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lazygirlgaming · 1 year

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Love & Pies

I've been playing Love & Pies for several months now and that is, genuinely, the longest a merge game has lasted in my phone since, like, 2016. Let's get into it.

The Game

Love & Pies is a completely free-to-play mobile merge game. It's a lot like the other merging games on app stores nowadays, but there are absolutely NO advertisements! You can spend money for in-app rewards, as with most ftp indie games, but I've had very little reason to do so, and I don't think I've actually given in to any of those urges yet.

The game follows a young woman named Amelia who just moved back to her hometown with her daughter Kate. When she arrives, she finds her mothers cafe had suffered a fire, and her mother was nowhere to be found! Sounds very similar to the draw towards other games like this, right? The story of it, anyways. Well, that's on purpose. The actual game is so much smoother, cleaner, and cohesive than you can find anywhere else on the app store.

Amelia, unlike protagonists of similar games, doesn't just passively let things happen to her as she rebuilds and runs her mothers cafe. People in town come to depend on her to solve mysteries in their own lives - some of them quite dramatic! - all while she tries to solve the mystery of who tried to burn down her mothers cafe, and where in the world her mother is anyways.

I'm somewhere around Day 40 now, meaning 40 days since Amelia returned, and so far I've met her uncle, her great aunt, her childhood best friend, her high school sweetheart (+ his twin brother), a local lawyer, a local journalist, the owner of the rival cafe, and the rival cafe owners horrendous father. There are other characters also mentioned in passing, but the cast is quite diverse in both race/ethnicity and body type! They frequently have an event ran called 'Uncle Sven's Toy Shop' where you help Sven and his longterm partner Otis build toys for the children at the local children's hospital (pictured below).

The Experience

Despite my screenshots looking low-quality, this game is of the highest caliber. The story is consistently engaging, the art and character designs are eye-catching and very down-to-earth. And, most importantly of all, the characters are human. Their dialogue reads like real conversations, and not those poorly written scraps you find in other free mobile games. It's very obvious that the team at Trailmix put a lot of time, love, and effort into this game.

Other than that, there's not much to tell about the experience of the game. You merge a couple things together to get a new thing and then you serve a customer the result to get coins to advance the story. Simple, concise, predictable. Obviously customers order different things and their orders get more complex with time, but the game is constantly supplying you with more items to merge into the suppliers that give you ingredients.

Also, many of the events run (aside from Sven's Toy Shop) can be played by playing the game as normal. The other two events that they often run are "Edwina's Coin Dash" in which you have to get as many coins as possible in 3 days to beat Edwina, the rival cafe owner. The other one is called "Yuka's Date Dash" where you help Yuka, Amelia's childhood best friend, acquire roses for a date. There are multiple levels to each of these events that you have to beat, each increasing how many coins/roses you need to advance. So, as of yet, I haven't beat either of the events, but I've gotten within 3 levels of beating Edwina's coin dash. I'll be taking that crown, yet!

The Pies

Listen, I'd be lying if I said that there was anything totally unique and original about this game. Quite frankly, there isn't. But I think that's what makes it special! The grounded, down-to-earth nature of this game is what keeps me coming back for more. The people in this game look like people I see everyday! That's really important to me, especially because the people I see everyday aren't necessarily represented through games of any kind, let alone mobile games. Trailmix, if you're reading this, you've made something really special. I'd say mission statement successful with this one.

The Conclusion

This is a really great mobile game and I absolutely encourage everyone to make space on their phone and download it. Decorating this sweet little cafe is something I try to make time for everyday. It brings me little pockets of joy every time I open it, and it's a great way to kill a few minutes while waiting for a class or meeting to start. It's completely free! No advertisements whatsoever! And developed by an indie game studio! Hurry up and go get it!

5/5

#love & pies #love and pies #trailmix studios #trailmix ltd #indie games #indiegame #indiegamedev #indie game review #game reviews #video game review #game review #lazygirlgaming review #lazygirlgaming

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a-writer-that-never-writes · 3 years

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Evening Hike - Part 1

Jalin woke up extra early to pack some supplies as she didn’t plan on coming home after school. She’d already told her father she would be home late and had no intention of discussing it a second time. He didn’t like having her hike without an adult, something she blamed on her mother’s recent disappearance. Bringing that up was a sure way to get him to drop the issue, though she didn’t much like to do so. She always felt the reminder of the loss pained her more than him.

She laid quietly in her bed, willing back the flood of emotion that thinking of her mother always brought. It had been just over a year since she disappeared. She took a deep breath and swung round so she was sitting up. “Nothing like a good hike to soothe the soul, even better” she thought, “a good hike with friends!”

The Blossom twins had taken her news of the fairy cave better than she had expected, sure Emily was a little unconvinced but Jessica had latched on to the chance for adventure. Jalin understood their hesitancy, after two days even she doubted the stories veracity. She often wondered if it had just been a dream. None the less she couldn’t get the cave or what lay beyond out of her head.

She snatched up her backpack and emptied it of everything but the homework she needed to turn in today. All last night had been spent planning the adventure. She fished a flashlight from the bottom of her closet and a worn park map from her shelves and shoved them gracelessly in her bag. Next came the hard part, tiptoeing downstairs to the kitchen. Even though her father had a large house he insisted they use as few rooms as possible. This meant she had not only to creep past his room without waking him but also past his study where he was likely already at work.

When she first moved in she’d enjoyed exploring the closed off rooms and had spent several weeks trying to get into the ones that were locked. The novelty had worn off quickly though, her father's bellow was always there to call her back to dinner, homework, or whatever lecture he decided she needed to hear. This was when she’d taken to walking in the woods by herself. Not only did it give her some peace and quiet but it thoroughly annoyed her father and Jalin found a perverse delight in that. Grinning at the worry she was sure to cause him tonight she slipped past the study taking note to skip any creaky floorboards.

She slipped into the kitchen so quietly that she gave their cook quite the start.

“My lordie!” cried Annabeth when she heard Jalin opening the pantry behind her. She spun around in time to see the young girl cringing and signaling for her to quiet down. “And what trouble are you up to now?” the cook said sternly, though with a considerably quieter voice.

“The Blossoms and I are going for a hike after school,” Jalin explained as she returned to surveying the shelves for adequate snacks.

“You are, are you? And you’re not telling the old man? He’s gonna have a fit you know it!”

“I already told him. I don’t want him sending the park ranger after me again!”

“Hmph” Annabeth watched Jalin grab several candy bars and sighed with resignation, “at least let me pack you a proper dinner will you? I’d be in a heap of trouble myself if I let you go out with nothing but a bag of candy.”

Jalin smiled to herself as the cook bustled about preparing sandwiches, trailmix, and fruit for that evening. The young girl still stuffed as many candy bars as she could get away with into the backpack though.

#ChroniclesOfImaga #Book1 #Excerpt #JalinDFarchill #writing #CurseOfTheFairies

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ricepot · 5 years

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20-odd dusty dongles, A handful of sparkling ‘ginas FROLIC and flounder. When they lose themselves, they find each other. Through the ballsweat and delirium, Parched and starved for trailmix, Mojitos never in short supply. And then there were two, Turning to dust in a jeep-shaped sauna; The fungus twins. We put our trust in guiding flamingos.

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wesonerdy · 6 years

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Zoey is all about romance in this week’s grown-ish, but her player-antics might blow up in her face. Full recap of “If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late” by @luvthispayne.

Courtesy of Freeform/Byron Cohen

We are back y’all! I’ve been waiting for this all week and this week’s episode did not disappoint. Let’s just get straight to it.

Last week we left off with Zoey getting a “u up” text from BaeRon (pronounce this as Bae-ryyyyyyynnnnnnn in Teyanna Taylor’s voice) Zoey promptly, like damn girl can you even wait 5 minutes, responded yeah. Well since that night, Sis has gotten at least two other “u up” texts from Aaron and her first kiss. Wait. Her. First. Kiss. Awwwww, all the damn feels. Buuuuut her first kiss and she’s in love. I canna. If the first kiss has her in love, lawd don’t let her get the …… *loses signal*

Image Source: Tenor.com

So about these “u up” texts, Zoey is all kinds of confused. The first couple of times she got them, she responded and it led to her and Aaron fooling around. We don’t really know what fooling around means, other than maybe some kissing and heavy petting as the old folks would say. I am really showing my age with that one lol SHUT UP!!! GET OFF MY LAWN!

Zoey needs some help sorting out how to feel so she calls a girls gathering in the middle of the night but the opinions are about as mixed and varied as a bag of trailmix. One the one hand, the twins believe that if Zoey responds to yet another “u up” text from Aaron that it basically insinuates that she’s a hoe and DTF (if you don’t know what that stands for, google it. I won’t do everything for you). I mean it is 2:30am.

Then you have Nomi (thank God for Nomi), who assures her that if she responds its because she wants to. And there is nothing wrong with a booty call, especially if y’all both want the booty. Nomi tries to explain that there is nothing wrong with a young woman exploring her sexuality and having the desire same as a man. Okay. GIRL!

Then there’s Ana who simplistically believes that the texts are just because he’s thinking about her, and that’s why Aaron is texting her at 2:30am. I would think her naivete was cute if she wasn’t doling out terrible ass advice.

Courtesy of Freeform/Byron Cohen

Did someone say terrible advice, the entire discussion of the texts brings up another problem. Zoey doesn’t exactly know what hooking up means. She mentions that she responds to the text because she just wants to hookup with Aaron. She thinks hooking up means just hanging out. Look I ain’t that old but even I know hooking up has always meant two bodies doing the vertical tango. Zoey’s not the only one who doesn’t know what it means because Ana volunteers that she hooked up with her Uncle just last night at his hotel and it didn’t include anything sexual. Someone please call Child Protective Services.

Ultimately, Zoey decides to play the long game and figures that not responding to Aaron’s text at all might just work in her favor because she’ll make him wait. Let’s just go ahead and crown Zoey #MissTeamBadDecisions2018 of Cal U because I swear it’s been one dumb decision after another. But thats college I guess.

The next day Zoey has blown Aaron off but she has to see him in class because they sit right next to each other. In class and Sis is giving him the cold shoulder and at first it seems to be working because he is laying on compliments HEAVY! I’m all cheering like okay girl, you got him right where you want him. But as soon as Zoey starts to feel her little self, Aaron leaves class early with a new bae of his own. We don’t know his other chick is but Zoey is seething with envy and hateration and holleration in the dancery.

Girl that’s what happens when you out here playing more games than Jigsaw. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Zoey needs a new plan to get Aaron back and lord I wished her friends or at least her roommate was around before she launched her plan. Sis texts Aaron and when he doesn’t respond immediately she goes into text diarrhea. Send HALP! Sis is spiraling out of control and I am HOLLERING IN MY HOUSE, OH GOD STOP!

Zoey starts texting everything from songs to asking for joint checking accounts and baby names. I mean, all she didn’t send was a Marvin’s Room, I’m just saying you can do better text. My god, I cringed thinking about just how many texts she sent and how embarrassingly awful they all were. What’s worse is that Aaron’s response was literally “Please stop.”

At this point, death really is her only option because I mean she looks NUTS. Like certified nuts. If I was Aaron, I’d be considering a restraining order. Given her humiliation, Zoey feels that the most logical way to get over one man is to get under another. Makes perfect sense.

Who’s the new bae, Luca! Yes, the WEEKDAY is about to be her new 9-5 and Weekend. Now I genuinely can’t tell if Zoey is truly feeling Luca, which it seems like she is, or if she’s just spending time with him to occupy herself and make Aaron jealous. If it’s the first, then obviously, I am pro-Zoey, girl get your Luca on. If it is the latter, then girl DO BETTER!

My gut tells me its the latter because no long after she and Luca start getting cozy, Aaron pops back into her life and now she’s balancing two BAES! This doesn’t seem like it’s going to work out in her favor because let’s be real we’ve seen Zoey’s multi-tasking skills and they suck. Last time she tried juggling things she ended up mildly addicted to adderall.

For a minute things seem to be going well. I mean she’s keeping her calendar tight, avoiding pics with them both, and geo-tagging locations so there are no run ins. Sidenote: the fact that this geotagging is a thing is scary as all hell and millennials frighten me. Also just binged black mirror so lowkey all technology frightens me.

But back to Zoey, there’s only so long Sis can try and keep both balls in the air before they come crashing down on her head. Crash and burn. Now y’all know that Luca and Aaron been arguing since day ONE in Dr. Telphy class. Not only is oey balancing two men but she’s doing so with two men who cannot STAND EACH OTHER. This is messy and I love it.

Zoey gets caught facetiming Aaron while on skype with Luca. They see each other and it’s an immediate roast fest. Aaron said that Luca looked like Willow Smith and I am pretty sure that my ghost is writing this recap because last night I died. Total help me sing. Anyway, the biggest loser in all of this ends up being Zoey because both the guys find out about each other and both want nothing to do with her. Yeah well she earned it. Now Zoey’s a ball of confused mess. While sulking we meet another character, Dean Parker.

Courtesy of Freeform/Craig Sjodin

Courtesy of Freeform/Byron Cohen

Dean Parker takes the time to give his troubled student a few pearls of wisdom about relationships; mainly about communication and honesty. After their chat, Zoey is feeling better about how to move forward and vows that she’ll be more honest with herself those she’s dating. More importantly, she resolves that she is going to try and focus more on why she’s college in the first place; her education. I am beaming with pride. The baby is growing up and learning life lessons and look at her.

It doesn’t last long because like 8 hours later, she meets a new guy named Cash, and got damnit if we ain’t right back where we started. Is Cash just going to be another ploy in her plot to woo Aaron, chile probably. Hey, Cash boo though. He’s a chocolate cutie.

Courtesy of Freeform/Byron Cohen

Will our girl end up with more egg on her face? I seriously hope not because I really want #MissBadTeamBadDecisions2018 to give her crown to someone else. But we’ll just have to wait until next week to see what happens! See you then.

Ashley is a lawyer by day and a television, social media enthusiast by night. Catch her on twitter spreading black girl magic. Twitter: @luvthispayne RECAP: ‘grown-ish’ Season 1, Episode 3 “If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late” Zoey is all about romance in this week's grown-ish, but her player-antics might blow up in her face.

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