"i can't wait to see the bakery rebuilt"
Do the work.
It’s cozy game season.
It’s also the end of spooky season. The beginning of the holiday season. The eye of the storm of election season.
But also, cozy game season.
I was never a video game kid, or at least not a Video Game Kid, in the traditional sense. Besides the one Shrek Xbox game I played for the entirety of 2002, and the entire weekends lost to The Sims between the ages of 11 and, well, present-day, I never thought of myself as a gamer. That is, until I discovered cozy gaming.
Technically, I’ve always been a cozy gamer; I just didn’t have a word for it. But all those hours clocked with The Sims, or Cooking Mama on the Wii, or Diner Dash on my phone? I was cozy gaming and didn’t even know it. Cozy games are gentle ones, decidedly non-violent games where you farm, gather, run a coffee shop, or do other life-simulating activities. You brew potions, or make pizzas, or explore a pastoral landscape at whatever pace you choose. There’s usually a sense of order and rhythm to them, along with a straightforward sense of accomplishment as you complete your tasks. These games are relaxing, inviting and, well, cozy.
Last year, my wonderful husband got me a Nintendo Switch Lite, so I can play some cozy games in my favorite cozy places. And as the temperatures cool and I relax after planning for the election, there is nothing more peaceful to me than settling in with a friendly ghost to bake some pies.
I’m talking about the bakery-management game Lemon Cake. In Lemon Cake, you play as a little baker who inherits a dilapidated bakery from a motherly ghost named Miss Bonbon, and you work through her recipe book to rebuild the bakery as best as you can. In my latest play of the game, I’ve named my baker Fifi, because why not, and as I watch Fifi bounce from the garden for fresh ingredients to the kitchen where she tosses another log on the fire, Miss Bonbon offers encouraging words. “This will be so tasty!” she assures me. “The bakery will look awesome!” she decrees. She confides, “I can’t wait for the bakery to be rebuilt!”
These days, I’ve been applying that same hope and tenacity to my real life, too. Gather ingredients. Research candidates. Choose a recipe. Learn about ballot measures. Bake in the oven. Phone bank. Serve the customers. Maintain hope. Clean up. Remember that ghosts can help you rebuild. Keep your head down and focused on the Switch, and focused on the future ahead. Do the work.
Lemon Cake, and cozy games like it, are therapeutic thanks, in part, to the sense of order they provide, something that’s rare in reality. But, just like in Lemon Cake, there are some clear and direct actions we can take to work for a better future. To protect the entire population of this country. To preserve democracy. I’m finding solace and power in remembering and moving forward with those actions. And after I’ve done what I can, I’m getting cozy. Remember: The bakery will get rebuilt.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5. I strongly encourage you to vote up and down the ballot. Our presidential election is a big one, but it’s in our local and state elections that the most immediate impact happens. I like cross-referencing a few voter guides from sources I trust. For me here in LA, LAist has a huge list of all different kinds of guides. If you’re in a different city, you can google your city or county name and “voter guide” and you’ll likely get lots of resources. Jot down some notes and bring them with you to the voting booth; you deserve to be as informed a voter as possible as you make your voice heard.
stuff i’m thinking about
The reshaping of healthcare in post-Roe America.
How horror movies reflect society’s biggest concerns.
Chappell Roan and her fans are changing what it means to be a celebrity.
Jonathan Groff’s tears and the power of deep emotion.
stuff i’m loving
My super-talented husband Ryan just launched an Instagram to showcase his art! Check it out and give him a follow to make your daily scroll way better.
Anora. A beautifully broken Cinderella story, in which Mikey Madison gives a truly star-making performance.
Lots o’ books:
The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
Full of Myself by Siobhán Gallagher
I'll Have What She's Having: How Nora Ephron's Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy by Erin Carlson
The Witch Is Back by Sophie H. Morgan