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Update 4: Summertime Dragons
At Night
Shortly after Summer unveiled herself, she and Atul went to the guest room to sleep and... yeah I don't know how they do this every night. The guest room actually has a max capacity of 2 people, so we really need to get at least one of them a house so they can all sleep. But once it's morning, Summer would like to talk to us.
Oh, Stella, don't you think your boat feels a little sad? Well, it sure could use some greenery. As an added bonus, a small garden could serve as a nice classroom! I've been thinking about this teaching thing for a while now. It will be called "Caring for Plants: From A to Zalea."
May want to uh... rethink the name.
Hmm, yeah, it doesn't ring as good once said out loud... Maybe I need to work on the name some more.
Whatever Summer wants to call her lessons, we need a garden to get it started. A garden is just like a field except it's more geared towards vegetables instead of grains/industrial goods. I guess there's different soil types? I don't know, my gardening ability is less than that of my father's empathy.
The sea, the sun, the breeze on my skin! It just feels so right! I'm happy to be aboard this ship. With you, my niece. I wish your Aunt Viv could see you, right now - running your own ship. Helping these lost souls... it really warms the heart. I'm glad you picked me up on that island. I'll try and make myself the least cumbersome passenger on this boat. Except for food. I'll never stop asking for delicious meals.
I don't think Stella has seen her Aunt Viv since she went back to live in West Philly. Also, Summer just decided to hang out right in front of Atul the entire time he spoke. Because of how dynamic the game can be as to when a passenger decides to talk about something actually important, it may not be in a very picturesque spot. Of course, sometimes it creates hilarious results... which we'll hopefully get to see.
Here's Atul's mood menu. He wasn't joking about the food! He loves food! You can literally feed him anything and he'll be happy. So long as you don't give him the same meal twice, you can dump all the food you have the most of on him and he will happily guzzle it all down. Oh, but also - I need to do something very important.
Some good hugs so far. If I had to rank them, Atul is currently top tier and it relies on him going "awww" when you hug him. Summer does that too, but Atul is such a big kid that it warms my heart more.
Now then, I went on a bit of a grinding fiesta to get us enough resources for a while. The only problem with doing this is that, as I mentioned above, the scenes with passengers can be dynamic. In that when you get certain dialogues with them can vary. As such, sometimes I get these scenes when I'm least expecting it. Some of these scenes may be done chronologically, aka in the order in which I experienced them. And some may be moved off to the side and handled when it feels most appropriate. I'm just warning you now in case you start getting the feeling of time paradoxes creeping on the back of your neck.
I like it, don't get me wrong. I just don't want you to forget about your old Uncle Atul.
I can get along with anyone, anywhere, at any time. I just didn't think I'd have to make new friends at my age. You don't have to worry. I'll be alright. Sorry I even brought it up. I'll just got stand on the edge of the boat and take in this splendour... you know? Hopefully, no bugs will fly in my mouth... that's no fun.
I swear this isn't going to be the Atul update! He just likes to talk, and I like listening to him talk and... how about we give Gwen some coffee?
Now, THIS is one damn fine cup of coffee! I've had I can't tell you how many cups of coffee in my life. But this is certainly my favorite of them all. Thank you very, very much Stella.
In case you didn't remember, Gwen outright told us that coffee was her favorite meal, but if she hadn't it would now be listed at the top as her favorite food. Why give passengers their favorite food? Well, as you can see Gwen is now ecstatic! The mood meter gives out new perks for you depending on how happy the passenger in question is. Some, like Summer, do nothing special at the baseline mood, but then gain perks at happy and then ecstatic. There's also sad and depressed which can range from the passenger mopes around, never leaves their bed, or even just starts making other people miserable and breaking things.
Anyway, Summer is hungry too so let's give her some of our many fishes.
No, no, no. Stella, don't you remember? I don't eat any animal product. No breast milk, nor ova. Certainly, they were not meant for our consumption.
I only took this screenshot to prove how funny these dynamic scenes can be. 
No, no. I'm sorry, I won't impose my choices on others, but I cannot eat that.
So yes, Summer is a vegan! That's why she's really big on getting a garden going - since that's about all she can eat! We do have some popcorn and berries we can give her, but otherwise everything else is an animal product.
Well, we also have this.
Oh, you've found my weak, sweet spot dear! I can't say no to a dessert! A delightful sugary perfection! Thank you very much!
So we found out what she doesn't like and likes all in the span of 2 minutes! Good to know. Poached fruit is just berries placed in the oven so its super easy to make.
Now then, let's go ahead and build this garden so we can make Summer happy... and keep her fed.
What a wonderful little garden! You really outdid yourself, Stella! Well, then, that makes us just about ready to start on the first lesson. Make sure there are some seeds in these plots; they'll be important!
This world has some strange rules, as you probably noticed already. I've always been a preacher for love towards all living beings. For, you see, a garden is a vessel of our love, a mirror we hold to ourselves. This seems truer now than ever. Back on my island, when I was lonely, I sang to the flowers. And as I expected, they grew much more vigorously! Through trial and error, I've managed to write a little song. The plants seem to react particularly well to it. I want to further test that observation with you. Go inside the garden, and try playing that piece to your crops.
Song of Growth
Who's ready for some Guitar Hero??! Nah, it's super easy and chill. Which fits with the song, I play the song for much longer than you're supposed to because I just love the damn song. Summer only wants you to play a couple of notes, I go for... a minute and a half? Not bad.
As you can see, the plant Stella is standing next to went from a seed to being nearly ready for harvest in that minute and a half.
Isn't that fabulous? As I suspected, emotions, in this world, manifest themselves much more vividly. Well, I'll make sure to spread the word about this fascinating discovery. And who knows? Other passengers might know how to play some music, too! They might help, if in a good enough mood!
It's true! Atul, when he's ecstatic, will go around the ship playing on his flute, or join in if someone else is already playing music. If you time it right, you can have at least 3 people playing an instrument at the same time!
Speaking of which, in all the commotion of the last few days, I forgot something. Here, this is for you. This strange coin has been tickling me since I've arrived here. I'm relieved it's not one of those pollen allergies again...
Another Obol in our possession! You usually need at least 2 of them to unlock abilities though. I'm glad for her sake it's not a pollen allergy. I certainly miss not having allergy problems 
Anyway, right after our Summer session, Gwen wants to speak with us.
You did good! Now we've got a real boat going. And you'll have to take care of these new passengers now. They'll be the ones testing your patience, not me. But, before all that, I have something to ask you. You might have noticed it by now, but sleeping in the Guest House is not the ideal scenario for any of us. Especially since it's getting crowded in there.
Uh... yeah I have noticed. In fact, you didn't even sleep the other night because Atul and Summer beat you to the house first!
Look, I'm not complaining you know. You've been terrific up to this point, and it would be terribly rude of me to blame you for anything. But I think it's time for me to have a space of my own.
A space in which I could read and unwind, far from the turmoil of the deck. Oddly enough, I'd see something with an Alpine flair. See, even I can be filled with nostalgia sometimes. Again, I won't be pushy on this, but I'd be delighted if you could built it for me.
She says she won't be pushy, but also, you can't advance her request-line until you build it. I know your tricks, game 
And there's Gwen's house. Not gonna lie, it does look very cozy. Also, as you can tell, we are OUT of space! If anyone is going to request a new building we are going to need to pay Albert a visit.
This cabin is outstanding. It really does wonders to have a place of your own. Doesn't it remind you of my old condo on Waverly? Probably the only place where I could get some peace and quiet. Thank you, old friend.
Well, the bed looks nice, but too bad about the lack of furniture. Most of the abodes that you can build for guests can also be improved to add decorations/furniture, etc., At least Gwen has a bed she can sleep in now. Also uh, both Summer and Atul want to speak with us. I've got a bad feeling in my glim wallet about this...
It's nice, I suppose. But, you know what would make it even greater? More plans! Bigger buildings! Better pencils! I'm just saying. I'm sure Albert can help you out.
Ugh, you want me to get more ship size and more buildings? I'm not made of money y'know?
Stella, I didn't want to disturb you with this, but... For the last several weeks, I've been having strange dreams. They were of a giant snake, and of menacing reefs, and of rotten fruit.
I'm pretty sure that vision is just another way of describing our current crew. Giant snake = Summer, Menacing Reefs = Gwen, Rotten fruit = Atul after forgetting to take those berries out of his pocket.
And since joining you and your crew, well, they've been much clearer. I think it's the air of the sea! Or maybe the mystical energies of the Everlight. Anyway, I'm now convinced my dreams have been visions. And furthermore, I think they might be coming from our... mutual acquaintance... I have been looking at the map in your cabin. My eyes kept being drawn to a specific spot, that I marked. I think we should visit. No point in making it wait.
A mutual acquaintance, huh? Well, I don't know enough about Stella's life considering somehow all these passengers are her friends and family, so I have no idea who it could be.
Before continuing on, I do go in and add some decorations for Gwen's lodge. It's the only thing I have the resources for at this time. I'll get her the chair and bookcase eventually! I wonder what Gwen thinks of her new decorations!
I personally think they look nice!
Gwen's Theme
I've been thinking about Father recently. When he left with Doug, I didn't feel anything. No sorrow. No hate. No relief. Nothing. It didn't really matter to me. But it mattered to you; you spent 3 days crying in Aunt Petunia's room. I bought you Three Sisters and gave you that damn oversized sweater I had knitted a month prior. Mum was appalled, but you felt better. I've long wondered why you were so sad. And the best I could come up with is that you were sad in my stead. Feeling things I couldn't feel myself.
Yeah... me too Gwen.
Alright, so we are going to head to the spot that Summer marked on the map for us. Normally, I'd show the location but uh... the map kinda spoils where we are going and I want to keep that a bit of a surprise for now.
On our way to Summer's spot, we discover this location!
It's got some trees and copper for us to take home with us. But also...
It has this guy.
I came here to cut down these trees. But... I forgot my axe. I'm not gonna start using someone else's axe. That would be... strange. I like the way my axe feels. It's so sturdy and it calms me. Oh, I miss that axe. I've been passing the time by writing letters and throwing some in the water. I've been writing poetry. It's not very good. But I'm getting better. Hopefully, no one finds my terrible poetry.
I looked high and low on this accursed island and could not find the man's poetry. A shame, I could use a good laugh. Anyway, let's get back on the seas. There isn't much further to go until we reach the spot Summer asked us to go to.
See? Just a little bit aways. What's with all the weird rocks nearby though?
Summer's Dragon Problem
Freeing the Dragon
What the fuck!? You thought you were leading us to a dragon and decided to keep quiet about this!?
I guess it is inevitable that it would be here. Following me, always, even in this world. Our destinies, well, they're intertwined, are they not? Still, for all the harm it has done me, it looks quite in pain. Doesn't it? The rocks on its back seem to be oozing with corruption. Perhaps chipping away at them might soothe it? Go ahead, Stella. All creatures deserve love and care. Do what you do best.
Welcome to Summer's minigame - the fucking dragon.
The dragon minigame is essentially just platform mining. You have to make your way across the dragon and mining the deposits on its back and head to... help it? I'm not sure the screams of agony are signs of help.
I definitely recommend watching the full video to see what it's like, because this set piece is really cool. In fact, for the demo of the game, it ends upon you discovering the dragon and right as this part is about to happen. It's a very good way to make you go straight from the demo to the store page to buy the game.
It looks... relieved, doesn't it? I wonder what it means... If we are ever to cross this dragon's path again, I think we should help it. However I might feel about it... For now, though, I need some time to collect my thoughts. Thank you, Stella, for everything.
Well... that was exciting. It's a lot less so when you have to keep coming back for the ore the dragon carries on its back, granted. Let's go check on Atul, and see how he's doing.
Maybe they like to come up to drink the fresh water that's dripping down?
Yes, I did know that, and no I don't think that's why... or maybe it is? I'm not a fishologist. Anyway, let's go catch a fish while we head over to Albert's place to get upgrades.
...Eh? That's a weird looking fish.
Well, we caught it... let's take a peek inside, shall we?
Ode to an Axe posted:
A lumberjack without an axe.
Crying and sobbing.
Old trees aren't feeling the cutting.
We'll grow old, they said, laughing.
Ah, there's the laugh I needed. Thank you Atul, you always know best.
I had been avoiding going to Albert because I was hoping to meet someone before then to be able to make a little bit extra money for us to spend on upgrades, but I couldn't get them to appear... Well, that is, until I actually went to Albert.
The Hoarder
Meet... uh, this guy.
Hello there, young lady! I guess you must be the new Spiritfarer! Happy to make your acquaintance. I'm Francis! You can say I'm a sort of wandering merchant! See... I'm very fond of "Things"! Objects, Curios, Tchotchkes... I just buy everything! Simply put, I will buy anything you don't want anymore. I'm sure you've come across a few valuable treasures already! So tell me, what is it you want to part with?
So "Tchotchkes" or what I have been calling junk, can only be sold to Francis. He usually has nothing but crap to sell, but he really will buy anything you have. Notice my glim count in the upper right before I sell everything?
Here it is after selling all that crap. This is why I wanted Francis so bad, we go from being barely able to afford an upgrade to being able to get at least two ship sizes!
Shipyards
I've been getting your mail here for the past month. I'm not a post office. You need to add a mailbox to your boat. If I get one more letter filled with glitter, I'll lose it. I'm warning you, you might be a customer, but I reserve the right to yell at you. Get it done.
Well... we are able to afford the hobbyist blueprint station, but not the mailbox. I guess we'll have to deal with Albert's yelling.
Like I said, we were able to afford two size upgrades! Look how much more room we have on the ship! You can see where the guest room is on the current screenshot compared to where it was when we started (hint the stairs were right next to it). We'll be able to build everyone a house and more! Thanks Francis!
A better view of just how much more space we have. We've added at least 2.5x more room! Since it's nighttime anyway, let's get to building some stuff.
...Or well just the loom because we don't have what we need to make the sawmill or foundry. Granted, what's holding us up is because we need the loom to make the ingredients we need. While I could have just done that myself, I feel like I've been too harsh on Gwen. The loom is her baby and I don't want to take that away from her.
Don't be scared. It's in perfect working order. Let me show you how it works. You put fibre inside and then you spin.
And you get a little extra if you hit the marker needle. See? Pretty easy, right?
Fibre goes in, thread comes out. The Loom is a magical device. I also like, really enjoy the Loom's minigame? The timing of it is very different depending on the type of material you have or what you are trying to make with it. If you're way too early in the timing, you turn one fibre into one thread. If you place on the ruler itself, you get 2 thread for every fibre, and if you hit it right on the arrow, you get 3 thread for every fibre. You also get this very satisfying DING when it's on the money. Thank God they didn't turn this into a microtransaction laden game because this Loom would have drained me of rent money.
Good job, see it's not hard. The machine does all the work; you just have to flow with it. And that's what makes this so soothing. The rhythm, the sounds, the feel of it. Utterly satisfying. I'll probably give a go at it myself, when you don't need it.
Some of those perks I've mentioned before are that passengers will use some of the facilities around the ship and then give you the end results. You can also stop them before they finish and take the raw ingredients - like taking the fibre from Gwen before she can turn it into thread.
You just fished out a bottle from the sea.
Oh... I did? I didn't even notice, to be honest. I just get zen when I'm fishing.
That's not trash. It could be anything in there. A tiny ship, old wine, a baby crab... or yes, even trash. Go ahead and crack it open.
Oh, its a brochure. Not the worst marketing stunt I've seen. I still think it's that adult swim one where they put up a bunch of bombs in like the Boston area around the time of the Boston bombing. I still think about that every now and then as like a what the hell were you thinking.
... Uh, yes ghost of Atul?
Oh, right INSIDE the cabin. 
You've upgraded your boat! Hmm... that's weird. Don't tell Albert, but he left some bolts loose.
Shit, I'll tell him and demand a refund. If you're going to charge a dorsal fin and a tail for upgrades you should at least do a sweep on the bolts.
He was probably just in a hurry! Give me a second here... Oh, mama! That did more than I thought! Let's see here... Whoa, this boat's got some advanced options now. First up, you can travel safely and not go through all the dangers the sea has to offer. When using your map, just toggle on Safe Travel Mode. What else do we have here, oh yeah, the engine's been boosted! You can now set multiple destination points! That's pretty handy! Besides that, it's just a bigger boat with more space. Have fun!
Finally, two features that are pretty key to have as time goes on. Safe travel mode lets you avoid things like thunderstorms when traveling through the rain, or like jellyfish or dragons if they are not your destination. Multiple waypoints does what it says on the tin, you can set a custom path on your way to a certain location. So you can stop off at an island before going to a town, or avoid a path blocker that is in your way. It's pretty neat stuff.
I don't have anything to do! I've got this surplus of energy. I need to get my hands busy. Can you do me a solid? You've always been my favorite niece, you know that. I think I need a place to focus that energy... in a sawmill. Yeah, you're just missing some of the key components. Which I'm sure you can find on nearby islands. I'm counting on you to help me out. I'm sure you don't want your old uncle to sleep on the deck. Right?
You want to sleep in the sawmill instead? Doesn't seem like an improvement to me... anyway, Atul was actually wrong there.
I already have the materials to make the mill!
I tried to put it away from people who'd be sleeping, but it is still close to Gwen... also check out all of them wanting to talk to Stella at the same time while the plants need watering. All part of the job... Let's speak with Atul first since he asked first.
This looks amazing. Thank you for helping me out, Stella. This sawmill is so big! What a beauty! There's just one problem. Now, don't get mad. I don't have any money to repay you. I guess that's why they call it a favor. You see what I did there? Thanks again, Sprout.
I don't see what he did there, but maybe it will come to me in a dream or when I'm in a meeting where laughing gets you fired.
Anyway, let's check out the sawmill and then take a break before finding out what the two ladies want. Besides, how hard could a sawmill be to operate?
... I don't think I'm doing it right.
And there's confirmation.
Let me give you a hand. When you're cutting logs, you need to make sure your measurements are accurate. Then, you cut. Measure twice, then cut. You just need to keep your saw blade steady and on the cutting line. If you don't do it properly, you'll end up losing a pinky or an arm. Or something worse. And a hit from the old hammer for good luck. Give it a try now, you rascal.
Ah yes, now this is MUCH better. Admittedly, I'm not sure if cutting wood like this will get us good quality planks but the game wouldn't lead us astray. The Sawmill minigame is quite fun, and also I hate it. Making even a tiny mistake will cost you the perfect cut - which nets you 4 planks, and sometimes the cuts are just zig-zags which force you to move quickly with a movement scheme that is slow to respond. I still like it, but I'm prone to saying "Oh, c'mon, that's bullshit" a lot more when in the sawmill.
Getting planks from the Sawmill is a pretty important step to us getting some of the next upgrades, so it's why I prioritized it over the ladies requests... Though now it's time to go find out what they need.