Eligible ‧͙⁺˚*･༓✣ Returning to Lostglade ✣༓･*˚⁺‧͙

[.: Meri :.]

Lostglade was in... quite the state. The same stone fences I threw down to reach three-star island status still bordered the island. Most villagers were enjoying lovely beachfront property, while others remained inland. Dropped furniture was scattered about in clusters, and small communities of gyroids were forming wherever I'd placed them after digging them up. And if you passed by the Halloween furniture and autumnal decorations that were still up over a year after they were placed, you could visit all the scenes I'd made for island decorating events. I dreaded visiting Lostglade, and working on it felt like a chore.​

Things needed to change. And I mean, I didn't exactly flatten my island, but...​

Not much to see here, huh?​

Let's hope I don't regret this.​

Over the course of the next month, my goal will be to transform Lostglade into an island I'll want to come back to play on. I don't plan to finish it by any means in so short a time, but I want to feel happy when I look at it. I want to want to work on it.​

After the end of this project, I plan to keep this thread going as the new official journal for Lostglade. I haven't touched my old journal in over a year, so I'd like to take this opportunity to start anew. I'll be taking a more casual approach to things from there on out, so hopefully that will inspire me to log my adventures here on a more frequent basis.​

Thanks for following along with me!​

 

[.: Meri :.]

I terraformed my secret beach into a nice little cove, surrounded by tall cliffs on either side. I might tweak the uppermost cliffs a little as I figure out what to do with the land there, but for now I'm pretty pleased with the shape of this area. It's still a bit empty right now of course, but it should be interesting to see how it develops over time.

...You don't think Redd's visits would attract other shady sorts to my island or anything, right?

And naturally, right after moving my villagers to the beach, I start moving them back off of it—although this area isn't actually far from the coast at all. Deirdre is the lucky one this time!

Ah, winter—the best time of year to start a garden.

This will be the site of Deirdre's farm and orchard! She'll be my go-to for whenever I need fruits, crops, and pumpkins of any color. My plan is to wait for the trees to grow and make sure I'm happy with their placement before I decorate her yard further, so we'll check back in on Deirdre again soon.​

 

[.: Meri :.]

I made some delicious spaghetti marinara after chancing upon the recipe in a bottle on the shore! I feel blessed to have been the one who found it. It was truly an amazing recipe, and cooking it was an enlightening experience. All of this praise has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it came from Marlo, who said in his message to enjoy it, "or else". Anyway, as it just so happened, I was craving pasta for dinner! What perfect timing! ​

Moving on, Peanut decided she wanted to leave Lostglade. It'll be sad to see this cutie go, but I'm excited to see who I'll find next!​

Afterwards, Kapp'n took me to my very first shooting star island! Unfortunately I already knew the DIY on the beach, but I got a great haul of zodiac fragments and vines.​

I made a lot of wishes too, but I'm not saying what for! (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧​

Now, onto my main project—I've moved the Able Sisters' shop (only by about fifteen feet, but shhh). I was originally just going to copy over my old build design and call it good there, but the extra space I had was inspiring, and I wound up expanding upon my initial idea a great deal.​

How do I tell him that seat's not for him? ...And that he's drinking coffee wrong?​

There's still a couple more tweaks I'd like to make after their garden area grows in and I receive a couple of items from Nook Shopping. I think it's already looking a lot better than it did before, though!​

 

[.: Meri :.]

Raymond asked me to deliver a gift to Leopold, so I gladly obliged—and I'm so glad I did! It's just Leopold's style, and the tie matches his inner-ear color perfectly. I'm so happy he liked it, and I wasn't even the one who picked it out!​

This image brought to you by Raymond's impeccable fashion sense.​

I must have good luck when it comes to Kapp'n's islands lately, because we went to a glowing moss island this time! I even found the DIY recipe for a ruined broken pillar, which I'll definitely be using on Lostglade. I need all the vines and glow moss I can get my hands on, so I made sure to get my hands on all of it before leaving.

​

And since the flora around Deirdre's farm and the tailors' shop still hasn't fully grown in, I began another build! While it's an empty field right now, I'm hoping this can be the site of a mysterious, forgotten graveyard in a forest.​

Not sure who would want to live in a place like this, though...​

Yet again, I find myself waiting for trees to grow. Oh well.​

 

[.: Meri :.]

While searching for a new villager to replace Peanut, I was able to catch the last fish I needed to complete that section of the Critterpedia! Rest assured, this elusive fellow is living a safe, happy life in the Museum now.​

Not trying to fish for praise or anything, but...​

And after eighteen tickets, I decided to talk Tybalt into moving in! I'm not planning to keep him as a permanent resident, but I like the tigers, so he should be cool to have around for a little while.

That's a... very positive way to frame that situation, Tybalt.

Now while he's getting settled in, let's take a quick look at the finished tailor's shop! There's only been a few small changes, but I wanted to show the area off in full.​

(Forgive the surrounding blankness—my plan is to focus on major builds now and fill in the little areas/connect things together later.)

I've also finished up Deirdre's farm and orchard! I liked the original color of the fence, but I thought everything was blending together a little too much, so I swapped it out for the dark brown variation.​

And with fresh fruit, crops, and a flowing river (albeit a very short, broken one), a bit more of Lostglade is back up and running! ​

 

[.: Meri :.]

When I was finishing up Deirdre's farm (about that... I might still be tweaking it), I noticed I was getting close to one of the river mouths. I had to get some sort of river in place before I could continue, and that gave me the idea for the diagonal bridge. Except as soon as I'd figured out enough to get the bridge set up and tidy up the build, I just sort of... stopped working on the river. It was the most unnecessary bridge I'd ever seen.

So that led me to my next project—a tiny island home for Lily! Of course, the whole place is an island, and her home is standard size, but I mean that she gets a mini-island all to herself.

So I heard you like island-living...

A lot of waterscaping later, you can now hop across two tiny blocks of land to reach this island in the middle of the river, which now winds past both the farm and the tailors' shop. I plan to add bridges to either side later for easier access, but the current method of leaping should pose no problem for a frog like Lily. What is a problem, however, is the utter lack of any decoration.

Which brings us to this point! I've left space on either side for the bridges, but Lily now has her very own garden and apiary. In the future, I'd like to set her up a small area nearby where she can sell her extra flowers and honey... but I'm still on a quest to find the garden wagon DIY. Soon, Lily, I promise!​

 

[.: Meri :.]

We now have a stone stairway leading up to the overgrown forest graveyard! I've also gone around and added some broken pieces of an old stone wall around the area. I originally used the stone wall like this around my entire island to get my rating up to three stars, and while I didn't want to keep it around the entirety of Lostglade, I did like it as a detail. So I added it back in for this part of the island! I might reuse it for some other areas later on too.

And here's a closer look at what I'm calling "Stage Two" of the forgotten forest graveyard! The weeds are spreading out nicely, and I'm working on adding in a few more trees and some decorative woodsy items. While I think I'll go a bit heavier on the "enchanted forest" type items elsewhere, I want to downplay it in this area for a more mysterious, less whimsical feeling. It needs a bit more to really get the vibe I want, but I think I'll get there soon enough.

Since I mentioned tweaking Deidre's farm a little in my last entry, I thought I'd give an update on the changes made, even if they're pretty slight. I threw in a barrel and a crate around the back of her house to make things a little more lively. Her crops are also actually on a dirt path now, because I... uh, kinda forgot that you could do that...? (´▽｀; )

It's... been a while since I've really played.

Finally, Label came to town, so it was time for a style change! As she requested, here's a more "everyday" outfit!

 

[.: Meri :.]

Bridge construction is now complete at Lily's house! This should make sure that she doesn't get lonely (or stuck). I love the look of these little mini-islands, but I didn't want it to feel too quiet or empty compared to the rest of Lostglade. Accessibility is one of the key tenets of my island design philosophy, after all!

I was already pretty well-stocked on young spring bamboo, but when Kapp'n brought me to this lovely seasonal island, I made sure to gather as much as I could, just in case. I didn't want to run out and kick myself for it later.

Sylvana was the next villager to make it off of the beach! She now has a lovely tea-and-sweets shop with an outdoor dining area. I think it's already getting some attention from the other islanders, because I found Dobie and Deli there. I assume from their watering cans and matching sweater vests that they were on some sort of gardening project together... but Deli seemed to have a hard time focusing in the presence of Sylvana's exquisite baking.​

Shortly after this photo was taken, I overheard Dobie lecturing Deli about his plans for the future.​

 

[.: Meri :.]

Dobie was the next villager to... well, he's actually not moving off the beach. I like his house where it is, and he's been living in this spot for quite some time, even before the Great Near-Flattening. The difference now is that I've realized the plans I've had for his home for so long—he's officially my lighthouse keeper now!

Dobie strikes me as a retired detective, living quietly by the beach and working on his novel. Of course, despite the gruff attitude, deep down he's not the type who can sit still when he thinks there's people in need. So while his detective days are far behind him and he's trying to enjoy a peaceful retirement on a nice island, he couldn't help but take on the responsibility of caring for the island's lighthouse.

With how frequently strange birds wash ashore, there was clearly something wrong with how things were being managed.

The safety-railing might be a tad, er... patchy, but I was more in it for the aesthetic than the practicality. There's a nice outdoor bath up here too—mainly as a means of managing Dobie's arthritis, but it's open for anybody to use.​

This location is right by the docks, so I threw some items around it too to complete the area. I still wanted to be able to fish from here, but I didn't like having my dock totally bare either, so I kept the decorations relatively minimal.​

It's hard to tell if Kapp'n likes what I've done here or not...​

 

[.: Meri :.]

A mining camp has opened up on Lostglade! As it turns out, the island is apparently very rich in gemstones and precious metals. I'm sure this will be a great way to support the island economy and bring in lots of tourists!​

All the rails you see here were designed by Hugo (MA-8016-2779-5032)! This is probably one of the few places on Lostglade where you'll see custom designs—I think a lot of custom paths and patterns are really gorgeous, but I personally prefer to stick with the in-game ones. This mine area just wouldn't have looked right without some rails for the minecarts though!

Spoiler: design credit

In other news, Deli wanted me to catch a damselfly for him, and gave me his photo in return! It was a pretty easy request for such a nice reward, but sometimes it's the little things that can really mean a lot to someone. His photo is now proudly displayed on my kitchen wall with the other ones I've collected so far.

is it Valentine's yet​

And finally, I've changed my outfit again! No Label visit or anything this time; I just needed some extra Nook Miles. It's not exactly my typical style, but I guess I was just in the mood for something extra cute!​

 

[.: Meri :.]

I'm not sure any spot on my island will ever truly be safe from future adjustments, but at the very least, I'd say that my forgotten graveyard is finished enough to show off! I can't wait to see it once the snow disappears, but even now I'm quite pleased with the overgrowth. It's dense, but still traversable.

Some odd little forest spirits (?) of some kind seem to have taken up residence here recently—or maybe they were always here, and they've only now decided to show themselves. Whatever the case may be, they don't seem unfriendly!

Better yet, while I was initially concerned that no animal on my island would want to live in a place like this, I found someone who was actually really, really excited about the prospect! My birthday twin Sparro had dreams outside of Lostglade to chase after, and so we've welcomed Shino to the island! Maybe it's just her incredible level of energy and cheer, but the other villagers don't seem to mind strolling through these old woods anymore either.

In a little clearing by the cliff near Shino's house, there's also some... interesting rocks. I don't think anything in these woods means any harm, but I still have an odd feeling that I might not want to explore this forest too much...

They are just rocks, right? Not more graves?

Leaving any haunted forests behind, I snapped a few cute pictures of Lily as she took a walk through the bug section of the Museum! (I confess that the way she was eyeing some of them made me a bit nervous, but Lily's far too refined of a frog to ever consider eating the insects here. Surely.)

 

[.: Meri :.]

I saw some smoke rising up over the cliffs by the secret beach, so Redd must be here to visit! I'm still missing a number of pieces in the art section of my museum, so it's always exciting when he drops by the island. Odd that Isabelle didn't mention anything about him this time, though. I guess nobody noticed him today? It is a pretty secluded area, after all.

It was, in fact, not Redd.​

While I was initially extremely alarmed to find a burgeoning pirate encampment on my island, I think my worries were mostly unfounded. Rod seems like a pretty alright little dude... although I admit that I refrained from asking too many questions. But I mean, hey, what harm has sheltering pirates ever done to anybody? Tybalt left to join the circus recently anyway, so it'd be kind of lonely without somebody new around.

A little later on, I found Raymond and Leopold running around the plaza with glow sticks. I wasn't sure what they were doing, exactly, but it looked like fun, so I grabbed my own and joined them. I still don't get it, but I can confirm: it is, in fact, fun.

​

 

[.: Meri :.]

I celebrated Lily's birthday with her and Shino yesterday! I gave her a yellow poncho coat that she seemed to like. I hope I'll see her wearing it sometime!​

I was also blessed with a trip to a lovely autumn island! Autumn is my favorite season and I love the mushroom items—and I know I'll need plenty of them for Lostglade, so I made sure to harvest all that I could. Here is where I finally got my last Nook Miles stamp for chopping wood too!

You could say that I'm... unchoppable.

Recently, I've been doing some work planning out the Museum area, terraforming, and constructing inclines. I'm happy to say that not only is the Museum back from its brief stay on the beach, but I've set up an outdoor class area right next to it, making good use of the local fungi!

As Leopold is my island's local professor, he'll be moving here shortly so classes can begin. I hope to have a proper yard set up for him soon! I believe his fellow scholar, Petri, will also be moving to this area soon for the sake of research. (As soon as I actually give the two of them some mysterious ruins to research, anyway.)​

 

[.: Meri :.]

While I still plan to continue this journal afterwards, the journaling event is drawing to a close soon, and with it comes the end of my month-long project. So, I thought this would be the perfect time to reflect on all that I've done so far. The goals I'd given myself for this past few weeks were fairly free-form—I wanted to get Lostglade into a state I was happier with, to look forward to spending time on Lostglade again. ​

My island is still far from finished, of course, and I know that there's plenty of areas that still need work, and plenty of areas where I'm still uncertain if they'll work or not. And when I started this new journal—after many hours of clearing and flattening and time-travelling and moving buildings—I had plenty of doubts. I wondered if the Great Near-Flattening was a bad idea, if I'd be able to make the deadline for ten qualifying entries, if reaching that goal in time meant that I'd just tire myself out on ACNH altogether...

But I'm happy to declare this project a success! In this time, I've managed to cobble together many builds that I think are pushing my island towards where I want it to be. I went through a list of areas I wanted to make and checked them off one at a time, and then came up with more that I'm looking forward to working on. Sure, everything's still in-progress, but I feel like I'm getting somewhere. And it may be a tad cliche, but I don't need my island to be perfect—I just want it to be a place that I think is pretty, and comforting, and that I have fun playing in.​

I finally got my dream villager roster together too. I was having too much fun making up the details of Shino and Rod's arrivals to get into the behind-the-scenes details, but I was really tired of island-hopping for them, tired of grinding Nook Miles for extra tickets, and tired of staring longingly at Nook Miles items that I couldn't afford to get in lieu of more tickets. But I also wanted to have these two on my island, and to start building areas for them. So instead of making things harder on myself, I Amiibo'd them in, and I was so, so glad I did. (No shade to Sparro or Tybalt, of course. They were cool dudes.)

I've also learned DIYs I've been longing for, been to cool rare Kapp'n islands, made more gyroid buddies, found items I desperately wanted for my catalogue... but I think I've rambled on enough. Does that mean I'm done patting myself on the back yet? Absolutely not. A job well-done calls for a celebration, no?​

I gathered all the residents of Lostglade together for one big dinner party in honor of the progress made on Lostglade so far! (Raymond was maybe a little overdressed for the occasion, but nobody tell him. He's having fun.) After everyone finished eating and the tables and chairs were cleared away, it was time for a proper group photo to commemorate the occasion.

​

To everyone reading this—thank you for following along with me throughout this event, and I hope to see you again next time!​

 

[.: Meri :.]

Long time no see! While maybe not quite as intensely as before, since the end of the journalling event I've still been chipping away at the barren parts of my island, little by little. So let's get caught up on some of the new sights to see!​

Despite a few pieces of washed-up seaweed and some decorative rocks, I'd been feeling like my beaches looked a little lonely. And with such an interestingly-shaped bit of coastline off to the upper left-hand side of my island, I thought a mermaid beach would be a perfect addition to Lostglade!

I'm happy I was able to finish this area while there was still snow on the ground, because I love how it looks with all these pastels. (Nothing against the browns and dark blue-greens of late February, but it's... not the best match for this area.) This beach was the former home of the campsite, but I wasn't really vibing with it. As much as I'm looking forward to my next TBT camping trip, I didn't really feel like having a camping area on my island either. As it turned out though, Petri told me that she knew a number of other researchers who'd shown an interest in Lostglade...

So the campsite has now been repurposed! Anyone's welcome to pitch a research tent for a while and contribute their findings. Whether your interest is in ruins, fossils, or the more mysterious flora and fungi of the island, there's never a shortage of things to be studied on Lostglade, and the resident academics are always open to hearing new hypotheses and perspectives. ​

Just next door to his fellow scholar, Leopold has settled in as well! While Petri has a habit of getting absorbed in her research and secluding herself away for days at a time, you'll often find Leopold out and about, whether he's conducting classes nearby or in the midst of his own studies. If you ever have any questions, he'll be happy to answer! Just... be ready for a full lecture, and maybe take notes. There might be a quiz later.

 

[.: Meri :.]

TBT is typically what gets me to return to my oft-neglected island, and this remained true for the Haunted Carnival event. While my island is still a work-in-progress and little has changed since last entry, I really enjoyed setting up this temporary Halloween-themed entrance to my island for the Nightmare in Paradise event!

You can still enjoy it in all it's spooky nighttime glory at my dream address for now (DA-5382-9214-0464) as I don't see myself updating it anytime in the near future. This area won't be staying forever, though, which is why I decided to immortalize it in some more detail (and the gorgeous autumn in-game colors) in this latest entry. Let's take an afternoon stroll through a spooky forest, shall we?

Right at the start of the trail, there's an overgrown garden and pumpkin patch. The fences have broken down a little over time, but it seems the scarecrow has done its best protecting the crops. There's still a few that look perfect to harvest! There's also some other stuff growing here now as well, so it's probably best to stick to the things we recognize.

Heading a little further down the trail, past the cauldron, there's a small graveyard. The tombstones are well-kept, but I can't say all the bodies were buried very well... this place could use a new graveyard keeper.

But what's at the end of this winding trail through the forest, that I've been so carefully keeping out of view? To answer that, I must first ask you a question.

Have you seen this duck?

Thank you, TBT, for another incredible Halloween! And thank you to everyone reading for coming with me on this walk through The Woods. ​