Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
I actually have reproduced the things I lost this morning, so that's a bit less trouble going into it when I'm at home. I also, just for the joy of the game, sort of played the next few days (unsaved) for the lulz, and found them full of stuff for me to write about.
Also, that last question for Elli, on reflection, allowed me to reconcile Mineral Town "Nurse" Elli from the Elli in 64. I still think the 64 versions of everyone is better... But the two become closer to different interpretations of the same thing.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
Chapter 19: At Last!
Spoiler
Summer - 21 - XXX1
The morning passes quietly enough, I suppose. When I head up to the mountains, though...
I stumble on a moment that felt...A little private. Not very private, but enough that I held back.
It's not eavesdropping, it's being conveniently-located!
Elli and Maria crouch by the low remains of a fire. Elli's face is red from the heat, and she moves to wipe the sweat off of her neck.
"Alright, they look almooost ready. I've got a few herbs from the surroundings and I think we can add some acid from one of these fruits..."
"The effort I put into cooking the fish...I know it's not exactly worth the fish's life...But I want the energy it put into living to be worth something special, even if that's not continuing living."
She says that with a determined smile. It's something startlingly beautiful on such a gentle, warm face. I get the impression...That expression, at once kind and iron-girm, will be burned into my mind for a long time.
Elli breaks the tension with a laugh.
"That sounds wierd, huh?"
"I-I think I understand..."
"It's like that with Fox, too. He brings me eggs sometimes... But those eggs are probably worth a lot to him, since he works hard to buy and raise his chickens. So even if he'll never taste it, I want what I make with those eggs to be a worthwhile payment..." A dreamy sky escapes herself. "But that doesn't make it make anymore sense, huh?"
She's thinking about me?
Maria blushes.
"N-no...I think it does."
She thinks about me...
"It's ready."
"I'm sure it's delicious."
I try and sneak by and not interrupt their meal...
But she's thinking about me. It's like a sudden wave of happiness. And trouble.
"Yeah, I know about them...Since you brought this up last time."
"Oops. Well...I think it's OK to tell you...There's one buried on your farm. The lost fruit of the King's Tree..."
"King's Tree?"
"It's a story even to me. But that's what the goddess says they are."
"I see... I'll have to ask about that story when I've got some spare supplies to call her with."
He nods.
"Stories are important, especially to humans. You, too, are part...Of a larger story."
...That's....I feel like someone just walked over my grave.
I pass Elli's granny on the way through my business.
"Heya. What's on your mind today?"
"Oh, Hello, Fox. I was just thinking about time."
"Time?"
"It's like a rapid river: the closer to the sea it gets, the slower it flows..."
"I've heard time goes faster as you get older, though."
"That may be true to a point...To a young man like you, time surely moves faster than it did when you were a child...But time's really made by putting pressure. Elli's always so worried...That you're putting too much pressure on your time."
"Is she now?"
The old woman laughs.
"I've raised a meddlesome girl...But she means well. Watch out for her, dear."
She returns to her state of half-doze in the sun.
"Heya, Elli."
"Hello, Fox. Hey...Umm..." She fiddles with her apron.
"Your granny said you were worried about me." She looks a little relieved that I brought this up without scowling.
"Well...A bit. One of the carpenter's assistants came and said you've been logging...At midnight."
I do sort of do that.
"...Well... I don't actually know Dad's margin of success when it's not defined by seemingly-random academic, personal, skill-based, and professional goals...So I don't exactly know what 'reviving the farm' is. And so I'm thinking it's everything. So I want a better house and yard, too."
"Your dad's the one wanting you to revive the farm?"
I shake my head.
"He hates the whole idea."
She her face goes slack as the idea hits her, and then tight with frustration as she actually realizes what all that means.
"Then why does it matter to *you* what he thinks is success?"
"...Because if I don't show him I can revive this place in...About two years now... I go home with him and he owns my life. I mean, more than he already did."
"That's...That's crazy."
"I know, right?"
"Well, it's kind of crazy that you're going along with it, too. I mean, why gamble on your passion?"
"Because otherwise, I have no passion. Dad wouldn't let me *do* anything other than what he wanted until he did this. This two years..."
"It's life-or-death of your heart, huh?" Smiling at me softly, Elli nods.
I laugh.
"Something like that...I think you're right; you've got to do your best." That's...Who Elli is. She's someone who does her best to follow her own heart. And when you lay it out like that...I really end up admiring her.
"I don't plan on losing."
She looks at me with wide eyes, like she didn't expect that from me. Then she smiles and it's like I've come home from some long journey, and reached the place she wanted me to reach...
"I'll be rooting for you. Just...Please."
"Don't worry, I will. I can't leave people crying over me!"
That idea's a little novel, actually.
And the notion of it, the wierdness of having people to cry over me...
Well, it follows me through my day.
I sort of don't talk about my day when it's not people-related. There's not a lot to say...Today I shop a bit.
The rest is routine -- I go through it almost like a meditation.
I chase down the chickens and collect the eggs.
I give Lambo and Clarabella my love and some attention.
I finish up any watering that needs doing.
And I head to the bar.
...
Where Karen's on the ground, red-faced and probably very drunk.
"Miss Karen? Are you alright? Do you need walking home?"
She tries to bat his hand away, but ends up without the force for it...So her hand just curls into his.
"I'm fine. No one shaid I wasn't fine...Just fine...You nee *yawn* need to not lose, too... Doeshn't the world only move if you make it? Move the world...Ha."
She straightens and wobbles past me out the door.
"That's all you can do, I think."
"Yes...I just hope I can do it...If only for Miss Karen's sake, anyway."
I look at him for a moment. Kai's normally a pretty chill guy...But Karen's the one who always gets him worried. He's got it bad, doesn't he? If he worked up the nerve to ask her out...What would she say?
It's an uneasy feeling.
He leaves after her, and the rest of the patrons file in.
Gray, of all people, waves me over.
"...Don't...Don't let Ann do all the talking. She'll step over you."
"I thought you didn't want me talking to Ann."
He waves his hand. He's maybe -- well, I'm gonna guess he's just a little bit drunk. Not very, but he's loose-tongued.
...Well, looser.
"...Yeah, I could see that."
He nods. That appears to be the limits of his conversation.
I say hi to Zack, Cliff, Harris, and the Bartender, but it's nothing worth noting...
And...
I said I wouldn't hurt myself, and I don't intend to...But I do intend to finish up getting a big stock of lumber, and maybe seeing what to do with it.
In the moonlight, my axe seems to have gone all silvery. Or...I look at it closely. It feels lighter, but...Stonger, too. Like my watering can...
It seems my axe has grown in strength.
With it like this, I can clear a stump in two swings. I need to get my hammer and the like this way, too.
It ends the day on a nice, triumphant note for me.
Summer - 22 - XXX1
We've got a lot of lumber; I think I'll see about that upgrade. Or at least repairs.
Corn! Tomatoes! So much croppage!
Even with Argos to help, it takes a lot of time to get it all done.
And...I got a letter. It's got nice, crisp handwriting on plain paper, but...It smells a little bit like blackberries. I step inside the kitchen, and for a second I'm not sure if I couldn't just leave my pies on the counter and have them bake just fine. Sometimes, it's enought to make me feel faint... I bet you're not prepared for the heat without AC, huh? Take care
- Elli
Yeah, actually...I mean, the city's pretty hot because of all the concrete, but... I generally tried to stay inside in the summer. I've got my hat to protect me from the sun a little, though...
So I'll probably be OK.
I go up to the carpenter's shack -- or what I'm guessing is the carpenter's shack, since the guys I think of as 'the carpenter's assistants' hang around there...
It's...Actually, it's a lot like my house. My grandpa had all the interior decorating skills of a guy living in the woods.
"So...What do you do here? Like, repairs, or..."
I turn to the old man in charge.
"We do extensions, mostly. I can post up a list of what your grandpa always thought could have been done, give it a look-over..."
"That sounds good."
You couldn't just...Tell me? With words?
The man smacks his pipe on his table and begins to write. Ok, probably not.
Holy...
That greenhouse is expensive...But it looks like I can afford a kitchen right now, so that's something.
Besides, I can sort of imagine Elli's face when she hears I'm getting my own kitchen...Ack! Ok, falling in like with 4 seperate girls, I can handle as an acceptable level of human idiocy.
Making major decisions based on that, I will not!
But I will get a kitchen.
"Yeah; I think it'll be useful."
"Give me the lumber and money then."
"...Alright."
I also buy some grass seeds...
And run into Elli there.
"Heya; sorry to hear about your heating problems."
"Oh, it's nothing. I'm glad you got the letter, though...I just...Was thinking of you."
She fiddles with her apron. She's really cute when she does that, which...Well, it makes my life more complicated.
I suppose I'll have to endure, too... I'm actually trying to get a kitchen added on to my house."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Her face rises like baking bread, that warm round beaming I was picturing. Even though I pictured it, I end up starting a bit, seeing her so happy for me. "I'll have to make you a recipe book, for whatever you learn to make! Oh, and..."
I wave my hands in protest.
"There's no need to go through any trouble..."
"No, no! Nothing's really a home until it's got a kitchen. That's the way I see it. Think of it as a housewarming gift."
"Well, if you put it like that...Thanks, Elli. It's good to be home."
As I step outside, I wave to Harris.
"Hey, Harris...Why do I get so many letters from people who live just in town?"
He seems to give it some thought.
"Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but..."
"It's a connection you can't get speaking."
"Yeah, maybe...Thanks, man."
I also sort of end up heading into the church for a moment of cool...Accidentally walking into class. All the village kids are hard at work...Or something looking enough like it for the parson.
"Ah, Mr. Fox...Would you mind helping me check up on everyone? I'm sure they won't mind the extra help."
I see Kent slide something under his little table/pew thing, from under his books. Oh, like heck they won't. They're kids.
"How's it going, Stu?"
"I'm drawing a flower today."
"...Is that what you're supposed to be doing?"
"I'm supposed to be drawing shapes, but a flower is made of shapes, so I'm drawing shapes in the shape of flowers...Don't tell Kent, OK?"
"I won't, I won't..."
"Well, maybe for next spring."
"That'd be great!"
"How about you, Kent? What are you supposed to be doing?"
"...Math. Say, Bro... Do you have to add stuff and subtract stuff a lot?"
"Well, not as much as I used to...But I need to make sure I have all the money I need for all my purchases, and know how much money I'll have left over, and if what I'm spending will be worth it...And as for more complex stuff, I don't do a lot of complicated math, but I'm glad I learned it."
Am I seriously being called on as a role model? What is wrong with this world?
"...Why?"
"I wanted to know if I needed math."
"Sorry. You do."
He sighs and actually tries to buckle down and do some math problems from his book.
"...But here's something to keep you going."
"Want me to teach you?"
"...Only if you write it out so I can say it's relevant to school."
"...Alright..."
With that done, I say hi to a few more people and head home, where the carpenter is waiting for me.
"Alright. It all looks..."
And I'm not at work for more than a minute before...
Kent's arrived, lugging a large, heavy shopping bag.
"He said I should thank you for the egg..."
"Well, thanks, Kent. So what is it?"
It was a miniature watermelon.
"Wow, that's nice! These are hard to get."
"Grandpa likes to pickle the rinds."
In the heat, the sweet juice is so nice...Yes, watermelon is a great summer treat.
"Glad you like it."
"See ya!"
Well, since I've got a day or two of grass for both...
I'm bringing the animals outside.
My life needs more cowbell.
And they're gonna enjoy some nice night air.
And I'm going to enjoy a drink.
Orrr....Not.
I immediately go scarlet and fluster about, spilling my water.
"Well. I. Uh. That is...I..."
Don't say another word until you have an answer. Don't say anything that'll break a heart. ...Will he tell Elli?
"...I'm...Not sure?"
Yeah, like that won't hurt someone. I didn't ask to meet people I really liked!
"...What should I do?"
...She likes me? Well, I may have just screwed that up...
I guess I should tread lightly, if she does. Let's be honest: I'm not a good sort of guy for a girl like that. My future's uncertain, and...I've never really tried the relationship thing before.
I go home and spend the rest of the night...
Clearing a crop patch. It's a little late in the season to be planting, but next season I want to move things down a bit, to more clearly define the grass and pasture space. I kind of want to find some paper and sketch out some plans sometime...
But that'll be a matter for later...
Summer - 22/23 - XXX1
The girl in my dreams grabs me by the hand. She sees my eyes narrow a little, but she keeps tugging.
She sits me down by the river and busies herself, a towel tied like an apron over her dress.
...It's a girly game, and I balk at it...At least at first.
Because ...And maybe because I urge my dreamself on -- I guess I missed a lot of chance to have a happy home life. It's my dad's fault, but...
Watching myself watch her, pressing her little cookies with the mud on her fingers, ruining a good towel...
In the dream, I can't bring myself to blame him. In the dream, I just want what I can get.
I end up eating the cookies.
She says, as I keel over...My stomach hurts a lot...I end up throwing up for a while...
And she gets her dad, a guy I can't even picture, to bring me home... She follows after, trailing her muddy apron. She looks...Really worried for me.
It's such a familiar worried face...
I ended up in bed for a while...
And the dream blends together like that.
Summer - 23 - xxx1
When I head outside, I see...
A morning greeting.
"Well, I was on swim team for a while because it's a sport where no one can hit you...Why?"
Why was I in a sport where no one can hit me being important? Because there was no way I was getting beaten up for Dad's dumb mission to do everything humanly possible at the cost of my school-age soul.
"Truth is, the sea festival is tommorow at the beach and we don't have enough participants."
"Yeah, sure."
"So please come tommorow."
"Yeah, alright."
I figured I could look at the tool shop today, in case there's something neat...
And Ann's there, too...Which actually brings a thought to mind...
"Hey, how did you end up running this place, Rick? The rest of your family seems like it's in a different world..."
Ann jumps in then.
"He takes after grandma. In all sorts of ways..."
"Hey!"
"Oh?"
"Rick's side of the family ended up holding onto them."
"I see..."
"I have lots of success...With explosives."
"But how many of them start out that way, huh?"
"Science is about the journey!"
It starts as a little chuckle...But by the end of it I'm laughing pretty hard.
"See? Fox gets it...All the same, I don't want you giving up, alright, Rick?"
"No, it'd be a shame, impromptu comedy routines aside."
Anyway, I look over his single ware: an ad for something.
And then suddenly we'll be in Animal Crossing...
Well I do like that...
But that's kind of expensive.
"...I'll think about it."
I also see if there's anything on the shelves...
"...If you say so, Rick."
"What's that mean?"
I'm cutting through the village when I run across...
A simple childhood scene, with Stu and May playing...Well, I'd guess house. Maybe I'm still thinking about my dream.
Elli walks in behind me, stopping next to me on the little bridge. She doesn't even think to talk...We just sort of end up watching this.
"It never works, kiddo."
Even if the kids don't here my mumbling, Elli does.
"When I was a kid, I played house all the time..."
"I didn't really end up playing a lot as a kid...Not that I remember clearly. But I played knights sometimes."
She laughs again.
"That's...Almost hard to picture. I can't see you fighting...You're not that sort of guy."
"Yeah, I'm a grudge-nurser..."
"Not at all...Maybe if I picture it as a streak of romanticism, slaying dragons and rescuing princesses...I can imagine that from you."
"Yeah, maybe...I'm into that sort of fantastic thing...And, anyway, nothing wrong with wanting to be a hero, right? But I guess in the end, play isn't destiny...Except maybe for you. Did you do any baking in your play?"[/color]
I turn the teasing on her a bit...But the nostalgia's a little sincere. It's because I like being a hero, maybe...That I ended up doing some of the stuff I do. I'm not a hero, but I'd like to be. Does that make sense?
She puffs herself up, her face trying to keep a serious pride and falling out of it like make-up coming off in the rain and revealing the soft, radiant skin beneath the clownish powder.
"You know, things like mud pies or cookies..." She looks at me, then, trying to tilt her head this way and that to see something... I don't know what she's looking for, but I try and keep my face level so she'll find it.
"Hey, have..."
Am I allowed to have a dream that's just a dream? Still, I don't think I can picture... It being anyone else, trailing after me in a muddy apron.
"Yeah, that dumb kid was me."
She turns and flushes scarlet, like a secret got exposed. Maybe...I was the only one she actually tried to feed them to?
"...real cookies. I guess I wanted to see if someone would eat something I made...But it kind of went wrong."
"Eh, kids will be kids, right?...Still, I think I like your real cookies much better...But they were all made with love, so in the end, I'll eat it all."
She blushes more and lifts her head.
"Anyway, my break's up..."
There are workmen crawling around...I never know what to do with workmen about, so I go back up the mountains for some extra gathering.
And off I go to the bar, where Karen's hard at work.
"What's up? Feeling better after the other night?"
"Oh, that....Thaaat was emberassing. I kinda wish no one saw me that drunk."
"Eh, who doesn't sometimes cross their ideal line? It's not something I can fault a person for if they don't make a habit of it."
"Yeah... <3 That's why I guess it's OK that you and Kai saw...Even if there's not many people in the world I'd really trust...Somehow, you end up seeing me being dumb or weepy or like a kid...And that ends up OK."
Trust...Yeah. That's the feeling between Karen and I. If I go on and on about my dad, I know she'd get it. If she says how frustrating her world is, I understand... Whoever we are, we accept that in each-other, without settling...
Is that love? Maybe it is. How would I know?
I end up drinking with Kai.
"Karen says she doesn't mind that you see her drunk...That must be a little odd, huh?"
It's certainly something I didn't picture someone saying to me.
"A bit...But I'm glad to be someone she can confide in. She speaks firmly,"
"...Even if I don't have the courage to do anything for her...Just understanding's good, right?"
"I think so."
It's with a thoughtful heart I return home.
The problem with having all my animals outside in a space like this is... I can't get past them on Argos sometimes. It's a bit of a bother, but space is precious-ish for time, too...
Anyway, I've got stones enough for a much larger animal pen, so let's take some out...
And in doing so, upgrade my hammer. Score!
I eat an herb so as to not worry Elli too much, and it's into bed with me... Swimming tommorow, huh? Sounds interesting.
I apologize for any wierdness. Photobucket is trying new things and they are terrible.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
Hey, just wanted to pop in to tell you that this is a great Let's Play! The Harvest Moons are amongst my favorite games and you're doing a great job at building a story while bringing out all the cool bits.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of your writing!
Will you upload the whole thing on the LP Archive when it's over? I think it should be preserved for posterity...
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
Isn't the LP Archive strictly an SA thing?
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winterwind
Mewtarthio, you have scared my brain into hiding, a trembling, broken shadow of a thing, cowering somewhere in the soothing darkness and singing nursery rhymes in the hope of obscuring the Lovecraftian facts you so boldly brought into daylight.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
I do wish there was a good place to archive my other completed LP, and this eventually, too...Alas.
Also, I find myself both really liking Elli and agreeing that 'weaponized normalcy' is a fine description.
Anyway, I totally forgot! Next time, we'll probably get money for another sheep or cow, or enough for that storage space and then some. What should we do? Also, names.
And...My goodness, I'm forgetful, but since we've got the kitchen and will be able to cover most other lumber usages with prizes from various festivals in year 2 and dog-race prizes, there's not a lot of need to log at night right now.
What should we do when Fox is done his animal-tending and crop-watering?
Here's a few rough ideas...
#1: More Crops, come fall. It's worth noticing that no girl particularly likes the fall crop, so they'll be mostly for shipping.
#2: Generic Field Work.
#3: Fishing!
#4: Additional Gathering, possibly combined with any of the others.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
I'd go for more crops, but if Fox's money situation is alright and there are no girls to use the crops on, this might not be too important. On the other hand, in FoMT, Fall crops can single handedly change your money situation from alright to loaded, and that lets you focus less on making money and more on other pursuits during the next three seasons.
Generic field work is always good, we still need to find the power berry, and making the field OSHA OCD compliant is never a bad thing.
Unless there's some pressing fishing matter that must be done in fall, put it off for winter.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
Eh, more generic herbs and berries, but probably nothing too urgent. I'd say that it could be better to have some crops that are just there for the money -- getting a greenhouse, which will be viable lumber-wise come the dog race, can really change the game...But costs a lot of money, as does filling up the barn and such. Also, for money thoughts, we can also start saving for a greenhouse now, if anyone cares.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
Actually, I was sort of working on making my own LP archive as a side project, I just didn't know where to put it and I ended up indefinitely postponing the LP I was going to put on it.
If I could figure out a way to make hosting reasonable (the prototype is being served out of my apartment, and I think Comcast will not be thrilled if traffic picks up) and I actually finish building it, I could open it up to GitP. I'll be sure to let you know if I work it out, if you're interested.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deme
It's worth noticing that no girl particularly likes the fall crop, so they'll be mostly for shipping.
It took me a moment to realize shipping meant literally shipping the crops elsewhere. The sentence reads like a paradox otherwise. What have you done to me, internet?
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
The internet exists to ruin you. I mean, I used to do productive things. And then I took an arrow to the knee started LPing.
Chapter 20: 4 Days in a Chapter? Blasphemy!
Spoiler
Summer - 24 - xxx1
There's not much in terms of chores today -- no crops, nothing special...
Just the beach! I think I've mentioned that I was on the swim team (because no one tackles you or hurtles balls at you in swimming), but I've never actually swam...Dad never wanted to get away from his second wife, by which I mean 'working and pestering me.'
So I'm a little apprehensive...But hell! It's summer, right? Maybe there'll be some ladies in swimsuits, enjoying the salt air, the summer sun...
Doesn't violate neutrality just to look, right?
Buuut nope. It's just us guys. This is the worst-attended festival of them all, I think.
Part of me's thinking that it's just the satorial choices. Just looking up and down the line...
Well, I'm not the sort of guy who has a problem saying that Cliff's got a body to show off -- lots of surviving off the land and fresh mountain air, warm sun and hiking never look bad on a guy our age, particularly when he's got the long hair to work towards completing the 'Handsome Jungleman" look. But...
There's taking it a step too far and that step too far is called "loincloth." I....I really don't want to dwell on the possible non-wardrobe malfunction possibilities. Please. Please, brain. Stop making me dwell!
Uhhh..Uhhh....Oh, there's also Harris. That's less disturbing, so I'm reaaaaallly happy for it. But...Man, this isn't the Victorian Era. It's terrible, and yet...He looks so shy about being in a swimsuit at all...That I can't help but find his awkwardness there kind of endearing.
In contrast, Kai looks pretty sure of himself, either about being seen shirtless (Very nice. Someone's probably seen a few admirers in his day. I imagine tropical beaches are involved.) or about racing us in the water, I don't know. Jeff's nothing remarkable -- he's a bowtie guy to the core, even when he's not wearing a bowtie.
Grey...Looks like someone (I'm guessing his sister) forced him into this. The cowboy thing's working out pretty well for him...But the thing that catches my attention isn't what you'd expect. One of his legs has a big scar on it. I'm not an expert, but it looks old, and very precise -- it's straight, I mean. He sees I'm looking at it and turns himself away, folding his arms. Which is Grey for 'none of your business, damn city-slicker.'
...Oh. Right.
The mayor's been explaining the rules, like, this entire monologue.
...But I don't feel like I've missed anything.
...Wait. Isn't the end of summer a bad time to 'open' swimming season?
"The turnout may be...Less than stellar, but it looks like there's to be a great contest!
The winner will be the person who reaches that flag over there first!"
I turn my head. The flag's....A good way out. I'm not going to lie -- I have no idea what sort of current this place has.
"...Which does?"
"Well, according to legend..."
"That stuff aint real and you know it."
"It's a Katori and it's invincible! What more do you want?"
"I wanna be doin' somethin' useful..."
"I want to know what a katori is."
"It looks kind of like a pig."
"Some kind of pig-badger, maybe..."
"It's kind of got a pleasant look. It'd look good on a bookshelf. or a coffee table."
"Yeah, so it's a knick-knack?"
The mayor and Rick just sort of shrug at each other. The mayor laughs nervously.
"Well, why don't we take out places at the edge of the surf?"
Yeah, the less time spent contemplating how an pig-badger gets tested for invincibility, the better.
We're here...
And the flag is aaaaaaaalll the way there.
But I got this. I'm...Ok, I'm not anything that would help me got this. I'm determined! I won't lose and humiliate myself!
And then...Something whispers to me.
...No, not that! Jeeze, after I've done all this to keep the fourth wall...
"I've heard your desire...Feel the water...And you'll know the way."
...The Goddess is...telling me to cheat?
Bull.
I don't want to win because my prayers were answered. I want to win because I'm trying my hardest.
That said...
Kai takes off like a dolphin, blowing the rest of us away with sheer speed.
As I swim...I begin to see what the Goddess was trying to say. There's...walls of current. Hurdles of waves. I see them as my head goes below a wave, looming in the distance. They don't look like anything...I just look and know they're there. The path of least resistance.
I could take it, and I don't even know how. Magic, I guess.
But hasn't that just made me miserable? How do you lead 'a wonderful life' if that's your solution?
No...
I'm just better off taking my path, and going for that flag with everything I've got!
...And I do. I let muscle memory take over, and forget the ocean...Mostly, anyway.
We all end up swimming a much easier pace back to shore. Harris is the first to break the exhausted silence with a ragged laugh.
"I didn't think I'd win, so I'm happy with my effort."
"Well, you didn't give up halfway, so I'm thinking that's the right way to see it." Says Mr. Wants-to-Win.
Grey's shoulders are sagging.
"Yeah, but you were ahead of me for a while there."
"...You did good."
"Thanks, man." You take your Grey-credit where you can get it.
I nod. "...I think the ocean may have punched me."
I guess for not accepting its kindly offer.
"You feeling OK, Cliff?"
"Since I last went swimming. This feels great!"
Yeah, he looks like he could swim for a while longer. If we went another round, I'd totally lose.
"I didn't think I'd run out of my first wind so fast..."
"Yeah, we were sort of just discussing this."
I...I don't really care, Rick. I won. Winner-winner, sushi dinner.
"Of this special occaison! Everybody get in!"
He's so enthusiastic about what was sort of just a random swim meet...
That we sort of all end up lining up for a photo.
Wait.
Wait.
Who's this guy?
Is he...'The Wandering Camera Man'? "Say Cheese!"
If I weren't socially obligated to smile because you have a camera, I'd be so angry at you.
The camera flashes. We disperse.
"Harris, didn't you worry about losing your hat?"
"What about you?"
"...I...I didn't really think about it. It's just sort of there on my head."
Grey nods sagely. For one minute, we are all Hat Guys, part of a sworn brotherhood.
The sworn brotherhood involves drinking. I hope someone brought an ice chest.
Summer - 25 - xxx1
Yup.
It's a useless knickknack.
The tomatoes (except the ones that are desynced) came in today. It's a real comfort, having crops to pick. It just...Well, for one, it feels like money in the bank.
For another, it just feels nice, picking each tomato, letting the stems snap cleanly in my hand. It feels like...It's so dumb, but it feels like the plant's just letting me take them, without any resistance. Soothing.
"And look forward to your actions in the future.
-The Wandering Cameraman"
CAMERAMAN!
Well, let's see the photo...
I'm not nearly tall enough to be in the back row.
Well, on to work today.
First off...Time to see the Goddess.
"Information...What was that, yesterday?"
"Why didn't you use it? Don't you trust my advice?"
"I didn't want to cheat, that's all."
"It's not cheating to use your arms, is it?"
"What's that got to do with...Wait. Let me try asking this differently. What exactly were you doing?"
She pouts.
"I was just giving you advice...And...Maybe a little nudge to help you use it."
"A little nudge."
"...Just a teeny one."
Yeah. Sure. Right.
"I was just trying to help." She hautily lifts her chin.
And I'm about to argue about it...But that didn't get me anywhere last time.
"Thanks. Thanks...I'm fine, though. Really. I like doing stuff on my own, now that I'm used to it."
"Alright, then! Do your best, Fox!"
A little cheered on...I spot Popuri on the cliff. Climbing the tree's easier this time...But I really feel the ocean's punch.
"Heya."
"But you're doing much better, so that's really amazing!..I kind of envy you."
"Wha?"
"You're on your own, and...You're growing so much, too. You smile more now...And it's an amazing smile. There's no one who'd call you childish..."
She looks down for a minute, gathering her thoughts like string around a spool. Then a bright smile comes along.
"But then, I bet a guy like you came out of the womb going 'huh' and not smiling it all -- so maybe you're just as childish as me!"
"Is it a bad thing, to be childish?"
She looks at me like I just unravelled her.
"What do you mean?"
"Well...Being able to think about things differently from other people, being able to enjoy something as simple as a mountaintop to the point where you drag me into it...I dunno. You bring a better and more interesting world with you."
She grins.
"Thanks. You...Bring a special world with you, too. It's a world where maybe things here...Can be different."
"Different?"
She giggles.
"You've got work to do, right? Get to it! Good luck!"
I really go through the rest of the day without incident, and have some time to go and maybe fish a little.
...Which is when my day develops incident.
"But...You shouldn't worry your mom and dad."
Karen turns away. I recognize that posture -- she's got her guard up...But also...She sounds like she's been crying -- her voice is worn out.
I wonder what sort of scene I've walked in on this time?
Elli shakes her head.
"They won't...They won't be around forever."
"Later...When you're all out of chances..."
Karen adjusts her hair.
"Nothing I can do can change what happens to them."
"...Bad thing. It's worse when a child falls victim to their parents, and ends up trapped in their lives. That's..."
"But I guess that's something you wouldn't know, right? That sort of love...Is easier when you can't see faults anymore."
Elli shakes, and turns away. She turns, and sees me on the path to the beach. She looks into my eyes, and her warm chocolate eyes melt into tears, shining rosey in the sunset. She stares at me as she speaks.
"Not working to love people whose love made your life possible...Not being there when they need you..."
I can't tell who she's talking to...But she's talking from herself.
She walks towards me. I reach out a hand towards her. If she meant that for me, then what should I say? If she meant that for Karen, whose defense do I go to?
Maybe she sees it in me, or maybe I'm paranoid. She just turns her body away and brushes past me.
Karen, though, doesn't turn to see me. Which is good -- I kind of want to run away.
"I'd regret it? Haaa...Ha." She lets forth an unsure laugh.
Yeah...I hope you make the one that makes you happy. And not just...What you think will make you happy.
Then again, how'd I know the difference?
But I'll miss her, if she leaves.
I leave the beach, and don't come back until I'm sure she's gone.
Then I do my fishing...
And even catch a fish!
And I head to the bar. Karen's in better spirits there.
"Yeah....I sort of forgot that last night."
"I can tell. On someone else's dollar, you go hog-wild, don't you?"
"Not normally...It's just been a while."
She laughs.
"Don't forget your limits -- that makes you no fun to drink with, and I intend to have some with you when we get the chance."
"Oh? You've still got plans here?"
She blushes.
"W-well, just a few...But I certainly can't leave without seeing if I can't drink you under the table!"
"Oh, one day, it will be so on."
"I'll be counting on it."
I till some soil and call it a night.
Summer - 26 - XXX1
There's a door in my wall. That's really, really creepy when you think about it -- I'm guessing it leads to the kitchen, and I'll check it out later, but...
While I was asleep someone cut into the side of my house and put a door there.
Thanks, carpenters, for the nightmares.
I turn around. The house does, in fact, have an extension attached. It's even bigger on the outside and everything!
I guess I knew that from the door, but...Come on.
"Thanks, guys."
I head inside...
They even added furnishings. And a little rug. And a fridge!
I stand in front of it and bask in the chilly glow.
That is amazing.
I go outside and realize Agros isn't where I left him.
"Agros! Agros!"
I whistle.
Agros comes running from the lean-to.
"Hey, boy! I hope all the sawing didn't scare you..."
Or whatever they were doing. I guess they put him up so as to not be in their way?
Aaaaug! But all my animals are inside, too. That's rather inconvenient, to be honest. They were in a safe pen, there was no need to move them...
Welp, there's my evening already determined.
I put a load of corn into the fridge. It'll cut into profits...But Ann will be thrilled.
And I find another little letter in my mailbox. The handwriting is...certainly...Energetic? Yeah, that's a nice thing to say. -Ann
They seem to be doing alright...But I'll try and do my brushing-down in the evening, when the work's done and the sweat's started to pile up on Agros.
I head up into the mountain...
And find Popuri on the ground by the tree. I rush through the distance between us.
"Are you alright?"
"...You were climbing the tree, weren't you?" I resist the urge to deadpan....Mostly.
"I guess I shouldn't have gotten too proud of my tree-climbing..."
"They do say pride goeth before the fall, after all."
"Yeah...I guess walking home on this ankle's the price I have to pay."
She tries to laugh it off. That doesn't surprise me...In fact, given how pouty she can be, I'm surprised she's so dignified, instead.
"Then you'll have to pay your penance some other way. I'll bring you home myself."
I dunno...With the leaves in her hair and a streak of green on the side of her face...I can't help but think she looks like some innocent and wild creature, a delicate and bright flower, with pink petals and a roselike center as her pink little cheeks redden in earnest.
"You always look good when you smile like that."
That's what I'd like to say...But I'm not sure about an what impression that'd give her, and I don't want to do that...
So I don't say that at all.
What I find myself saying is:
"You look cute."
Oh, like that's any better! All my body parts betray me!
"You know, your dad once compared women to flowers..."
"It's not that good a comparison. I mean, flowers don't do things like fighting, and they don't fall out of trees and make people carry them, either."
"No, but...Isn't that a little superficial?"
"Hey! You're stealing my job! I'm supposed to say insightful but odd things to surprise you!"
She shakes me a little, and we both end up on the ground, laughing.
"But...I think I see what you mean. Flowers don't fight...But there are people who make the world brighter. That sort of person's like a flower...Being a flower like that for someone, that should be everyone's goal."
When she says that as I lift her stem-like body, she gets an idealistic look...I guess it makes the thing my mouth was going to stir up trouble with, some trite little, 'you're like a flower to me,' sound really...Petty.
Beaten again.
I deposit her at the flower shop, where her parents begin to fuss.
Ellen turns her head in her chair to watch this. She chuckles.
"Things moving a bit fast for you again, dear?"
"...Maybe just a touch."
She nods.
"There's advantages to that flow of time..."
"Hmm....I bet you look back and see someone like me navigating the rapids, and know where all the rocks are."
"Yes...But it doesn't do any good to call back. There's no reason to rush your choices, Fox...You'll end up ramming into rocks like that."
I nod. So at least Granny gets what I'm at...
Though I'm not sure there really is a choice but to break all their hearts. So maybe not...
"The river meets the sea, rises into the sky, then..."
The river of a life, rising into the sky...
I'm suddenly reminded again of Grandpa's funeral, the smoke ascending up over the mountain...
"Life's the same, eh?"
I look back down to see the old woman, staring at the sky with an expression I can't read. She's smiling, faintly...But her eyes seem so lonely. I wonder if she's thinking...
About a trip to the sky she'll have to take herself one day. It seems so far off to me...
She doesn't move from there for a long time, and I wander away, back into the mountains.
"Hey, hey! I heard you got a thing!"
"A thing?"
"Yeah! For your dwelling!"
"A kitchen."
"That's right. One of them...So we all got together last night and made this!"
he pulls out a sheet of paper. It tingles on my skin when he hands it to me.
"What is it?"
"Open it when you get there! Happy Itchen-Kay!"
"...But...A kitchen's not a..."
He looks at me with full excitement.
"...Thank you."
I find Ann near the goddess's pond.
"Hey. I got a kitchen today, so I can finally put that recipe you gave me to use."
"Oh, really? Well, I'm guessing that means you officially beat me at cooking."
"I haven't even tried yet, besides my rice balls in the morning..."
"Still better. I'm hopeless at that stuff."
"Well, I guess we all have weaknesses, right?"
"I guess...Still, it's such a pathetic weakness for a girl to have."
"Eh, does it matter if you're a girl?"
She turns and shouts at me.
"Of course it matters! Dummy!"
I cower as she retreats.
I go home and look at what the elf gave me...
It's a tree. With...berries on it? Were they trying to give me a list of magic berries or something?
Well, I'll put it in the kitchen for now.
And go to tend my animals.
I think...I think Clara's actually grown up now. Certainly, the big cow who's in her stall is a totally different scale than my little Clarabella.
"I guess...You're ready for me to milk you, huh, honey?"
Clara moos.
"I'll take that as 'yes.'"
She's very patient with me as I fumble around with the milker...I don't really know how this works, but she's an absolute sweatheart about it.
"You're certainly much nicer than the first human girl I got to mess around with." Ugh, that was a terrible joke.
But I end up getting enough milk to fill a bottle. Victory! For now, it'll go into the shipping bin.
And I bring my livestock outside for the night. And work on my chickens, too.
"Remember when it was just you, Agros, the dog, and me?...We're coming along pretty well."
It's wierd to talk to a chicken about your accomplishments, huh?
Well, I guess I'm just a wierd guy.
So be it. Go my own way.
You'll regret it later!
No I won't. I definately won't. Right? Right....Right?
Summer-27-XXX1
Another ordinary morning. It's pretty peaceful here, and mornings like these tend to blend together.
On the other hand, summer's almost over, and I'm not really sure about something...Unlike my spring plants, they stay after a harvest. But to everything there is a season, right? So what should I...?
Well, I guess I'll ask Basil for advice.
"Hey, Basil. Any advice?"
What, not everything needs a shpiel.
"Advice, huh? Well, Fox, sometimes you need to compromise when a difficult choice comes along."
"...What?"
"When your heart's telling you one thing, and your sense of who you are is telling you another, it may seem like you have to cave one way or another. This isn't the case."
"...plants. And then one day, I met my wife in this little mountain town. It was love at first sight, and I wanted to set roots here...
But travelling's in my sap,"
Uhhh, what? You know what, I'll forgive it as a bad pun and move on.
"In the end, I couldn't give it up completely...It may not be perfect, but it's the best I can do for everyone."
I'm not sure I can apply that to my lady troubles...What, I love all these girls but sleep with them indiscriminately? That...That sounds pretty terrible.
"I hope that helps."
"...I meant more, like, what I need to do with my tomato plants."
"Oh, just take a sickle to them at season's end."
...See? Was that so hard? Geeze, Basil!
I find Elli at the beach, fishing today. I guess she was trying to fish the other day, when that went down.
"Hey, Elli...About the other day..."
"I got a little heated there, didn't I? I just wanted ...Her...To realize that the time they can have with the people who care about her...Is precious."
"...Because there's things you didn't get to do with your parents?" Is it insensitive for me to ask that?
She thinks about it, and smiles.
"Maybe I did...I don't mind."
Heh. That's certainly a healthy outlook...Probably. She smiles a bit more firmly and waves me off.
"You've got recipe collections to hang, young man!"
"You sound like an old woman when you call me that!"
"Just go!"
I walk away with Elli's laughter at my back.
At my farm, by contrast to all this complicated feeling stuff, seems to be going just fine.
"Well, Clara. You..."
I guess she likes being the biggest thing on the farm, basking in the sun like this...
"I'm glad I can make my favorite lady happy, Clara. Good girl."
I head up to the mountain after taking care of that...And I find...
Elli on the ground, looking at her foot with a concerned expression.
"You OK?"
Are these the world's most clumsy girls, or what?
"These banks can get a little slippery sometimes."
"I see..."
It's the perils of the mountains, maybe? And the vineyard. And bookshelves.
"Well, up you go."
"Elli... You're not that heavy." I laugh. She really isn't -- she's maybe a bit rounder than the other girls...But I guess a girl who works around sweets all the time gets worried.
"Besides, it's getting late. Even if you can walk home, it'll get really dark before you make it back."
"Then...Treat it as a favor for me. I'll be up worrying if I don't see you home."
"W-welll....I don't want you to worry."
She clings to me as I walk -- it's probably an uneasy feeling, being carried by someone...Or maybe she likes the contact? Ok, no. I'm definately not a girl like Elli's type.
Eventually, we arrive safely at the bakery, as the night falls. When we get there, I deposit her in a chair behind the counter, and then she smiles.
"Oh, Fox...I...I wanted to give you something."
"What?"
She looks modest and fiddles with whatever she has behind the counter.
"Well, I heard the carpenter's apprentices saying the work was done on your kitchen! And I decided to actually do what I said I was going to do, and give you a place to put your recipes."
"Wow, that's pretty neat."
"I asked around to see what you might have from around town and wrote them down...And when you get more, you can just untie the ribbon and add them. The hook means it'll hang..."
She looks kind of shy, like she's uneasy with offering me something that...Effortful. I don't think anyone's put that much work into something just for me before.
I take it eagerly, to try and put her at ease.
"This is...Amazing!"
She looks taken aback. Ack. Not enough at ease. Play it cool, man.
"I mean, I could have gotten a binder..."
"I know, but...I wanted...Ummm...Well, a kitchen's what makes a home..." She doesn't finish that. Her face just goes redder and redder as she talks.
"I like it. It's homey for my home."
She smiles at last, and I put her project in my backpack. It even has a little cover -- a few illustrations of elaborate cakes and cupcakes. It's hopelessly girly...But it feels so much like Elli that I can't help but like it.
I go back out and do some fishing, with great success.
...I'm not good at Fishing, so this is success, OK?
And when I get home, I hang up Elli's present.
The room seems bright, with the Harvest Sprite's present and Elli's gift.
They're little things. I've had better stuff -- my whole life was surrounded by better stuff.
But...I find myself looking at my little kitchen, that I worked hard for, with the presents of my friends...
And I feel like if I don't work hard, I'll lose it. And it'll be the biggest loss of my life.
Typo Report!
Spoiler
The original phrasing, split between two baloons, was 'Clara seem to be in a pretty good mood.' *sigh*
Oh, while I'm at it...There's an exploit we could do with our cow while she's like this. Basically, sometimes when you hit your cow with a tool, it'll change conditions to a state called 'angry' And sometimes it won't. Now, here's the thing: for some reason, the cow becoming angry grants you a huge affection boost. Now, this doesn't happen anytime, and attacking a normal-condition cow that stays normal is bad. But a happy cow, like Clara (at least, I think she's in a happy mood. I forget the way to tell, but this text isn't the normal one, and her face is always happy right now)....Will give you a small affection boost if you hit her and she stays happy, and a large one if she becomes angry.
In other words, infinite affection. But we're not doing that. We can get to our cow-based goals just fine without it.
The Invincible Katori
Doesn't do anything. I don't care what little Jimmy said on the playground, or what the first walkthrough you ever looked up on Gamefaqs (I tried printing it out. Dummy.) said.
Nope. Totally useless. People have checked the coding itself.
Since we only got one vote on the subject of what to do with our money, I may occaisonally ask again if that's what we still want. You're welcome to change your minds before that point...And here's another option for consideration: with Clara matured, she can have a baby. It's cheaper than an adult cow, but because she'll be pregnant and the baby will be a newborn at first, it takes longer than buying a cow.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
Nice to see Fox is smart enough to check with the architects before opening the mysterious door that wasn't there last night.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winterwind
Mewtarthio, you have scared my brain into hiding, a trembling, broken shadow of a thing, cowering somewhere in the soothing darkness and singing nursery rhymes in the hope of obscuring the Lovecraftian facts you so boldly brought into daylight.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mewtarthio
Nice to see Fox is smart enough to check with the architects before opening the mysterious door that wasn't there last night.
It's not exactly a matter of smart, since he had no reason to suspect weirdness (besides the door); Fox operates under the assumption that he lives in a universe that isn't so cruel as to have doors to nowhere or sudden pits of spikes or something. Of course... Fox is also under the assumption that a simple bathroom isn't somehow a portal into a blackened abyss in which you can lose small children and pets, and he's mistaken on that one.
Ehhh, while I'm at it...How's this going for you guys? I'm having one of those stretches of time where my general ability to judge my own work completely bottoms out and I become a bit paranoid, so I thought I'd just check in.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deme
Of course... Fox is also under the assumption that a simple bathroom isn't somehow a portal into a blackened abyss in which you can lose small children and pets, and he's mistaken on that one.
...You have to use a line like that in the LP itself. I don't know how you'd actually get it in without losing a small child or pet to the blackened abyss, but it must be used! That's hilarious!
I think the writing is at the same level of quality as your previous updates (generally high). I've just had little to say because I find Elli and Popuri somewhat boring as characters. That isn't your fault, the base for both of them is just somewhat blase.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
Well, I sort of have some ideas for bonus updates... These would sort of be semi-canon, or maybe even dream sequences: the info and stuff revealed would be true and maybe even reference in story, but would happen outside of the regular course of events.
The ideas I have:
Showing Everyone our Dog,
Getting Sick and Tended To By Various Ladies,
Showing Everyone our Baby (when it's born)
and I can totally lose some dogs, babies, and horses into a variety of mysterious abysses for Glitchy-Glitch Theatre. Come to that...
I wonder if you can end up with Invisible Chickens the way you can with dogs and babies?
*may need doing science to it*
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
All those sound good. I just wanted to pop in and say that I have been greatly enjoying your LP. I never played a Harvest Moon game before but now you're starting to make me want to play one.
__________________
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by Keld Denar
What can I say? When life gives you lemons, you BLOW THOSE LEMONS TO BITS WITH YOUR LAZER BEAMS!
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
I'll let that be our earliest one, then. Chapter 21: The End of the Summer of Blooming Love
Spoiler
Summer - 28 - 1
Some tomatoes came in. I guess this is close to the final harvest...Summer's nearly over.
I guess Summer ended up being the time for love, but...
Man, who knew having feelings meant you end up more alone? Wouldn't it just be better to have had some fun with them all and gotten run out of town when they realized I'm a creep?
It's what would happen! My version of it kind of ends with Grey shooting me.
I end up sort of on auto-pilot, wondering why this feels like a less annoying option.
I'm in the cave before I know what I'm doing...But while I'm here, I may as well ask:
"Hey, I was wondering...What's in that picture you gave me?"
"It's the king's tree!"
"And the King's Tree is?"
"Once upon a time, there was a great Harvest King, who lived on the mountain...But he was forgotten, and the mountain's peak faded as a place of power...But before then, he planted two trees. One's got the sweet-and-sour fruit, the other has the Fruit of the Harvest Moon!"
That's...A weird legend. Of course, I'm talking to an elf. It might be true.
"Why'd he do that?"
The elf shrugged.
"We're just mountain spirits."
"We?"
"You haven't ummmm...met again? emet-ray? That! You haven't yet, right? Come again, and we'll have a party! We can talk more then!"
I also run into Basil at the flower shop. His advice is sort of in my head, so...
"Hey, if you met yor wife here...Where are you from?"
"I'm from Green City..."
"Are in bloom. People travel the world over to collect plants to grow there."
"Wow. That's some impressive climate stuff..."
"It's an amazing city."
"But you're here."
He laughs.
"So I am. I think I've given my reasons...But this is an irreplacable place, as much as Green City."
Huh...An irreplacable place. That's a nice way to think about it...But isn't it the circumstances, and not the place, that really matter?
I didn't actually know...That she likes me. But...I don't think it'd work. And I know it'd hurt Karen and...Maybe Maria?
"Ww-well, I...I...That's..."
She laughs.
"You're so untested in the heart, aren't you? I'm worried she'll take advantage of you, at this rate."
"Ma'am, don't you think the reverse is more likely?"
"I did...For a while. That time's long over."
"So you don't think I'd end up being run out of town by various men with guns?"
And she just laughs and laughs.
"I'm sure you'll do your best, Mr. Ladykiller...But a woman always has the faster draw in love, even if she never lets you see the gun."
...Whatever.
Unlike the past while, where lunch in the library has been a bit of routine, comforting and unremarkable...Today's conversation was one worth remembering.
"Fox...I-I've been thinking...About things."
She fingers her pendant, the light reflecting off of it and onto her glasses.
"About that salesman?"
"A-and about what you told me..."
Somehow, even if she looks small and afraid... Saying that reminds me how tough she looked, talking to that salesman.
I don't even remember what I said next -- something trite, I think. 'Let's both do our best.' 'I'll do what I can to support you.' Something kind of meaningless like that.
"I-I don't know what I'll do later...Even tommorow...But all I can do...Is hope I can do it."
"I know you can."
She offers me a bright smile...
And we return to discussing our books.
As I question whether or not Grey owns a shotgun at the ranch, Ann pulls me aside.
"Hey...You don't need to worry so much about Grey."
"...Could have fooled me."
"He could use more friends, honestly...So try not to be too intimidated."
"...Are we talking about the same guy?"
"Yes!...He's just...Terrible. With people. He's better with animals."
I've been trying to be...Not unpleasant. Results have been...Mixed.
"I'll do my best, Ok? Because you asked."
She grins.
"Thank you!"
At the bar, I run into him. He's nicer when he's had a drink or two. Today, though, he looks...Thoughtfully distressed, maybe?
"Hey, what's up? You've got a weird pensive look."
"Do I look like I'm...I dunno, like..."
"Well that's good."
"It's not your business."
"I know...But I see you all the time, so I guess it's neighborly concern."
He snorts, like a horse.
Cliff, drinking on the table behind me, watches this and smiles thoughtfully.
"What's that for?"
I ask, smirking a bit more than usual.
"That's all."
"....Uhhh...Well..."
I've not really thought about it. She's...She's...Ann. Ann is Ann. She's...distinctly Ann-ish.
Attractive in a tomboy sort of way, energetic...She's a person who feels kind of pressure-less, someone who'll laugh about anything, and who talks to me easily and happilly...I think I know her pretty well, but...
But why's he asking me? Is he the one who'd have a shotgun?
"What if I said I like her?" My customary smirk is on full-throttle. Which means it's like .75 of a smirk. I'm not good at full-throttle. At least, I don't think I am.
He practically leaps out of his seat.
"I'll give you a cow, too!"
"...Seriously? That's...A little over-excited, don't you think?"
I was expecting a version where he threatens me a little. But when I ask that, he slumps down and sighs.
"...that so, huh..."
Do I see Ann as a woman? Well, I included her in my 'bag every girl in town' vision...But she doesn't act very girly, so I can see why it'd be hard to think of her that way...I dunno. In terms of being a friend, without any complicated feelings, just real friendship...
She's probably my best friend. I like that. And I think she likes being my friend, too. I'm not sure I'd want to complicate that...
So there. Deal with it.
I feel secure enough in that that I can go fishing...
And come away with a massive fish! Look at that thing!
An another!
I'm on fire tonight!
I end up with 3 great fish. How lucky. I'll put one in the freezer -- one of the big ones. It's a trophy if I need one, and if I don't, it's still a great catch.
...Of course, by the time I've stood there all night...
My resolution feels like a worm on a hook, dangling loose in the back of my head.
Summer-29-xxx1
This morning, I get up early and see the Harvest Sprite waiting eagerly in the little cave.
"You came! Come, meet the others!"
Others, huh?...I remember there being a lot when I was a kid...But these guys are mysterious.
He takes me into a little inner cavern. It's got a tiny table and tiny benches...But some big pots of...Something.
In the other corners, there's a small desk and a little worktable with tools that seem a little big for them, but a little small for me... I wonder...
And some bunkbeds. Just 3, so I guess it's the three of them.
"These are my brothers, Nak and Flak!"
...They all...Look identical.
"They didn't think you'd come back! But I did, so I win!"
They even have matching outfits, like triplets with creepy yuppy parents.
I shake my head.
"Win what?"
"Win winning!"
That doesn't even make sense...
"They guy you said was coming back was smaller. This guy's too big to be the same guy."
The one by the table protests.
"He's a human! They're like corn!"
"Was he always human?"
"I think so... it's been a long time..."
The one by the desk muses.
"But he's got the same hat, so he's the same, I guess..."
"...You know...I'm not sure I get the deal with you guys..."
Are they really wise, or incredibly dumb?
I guess they could be both.
"Stars of the mountain!...Except for him," he points to the one by the table.
"He's too busy treasure-hunting to be a fabulous star."
"Treasure-hunting...?"
"But it's sparkly and round...If you give it to me, I'll give you a good thing <3"
"I'll keep an eye out for some."
"Alright, then. I guess I'll acknowledge you....If you find it, maybe."
Acknowledge?
"Ooh, ooh, is that what we're doing? Well...I'll think about it."
Back into a normal subject, back into a normal subject...
"Are you guys all there are?"
I feel like there were more...
"Well, there's us, and the Goddess...And there's some people you haven't met yet."
"Like?"
"Ooh, have you met the Kappa?"
"...T-there's a kappa here?"
Don't those...eat people?
"Yeah. He oversees...Some stuff. He likes big fish, since you don't get his special treat here."
"...I'll keep it in mind. Where does he live?"
"By the pond with the rock. Oh, yeah! There's the rock, too!"
"No one likes the rock."
...How...Weird. Rocks and kappas...
"I gotta get back to work. This's been fun...I'll be by again."
They cheer.
...Man, if I didn't feel so lucid...I'd get the vibe sometimes that that cave is full of some sort of hallucinogen. Couldn't you just see that?
I walk quietly into town and head towards the florist's when...
Grey steps out. He looks embaressed, like I caught him doing something he didn't want me seeing.
Which is...Well, he needs grass seeds, right? It's totally reasonable.
Then Popuri walks out, smiling happily. There's a little laugh in her voice as she talks.
"...."
He flushes and wipes a little sudden nervous sweat from the back of his neck.
And she pulls out a box of flower seeds. They don't sell them this time of year...Did he make a special order?
He takes them with a trembling hand.
"I bet they'll look so nice. It'll be so bright and cheerful...I'll have to come see <3 When your efforts bear beautiful flowers...That's something worth seeing, isn't it?"
"..." He gulps and nods.
And she leaves, leaving him sweating bullets.
I think I'm in stitches, no matter how calm I keep my face. He looks at me and I picture shotguns...But throw a sweet, bubble-gum goddess of a girl in his path, and he's practically 13!
"seeds? You wanna make somethin' of it?"
Of course...If we talk about suddenly forgetting you're not a teenage boy...
Mr. Sure-I'll-Almost-Break-My-Neck-For-You-Popuri here isn't much better, right?
I shrug.
"I don't think it's stange at all, actually." I'd grow flowers, if I had space and time. They're nice touches.
He turns and walks away.
"I won't tell anyone, though, if it makes you nervous."
"...Good."
I run into Harris after lunch. He's got his usual smile.
"Having a good day at work?"
"It's easy, if you like your job."
And impossible if you don't.
"When you find a letter in the mailbox, doesn't it make you happy?"
"Yeah, it does. I guess that's enough to make anyone smile."
He nods and continues on his way, whistling.
When I'm at the ranch, I bring up this morning's meeting to Ann.
"...He couldn't get out a word, I swear."
"Oh, no...He couldn't? That idiot..."
"Oh?"
"But good doesn't impress a girl if you can't talk to her!"
She raged at her non-present brother.
"I didn't think I could picture him as really good... But I didn't think I could picture him growing flowers, so maybe I have a lot to learn."
She laughed.
"See? It doesn't help him if no one knows! He's got to be more honest!"
"You know, he says he doesn't talk because you've done all the talking."
I laugh, but she pouts.
"Oh, hardy har."
"I actually like it."
She blinks.
"What?"
"Well, yeah. I mean...Like you were saying -- people can't tell if you're a nice person or not unless you're honest...But you're pretty open, and you've always been encouraging, so I trust you."
I give her a warm pat on the shoulder. She looks at my hand for a while, like she's holding her breath. Her expresssion is intent and far away.
That's what I remember later -- what I say at the moment is,
"I guess that's why you're probably my best, well, friend sort of friend, you know?"
Her gaze on my hand lingers a moment longer. She clenches her fists.
"Don't you have work to do or something? Your animals are probably waiting for you, so get to it!"
As she turns away...Something in my stomach sinks. What'd I say?
I end up thinking about it for the rest of the day. I'd say she's just worried about herself, or her brother, or both, but...
What have I got to do with it? Unless she thinks I said something I wasn't...Or unless she felt I was saying something I was, maybe?
I circle around the bar, giving Grey a quick hi. He admits, there...
"Yeah, that makes sense..."
But I get the feeling he doesn't think talking solves much of anything. Still, it worried her.
And I see Karen's dad.
"How's Karen doing?"
"How should I know?"
He sighs.
No, it's because you're not trying hard enough!
I'd say that, but I think I wouldn't be talking to him, which would defeat the point.
I fish for a while...
Not last night's crazy luck, though. That lure of my thoughts keeps dangling in the breeze, tangling with other lines...
Why does this even bug me? I was just being honest...
Meh. I'll sleep and it'll go away.
Summer - 30 - xxx1
Summer's just about over. I made some good money this season...
And with the last harvest of corn to see me out, I guess I'll make some more!
I find Cliff looking at himself in the water up on the mountain.
"Watcha looking at?"
"Just thinking about how weird my hair is."
Can't say I noticed...
He's also got the tips of his bangs.
"...I don't think genetics works that way."
"Yeah. That's why it's a little weird."
He chuckles. Something about this bugs me, and it's not the oddities of the human genome.
...Who does that hair remind me of...?
Popuri stops me when I wave as she goes by.
"What's up, Popuri?"
"I was thinking about flowers?"
"Yeah. What about them today?"
"They're so complicated...But they're also very simple, too. The infinite complexity of the blossom unfolding can exist...And yet..."
"So nice...That happiness is so simple, while everything around it is complicated."
"That's true enough..." She looks at me for a moment, her face flushing and fiddling with her fingers.
"But there's something else that's like that, too. And...I'm glad."
I end up smiling, which just sends her beaming. We're in a moment of totally reciprical smiling. Something simple and complex, huh?
You know, the world she lives in...Is a bright and special world, isn't it? It's a curious world. It's nice.
I could stay in that world for a long time, with someone bright and beautiful.
When I talk to Ellen, she adds something.
"Still, you might want to slow down."
"But I don't have a lot of time."
"limited? That's true in some ways, but not in others...When you take the time to really feel your heart, and enjoy the world...That's what makes time precious."
"That may be a little deep for me..."
"Oh, I doubt that." She laughs and sends me along.
I find Ann at the vineyard, of all places -- I don't think I've ever seen her here before...But maybe that's because I need to visit more.
"I'm surprised to find you here."
She doesn't seem angry anymore, but she looks as surprised as I am (not as I look, since her face is an open book).
"You were looking for me?"
"Well, kinda...I mean, you looked mad at me yesterday."
She puts her hands on her hips and gives me a grin.
"Don't you worry about me, alright?"
"So what are you doing here?"
"I see...Yeah, that make sense."
The three of us chat before I go home.
Where I find that Lambo, in the corner of our field...
Is a grownup sheep, with some fine, fluffy white wool. I go back for the shears...But I admit, I have no idea what I'm doing.
"Hold Still, Lambo...Hold nice and still for daddy. Daddy doesn't what to cut something vital."
He seems to listen, flipping an ear to hear me.
Uhhh...Well, more wool is better, so...Cut close, huh?
As I clip, I try to avoid anything complicated, leaving out the head and legs. I'm pretty sure I could cut some stuff I don't intend to that way...
I also try and pet him to keep him still. He stamps his hooves a few times...But in spite of what I'm expecting, he doesn't struggle.
And I come away struggling to carry a big ball of wool...
And a happy, naked Lambo.
"That wasn't so bad, right?"
He baas.
"Good boy."
Into the shipping bin it goes.
And to the bar I go.
"Hey, Cliff. How are you finding things?"
"You're nearly as new here as I am, from what I've heard? Shouldn't I be asking you?" He smiles wryly and shakes his head.
"...like strangers."
"Yeah...It's weird here. I like it, though. I get sort of an odd feeling..."
"You're from the city, though, right? It's probably the air. I can't stand city air -- neither can Cain, so we stay clear."
"You know...That's probably not bad policy. City's got a bigger selection of nice bars, though..."[/color]
"And what's wrong with this one, huh?" The bartender asks, with a wry grin.
"Nothing, nothing!"
"Heh. Don't worry, kid. It's not like I can afford to kick you out."
"...I only ever can afford water."
"Yeah, but one of these days, you'll be in the money."
"You think?"
"...A kid like you's got to go somewhere with himself -- he'll drive his own way home."
"Hmmm..."
Well, regardless. When I go home, I get the sickle out of the tool box...
And go to town on the crops. Tommorow, they'll be no use...I kind of get the feeling they'll die in the first cold snap.
Sweat builds up as the night cools, and I feel myself getting more and more tired with each swing of the cycle. I've gotten pretty strong...Or so I thought.
Well, I guess being strong enough for an axe is not strong enough for a sickle.
And here's where I am at the end of the season.
Typo Report!
Spoiler
Another little editing trick on my part, to make that make that work in the LP itself. For this, I, as always, turn to my friend the typo report. It lets you guys appreciate my work.
Ok, guys. We're actually almost done raising the affection of the girls, and we've met all but 3 people...
So who should I focus our friendship-raising attention on next? Any favorites? I'll be doing the rivals, as I have been, but I can specifically focus on them if you guys like.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
Well, let me re-state that: I'm kind of done giving gifts to every girl but Ann, at least until we pick our bride. I'll still talk to the girls at pink to see what they say (Maria, at least, has one line of dialogue we haven't seen, I suspect Elli has some, too...), so it's time to re-focus our newly freed-up gift-giving efforts.
We miss nothing paying attention to the rivals, and gain access to their scenes with the various ladies. Of course, I was going to pay attention to them anyway -- I want all the marriages we can get. But this focuses my attentions on them as opposed to, say, Kent and Stu (who I'll also want to focus on at some point before the end of Summer, Year 2 for Stu, and...Whenever... For Kent.) Or some random people you happen to like.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deme
Well, let me re-state that: I'm kind of done giving gifts to every girl but Ann, at least until we pick our bride. I'll still talk to the girls at pink to see what they say (Maria, at least, has one line of dialogue we haven't seen, I suspect Elli has some, too...), so it's time to re-focus our newly freed-up gift-giving efforts.
We miss nothing paying attention to the rivals, and gain access to their scenes with the various ladies. Of course, I was going to pay attention to them anyway -- I want all the marriages we can get. But this focuses my attentions on them as opposed to, say, Kent and Stu (who I'll also want to focus on at some point before the end of Summer, Year 2 for Stu, and...Whenever... For Kent.) Or some random people you happen to like.
Can we ignore Ann anyways?
Sure lets focus on the rivals then.
__________________ sacrificing minions: is there any promblem it CAN'T solve?
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
Don't you need Ann's affection high for some of Cliff's scenes? I know they have some together. She might like you enough already, though... A good reason to throw corn at her.
I don't remember you having talked with Rick (the tool shop owner if I'm misremembering the name) much beyond simple business. He also gives discounts on at least one item if he likes you, so go for him. Otherwise, rival affection gets the most scenes, so for a LP they're probably the most important to keep the game interesting for those of us at home
Alternatively, start going for recipes with as much gusto as possible.
Which 3 characters haven't you met yet? I'm 99% sure two of them are right near one another in a place you haven't gotten to yet, but I don't know who the third would be.
Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
That last chapter was terrible. Completely shattered my suspension of disbelief. The guy friendzoned the girl? pshaw.
Due to the limitations of internet communication, let me clearly state that the above was sarcasm. The friendzoning was completely unexpected, but also pretty funny.
I really liked what you did with Lillia and Anne's dad. Some characterization for mean old Gray was also a fun turn of events.
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Re: 64 Times the Harvesting: Let's Play Harvest Moon 64
sacrificing minions: is there any promblem it CAN'T solve?
