Island Living: A Photo Journal

[CrankyCupcake]

I'm a coffee drinker and I'll take my coffee as often as I can, virtual or otherwise. In reality, I can't drink it as often as I want. (Used to do it every day for 20+ years. Coffee to wake up with and then 2-3 cups throughout the day.) I get heartburn now if I do. So I only drink coffee 2-3 times a week. I'm glad that in the game I can do it every day! And I love that there are so many different reactions to Brewster's fabulous coffee.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

Isn't Wendy cute? I didn't have her in New Leaf, so I met her for the first time playing New Horizons. I love her coat of blue wool. It's like she's wearing the sky. And her horns are the happy colour of the sun.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

My smugs, Raymond and Marshal, had a super busy afternoon.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

Kitty was taking it easy today, just going around the island, enjoying the flowers. I love flowers too. My air plant, a duratii, which had been spiking since February, started to bloom on May 3. New flowers are still opening up each day. They're small purple flowers with a fresh fragrance. I feel happy just looking at them.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

Usually the first section I head for when I go into the museum is the aquarium. (After drinking coffee at the Roost.) But I decided to do what I don't usually do and wander around the fossils instead, and found Fuchsia doing the same thing.

 

[Jaden]

Your snapchats and stories are a joy to read! The commentary and photos always manage to create a smile or a laugh.

Keep up the great work , in just two weeks will be the two year anniversary of your island's story!

 

[CrankyCupcake]

@Jaden

Thank you for stopping by and for your encouraging words! I hadn't realized the anniversary is coming up. The older I get, the better a sieve my mind becomes. I'm glad you've enjoyed my photo journal. Being able to make someone smile... makes me smile.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

I think I need to have a private chat with Brewster about serving Sylvana only decaf coffee.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

When I redecorated Gonzo's home, I hung boomerangs on his walls. He did not have them before. And it turns out he has something to say about boomerangs! I believe this game has way more dialogue than we imagine.

I like visiting my islanders so I never say no when they ask me.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

I visited Raymond today because I wanted to see how his home looks after getting remodeled and this is the first thing he says to me.

I love how Raymond can be so worldly and innocent all at once.

So far, I've remodeled Claude, Joey, Fuchsia, Gonzo and Raymond's homes. I'm left with Wendy, Shino, Marshal, Kitty and Sylvana. I'm in no rush and will do the rest when it feels like the right time.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

It's been a quiet, peaceful day.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

The sunset today was amazing. Joey said it was like "a big old donut on fire".

 

[CrankyCupcake]

Joey was at the museum. He was so curious about everything he saw!

 

[CrankyCupcake]

I love his serious face.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

What could Raymond be thinking about? Has he misplaced his favourite diamante-encrusted fishing rod? The latest draft of the letter he was working on to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums to appeal his worldwide ban from all aquariums? The book, Extreme Preening for Experts, that Marshal let him borrow?

 

[CrankyCupcake]

These are some of the photos I've collected over two years of playing. I'm not a completionist and I don't make it a point to collect a photo from an islander before he moves away. If it happens, it happens. In any case, I already take plenty of snapshots of my islanders from the day they move in, doing something cute or saying something hilarious, and interacting with them in these ways is what I enjoy the most.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

It was raining today. I visited all the islanders who stayed indoors to see what they were up to. As it turns out (anti-clockwise from top left) Fuchsia was singing along to tunes on her radio, Wendy was trying out a new celebrity recipe, Raymond was visiting Marshal with a business plan to market gold-plated, monogrammed, bespoke toothpicks and Kitty had just learned from a popular fashion magazine that sitting on the floor to read gives you butt wrinkles.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

Last time I checked, Sylvana is supposed to be a normal personality.

Not that I was actually spooked and went looking for Raymond was communing with the windflowers.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

Today marks the two-year anniversary of this journal. The longevity of this undertaking has surprised even me. Especially when I consider what it is that keeps me going. It's not about collecting all the DIYs or completing all the Nook Miles achievements. It's not about turning my island into a stunning architectural or landscaping feat. I don't even have a list of so-called dreamies. More than anything, AC is my escape.

And NH is, for me, the best iteration of the franchise. It looks gorgeous, its photo mode allows me to take screenshots that make me happy, and all the improvements over the previous titles — grass doesn't deteriorate, I can literally move the earth, the trees and the houses, I can change the course of rivers, I can take a break without my islanders moving away on their own, just to name a few — have meant that I can play the game without stressing.

I'm still updating this journal because I still enjoy doing so. This journal is for me. I wanted to record my experience. Some day when I no longer play the game, I'd like to take a look at what I've done and remember the fun times. And maybe, just maybe, I can share some of my love for AC with anyone else who has taken the time to stop by. The thought that seeing Littlestar or my islanders has made someone smile, makes me smile.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

It rained all day today. That didn't stop my islanders from getting out and about, though they all seemed to be more restless and contemplative than usual.