I wound up buying the game guide which is absolutely gorgeous. I want to keep chipping away at this game over the rest of the year (lmao I am probably the slowest and most patient gamer of all time) and having access to a physical players guide for when I get stuck feels so satisfying and nostalgic to use! goal #2 - catch up on cataloguing my pokémon card collectionThis got partially done? I put all my cards into binder pages but I didn’t end up actually putting the cards into my collection spreadsheet or organizing them into their proper sets. Honestly, I got them out of their little chaotic piles that cluttered our game room and they are in a binder, so that’s good enough for me! goal #3 - finish the loremaster of eastern kingdoms achievement in world of warcraftI did this! Now I am just leveling a new main and chilling for a bit until I feel up to questing in Outland again. goal #4 - get to generation 5 of my sims 2 nostalgia legacy I don’t think I played much of this legacy challenge because I got sucked back into my Pleasantview save instead. I started a fresh Pleasantview file in April 2021 and have been playing it off and on since. Right now I am playing through Round 5 and I plan to play it until all of the OG sims die whether that be by old age or accident. I played through three households in Pleasantview over the last few months: house #1 - alexander goth Alexander is a gay icon hooking up with literally everyone in town and I love him so much. He just graduated from university with his philosophy degree and lives alone. He lives in a house that he bought with his half of the Goth fortune and he’s currently unemployed living off of his dead dad’s money. house #2 - nina caliente + brandi broke’s (rip) twins trevor and poppy Nina aged into an elder and has custody of Brandi’s kids because Nina and Brandi were dating and I needed a place with more room since Brandi had twins that couldn’t fit in her trailer. The same day that the Brokes moved into Nina’s house, Brandi got food poisoning and died, all while I was off watching whatever Nina was doing so I didn’t even notice. Anyway, now Nina keeps trying to hook up with the entire town per usual while Trevor and Poppy are going to high school. They all can barely afford their bills and live paycheck to paycheck. house #3 - the dreamer family (darren, darlene, dirk, and bosco) The Dreamer got the magic gene lamp a few rounds ago so Darren brought his dead wife Darleen back from the dead. They had a baby named Bosco who is now a child. Dirk went to college with Lilith then moved back home and since he hasn’t rolled the want to talk or see her again, the two are still in love with each other but have not spoken. Dirk recently fell in love with some random girl who keeps inviting out clubbing downtown. He’s also a toy maker for some reason. goal #5 - finish round 1 of the berry build a city challengeI did this!
You can watch all of my sims 4 berry build a city challenge videos over on youtube if you’re feeling ~spicy~ and want to see what’s going on with my silly sims. Check back tomorrow to see what I picked for my Q2 gaming goals!  With the hype surrounding nintentalk‘s animal crossing hard mode challenge and a recent itch to hang with some virtual animals again, I knew I had to jump on the bandwagon.
I’m not following the official hard mode rules but I am using quite a lot of them for my personal gameplay and wanted to keep track of them somewhere so here we go! p.s. I share my island updates sometimes on twitter and instagram if you want to see how my progress is going :) p.p.s. please show all the love and support to the hard mode challenge creator nintentalk for getting the animal crossing community excited about the game again! getting started
daily rules
villager rules
economy rules
design rules
I will probably update some of these limitations as my island progresses, but here’s what I’m sticking to for now. Oh, and if you started a hard mode island, how is it going so far??  If you wandered into this blog post, here are three things you should know about me:
I love a good goal setting sessions and I especially love setting goals related to gaming. This somehow convinces my brain that I am being productive with my time when playing my silly little games. For my first blog entry of the new year, I thought it would be fun to share my gaming goals for the first few months of 2023 :) goal #1 - play legend of zelda: breath of the wild (for real this time)Over the last year, I have tried to come to terms with the fact that I am sitting on an absolute mountain of unplayed games in my library. This year I want to try to play through one of the bigger games in my library each quarter. If I don't vibe with the game I choose, that's fine too. This is more about motivating myself to experience games I bought years ago and still haven't fully explored. One of these "unplayed" games in my collection is Breath of the Wild. I've tried playing it twice, but I never got further than the tutorial stuff. I'm choosing this as my first big game of the year to see if I fall in love with it before the sequel comes out in May. It's also been sitting on my shelf for well over 4 years now oops. goal #2 - catch up on cataloguing my pokémon card collectionI got really into collecting cards last summer and somehow I was able to keep everything catalogued in a spreadsheet and organized in binders until Halloween came around. I stopped buying packs shortly after I fell behind with keeping our collection organized, but now I have small stacks of random cards all over our game room and it makes me want to cry! goal #3 - finish the loremaster of eastern kingdoms achievement in world of warcraftSomehow, despite playing WoW off and on for over ten years, there are still areas in the Eastern Kingdoms that I have not been to. I still have some questlines that I need to complete on my main character so that I can move on with my slow crawl towards the loremaster title. goal #4 - get to generation 5 of my sims 2 nostalgia legacyIn early December I started a casual little 90's/y2k nostalgia-themed legacy challenge and I'm basically obsessed with it. At the time of posting this, generation 3 are toddlers + babies but I'd like to get to the generation 5 by the time the quarter ends. I don't think I've ever played a sim family past three generations so I'm pretty excited to watch the family tree grow! goal #5 - finish round 1 of the berry build a city challengeIn case you’re behind with the times, I have been sharing updates for my sims 4 berry build a city challenge on my new youtube channel! For this challenge, I am starting with an empty save and populating it over time with colorful buildings and berry sims until I have the rainbow save of my dreams. There are also a bunch of rules that you can skim through if you’re curious!
My goal is to finish playing through all four of the founding households and post videos for each household update by the end of March. If I’m feeling extra spicy, I’m going to put together a little summary video to explain the highlights of everything that happened during my round 1 gameplay. At the end of March I’ll check back in to let you know my progress on these goals and to set some new gaming goals for the next quarter. Happy new year everyone! If you want to share some of your gaming goals for 2023, let me know in the comments below :) Now that the 1.5 update has been out for a month, I am slowly adding mods back into my game. Please keep in mind that these mods may not always be up-to-date depending on when you are viewing this post. Be sure to double check all instructions before downloading each mod!
Mods are only supported on the PC version of Stardew Valley. Last Updated: 04.17.21 Visual/Maps
Furniture/Decor
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