64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64

[Javan]

Happy belated birthday!
Sad news about your laptop. :(
But hey, new Pokemon!

[Saito Takuji]

just started a little bit ago, and finished, loving the narative, getting me wanting to play again. wish i would've found this earlier so i could have gotten in on some of the voting, but looks like thats just about all done now.

really wondering whats going on with the father tho, has me most intruiged

[Deme]

Hey, a new commenter! Yaaay, I thought I was out of those for this project!

For your courage and effort of making it to this point, have a chapter!

Chapter 55: Rainfall

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Summer - 13 - XXX2


More rain tommorow. That almost promises a quiet day.


Mikuru's all grown up, too. The barn is now complete. The order....has been restored!
(What am I on about?)

Today, I walked up to the mountain restaurant in the rain. The mountain is slick with mud and the summer rain feels sticky and humid.


Or you could check the weather, but... That'd involve them getting a TV.
Which would involve leaving the mountain.
Ever.

"The smell of rain, filling the air..."
"It was raining on that day, too, wasn't it, dear?"
The woman asked her husband, with a sad smile -- Nostalgic and weary at once.
"Which day?"
"The day we had our last customer...The bridge collapsed from the mud slides just after that."
The two of them fell silent about that, no matter what I said next. I figured it was time to move on.

I was wandering the town when the rain suddenly got much harder and colder, sending me into the nearest building for a moment's relief.
It was the mayor's house.
"Oh, Fox. Come in and have tea; you're soaking wet."
"I hadn't noticed."
I resisted the urge to shake off water like a dog.
One cup of tea later...
"How are you and Elli doing?"
"We
"That's good. She's lucky to have found you."


"You think? Sounds kinda...Reductive."
This is an old-fashioned sorta place, isn't it?
"Maybe, but...Finding someone you love for your life is important. It's so easy to fall into traps -- thinking you love someone and being wrong, thinking love's not important... Not understanding what love is."
I raise an eyebrow.

"What is love?"
Baby, don't hurt me. Don't hurt me no more.
"That's something everyone has to decide on their own. That decision...May be 90% of happiness. At least for a woman."

I rise up, the warm tea in my stomach and my clothes no longer dripping, just wet, I head back out.
That was...Interesting.

After buying some seeds and wandering, I head home to get them from the toolbox, and have a cup of tea and a proper drying off.
Look, rain just makes me want a warm drink.

Listening to the rain, I remember what they were saying about the rain earlier -- the old couple, I mean. And how they haven't seen people since the bridge broke down.
When was that? What happened? It's none of my business, but something about it eats at me.

"Hey, Elli..."
"Yeah, honey?"
"Say...You know that bridge we rebuilt last year?"
"Oh, yeah! You worked on that." She answered easily, not sure where my idle curiosity is going.
"Yeah...When did the old bridge collapse?"

She pauses. Her nose crinkles with trying to recall. After a while, she shrugs.
"Well, I'm not sure...It was before I was born, actually. Over 20 years ago."

That's...That's much too long.
20 years, without anyone even checking up on them? 20 years, without a minute of company? 20 years, without going down for supplies or anything?
...
That's impossible. Or near enough. Something's wrong. These people, who stand in the heat without being hot, and live in their own bubble of time...

Those people, all up there alone, that no one's seen...

I finish my tea and look up at the mountain in the rain. The only smoke I've ever seen around it is funeral smoke -- their stove never burns, even though it's burning when I come in.
A chill creeps up my spine.


I'll ask them tommorow.
Tonight, I drink to forget the possibilities.

Summer - 14 - xxx2


Still more rain tommorow. It's a proper monsoon here.

I go fishing for a while, but no dice.

I hate fishing sometimes.

Then I head up to the restaurant at the top of the mountain.
I'm not sure this is a standing sort of questioning, so I sit down when I go in. After a minute, I ask...

"So...Twenty years." That was the worst opener ever.
"Oh, you mean since the bridge? It's been more than that." The man, whose name I have never learned, replies.
"Oh, now I remember where I've seen your face before!" His wife interrupts, snapping her fingers happily. "You look just like the young man who came to see us on that day."

"...My dad?" That's just a guess, but what other 'young man' could it be?

The old man shrugs.
"I suppose so -- he didn't have a son at the time. He was the young man from Clover Farm, who seemed to have grown up so quickly... But all young men do."
I'm not sure this is what I came here to talk about, but I want to hear this, anyway. I nod.

"It wasn't really a routine visit. Already, by then, no one had come here for some time."
This does not surprise me, but I don't say as such. Now I'm starting to wonder when it was that they stopped really interacting with the world.
Possibly due to being ghosts.

...Man, my life has reached a stage where I'm seriously trying to decide if a couple is or is not made of ghosts. That's...

"Why was he here, then?"

"I think...I think someone asked him to come. To see us here. That's what he said...
"He said a lot of things. It still feels like yesterday... He asked us what he was supposed to do.

We didn't know. If we knew, we'd have said. He didn't even explain what he wanted to do -- because he didn't want to do it.

'Everyone's always demanding stupid, impossible things of me! No one cares about what I want to do! No one cares! Just as long as I fit in their damn little boxes. That's all I am... I can't. I can't do this anymore.' That's what he said."


"I remember...He was trying to hold back tears.

...My dad said things like that? My dad had tears in his eyes?
No. No way. None of those things are possible.

"He left after that, and the bridge broke down that night, when the mudslides wiped away the supports."

We all stayed silent in our places, my mind still reeling. Not about what I suspected or did not suspect, but...Because of what my dad may have said. What he may have been.

"...Are you going to ask what you're supposed to do?"
I look up at them. It occurs to me that, having been told to come here...There might be something I could do for them. I mean, we've been avoiding the word, but eh.

"...Would you have an answer?"
"Hmm...I can't say. Can you think of anything, dear?"


"...I will."

I head down with my head full of all sorts of thoughts. I never thought of my father like that...

When I head down, Harris sees me and bursts into a smile.
"I've got great news!"


Maria...Pregnant?
"That's great! I should go by and congratulate her!"
"I bet she'd be happy to hear that from you, Fox."

As promised, I head right on over. May's reading a picture book with Maria's help over by the front desk.
"Hey, girls. Some weather, huh?"
May nods.

"They're indoors; I'm sure they're nice and cozy in a kitty pile."
This manages to cheer her up and she goes back to her book.


"Maria...I just heard the news from Harris. Congratulations!"
"T-thank you. I'm not really sure I'm ready for this..."
"Is any new mother?"
"No, I suppose not. S-still..."
"Well, if you need help, you've got Harris, and everyone else supporting you. I'll do what I can if you need me, too."
She nods and smiles.



I can't quite decide how I feel about it. I mean, other than happy for them... But about me. Do I envy it? Well, not exactly... But I guess you'd call it a sociological drive, to feel like you need to measure yourself when your peers hit a big milestone in life. So I stand, trying to assess my life, at the end of the docks...

And fish.
Eh, I'm happy where I am. I'm pretty sure I'd make a bad dad -- what do I know of good parents?



I also get a fish :3

Summer - 15 - xxx2


Sun at last!


Of course, some dumb sheep had to wander out into the cold, miserable rain.
"Back in you go, buddy."
I push him back in, noticing that another bit of my new fence is damaged. Well, several days of rain will do that.

When it's later in the morning, I go see the goddess.

"They're ghosts, aren't they?"
"Well, yes." She was totally unsurprised to hear me say that. "I'm surprised it took you that long to work that out, Fox."
"They just seemed like odd people. Sorry for not brushing up on the history of a town I moved to last year." I shrug.
"If that's all you've got to say..." She folds her arms, and seems to be expecting something.

I give the certainty I've gained some thought, and come to a conclusion.
"You told me to meet them because you wanted me to do something about it." Because when does the goddess not want a favor from me? ...OK, that's a little cold. Mutual reliance and all that.
"Well, yes." She pauses and adds, "...But also because I thought what they knew about your family might be useful to you. I may not have told you the whole story...But I didn't lie." She looks worried when she says this. I sigh.

Was it useful? I take a moment to look back at that... Knowing that, for my dad, the city was a sort of running away...Knowing there was something frustrated in his heart...
I couldn't picture my dad like that before. But then I realize that she knew about that -- that she knew that story. Wait. Wait. She knew that story -- he went to that house -- so why...

I stop and stare at her for a moment, this ageless woman.
"...Isn't there something else you want to add?"


"...He went there because you told him. You wanted him to do something about it."[/color]

That doesn't even make sense, though! He didn't believe a word I said about her as a kid!
I talked to 7 therapists about it!

"That's right...Of course, now, that must seem like a foolish dream he had once..." She folds her hands at her heart and sighs, her voice lost in the rain and her figure shimmering, and lonely. "I needed him, and he closed his heart off to this place. He closed his heart off to me."
She sounds almost like she wants to cry. I reach out and pat her shoulder.
"Look, my dad's just a jerk."

She laughs.

"Anyway, that's... Maybe not all the story, but it's the parts that were relevant to me."

"Hm." No wonder she was so afraid of my leaving. Doesn't make it right, but...
Then again, no wonder my dad was so unhappy about my being here. Doesn't make it right, but...
Huh. My life just went all symmetrical there.

I shake off the strange feeling that leaves me with.

"So, if you wanted help about them then, you still should now. Anything I can do?"

The goddess thought about it.

"...The firefly festival's in a few days. Why don't you light one for them?"
"That's it?"
"That's really pretty much all. No children, no close friends, no nieces or nephews... Nothing like that. No one to remember them. Nothing to bring them down from that mountaintop. They were just...Forgotten."

"...OK, then. I'll be sure to think of them."

It's a terrible thing, to feel unloved and forgotten like that...

"Thank you, Fox. Oh, and... Congratulations!"
"...For what?"


She is already sinking back into the pond.

"What am I being congratulated for? ...COME BACK HERE AND TELL ME, DARN YOU!"
Stupid cryptic goddess.


I head down into town. It's strange -- what I'm really thinking about there isn't what's ahead, or this supernatural stuff... But my father.
Who somehow was angry about things other than my failure once. Who was frustrated and trapped here. Who had this...History, that I always knew existed, and never realized was.

But none of that changes anything. That's the person he always was -- he was just like this.

There's no point in feeling bad for him, alright? He'd never feel bad for you...
"Fox? Is something the matter?"

I look up and realize I'd wandered into the church. It was empty except for the pastor, who was staring at the sopping guy with a bad expression standing in his church.
"Oh. Uh, nothing. Nothing, just... Thinking about my dad, I guess."
"Ah, you don't have a good relationship with him, do you?"

"Pfft. Couldn't be worse if I killed him."
"Ah, well..."

"Listen, I don't want any advice right now. I don't *need* spiritual guidance."
He smiles gently.
"Of course not, of course not... Well, if you want to sit and dry off a moment, that'd be fine. I'm just going to be working through a sermon of mine."

I nodded and shook myself off, little drops of water flying off me. As I patted my arms dry, the priest continued to talk.



"That's what life's about; you have to be open to the world, or the world won't be open to you. That initial push is the most frightening thing in the world. You may well be hurt... But the want to be loved is a stronger hurt still."
As he goes on, I look up into the rafters, knowing full well what he's trying to say, but...
But I tried for years. So what's the point of forgiving him now?

After that...I just go home.
I spend the evening just fixing things up around the farm.

Repairing the fence where the rain's been hard on it...

And pulling some weeds and tilling over the spots they've disrupted. Quiet work for a quiet, dreary night.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Ooh ghost stories for Halloween.

[Saito Takuji]

the plot thickens a bit, wonder if there is more to the father than is being let on to fox, really curious as to what will happen by the end

[fizzmaister]

How spooky. Also, there's a color issue in the chapter.

[Eldonauran]

I haven't commented in a bit. I am still following the story and enjoy it greatly.

[rand01]

Here, have another new commenter. I've been following for a fair while now, I was just too lazy to register 'till now. This LP is fantastic and I love it and you are a fantastic person for making it. Thank you!

[Deme]

Thank you guys! I'm going away from my desktop this weekend, but you've been such a great audience recently that I'd feel particularly bad leaving things high and dry...
So let's have a bonus update!

Bonus 7: You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore

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Today, I'm going to show off something we'd never see in the normal course of play.
In fact, I've never seen it. I've known about it for years, but... In normal play, you'd have to do a lot of affection-reducing by giving someone weeds.

Someone? Well, I mean our wife. We need to get her affection to lower than 119 for this to work.
Like I said, in-game, you have weeds and rocks and things to give her, and the natural -1 daily wife affection decay the game has coded in it. All-together, it means you have to willfully try to get this scene, pretty much.

So rather than doing that, I have cheat codes.

This is, hopefully, our code... I'm overshooting a bit, because I tried it several times previously and didn't get the intended result.
I'm overshooting a lot.


Yep, this looks like we've done it. Yeah. I bet you thought the heart was useless after marriage, but it is still tracking her affection.
Anyway, she kind of doesn't love us anymore, and the dialogue's changed to reflect it. But we'll go to our lonely, lonely bed.


And when we wake up, there's not Elli in sight and a letter on the table.


...A letter I can't reach because, for some reason, its colision box is massive and has consumed the world.
I had this problem with the vegetable festival, too.

Well, the short version is that she's going back home to live with her...Um...
Jeff, I guess. Does he live at the bakery? Where does Jeff go when he is alone?
Anyway, she's back at the bakery. If we had a kid, she'd have taken him with her.

I guess I'll never get to see the long version :(

Before you ask, we couldn't remarry or anything -- we're estranged, not divorced. To my knowledge, no one comments on it or anything.
Let's go make up, shall we?



I'm surprised we get a choice.

So, if we say no...


Thanks, game.

If we say yes...




This is a slightly awkwardly-translated line.. Or maybe there's an implied line from our hero there, asking why she left?
I've always heard coming home late would lower her affection... I wonder if that's true...

Anyway, before we actually get to go home, there's a little bit more...


Jeff's taking the place of what would be, for other girls, the most applicable parent. Poor Jeff, endlessly stuck in a pseudo-father role.




Jeff is, of course, correct: the daily -1 wife affection is easily counteracted by just talking a little every day.


Anyway, we cut to the next day, back at the house. There's no special dialogue after this scene, and your wife's affection will be boosted to green heart level -- probably about 120 points, I suppose.

That's the story about how our wife left us in an alternate timeline.

[Deme]

Update tomorrow or Wednesday -- I wasn't feeling well earlier in the week, and literally lost track of an actual day or two.

[Eldonauran]

No worries!

We eagerly await the next chapter.

[Deme]

Aw, thanks. Well... Um... There may be some trouble about that I didn't foresee when I made my last post, actually.

I may have lost my flashdrive. And it contained the only copies of the images for this chapter. So... If it is lost, I have no idea what to do about that. So, um, I'm going to take suggestions on that.

[Javan]

Losing flashdrives stinks, hope you find it.

If you do not find it I would suggest simply posting text, at least hitting the main points, this way the primary story is continued and you can pick up again next chapter.

Maybe Fox got amnesia or something...

[Deme]

Good news! It wasn't lost after all! Have an update to celebrate!

Chapter 56: Baby Boom

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Summer - 16 - xxx2

Elli was pouty this morning. Not upset about anything, exactly... Just sort


"Your weight's fine. Please... Don't treat yourself badly because of it, anyway."
"Oh, you don't get it."
"What don't I get? I'm just saying -- if you take bad care of yourself, no weight will be healthy...And anyway, I love you the way you are."
She sighs fondly.
"Don't worry. I know how important it is, Ok? I'm just...Oh, I don't know."
That seemed to be the end of that.

I forgot my bell, even though it's clear it'll be sunny for a while... So I have to push the animals out one by one.



This takes about forever.
But eventually it gets done, and I get to go out and enjoy the day -- repairing the fence can wait until evening, they'll be OK until then.


Cliff and Anne look like they've been arguing -- Cliff has that sort of frustrated, deflated look of a man tired of protesting.
"What's up?"
He sighs and shakes his head.

"...Listen. Grey's been kind of pushy about it, too."
"Wait, is there something wrong? Did she hurt herself or something?" With heavy labor, I wouldn't be surprised.

He slaps his forehead as he realizes he's neglecting a key detial.

"Really? Man, that's awesome, congrats." Well, for Cliff, it is probably more frightening.
Still, a little smile crosses his face.
"Yeah, it's... It's kind of overwhelming."

I should say something to Ann, while she's busy fuming.

"Congratulations, Ann!"
"Yeah, everyone says that, but at this point, it's all kind of annoying. Everyone's fussing at me."


...Come to that. No wonder Elli's pouting. All her friends are starting proper families -- I'm just sort of indifferent about it, but Elli... That's really important to her.
Should we talk about it? Well, what's there to talk about? We haven't been trying, but we haven't been not-trying, either. That probably makes her feel worse, though.

I go up and see Kai and check on the vineyard...


With actual worthwhile wine being produced, things seem better over there -- all the devotion he's helped put in, both with Karen and the vineyard, is sort of paying off.

I repair the fences...


And go fish this evening.
Actually, I don't get a single bite.

Eh, well.

Summer - 17 - xxx2


"Oh, morning, Mr. Mayor."
"I do have a name, you know, Fox."

"I know." You're just such a mayor. With your mayor-hat. And your musache, and your hair that visually echoes your mustache.



"It'll be a beautiful night."
"Yeah, we'll be there."




Maybe it'll take Elli's mind off of things.





Not that it's any less worrying to be on Ann and Cliff's side of the fence.


Neither of them know anything about kids.
Of course, neither do I, so... I can relate. I'm alright with, like, children-children, I think.

Now, who would I talk to about that worry... Hmm.... I think the Harvest Goddess would just, I dunno, offer to knock her up somehow. No.
The pastor? Maybe... Come to that, the town does have a midwife...

So I go see her, I suppose.
"Hey, can I talk to you about...something family-related?"
Boy, this is awkward.



"Can you? Of course you can!"

"Well, all the ones born here, anyway. I delivered your father, too."
"That's...Going a bit too far with the information, ma'am. But... I dunno. I think Elli really wants a baby, and stuff... But I don't know how to ask about what she feels, particularly with everyone else having kids soon."
"Hm. Well, your marriage is barely a month old -- don't worry just yet! But it's important to be clear about what you want, too. Just support her, and you'll find the words you're looking for."

The day passes, and soon it's time to head to the beach for the festival.



"Alright."
I'm not sure how you light a light for a specific spirit...By their thinking, Grandpa needs this light. And...Maybe Mom? But I did promise I'd try my best...I guess we'll see. Maybe just praying's enough.

Anyway, mingling.

"It's a solemn day." I mean, I'm not exactly reverent, but it's got...Sort of an important feeling. Maybe is that it's sort of beautiful that way.


Or that.


Hmm... That's got to be a sad feeling. I know Dad and I feel -- or maybe it was just felt... That it was better, not having any reminders around.
...I wonder if Ann notices that, too? I doubt it.




At last, I join Elli down by the shore.


"Yeah. I'm sure she knows you're OK," I say. I take her hand in my hand, close my eyes... And toss that one onto the pile of prayers, too. I know I'm kind of not that great, but I'll take care of her the best I can, Ellen.


Alrighty, then.


I place my light in the water, and think of the dead, who deserve peace. I think of my grandpa, and my grandma-in-law, and my mother with her long light-brown hair, tied back the way it was that day...
Well, it's been years. I doubt she really needs it... But I hadn't pictured her in a long time.

Then again, I also think of the old couple, left alone on the mountain for years and years Because everyone forgot about them.
I bet no one even noticed they were dead for weeks. And now... Now maybe they'll go somewhere else. Like a vacation.
Worth a thought, right?

... Maybe never examining the dead only makes it worse. Maybe... Only by remembering, really remembering, is there peace.



The lights carry all of that out to sea, drifting on the waves.

Everyone's left but Elli and I. For a moment, I think I see tears glimmering in her eyes -- but maybe it's just the light from the fireflies, bouncing from the sea's surface to her eyes. Because when she turns to see me, she's smiling again.
"Let's hold hands going home. Hee hee,"

"Who even cares if someone notices? We're married."
"It's more fun if it's sneaky, hee hee."
"Oh, I see... Well. Then I hope no one notices I'm running away with you." I lean towards her, and she laughs.
She laughs.


We walk home, talking about all the things that could happen under the darkness of a starry, starry night -- especially when there aren't any ancestral spirits around to notice.




Summer - 18 - xxx2

Out and about again...



And I find this bombshell.
"What, you, too?"
I swear, is everyone getting -- no, wait. This place is magic.
Best not ask these questions, because the answer is 'yes.' It's a matter of time.

"That's right! They'll be cousins, but they'll be so close in age, it'll be like they're twins."

That's an odd way to put it... If a little cute.
"Well, I guess congratulations are in order. For Grey, too."

"Yep!"

"To be honest... I'm pretty sure it's too early for any fuss, but... It can't hurt to be cautious, I suppose."
"I think it's sweet. It's...hard to tell what he worries about, sometimes."
Hm, well...If you see it as an expression of protection, it is kind of sweet.

I run by to give Grey my congratulations, whether he wants me to give them to him or not.

Summer - 19 - xxx2


Of course she is. Still, as much as I feel that now, there's definitely going to be worries in the Clover Farm household...
I can't help but be pleased by his enthusiasm. He just looks so happy.



"Well, now you just need to keep her away from all the wine."
"I am already on it, and watching the storehouse like a hawk!"


Karen was less than pleased that Kai told me the news when I went to congratulate her.


"It's a small town."
"Yeah... Oh, well."

While I was working to repair weed damage to my field...

My hoe, too, turned golden, like my other tools, except my axe and my sickle. Man, that is one darn fine hoe.
...Ahahaha, I'm twelve.


I still haven't really thought of how to ask her what she's feeling. Just...
"Hey. You doing alright? You know I'm there to talk to about anything, right?"
"...I know. You know, I'm not really worried just yet. We've got plenty of time just to be a newlywed couple on our own."

Dangit. She saw right through me.

"You only get that once! Or twice... Or... Seven times."
"Seven?"
"I knew a guy. Anyway... If you do feel actually worried... Let me know, and we'll, you know, focus things. Maybe see a doctor if that doesn't work... It'll all be fine."

She smiles brightly.
"Yeah... When you're here with me, I'm sure it'll be alright."

[Deme]

Chapter 57: The News

Spoiler

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Summer - 20 - xxx2

I spend a lot of time at the church. It's honestly the least theological church I've ever been near, which makes it kind of pleasant. I suppose 'do whatever idea passes across your bubbly little head' makes for a bad lesson, so they kind of don't learn from their goddess.
Instead, the pastor talks about life.


"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't want his stupid love at all."
...I say, with my heart full of lies. I think about my father a lot these days, too.

"Oh? Then you know someone who doesn't have anyone to love?"

Without me, he's alone. I know that, but...
"Well, it's like you said. If you don't give love, you can't get love."
If he ever tried to love me as a father, then maybe life would be different. That's it.

Ugh, but wait. If I don't give him any love, then he can't, but if he doesn't, then I can't...
Oh, heck with it. This just makes my head hurt.

"We shouldn't maintain things that are bad for us, of course. I wouldn't suggest letting loneliness or pity move you in a bad direction... But it's easy to write things off."
Bah.

It's evening before I think to check the old mountain couple -- if it worked, if I've managed to put them at ease at last, anything; just barely 6, hardly even dark...

The door's shut, and won't open, for knocking or banging. I know they're hardly asleep...
Well, rest well.

Summer-21-xxx2

With everything that's happening, all eyes are on tommorow.


I just suddenly imagined that this happened, ages and ages ago, with Karen's grandmother, or her mother or father, or someone. I mean, trees like the one at the edge don't grow from nothing, right?
...Maybe one day, this'll all repeat. Kind of a spooky thought.

Summer-22-xxx2

I don't talk a lot about what I'm doing anymore, do I? Uh, well. Let me try and put it all together in words.

First, I wake up, have breakfast, and talk to Elli.



I usually play with the dog for a little while, too, but sometimes I forget. I check the weather -- tommorow's sunny.

Next... What's next varies, but lately, I've been going to take care of the crops next.

Now, normally when I run out of water on just one or two on the middle section, I end up just having to swear and curse, since there's no way to get to them without just refilling and watering the whole 9x9 *again*. Freaking wasteful.
Today's a lucky day.


I'll ship some crops that come in, but most days, I'll save some for gifts.


Next up, tending the animals. This can take a while, so I don't always do it all at once. Not today, for example. I only brush Mikuru and the sheep -- a quick check-up on everyone else is fine. They look perfect. I save Mikuru's milk for Elli's present tommorow -- she likes having some milk around for her own purposes.
Today Lambo had his wool in, so that's always nice. I got that in sooner rather than later.


Next, the chicken coop. Elli fed them, so I just have to gather the eggs. Some days, it's the other way around, so I normally carry my chicken feed.

From everything I've collected, I pick one to be Link's food.
Then I check the mail (nothing) and head out.

Now, I mostly socialize after that. I either start with the vineyard and go through the village from that side, or the ranch and go through from the other side. Yesterday was the vineyard... But the ranch is closed today, so I'll go to the mountain.


Some people just aren't social.

"I won't be able to ride..."

"Well, naturally. Don't want the horse to lose the baby." I'm teasing her, of course.

Ann always rises to the ocaison.

Anyway, since the mountain's closer to the flower shop side of the village, I head there, first. I have this down to a creepy, creepy life-planning science.

I go to the flower shop so often, I generally take the time to talk to Basil in particular.


I found out what the pastor likes today. That's nice, at least.
I usually hit the church, too, to help the kids and try and sort my head out.


I check up on Maria -- though I think she thinks of this as a chance to check up on me...


"pray to the ocean and to ward off accidents. Brave young men used to swim all the way..."

And I head to the Mayor's house to speak to her mother. She usually has some old trivia... Funny, though. You think I'd have met the sea god by now.

Anyway, when I've talked to everyone there, I usually head home. Normally, I have seeds to plant, and there's usually some last chore to do. For example, finishing up with the animals.

There's always someone in this darned back corner...

Anyway, with that done, there's the evening task. This is the only one that reliably changes.

Today, I'm fixing weed damage to the soil.

And then, between 8-10 PM, give or take...

I come home and say goodnight to Elli.
And that's it -- that's what's always going on, even if I don't always adress it.

It's not a bad little life. At the end of the day, I've got it all together. A little dull, but an otherwise perfect balance. Elli and I are happy, we're making a good bit of money, I've got good friends, and I've got plenty of time before next year to get it all sorted out in my head about Dad. I think I've finally hit a rhythm I can keep for a long, long time.
....
Summer-23-xxx2
...
...
Just in time for everything to change.

"Oh, I fed the chickens this morning."
"Thanks, Elli."

Elli pauses, her hands folded nervously in front of her. Then, slowly, she smiles.
"I...went to see the midwife yesterday."
"Oh yeah?" I say, completely casually.


"What?"
She grabs my arms and embraces me.
"We're going to have a baby!" Her voice is full of light, and she squeezes me as tightly as she can. I hug her back, still not sure which feeling I am actually feeling.
I feel full of vertigo, like the fact that the world is spinning, constantly, has finally sunk into my brain.
We're going to be a family. A little 3-person family, with a mother and a father and a kid. A little son or daughter, completely reliant on everything we do.
Is happanic a word? That's how I'm feeling.

"T-that's great!" I stutter, because I know the worse thing I could do is be unhappy. And it's not ungreat, I just...
I have no idea, honestly. It just is, and I'm not entirely sure I believe that yet.
"See, everything worked out just fine... You must be thrilled," I say, trying to sound like a person with a brain not made out of scrambled eggs.


"to know it!"
I nod.

"I...I've got to get to work. And stuff. But that's... Wow. I don't believe it, really," I say, in a bit of honesty. No wonder she waited the rest of the day to say something, if this is like how she felt.

Blinking, I step into the sun, my mind reeling, full of thoughts and feelings that have never had a place in my universe before.



His words wash over me, trite and meaningless. I feel aware of the air on my skin, full of warm summer humidity, thick as syrup and touching every hair on my body, which seems now to belong to someone else entirely, removed from me, hanging stunned above the world.
"...I'm going to be a dad."
I mutter.


I accept his congratulations blanky. I nod and generally let him keep thinking I'll be there tommorow.

And anyway, life has to go on.

...I'm ... going to be a dad.




"I'm going to be a dad?"
"Really? That's great, Fox! ... You look worried."
"I'm going to be a dad."
"Don't worry so much."

"And try and make the best of the situation."




"when you need it."
I'm going to be a [i]dad[i].


"I'm going to be a dad!"
"Yeah, I was congratulating you about that the other day."
"T-that's what that was about?...Wait, how did you know? No one knew!"

She looks at me like I'm stupid.

"I'm a spring goddess. A land goddess. A new birth and growth goddess. I'd be terrible at my job if I didn't know when my king and chief disciple --"
"When did I become your chief disciple?"
"You see anyone else coming here for a chat? No. Chief. Disciple. Anyway, of course I know when your wife -- or any woman you slept with in my sphere of influence, I don't judge -- is with child. I know when anything that can have children is going to do so in my area. I know when your cells will divide."

I pause to absorb this.
"That's pretty spooky, actually."
"Eh, you learn to tune out the constant stuff. Anyway, hooray! Another little Clover farm child! Oh, it's been so long! I wish you'd been born here, you must have been so cute <3" She sounds about five seconds from squeeling with delight. "OOooohhhh, I'm so excited! You must be so thrilled!"

I sigh a little.
"I don't know what to think. I mean, yeah, all that happy little family stuff, that's... Nice. That's good.
Oh, except for the bit where I don't know anything about babies. I'm no good at this cozy comfy stuff! This is my first serious relationship! I didn't even have good parents! I mean, my mom wasn't bad, I'm sure, but I barely half-remember her, at best!"

It all bursts out at once, and I feel a powerful relief wash over me for saying it, even as the panic still circles around, screaming.

"And the universe doesn't care for any of that, because I'm going to be a dad."

"Sorry, I can't help you there... Except. Well... I think all parents feel that way. Just procrastinate with those feelings!"

"Procrastinate?"

"Worry about it later!" She nods happily. "Right now, what matters isn't months from now. Right now, you need to decide how you really feel. That's my advice, as your goddess!"

Well, how I really feel is panicked, but...I see what she means. All this has a bunch of junk attached...

I nod, thank her for the advice and well-wishes, and head home...


And as I try to cut some grass for winter fodder supplies, I try to sort that out. I mean...
There wasn't really a plan for this -- I mean, I never planned for any of this. I never thought 'in five years, I want to be a parent.' Everything's just sort of seemed like the right step at the time, and not an instant before it.

And that's worked out pretty well so far.

"I'm going to be a dad." There's a small smile on my face.
So that's how I feel.


We're going to have a family.

No update this coming week; I'm going to Cleveland for a family obligation.

[fizzmaister]

Happanic. Lovely. The chapter was great, despite/because most of it was just Fox running around happanicking.

Chapter 57: The News
No update this coming week; I'm going to Cleveland for a family obligation.

Why would you go to Ohio!?

[Javan]

Happanic. Lovely. The chapter was great, despite/because most of it was just Fox running around happanicking.

Why would you go to Ohio!?

Agreed.
Also, Happanic/Happanicking needs to be added to the dictionary.

And be nice to Ohio! It's a neighbor.

[Deme]

My cousin goes to a theater college up there, and has a lead in their production of something-or-another, and my mother and I have been called upon to support her. So off we go.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Ohio is also home to Kings Island and Cedar Point. Home to some of the greatest roller coasters in the world. So I can see reasons to visit Ohio.

[Deme]

Cleveland was pretty bad, being cold and miserable and the most astonishingly tourist-unfriendly place I have ever visited; the play was very good, brought down only by the poor choice in actual play.

Update status update!
The update is mostly done, needing just some finishing touches and being actually assembled...As it has been since Yesterday. We're in the midst of a small family crisis, so I'm stuck at the house where the internet is so bad, I can't even look at Photobucket, much less upload images to it. Also, this is my second attempt at this post. So...Update will be up when I can get back to the main house, which was tomorrow at last plan, but who knows? Just wanted to give y'all a heads-up.

[Seerow]

Take your time Deme, we'll all still be here to read when you're able to update.

(yes I'm still reading, even if I don't comment as much now. Hi!)

[fizzmaister]

Cleveland was pretty bad, being cold and miserable and the most astonishingly tourist-unfriendly place I have ever visited; the play was very good, brought down only by the poor choice in actual play.

I tried to warn you. The astronauts tried to warn you. Why didn't you listen! Oh and don't worry about the update. I live on grad school time. Things just sort of happen, and then have to be dealt with. Even if you have some sort of update structure, your posts always come as a pleasant surprise.

[Deme]

Actually, the science center -- where they noted how many astronauts had come for Ohio -- was the best non-play thing we saw. I liked it a lot more than the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, which as it turns out, is not a terribly good place for an autistic person to be.
...Really should have seen that one coming.

Chapter 58: So Quiet

Spoiler

Show

Spring - 24 - xxx2

This morning, we had a talk.
"I'm so..."

I can only nod.

"...Person, one who depends so much on me... and there are so many things that I don't know."
"When you say it like that... I'm actually relieved."

"Relieved?"
"Yeah. I thought it'd be disloyal...Or supportive... I'd make you nervous or unhappy if I said so, but if you're already nervous, it's all fine!"
Wait. That doesn't sound better at all.
"I'm scared, too. I don't know anything about how to be a good dad... But hey; we're in this together, right? We're not clueless alone."

This made her laugh, and she seemed to find some comfort in our terrible, terrible ideas.

I hug her and go do the chores; I have to hurry, since it's a festival today.



The swimming festival's rules and instructions are the same as last year's.
It's all the same as last year.


Except the prize. How do you work out what a month's worth of lumber is? All the lumber you could chop in a month?
Oh, well.




This year, though, I'm swimming without the distraction of cheating gods; it's gotten through the heads of your various supernatural folks that I want to do things on my own merit. If I do things, even good things, because of someone else's demands or whims for who I ought to be...


That's no different from letting dad run my life. I didn't like the life he wanted for me... But now that I've got some distance, I think someone could have liked it.
...Wait. Seriously? That's what I think?


I'm so taken-aback by that thought that I barely register that I've reached the buoy.


I let myself chuckle a little at the griping.
"Sure, laugh...You get to win."
"Laughter is the finest prize," I say, totally making something up.






And then they want... A picture. I should have been more vigilant.



Wait. Who are you? Are you the 'wandering' cameraman? Is it that other guy?
"Tell me the truth!"
"...Just ignore him."
"...Sounds like a plan."


Summer - 25 - xxx2

We talked finances -- while we want to start saving for the long-term sort of expenses, and we do need more money for that (a lot more), living expenses here are so small, and we're so self-sufficient at this point for food, that we don't really need to worry too badly. Right away. We can not panic, if we put it in those terms.
And we have the bed. *sigh* Now I'll have to be grateful for that stupid goddess.

Summer - 26 - xxx2


"Everybody worked so hard. To take care of their families..."
"We'll be up to it, right? Anyway, they say 'it takes a village,' and we happen to have one..."
Yeah. If need be, I can ask people for help. Yeah. Ok.

She finds that slightly more sincerely reassuring than I do.


A month's worth of lumber, huh? That's not really a lot at all.

In town, my efforts to try and get some advice on this whole matter from the midwife are met with a sort of brushing off.

"No one likes a fussy father."
That so? My dad was fussy, but not the sort of fussy I am. More perfectionist, less nervous.
Anyway, what am I supposed to do if not worry, huh? I don't know what to do.

I head to the bar in the evening, since it's been a while.


I won't say I feel I feel old... But I feel older. I guess this worried near-exhaustion from worry is what they call 'maturity.'

Summer - 27 - xxx2

"How're you feeling, honey?"

"For me baby, for myself... The body's an amazing thing."
"I meant, like, morning sickness or anything."
"Oh, no worries. I'm OK -- my family's women are made tough."



Given what a cute couple they are, I guess I can see why Maria's mom married the mayor -- he must have layed the sweetness on heavy.

Summer - 28 - xxx2

Today, I haded down to the vineyard, to see how things are going. You know, I haven't seen Karen around in ages. Is she in seclusion? Or have they had to lock her in her room so she won't get at the wine?
I try to ask Kai about it, but...
"Kai, any news about Karen and the baby?"
"What, you mean, like..."


Not what I meant, but interesting.
I'll file that knowledge away -- I haven't even considered a preference, or if I have one. Well, I guess if I end up developing a wish or something, there's time for that. No need to worry about things I don't need, right?

Summer - 29 - xxx2


Mikuru's started producing more milk today -- that's pretty great, since she's the last cow not on Large Milk.

I head up into the mountain, but rather than going straight to the village afterwards, I stop by the Vineyard hoping to see Karen, since it has been a while. I explain my concern, but she just shrugs it off,
"I've been feeling sick, that's all. Nothing super-serious, just baby stuff." She pauses and gives the matter some thought before saying, with more her usual smile,

"I owe you a lot, and Kai and I think of you as like family... So I want the baby to think of you like family, too."
There's something in the sincerity of that gesture that just brings the warmth to my heart, and I walk away smiling madly and involuntarily.

And the rest of the day, like the days before it, passes quietly.

So...Let's talk about things. If you haven't noticed, we're running out of things to do and talk about pretty hard now; all that's really left is waiting, maybe a handful of dialogues here and there, for the next extended period. This does not make for a great LP, I know.

I'm not quite sure how to handle it. My big thought is to skip around a lot more. When something interesting happens, I'll stop and point it out and write about it, maybe doing things with the transitions.
My question for you is -- what's interesting for you guys (new dialogue? New dialogue that's interesting? New dialogue that I can write about? Successful activities, scheduling, festivals we've already seen before without too many big changes? That sort of thing is what I'm thinking about), and how much of those at once would qualify as a satisfying amount for an update?

[Javan]

Science!

I support the skipping around.
As for what's interesting, dialogue that's interesting or that you can write about, presumably they should overlap somewhat.
Amount wise, I would say wait until enough has accumulated that you can make a decent sized chapter even if it delays the update.
As for the passage of time / transitions you can take the Princess Bride approach, "So what with one thing and another 'x amount of time' passed"

[Deme]

Science!

Amount wise, I would say wait until enough has accumulated that you can make a decent sized chapter even if it delays the update.

That's why I'm asking. I have no idea what constitutes a decent-sized chapter. In Moemon, that's a gym or small area. In HM64, it's been about 3 days, lengthening as the days shortened. In Azure Dreams, it was a trip to the tower or a trip to town.

...Man, I miss Azure Dreams.

[Javan]

I was referring to total post length, I don't really know how many in game days should be covered.
When you have enough that is interesting to make a post that is the length of your average post, go with that, this will mean a variable amount of game time has passed between each post.
It looks like the average post length is 40 images plus text, so when you encounter something interesting, however many images you feel necessary to present the situation gets added to a buffer, when the buffer hits 40+ post an update.

[Deme]

Seems reasonable enough. I'd say an even 50, + or - as the intuition strikes, stopping for major major events sounds like a good idea.

[Deme]

Chapter 59: How Now, Brown Cow?

Spoiler

Show

It was the last day of summer, where the sun was still hot and the air still whined with distant cicadas.
Perfect time to see the ranch, while the grass is green and Grey's flowers are still nice.

I find Popuri out in the sun, finger on her lips thoughtfully.

"What sort of names are you thinking about?"
"Oh, a floral is the best; It has to be a plant-based names. I was thinking Rose for a girl -- or Blossom. Or Willow... Maybe Iris?"
"And if it's a boy?"
"...Well."
"...Uh."
*sigh*
"...I'll think of something."
*sigh* Go figure. Maybe Grey can name a boy for a horse. Or for his favorite thing. Yeah, little baby Awkward Silence.
I wonder if Elli has any ideas. I mean, I'm sure something will occur to me.

I end up heading through the back part of town, and go looking for medicine -- more for Elli than for me, since I'm not the one growing an entire person.
When I said that, he asked,
"Why, is something wrong? What sort of symptoms does she have?"
"Well, no, just...Precautionary."
And then he laughed.
"...There are times I think you remind me of your grandfather. But, just then... You were entirely your father's son."
"Ugh. The person I'd least like to be like." I'm never saying something is precautionary as long as I live.

"Do you know why I said that?"

"...I don't. I have no idea why you'd have such a low opinion of me all of the sudden."
I can't help but smirk at my own witty reply. Weak.


"He wanted you to be somewhere quiet and out of the way while he handled your mother's affairs."
That does sound like him, but for some reason, the old Potion Shop dealer looked unsatisfied.
"...That's not exactly right, but. Well. You get the idea... And he came by here to make sure I knew my stuff about medicine, and wasn't going to do something foolish in the name of 'medicine.' And I asked him why he was so concerned -- was there something wrong, some special care you'd need living here...
And his sheepish face was just like yours when he said 'Well, no. It's just precautionary.'"

"...Seriously?" I don't remember anything like that -- I wonder if I was even there.
"You're more like your Grandfather in your temperment... But the way you think about family is the same as your father." He looked up at me, and I suppose even he could see how absolutely offended I was at that, because he said, shaking his head, "Learn from that -- because that's for better and for worse, with you."

Ugh. I couldn't keep my mind on anything all day, and Summer went out with a wimper.

It being the first day of fall, meant, among other things...

That it was Elli's birthday.
I felt a little ashamed; for all the talk of having enough money, I couldn't find anything to give to my wife other than some of her favorite snacks.


"Pf. It's nothing," I mutter, reflexively trying to defend my indefensable choices.
"I don't need fancy things... If you want to give me a good present, be sure to be home for a big dinner, OK? I don't want anything else."
I smile, cheered if by nothing but her own cheer. She at least has a good feeling about her birthday, and...



These guys.


"Love memories <3."
...Love...Memories...?


"You're so wonderful, sugarpie!"

They do know this is private proper-- Oh, heck with it.
Nevermind.

Why not just let them enjoy love, right?



Though maybe they could tone down the PDAs. I don't need to see your tongues, people.



I end up having to run back inside, having forgotten a tool, when...

"...Around here."
They aparrently actually had something to say. Who knew?

Anyway, I quickly give them some directions.


Now, hopefully, they'll learn to stop making out when they've got places to be.




...I had a part in this. The reason this moment is occuring can at least partially be traced back to me.
The world has changed, because I am in it. That's a feeling I've had, here and only here. That's...Not something I think my dad would understand -- only 'success' matters, not actually mattering.

...


They didn't learn anything.



I go check up on the Vineard, if the couple is around.
"Any sign of a pair of oddballs? They won't get in your hair, will they?"
"Visitors used to be popular this time of year -- so they said, and it looks like this is happening again."

"So that's a good omen!"

Well, if you put it like that... Good for them. And good for me, not having to deal with them.

We had a quiet dinner together that evening, just Elli and I. As we laughed together over the fish she'd cooked, and the cake she'd baked for herself... We sort of realized: this birthday and my birthday...Would be the first times, and the last times for 18 years, where it was just the two of us celebrated.
Knowing that, I had to pull her close and prove that I am a much, much better kisser than either of those redheads. They were just so sloppy about it.



The next day, Kent came by, offering his reccomendations for the cow festival.

But...Honestly, I'm hoping I can win with Clara. She was my first cow, after all. My Clarabell.

I was sharing some of what I found in the fall mountains, the fruits and mushrooms, with the carpenters (I'd set some mushrooms aside for the harvest elves.)


"Men should be able to cook!"

And I got a recipe for it.

"Carelessly. But it's better in these mountains..."

...I also got scolded.


The day after that, Mr. Green came by, asking about who I'd enter into the contest.



"Select one."


Selecting which cow I wanted to pick was pretty hard. By which I mean it's hard to tell them apart; they've got a lot of similar features, and I'm pretty sure most of them do no know their own names, so why worry?


"The best choice?"
But at last, I find Clara and pull her forward.




We'll be there! We're sure to win!

And soon it was time for the Cow Festival, on Fall 4th.

The festival was the same as last year during the judging phase, though I think the milk was better. Maybe because one of them's mine, if I'm being smug.


Certainly, everyone agreed! I knew Clara could win this year!

I will happily accept the applause of my peers. And everyone else, since I've never had a good sense of when someone was or was not my peer.


Green Ranch in second, and no one cares about the third place guy. I've never heard of Bud Village.




In the days after the festival...

Basil came to say farewell.

"See you next Spring!"
I wonder if that'll be my last Spring here... Well. Not if I have anything to say about it.
And I do.


I realize how badly I've been neglecting to buy seeds for the greenhouse; it's empty of replanatables.

But later, when I correct it, I'm still off by one. Oh, well.

But more than that, I get to bask in my prize...

Clara giving special, high-class milk. Prizewinning milk. So special it needs to be carried in gold bottles.
For marketing, really, but shh.

It seems to be good marketing, too, since I have people coming to admire Clara.


It's the Festival Girls.


"A picture? Yeah, I guess." Fact of the matter is, I still can't refuse cute girls.
"Yaaay!"

We gather around Clara and take a picture of this lovely little autumn scene -- girls, cow, beautiful fall weather... The works.


"You're welcome!"

"That'll be great." It'll be one for the album.


I find everyone these days mulling over the new season, already old despite having freshly fallen.



"I've never even heard that saying."

And despite getting scolded for it before, when I found a good mushroom...


The lead carpenter praised me and said he'd show me how to use it.

I doubt there's much more room in the recipe book Elli gave me; it's nearly full.


I get called from my work one evening, The 5th, by Mr. Green.

"Thanks! I'm glad I had a better go at it this year."

"I'm up for that!"



I told Elli I'd be home late, and headed out for a little victory party.

Everyone was saying...That they were impressed by how much some dumb city kid had managed to accomplish. And small talk, the seasons, the bartender sighing over wine from wild grapes, that sort of thing.


In the next days, I noticed, among other things,

that Miruku's milk had gotten bigger, too.



The letter with the photo came in, too... I'm not keeping the letter, though. That's asking for comical misunderstandings.

It's a slightly more self-centered photo than I was expecting, from the posing. Oh, well.

Anyway, I'm sure to stop by the bar later, when I remember the bartender sighing over the wild grapes -- after all, they're available easily this time of year, so I bring him one.
He smiled in that sort of wry way of his and nodded.

"Make cocktails for nights like this."

"Thanks, I'll be sure to try it out!"
He laughed.


"Eh, I'm good for at least one beer before I head back. She doesn't expect me until 9, because of work. And I'll be back by 7, so I could even be home early tonight."
"You've certainly gotten your life just about figured out."

"Just for the moment...I'm still not sure what's up ahead." I admit -- about my dad, and about my baby. They're on my mind about the same time... Because...
They're both so uncertain. And so demanding. They both ask... So much of me, but for different reasons.

Technically, the baby asks nothing -- I could just run for the hills. But... Because it needs everything, and asks nothing... I already feel the need to do everything.
My dad needs nothing, and asks everything -- that I fly 'right,' that I make a lot of money, that I be the best and most successful and not shameful and all that BLEG... And because of that... I've spent a lot of time wanting to give him nothing.

Thinking like that... Before I knew it, it was already Fall 8th.

Feedback on the format and so on is greatly appreciated here!

[fizzmaister]

Yeah, I think that's the best way to deal with the drought of new and interesting lines. The format it good. The chapter was fun, but quick. Although some of that might just because it was light and the days went by fast.

Also, I think you're lysDexia is firing up

Mikuru's

[Deme]

I will say that it was relatively easy to do, once I knew what I was doing.

...Also. I have no idea what you mean >.>