✨Weekly Update✨
🧺SDV Mods:🧺
- Coal Farm: It’s finally finished. Boy, this retexture was tough. There were a bunch of portraits that required extra details to make them look right (Ashida’s binoculars and Marcus’s phone call were some of the hardest). Fitting little Issac in was also a challenge since I had to make his baby face smaller in several portraits without losing his form. In pixels, that was really hard to pull off, but I’m really happy with the results. Now the programming? That was a nightmare. Since I’m still learning, going through the Coal Farm code, trying to figure out how everything was edited, was rough. I kept running into issues and getting confused by their labeling system. (I almost gave up, TBH.) But I’m glad I pushed through because I learned a lot. That being said, if you’re interested in downloading my mod, I’d recommend the manual replacement version because I’m not 100% sure my code will work when Little Issac shows up in a portrait overlay. Since I didn’t know how to test it, I’m basically just praying it works. Also, I couldn’t find Spencer’s beach code, so that portrait wasn’t included in the CP version. Overall, though, I’m really happy to have finally finished retexturing this mod, and I can’t wait to see the finished results in my SDV saves.
- Color-Themed Sprinklers: LOL. I wasn’t planning on finishing this one, but I had a few days where my wrists decided they didn’t want to move. So I decided to recolor assets for this project instead, since it only required using my mouse. Somehow… I ended up finishing it. I rushed the previous color-themed mods for the contest, but I plan to go back and polish them up properly. It’ll be a slow process, but I hope those of you who enjoy the projects in this series will like the updates to come.
- Color-Themed Retextures: I worked on the bases for a couple of the retextured craftables I’ve been making. I’m not completely happy with how the Crystalarium turned out, but I think the others look amazing. I really can’t wait to finish these and add them to my game. Progress has been a little slow because I’m trying my best to come up with creative ideas for each one… and there are just so many craftables. Also, for the projects I’ve already posted… they’ll be getting updates soon. I added the color “Chocolate,” and I plan to recolor each mod for Earthy, VPR, and Blue Grass. I tried to pick the most popular retextures, but if I missed one you’re interested in, let me know.
- Sweet Visuals: All I finished this week were the bases. My main focus has been Coal Farm since I wanted a little break from ES. This project is going to be my main focus for a while. So for everyone looking forward to the rest of the ESR seasonals… they’re coming soon.
🎮Games:🎮
- SDV Mega-Modded: I love this game so much. My mod count is now 800+ LOL. There’s not much to say other than I adore all the custom NPCs I get to interact with, and I love planting a bunch of new flowers. I am eternally grateful that SVE Sophia’s shop sells sprinklers because I may love growing plants, but I hate watering them. It’s honestly kind of funny that I have so many mods installed that foraging has become a viable way to make money. I’ve made thousands just selling random stuff I pick up off the ground. Progress has been slow, but that was the whole point of this save. It’s just meant to be relaxing.
- SDV Simple Red: Ah yes… my “simple” save is no longer very simple. I’m trying to romance Lance and Raphael right now. I understand Raphael taking time since I only recently unlocked him, but Lance? Why are you so hard to romance? It feels like it’s taking forever to get him to like me. Or maybe I’m just impatient. And don’t even get me started on the golden coconut hunt on Ginger Island. I am so bad at finding these things. I looked up a guide, but then realized I had no idea which ones I’d already collected! At least I found enough to remodel the Island farmhouse.
- Ball Pit: This has been a great game to play when I’m not feeling well. The simple controls are easy on my hands. I think I beat the main game since I finished the void level, but there seems to be extra content. Since I’ve been enjoying it so much, I figured I’d keep going and see how far it goes. Plus, it’s a really nice game to play while listening to an audiobook.
📖Reading:📖
- The Outsiders: I finally finished this story. It was really good. I’m sad about the characters who died, but given the circumstances, it honestly felt like the best outcome. The story felt raw and real, and I couldn’t help but feel for these delinquent boys. And the ending? Solid. Overall, if you like coming-of-age stories or classics, I’d definitely recommend it.
- Ascension Rising Series: Man, this series is angsty. I really like the slow burn and the relationship development between the characters. However, the long, drawn-out issue surrounding everyone’s condition has been going on a little too long for me. There are also a few scenes in this book that feel like they forced drama in ways that came out of nowhere. I still plan to read the second book, but if this one doesn’t give me some satisfying story development, I might end up dropping the series.
- Witch Hat Atelier: This series is SO good. It’s easily one of my favorites. Qifrey… what the heck. There are moments where I think he’s genuinely a good guy, and then he pulls something absolutely messed up on someone I like. You have me so conflicted. I’m currently in the early chapters of Book 8, and I’m really looking forward to the festival arc.
💖Life:💖
I’ve been taking things easy because, just like I suspected, summer has been a little rough on my health. I’ve been having more episodes and spending more time resting in bed. That being said, I’ve still managed to get a surprising amount done despite the setbacks.
Taking a more relaxed approach to everything has honestly helped a lot overall. I’m hoping I can carry this mindset into the colder months, too, because I think I actually get more done when I stop overworking myself.
Also… I’m working on a secret side project. I’m not going to go into too much detail yet. Just know it’s not SDV-related. It’s a story I’ve been slowly fleshing out for a long time now. I won’t be sharing details or showing anything until it’s ready for beta reading, though. I want to approach it with the same mindset I use for SDV mods: work on whatever excites me in the moment, then focus on it when it’s close to being finished.
Wish me luck. Til next week, everyone.