Ahane Shrine

I’ve been writing since I was only eight years old, starting in elementary school, with a story about missing peanut butter. I remember it so fondly as the starting foundation that sparked my interest in creating my own worlds. It would take me a few years to get the hang of creating, but once I did, I was unstoppable.

  • Today we’re looking at Cat Café Manager, which is a single-player indie simulator developed by Roost Games and published by Freedom Games where you move to the sleepy village of Caterwaul Way and rebuild your late grandmother’s cat café. Along the way you adopt, rehome, and take care of all the stray kitties in the area while rebuilding a cat shrine with the townspeople’s delight.

    The shrine is the first thing we’re going to talk about, it’s the backbone of your entire playthrough and what the story is centered around; because yes, this game does have a story line. While playing, you’re going to be introduced to a mystical black cat Grimalkin, who tells you the townspeople used to care about the stray cats and care for the shrine in their honor but somewhere along the way they stopped. He requests that you fix up the shrine so the antagonist of the game “Hawkable” a large corporation doesn’t tear it down and take over the town. You can work on upgrades for your café as you level up the shrine until it’s fixed. This is what mine looked like at the end of my save.

    After this, you’ll be meeting 5 townspeople who are your “regulars” aka people who progress the storyline with you. Carla-Lalla is a fantastical witch who is plagued by her two moms’ desires for her to go to witch school instead of running her pet shop, Bonner who you meet in the beginning is your grandmother’s old friend and fisherman, Arwel who is your local punk and furniture store owner who also happens to be in culinary school, Mateo the local businessman who actually sponsors Hawkable and is Arwel’s ex-bestfriend, and last but certainly not least we have Finley who is an aspiring musical artist that just wants to make her family proud. There also two other side characters that are relevant for achievements but not crucial to storyline. The first is Gavin who is the local historian/librarian and is also Bonner’s husband while the second is Hoover who owns a store called curiosities which allows you to purchase friendship furniture that is needed for an achievement. Below is what his shop looks like, normally the prices are much higher, but I have two cats that give discounts on furniture.

    Now let’s talk gameplay, the POV is kind of like top down and you can build your café any that you like. There are no walls except the very back wall that you can see on any rooms that you build, but the floor is completely customizable; since I was going for 100% I didn’t bother to add rooms, I kept everything just as a large box. As you can see from the image below that’s from the steam page, you can organize your things however you wish. You can use a controller to move, cook, clean, etc. as well as mouse/keyboard so I enjoy having that freedom to do what I need to when my hands are hurting.

    My one complaint is that the staff you can hire as you level up your shrine do just stop working randomly. They’ll just stand there and let their duties pile up. This is an especially annoying late game when you have a lot of patrons coming in and have all the dishes unlocked. I don’t think I ever serve everyone every night due to my staff randomly pausing all activities. I minimized how much they can by unchecking certain tasks and it would still result in them freezing their jobs. I hope this can be fixed later since it ended in a lot of frustration while trying to adopt the cats.

    I’m going to now show some of the special cats you can get while playing just so you can see them:

    RoboCat 9000 is gotten from Level 5 Friendship with Mateo using Lubricant as lure.

    Cat Sith is gotten from Level 5 Friendship with Bonner using the Blessed Lure

    CT is gotten from Level 5 Friendship with Finley using the Meteorite as a Lure.

    Gringus (I renamed mine) is gotten from Level 5 Friendship with Arwel using Trash as a Lure.

     Boo-Berry is gotten from Level 5 Friendship with Carla-Lalla using the Strange Doll as a Lure.

    Lucky Cat is our last special cat and it can be gotten using the Lovely Potluck Lure which is gotten after unlocking Stray Lure 3 in the shrine.

    These are all the cats I have gotten and those in yellow are who I have rehomed through playing. I did adopt out a few more for achievements, but re-adopted them back to the café afterwards.

    Lastly here’s a look at my ending café that got 100% with.

    Happy Gaming Everyone!

  • Before we jump into the game, I want to say that I received this game for free by being a creator on Lurkit. My opinion of the game is my own and only my own, I was not paid for this game or content, so with that said. Let’s move on into the game.

    Saleblazers is a 1-8 player co-op, open world, rpg survival game developed and published by Airstrafe Interactive. You are a shopkeeper who has been outcasted from your home, and now waking up in a bamboo forest must run a shop to fund an escape from the island. I’m a veteran survival game player, but this one is a whole new concept that I had hoped would live up to its claims. 

    When I first decided to play I immediately encountered problems just opening the game. The game froze on launch and when I got the prompt to close the game since it wasn’t responding, I first tried to wait, but when nothing changed I tried to close it. Then the prompt froze; even using task manager and forcing it to close did not close it. I was stuck with a pure white screen and frozen window popup for around three minutes. It finally closed when I decided to take a screenshot of the frozen window as you can see below.

    I thought that maybe the crash was just incidental and not the game itself; so, I tried again. Just like before I got a crash instantly with a frozen screen except thankfully this time no frozen computer. Since I am playing this on Steam, I decided to verify the game files to see if maybe something had gotten corrupted during the installation of the game. This took over an hour for a 6GB game, so I assumed there indeed were corrupted files. Now the game is finally launching.

    When I got in the first thing that I noticed was the “Join Game” and “Start Game” buttons were greyed out. However, the “Character” button wasn’t. If this was anything like another game Smallands: Survive the Wilds then you must create a character first to start the game; so, I did. As expected the game allowed me in.  

    Getting into the game was an unexpected tutorial styled in an obstacle course to show you the ropes. You also meet your first friend during this: Adrian. He teaches you how to run your first shop which is a cafeteria shop aboard the sky island. Although the happy feelings don’t last as the CEO announces a traitor in their midst. And whelp, bye bye Adrian.

    I took a break from playing the game now, so I’m going to take the time to talk about my opinions on the game. The first thing that I found, aside from the obvious game launching problems, was the lack of controller support. This isn’t game-breaking so it’s not necessarily a downside to me, but as someone that does have bad arthritis, a controller makes things less painful to play. I hope sometime in the future they release the capability to use controllers with it without needing steam to manually do it.

    The games AI needs a bit of fixing because as I played I was randomly attacked by two village people carrying furniture that would stun-lock me into death. As well as the hidden enemies that are like coats on the ground? They knock you over with their lunge and nearly one-shot you to the ground. The combat system needs refinement if it’s going to be a good system as attacks are sluggish and bog you down to the point you die before they do.

    The game has the makings of being a sick game and fun to play, but there needs to be a lot of refining to make it a fun experience for its players. Which hopefully seeing the reviews on Steam which have been offering some excellent criticism of the game. I’ll be keeping an eye on this one to see if it’s going to be a fun game as promised as development continues.

  • Daily writing prompt
    When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

    When most kids are five they want to be pilots, policeman, teachers, etc. but not me; I wanted to be a garbageman. I wanted to ride around on the back of a garbage truck and pick up waste. When questioned if I would be able to handle the smell, I remember giving people a look of “Are you serious?” and would just say “I’ll just clothespin my nose!” which was the most innovative and genius thing my little brain could think of.

    Many people attempted to sway my mind on what I wanted to be and it never worked, but knowing now that I’ve been undiagnosed (now diagnosed) autistic my entire life? Well, it makes perfect sense. I held onto my garbage truck ways for almost two-maybe three years, but as I got older I got more sleepy and when I realized I had to be up at the crack of dawn? I said nevermind to that idea. Now I’ve settled into career(s) in both pharmaceutical and tech which I enjoy thoroughly!

  • In honor of ConcernedApe’s release of Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update, I thought it might be time I updated my guide to the shipping collection. Originally, I posted this on Steam in 2022 after I finished getting my 100% since some of the items were a bit annoying to get as there wasn’t much information on them. I even went a step forward and have added the modded items from Ridgeside Village and Stardew Valley Expanded. I will be adding East Scarp in the future and will be checking both Ridgeside Village and SVE for updates. The guide is below~!

    Vanilla Crops and Forage

    Spring


    Horseradish – Spring – Forgeable
    Daffodil – Spring – Forgeable
    Leek – Spring – Forgeable
    Dandelion – Spring – Forgeable
    Spring Onion – Spring – Forgeable
    Morel – Spring – Forgeable in Secret Woods or Forest Farm
    Common Mushroom – Spring – Forgeable in Secret Woods
    Salmonberry – Spring – Forgeable during Spring 15 – 18 on bushes
    Parsnip – Spring – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Green Bean – Spring – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Cauliflower – Spring – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Potato – Spring – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Garlic – Spring – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre**
    Kale – Spring – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Rhubarb – Spring – Seeds purchased from Oasis in Desert
    Strawberry – Spring – Seeds purchased from Egg Festival store
    Blue Jazz – Spring – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Tulip – Spring – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Unmilled Rice – Spring – Seeds purchased from Pierre**
    Coffee Bean – Spring/Summer – Obtained from Dust Sprites on mine levels 41-79 or Travelling Cart
    Ancient Fruit – Any except Winter – Obtained by turning ancient seed artifact into the museum then planted at any time other than winter.

    Summer

    Rainbow Shell – Summer – Forgeable on Beach in Summer Only
    Grape – Summer – Forgeable/Seeds
    Spice Berry – Summer – Forgeable
    Sweet Pea – Summer – Forgeable
    Red Mushroom – Summer – Forgeable in Secret Woods
    Fiddlehead Fern – Summer – Forgeable in Secret woods
    Common Mushroom – Summer – Forgeable on Forest Farm Only
    Melon – Summer – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Blueberry – Summer – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Corn – Summer/Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Hot Pepper – Summer – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Tomato – Summer – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Hops – Summer – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Radish – Summer – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Red Cabbage – Summer – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre**
    Starfruit – Summer – Seeds purchased from Oasis in Desert
    Wheat – Summer/Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Poppy – Summer – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Summer Spangle – Summer – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Sunflower – Summer/Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre

    Fall

    Common Mushroom – Fall – Forgeable
    Wild Plum – Fall – Forgeable
    Hazelnut – Fall – Forgeable can also be found by shaking Maple Trees after Fall 14
    Blackberry – Fall – Forgeable only during Fall 8-11 on bushes
    Chanterelle – Fall – Forgeable only in Secret Woods and Forest Farm
    Red Mushroom – Fall – Forgeable only in Secret Woods and Forest Farm
    Purple Mushroom – Fall – Forgeable on Forest Farm only
    Pumpkin – Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Yam – Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Corn – Summer/Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Cranberries – Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Eggplant – Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Grape – Summer/Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Bok Choy – Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Beets – Falls – Seeds purchased from Oasis in Desert
    Amaranth – Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Artichoke – Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre**
    Wheat – Summer/Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Sweet Gem Berry – Fall – Seeds purchased from Travelling cart on Fridays and Sundays
    Fairy Rose – Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre
    Sunflower – Summer/Fall – Seeds purchased from Joja or Pierre

    Winter

    Winter Root – Winter – Forgeable by tilling throughout world
    Crystal Fruit – Winter – Forgeable and can be obtained from monsters in Iron levels
    Snow Yam – Winter – Forgeable by tilling throughout world
    Crocus – Winter – Forgeable
    Holly – Winter – Forgeable
    Nautilus Shell – Winter – Forgeable on Beach only in Winter

    Fruit Trees

    Apple – Fall – Sapling can be purchased from Pierre
    Pomegranate – Fall – Sapling can be purchased from Pierre
    Apricot – Spring – Sapling can be purchased from Pierre
    Orange – Summer – Sapling can be purchased from Pierre
    Peach – Summer – Sapling can be purchased from Pierre
    Cherry – Spring – Sapling can be purchased from Pierre


    ** Year 2+ for the seeds to become available
    *** Possible glitch that could be patched out in future since no recipe is found at the moment.

    Vanilla Misc Forage


    Cave Carrot – Forgeable in mines using hoe on tillable areas or in misc crates and barrels
    Coconut – Forgeable in Desert
    Cactus Fruit – Forgeable in Desert
    Clam – Forgeable on Beach or caught in crab pots
    Coral – Forgeable on Beach and Tide Pools area
    Sea Urchin – Forgeable in Tide Pools area of Beach

    Vanilla Animal and Artisan Goods


    Egg – Obtained by Adult Chickens
    Large Egg – Obtained by Adult Chickens that are kept happy
    Brown Egg – Obtained by Adult Brown Chickens
    Large Brown Egg – Obtained by Adult Brown Chickens that are kept happy
    Duck Egg – Obtained by Adult Ducks
    Void Egg – Obtained through random witch event, purchased from Krobus, Void Salmon fishpond if population at 9, or if married to Shane may be gifted on rainy days.
    Ostrich Egg – Obtained by solving Journal Scrap #10 on Ginger Island or in Volcano Dungeon rare chests
    Milk – Obtained by Adult Cows
    Large Milk – Obtained by Adult Cows that are kept happy
    Goat Milk – Obtained by Adult Goats
    Large Goat Milk – Obtained by Adult Goats that are kept happy
    Cheese – Obtained by putting normal milk in a cheese press
    Goat Cheese – Obtained by putting goat milk in a cheese press
    Mayonnaise – Obtained by placing a chicken egg in a mayo machine
    Duck Mayonnaise – Obtained by placing a duck egg in a mayo machine
    Void Mayonnaise – Obtained by placing a void egg in a mayo machine
    Dinosaur Mayonnaise – Obtained by placing a dinosaur egg artifact in a mayo machine
    Truffle – Obtained by Adult Pigs that are allowed outside of barn
    Truffle Oil – Obtained by placing a truffle in an oil maker
    Duck Feather – Obtained by happy adult ducks with high friendship, mood, and daily luck or can be gotten as a gift if married to Emily.
    Rabbit’s Foot – Obtained by happy rabbits with high friendship, mood, and daily luck, also can be dropped by Serpents in Skull Cavern or you may get lucky and find one in the Travelling Cart.
    Wool – Obtained from Rabbits, Sheep, or Travelling Cart
    Cloth – Made from Wool using a Loom or can be made from Soggy Newspaper in Recycling Machine. There is a chance it can dropped by Mummies when they are slain.
    Aged Roe – Obtained by placing any roe from a fishpond into a preserves jar
    Caviar – Obtained by placing Sturgeon Roe from a sturgeon fishpond into the preserves jar
    Pickles – Obtained by placing any vegetables into the preserves jar
    Jelly – Obtained by placing any fruit into the preserves jar
    Wine – Obtained by placing any fruit into a keg
    Juice – Obtained by placing any vegetable into a keg
    Honey – Obtained by placing a beehive during Spring, Summer, and Fall. Value can be increased by planting flowers around it changing the produced honey.
    Mead – Obtained by placing honey into a keg
    Beer – Obtained by placing wheat into a keg
    Pale Ale – Obtained by placing hops into a keg
    Green Tea – Obtained by placing tea leaves into a keg. To get the tea leaves you must be 2 hearts or higher with Caroline and enter the door in her kitchen activating a cutscene. You should receive the recipe for tea bushes in the mail the next morning.
    Maple Syrup – Obtained by placing a tree tapper on a Maple Tree
    Oak Resin – Obtained by placing a tree tapper on an Oak Tree
    Pine Tar – Obtained by placing a tree tapper on a Pine Tree
    Battery – Obtained during lightning storms with Lightning Rods after they’ve been struck or in late game from Solar Panels

    Vanilla Resources


    Sap – Obtained when chopping down trees around Stardew Valley
    Wood – Obtained when chopping down trees around Stardew Valley
    Hardwood – Obtained when chopping down large logs or Mahogany Trees
    Stone – Obtained when mining rocks around Stardew Valley or the mines
    Clay – Obtained when tilling tillable areas around Stardew Valley
    Fiber – Obtained when swinging your scythe around leafy areas
    Coal – Obtained from breaking stone, checking bags or minecarts in mines, or dropped when slaying dust sprites
    Copper Ore – Obtained from breaking copper nodes, cracking open various geodes, or breaking regular stone
    Copper Bar – Obtained from smelting 5 copper ore and 1 coal in a furnace
    Iron Ore – Obtained from breaking iron nodes, cracking open various geodes, or breaking regular stone
    Iron Bar – Obtained from smelting 5 iron ore and 1 coal in a furnace
    Gold Ore – Obtained from breaking gold nodes, cracking open various geodes, or breaking regular stone
    Gold Bar – Obtained from smelting 5 gold ore and 1 coal in a furnace
    Iridium Ore – Obtained from breaking iridium nodes or cracking open omni geodes
    Iridium Bar – Obtained from smelting 5 iridium ore and 1 coal in a furnace
    Refined Quartz – Obtained by smelting Quartz in a furnace
    Radioactive Ore – Obtained from breaking open Radioactive nodes during “Danger in the Deep” or “Skull Cavern Invasion” quests from Mr. Qi.
    Radioactive Bar – Obtained from smelting 5 radioactive ore and 1 coal in a furnace

    Vanilla Monster Drops


    Slime – Obtained by slaying any variant of Slimes
    Bat Wings – Obtained by slaying any variants of Bats
    Solar Essence – Obtained by slaying any variant of the solar monsters (Ghosts, Mummy, Squid Kid, etc.)
    Void Essence – Obtained by slaying any variant of the void monsters (Shadow Brutes, Serpents, etc.)
    Bone Fragments – Obtained by slaying any variant of a skeleton
    Squid Ink – Obtained by slaying any variant of the Squid Kids

    Ginger Island


    Banana – Year-Round – Produced by Banana Tree that can be purchased from Island Trader for 5 Dragon Teeth, from breaking open a golden coconut, and from Professor Snail when completing the large animal collection.
    Mango – Year-Round – Produced by Mango Tree that can be purchased from Island Trader for 75 Mussels, from breaking open a golden coconut, and from Professor Snail when completing the snake collection.
    Ginger – Year-Round – Forgeable on the island and dropped by Tiger Slimes
    Taro Root – Year-Round – The Taro Tuber seed can be found in common chests or magma duggies in Volcano Dungeon, breaking open golden coconuts, purchased from Island Trader for 2 bone fragments, and artifact spots or panning on Ginger Island.
    Pineapple – Year-Round – The seeds can be purchased from island trader for one Magma Cap each or obtained from breaking open golden coconuts.
    Cinder Shard – It can be obtained from the Volcano Dungeon breaking open Cinder Shard nodes. They are also a common monster drop in the dungeon.
    Magma Cap – Forgeable in Volcano Dungeon and a drop from False Magma Cap monsters.

    Ridgeside Village


    Spring

    Foxbloom – Year-Round – Forgeable but only on one random Sunday of every season in the forest and you must have the Relic Fox Mask in your inventory upon entering the forest.
    Mountain Mistbloom – Any – Forgeable only in rainy weather with the pre-requisite of having met Daia finished.
    Ridge Azorean Flower – Spring – Forgeable anywhere within Ridgeside Village except the main village area
    Ridge Cherry – Spring – Forgeable anywhere inside Ridgeside Village including The Ridge, East of Water Research Facility/Laboratory, and around the cable car.
    Mountain Arugula – Spring – Forgeable in the forest
    Ridgeside Monkshood – Spring – Forgeable anywhere within Ridgeside Village except the main village area
    Mountain Plumcot – Spring – Grown from a mountain plumcot sapling which can be purchased from Nightingale Orchard or Pierres.
    Cherry Pluot – Spring – Grown from a cherry pluot sapling which can be purchased from Nightingale Orchard or Pierres.
    Paradise Rangpur – Spring – Grown from a paradise rangpur sapling which can be purchased from Nightingale Orchard or Pierres.
    Tropi Ugli Fruit – Spring – Grown from a tropi ugli fruit sapling which can be purchased from Nightingale Orchard or Pierres.

    Summer

    Forest Amancay – Summer – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village aside from main village area
    Mountain Chico – Summer – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village including The Ridge, East of Water Research Facility/Laboratory, and cable car.
    Mountain Hokkaido – Summer – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village aside from main village area
    Ridge Wild Apple – Summer – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village including The Ridge, East of Water Research Facility/Laboratory, and cable car.
    Violet Devil’s Claw – Summer – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village aside from main village area
    Desert Tangelo – Summer – Grown from a desert tangelo sapling which can be purchased from Nightingale Orchard or Pierres.

    Fall

    Autumn Drop Berry – Fall – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village including The Ridge, East of Water Research Facility/Laboratory, and cable car
    Highland Chard – Fall – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village including The Ridge, East of Water Research Facility/Laboratory, and cable car.
    Highland Butterwort – Fall – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village aside from main village area
    Lava Lily – Fall – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village aside from main village area
    Summit Snowbell – Fall – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village aside from main village area
    Ember Blood Line – Fall – Grown from an ember blood line sapling which can be purchased from Nightingale Orchard or Pierres.
    Highland Jostaberry – Fall – Grown from a highland jostaberry sapling which can be purchased from Nightingale Orchard or Pierres.
    Northern Limequat – Fall – Grown from a northern limequat sapling which can be purchased from Nightingale Orchard or Pierres.

    Winter

    Aurorean Iris – Winter – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village aside from main village area
    Sierra Wintergreen – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village aside from main village area
    Frost Clump Berry – Winter – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village including The Ridge, East of Water Research Facility/Laboratory, and cable car.
    Ridgeside Clementine – Winter – Forgeable anywhere in Ridgeside Village including The Ridge, East of Water Research Facility/Laboratory, and cable car.

    Stardew Valley Expanded


    Thistle – All – This can be foraged from the Summit year-round.
    Conch – All – This can be found year-round at both the Beach and Fable Reef.
    Dewdrop Berry – All – These spawns twice a season on the 1st and 14th at the Enchanted Grover with each remaining for 27 days.
    Golden Ocean Flower – All – This is a year-round forage found only at Fable Reef.
    Green Mushroom – This is a drop from Green Mushroom Mob monsters found at the Highlands Ruins on rainy days in the Spring, Summer, or Fall.
    Slime Berry – Spring – Grown from Slime Seeds which can be dropped by Slimes in the Highlands.
    Ferngill Primrose – Spring – This can be foraged only at the Summit
    Four Leaf Clover – Spring/Summer – This can be foraged both in West Cindersap Forest or Secret Woods*
    Salal Berry – Spring/Summer – This is grown from Shrub Seeds which are found buried in Secret Woods year-round.
    Rafflesia – Spring/Summer/Fall – This can be foraged only in Secret Woods*
    Red Baneberry – Summer – This can be foraged from the Secret Woods
    Ancient Fiber – Summer – This can be found from Ancient Fiber Seeds which are in dig spots located in Secret Woods
    Goldenrod – Summer/Fall – This can be foraged from the Summit
    Monster Fruit – Summer – Grown from Stalk Seeds which are dropped by Wilderness Golems in the Highlands
    Poison Mushroom – Summer/Fall – This can only be foraged in Secret Woods
    Sand Dollar – Summer/Fall – This can be foraged on the Beach and year-round at Fable Reef.
    Monster Mushroom – Fall – Grown from Fungus Seeds which are dropped by Mushroom Dust Sprites in the Highlands Ruins year-round.
    Mushroom Colony – Fall – This can only be foraged in West Cindersap, Secret Woods, or Junimo Woods
    Void Root – Winter – Grown from Void Seeds which are dropped by Shadow Monsters in the Highlands Caverns year-round.
    Winter Rose Star – Winter – This can be foraged from the Summit
    Bearberry – Winter – This can only be found buried in the Secret Woods during Winter.
    Sports Drink – Can only be bought Harvey’s clinic***
    Stamina Capsule – Can only be bought from Harvey’s clinic***

    Stardew Valley 1.6 Update

    All Items

    Smoked Fish – Smoker recipe comes from Willy’s Shop (10 Hardwood, 1 River Jelly, 1 Sea Jelly, 1 Cave Jelly). Put any fish inside and you’ll get smoked fish.
    Dried Fruit – Place 5 fruit of any kind in a Dehydrator which the recipe for can be purchased from Pierre’s (30 Wood, 2 Clay, 1 Fire Quartz)
    Dried Mushrooms – Place 5 of any Positive health/energy mushroom (Purple, Common, etc.) into the Dehydrator.
    Raisins – Place 5 grapes into the Dehydrator
    Moss – Moss is found around the map on trees. It’s the green slime looking-stuff on the trees, you can hit the tree with your sword or hammer to knock it off.
    Summer Squash – Received from the raccoon after completing first part of their quest and purchasable from Raccoon Wife for 15 Sap.
    Carrot – Purchasable from Raccoon Wife after she appears for 1 Maple Seed
    Broccoli – Purchasable from Raccoon Wife after she appears for 5 Moss
    Powdermelon – Purchasable from Raccoon Wife after she appears for 2 Pinecones
    Mystic Syrup – You get this from a tapped Mystic Tree. You receive the recipe for the mystic seed (5 Maple Seeds, 5 Pinecones, 5 Acorns, 5 Mahogany Seeds) after leveling up mastery and claiming the foraging pack.

  • Murdered: Soul Suspect; the title already tells you what you’re in for right? Wrong. When I picked up this game for the first time when it released in 2014 on my Xbox 360, I was just looking for a quick game to 100% and when I saw this one had a completion time of about 6hrs I grabbed it up at my local GameStop. It also released on Microsoft Windows, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, and Xbox One. So, what exactly is this game?

    Murdered: Soul Suspect is a single-player game where you play as Detective Ronan in a fictionalized version of Salem, Massachusetts. The game opens strong, as any game published by Square Enix tends to, with Ronan being murdered by ‘The Bell Killer’ which was the killer he’d been tracking. Ronan returns as a ghost where he is informed by his deceased wife Julia that he must track down his killer before he can join her. Sounds simple enough right? Except now you can’t travel freely since some houses have been sanctioned during the witch trials and ghosts can’t enter them without a door or window being opened for them. That’s not your only problem either, there are demons wandering around various parts of the different maps throughout the game; with the only way to defeat them is stealth. The stealth mentioned is hiding in shadows of spirits past and exorcising the demons once you get behind them. All while solving investigations and figuring what has happened to some notable ghosts throughout the maps.

    Image courtesy of IGN

    If you’re like me and you enjoy trying to 100% a game, then you know there are often collectibles, right? Well, this game is no different, so buckle up! There are 242 total collectibles spread across the 7 different locations you will enter. I will point out that this game is not a open-world, so once you leave section you can rarely go back. The seven locations are: Apartments, Church, Police Department, Cemetery, Psychiatric Hospital, Museum, and Judgement House. Each location will have scattered pieces of ‘Ghost Stories’ you have to find. Across all of the maps, there will be: Ghost Abilities, Info About My Killer, Ghost Girl’s Messages, Julia’s Thoughts, Profiler’s Memories, My Life, Truth About Baxter, Salem’s History, and Rex’s Thoughts. Even thought it seems like a lot, I used the guide from TrueAchievements on both my Steam and my Xbox 360 playthrough to great success. Image below is from GameFAQs Collectible Walkthrough.

    Would I recommend this game as an easy 100%? I sure would. There’s a lot about the game I didn’t cover in this review because it would spoil some of the main plot points of the game. However, I’ve 100% this game twice and it’s great game to occupy yourself with including some gorgeous visuals; which I expected nothing less from Square Enix. I think the game fell short when it was published, overshadowed by bigger titles, but I know I’d keep coming back for it. As a bonus, until March 21st, it’s actually on sale for $1.99USD on Steam for anyone who would like to give it a go without breaking the bank.

    Here are my badges of honor of having completed the game (ignore the 25hrs, I left the game open a couple times when I had to leave the house). I think anyone who wants to definitely should and I hope some will give it a try!

  • I got to admit, I’ve been a bit bored with my own writing here recently due to the general strain of life. I’ve lost the fun and creative edge that it had just a few weeks ago, I feel because I stopped having fun with my fan-fiction like I was a month ago to pursue serious writing. Fan-fiction used to be my creative release when it comes to writing seriously, something I didn’t have to force since a world and many characters were at my disposal and all I had to do was create my OC’s I would be using. So starting right now with this post, anytime I start a new long-term fan-fiction, I’m going to play Guess That Fandom with my readers; and hand out some prizes.

    How does it work? It’s really simple, I’m going to give three clues, including year it aired (in the states), and an excerpt of my writing piece. All you have to do is comment on this post by March 18th, and whoever wins first will receive a Steam Code to Fallout 3, with second place receiving Steam Code for Who’s Your Daddy? and third place receiving Steam Code for Beautiful Desolation.

    Are you ready for your first one? Here are your clues:

    1. This anime aired in the USA in 2007 on Adult Swim.
    2. There is a movie on Netflix for this anime, which got an overwhelmingly negative response.
    3. The main character dies in the finale, and it prompted one OVA which released in 2020.
    Bonus Hint: My fan-fiction is based on a popular fan-theory that has been previously debunked, I however enjoyed it so much I decided to use it.

    Here is the excerpt with one word blanked out as it would have given it away:

    The voice is familiar to me, one I heard from old home movies with my grandmother, and I sigh as I turn to pick up the picture of my father just in case I was being watched. “I’m struggling dad, mom is never home, her career more important to her,” I say as a growl comes from behind me, “my body hurts from the bruises that the other kids give me, the cracked ribs making it hard to sleep at night, all because you went power-hungry and for what? The world didn’t change for anyone else, but it did change for me, it changed for me because now I’m the son of a killer and a neglectful mother which the world never lets me forget. I want nothing more than to fight back against the abuse, but you know what that will get me? Labeled killer and then killed. I bet that white-haired brat who follows me around would want nothing more than to label me that way, to end the ______ bloodline, so he can rest with no worries,” I say bitterly as I throw the picture of my dad against the wall.

  • Does this image give you some nostalgia? Because it does for me. Older Gen Z and younger millennial may recognize this as the Forest Frontiers map from the original Rollercoaster Tycoon, currently on Steam for $5.99USD, the very first map that you learn how to play the game on. For some younger kiddos, this will look completely foreign to you as the game series has long since ended. This isn’t a serious review, I just wanted to take a trip down memory lane with some of my younger millennials and older gen z that may read this blog.

    The controls of this may seem pretty odd, they’re not like most games, and when I first started playing this again they confused me. The first button, the yellow pause, is the only way to completely stop time in this game. There is no menu when you press ESC like most modern games, and when you press the options window it doesn’t pause.

    Which that brings me to the second button, the floppy disk, this is where your save, load, screenshot, options, quit, etc. options are located. There’s not much for an explanation as it’s a button that’s in every game somewhere. The next button is an ear, that’s right, an ear. This button is the only way to mute your game in-game. It turns off all sounds which as you can see in my screenshot I keep mine muted, there’s a lot people screaming, rides going, music playing, and for someone neurodivergent like me it gets overwhelming.

    The next set of buttons are the utility buttons. The first two, are self-explanatory, they zoom in and they zoom out. The third is actually how you rotate your screen, although you can do that hitting “Enter” on your numpad as well. The fourth key is an important one, this is the “View” key and can be used to hide ride supports, rides, stalls, etc. which is handy if you’re landscaping your park. It can also be used to hide water and look underground if you have rides that go under. The fifth and final one of this section, the magic wand looking one, is, well I’m going to be honest and say I’ve never really used it. I think it’s used to buy more land for your park if you’re playing on the same map long term.

    These next few I’m going to quick fire: shovel is landscaping, everything you think you can do, you just about can. Water is well, water, it’s how you make ponds for your water rides. The tree is the decor tab and how you add trashcans, benches, lights, etc. Sidewalks are self-explanatory as this is where you made paths and ride queues. Ride with crane is how you build rides and your stalls. The two coins in the next section are the financial state of your park and where you run marketing if you want to. The beaker is the research tab and how you unlock new rides, stalls, decor, etc. Next is the ride overview, the slide icon, this shows you the state of all of your rides and lets you mass open/close them. The park arch is the information on your park: name change, price, open/close, etc. and how you can tell any awards your park has won. The people is an overview of your park guests and beside that is the staff tab where you hire staff. Finally, the radio tower is where you can see all of the alerts that have popped up in that grey bar at the bottom.

    In the bottom right, you can see weather, time, date, and the temperature of the day. These are important because your park will make less money in cold and rainy days. The bottom left is your satisfaction rating and how many guests are currently in your park. This was a newer park I had started to do this article so my numbers aren’t very high yet.

    Overall, for me this game stands the test of time as something I can come back to when I need a dose of my childhood. Which is exactly the reason I wrote this article, because here lately I’m mourning that loss of free time where nothing mattered but relaxing.

  • Daily writing prompt
    What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.

    I’m going to preface this with: I have two children. Children that I had been pressured into having, when I really didn’t want children, and has since completely ruined my mental health to the point I gave full-custody to my ex-husband because my anger combined with depression was dangerous. I knew that I would eventually end up hurting them physically or mentally if I kept them.

    Now, onto the question, I hate being asked if I’m pregnant. When I was pregnant with my second, which was a girl, the way my body has left me with permanent body issues. Issues that have gotten to the point I am craving plastic surgery to help. I permanently look to be 7-8 months pregnant because my body was never able to bounce back and all of my weight sits like a perfect pregnancy belly. Everyone someone who doesn’t know me, sees me, they immediately ask “how far along are you?” or “are you pregnant?” and it has led to relapse in an eating disorder I had been recovered from for over ten years.

    I am to the point that I can’t even wear feminine clothing, resorting to oversized shirts and baggy pants/shorts. Keep in mind, I’m 5’8-5’9, and weigh around 270lbs, but it doesn’t make me carry heavy. I wouldn’t mind the weight if it didn’t make me look pregnant since it all sits in my stomach like a pregnancy belly. My loving partner tries his best to reassure me that he doesn’t mind the weight, but he doesn’t realize I mind the weight and as long as I do, it won’t change how I feel. I’ve tried dieting, I’ve tried intermittent fasting, I’ve tried increasing exercise, adding different types like strength or cardio, but my weight never drops below 260lbs, which is why I mentioned plastic surgery previously as it’s my last resort. And every time someone asks me about pregnancy, it just brings all of these feelings back up, and sometimes does wreck the bit of self-confidence I was building, as well as brings up a lot of trauma.

    What’s a question that you hate?

  • The game we’re taking a dive into today is The Tenants. A game based around building an empire as a landlord, and dealing with problematic tenants. It was released in March 2021, by publisher Frozen District and developer Ancient Forge Studio on Steam.

    As of writing this, I have 11hrs of gameplay, and I’ve been able to test most of the features within the game as well as the different job types. The first type of job contracts are the standard renovations. In these you’re given some specifics they want followed and a set number of rooms they want renovated. I’ve taken a video of me doing a standard renovation and included that below. Another type of renovating contract is elite contract which is given to you by specific npc’s of the part of town you’re in. I’ve included an image below of those since I didn’t have one available at the time of writing this.

    The second type of contracts are the babysitting contracts, you’re hired to watch a tenant and satisfy their needs so that they’re happy. These are the easiest since you can accept and leave them alone until an issue comes up. They boost you income without really needing to do anything.

    The final type of contract are the open house contracts. These work by hiring you to host an open house and find a tenant that meets specific requirements for the property manager. These are my least favorite contract and I avoid taking these as much as possible, since I’ve never been able to be successful with them.

    This game does feature collectibles that are hidden around the maps you’re playing on. They can be hard to see since they spin on the map and you have to pay attention to every place that you go. I make an effort to pause the game and look around the neighborhood every couple in-game days. Which is something I recommend as well as looking at Steam guides if you’re stuck.

    There are story missions that you can do, which in my video, is the mission that’s in the purple on the left side of my screen. They’re easy at first, but the one I have loaded “The More the Merrier” has been proving challenging since the multiple bedroom houses are super expensive!

    Overall, the game can be grindy and takes a lot of time if you want to 100% it, but it’s a good relax and play game to pass some time throughout the week if you want to unwind through the day!

    Elite Contracts
  • Daily writing prompt
    Share one of the best gifts you’ve ever received.

    The best gift I ever received is a gift that I received yesterday for Valentine’s Day 2024. It is a beautiful rose that has each petal and each leaf encased in a clear resin, preserved perfectly in time, through a 65 step process that is then dipped in a 24k gold. When my fiancé first showed it to me after he bought it, us being a mutual hater of surprises, I was concerned that he had spent his money excessively and unnecessarily since it wasn’t cheap. However, once I got to hold it in my hands and actually go over it, I was surprised at how heavy and nice it is.

    The veins of the rose petals were still visible, and even the original flower’s thorns could still be felt. The base is a heavy glass vase with the companies’ logo on the front in crystals. It can with a sturdy box and I knew that I’d never have to worry about it getting damaged when we would move our homes.

    The company was nice enough to include a small pamphlet, as seen in upper right of photo below, that details the steps that goes into making it as well as a certificate of authenticity that it was handmade. I would be happy to receive this every year as a new symbol of how strong our relationship is.