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

[Seerow]

Originally Posted by Deme

It's determined a day (or so) before a different festival, which takes place later in the year. The king is the king through the next year's worth of festivals.

Ah I see. Didn't realize there were two different festivals, that explains it.

[Deme]

There are actually several festivals that rely on the king; we've already seen one before this: the king take a hot-air balloon ride with an assistant of his choice for the sowing festival. It's a neat little thing.

[Deme]

Hey, guys, I just realized something...We have an egg in the incubator, and with Camila, Clucky, and Nugget, I am out of suggestions. It's...Impromptu voting time!

[Trobby]

Billy.

>People who get this reference know very obscure video games.

[Lycan 01]

Pollo. KFC. Popeye. Some other food related pun.

[Klose_the_Sith]

The names that we had for chickens back home were Nancy, Molly, Vince, Manny, Bernard and Howard.

I suggest Vince, because Vince was a wild chicken who also fought off a fox.

[NecroRebel]

I'm fond of giving harmless creatures "dangerous" names. Let's call our next chicken "Malice."

KFC would be OK, too, but with Nugget, that kind of runs into a theme too much.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

My vote is 'Fillet.'

[ScionoftheVoid]

Originally Posted by Trobby

Billy.

>People who get this reference know very obscure video games.

Is that Billy... Hatcher(?) from that game where you roll around giant eggs?

I don't have any ideas or particular preferences for names.

I'm not sure that I've posted before, so, if not, hi! You have another lurker. This is a wonderful Let's Play, keep up the good work (please). *fades back into the darkness*

[Trobby]

Originally Posted by ScionoftheVoid

Is that Billy... Hatcher(?) from that game where you roll around giant eggs?

I don't have any ideas or particular preferences for names.

I'm not sure that I've posted before, so, if not, hi! You have another lurker. This is a wonderful Let's Play, keep up the good work (please). *fades back into the darkness*

Yup. :D I am a silly person.

[Deme]

Thank you very much, ScionoftheVoid!
Also, it seems we have a tie of 1 vote each. Anyone care to break it, or do I need to trot out a vote of my own?

[Mewtarthio]

I second the vote for "Malice."

[MeatShield#236]

I'll throw in a third vote for "Malice."

[Deme]

It's a short little update, but I felt bad not updating in a bit, so I wanted this done quickly. I'm pretty fired up, so more soon...Hopefully, anyway.

Chapter 10: A Taste of What's to Come?

Spoiler

Spring - 24 - xxx1

This morning I learned something handy about Agros:

He makes good storage for stuff on its way to the shipping box...But that freaks him out. It doesn't hurt him, though...But it sure is hard to catch up when he takes off like that.

Most of the day passes like that, without anything really special happening... Though...I do run into Karen at the beach; I figured she might be there, since it's her day off from her work at the bar.
"Heya. You know...You talk about your dad a lot, but I don't think I ever *see* your mom."
"...She...Stays inside a lot."

"They called her the Queen of Dance." Karen sounds proud when she says that, but...A little wistful, too, as her expression soured.
"She doesn't dance so passionately anymore, though."
"...I'm sorry to hear that." She shrugs.
"It's just how things are. Here."

She goes back to watching the ocean, drawing spirals with her boots in the sand.

How do I help someone like that? Someone whose world just fails? Her relationship with her dad is almost as bad as mine...Am I just supposed to stand back and watch it?

I spend the evening chores thinking about it.

Spring - 25 - xxx1


My last cabbages and another round of turnips came in today! By my calender, tommorow's the last day I can plant turnips and get them in by season's end, so we'll see.

I run into Cliff and Ann in the mountains; Ann is busy watching birds, so I just wave quietly so as to not scare them off.
"So what exactly do you do?" I mean, you seem like an adventurer, sans the murdering. Which just sort of leaves the 'hobo' part.

"I like living like that; I don't have to be burdened with worries."
"It does sound nice. If I don't have worries, though, I just kind of always laze around."
"You know...I have a hard time picturing that from you."
"...Really?"
He nods.
"You're always running full-tilt. I don't think I've ever seen you walk around like a normal guy."
The days just go so fast...
I shrug, and wander off, thinking about it.

I offer up one of my turnips to the Goddess as a present.

"Well, isn't that a sweet offering! Did you enjoy my festival?"
"It was nice. Did you experience it any?"
"I felt the power, but I wasn't watching it...The King this year is only loosely connected to the land, so there's not a lot of power."
"Power?"
"Power. Part of the king's role is to generate power by...Being the king. It's difficult to explain."
"Is this a 'sacrifice, blood for the blod goddess' sort of king?"
"Absolutely not! B-but enough about me; did you dance with someone?"
"Y-yeah. Maria."
"Aaaaahh...That's the mayor's little girl, right? I haven't seen her in this grove in a long time. Has she grown up pretty? Is she cute? Do you liiiike her? <3"
"W-we're just friends!" Ugh. Did I really just pull out 'she's not my girlfriend' to avoid saying if she's cute? I need to watch myself.
The goddess giggles, as if reading my shame, and fades away.

****


I spend a moment or two at the bakery looking at the cakes in the display case with hungry envy.
"Oh, money..." I sigh.
"It must be rough, not being able to afford anything nice for yourself."
"You got that right."
"I'll have to share something with you sometime. Cake is best as a social experience, anyway."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Anything good is sweeter when you're not alone; it's really a wonderful experience, passing a treat to someone, and letting them taste what you're tasting. It makes it a real experience."

"As well they should."
"Hard to argue with that."
She nods, sagely. To let others taste what you're tasting...
"So you think of food-sharing as a sort of communication?"
"Yeah, I guess so. It's a little bit of the world that gets a little bit more connected; a part of your head where you and someone else have almost the same feeling. It's just...good."
I nod.

Food-philosophy aside, I head on over to the library.

"Heya, Maria." I think about what the Goddess said; she hadn't seen Maria in a long time, and all.
"...You ever go up into the mountains?" She nods, which isn't what I expected.

"You draw?"
She blushes. She looks like she really didn't want anyone to know that.
"W-well, umm...I'm not very good, but...I try my best."
"I'm sure they're better than my chicken-scratches. I'd love to see anything you think is worth showing."
"W-well, maybe one day..." She looks down into her books, scarlet at even the suggestion.

I'm not sure how to follow up on that, so I go on my way.

That sounds like a certain someone. At least Popuri announces herself clearly.

"Oh, thanks, Popuri. You didn't need to do that, though." Though I was thinking about how tasty sweets are.
"Yes I do. It's equivolent exchange."
"...What?"
"You gave me that flower (I've got it pressing in a book Maria lent me, by the way), so I need to give you something good, or our relationship becomes unequal."
"But you already gave me tea without cookies."
"But you gave me flowers before that. So that was just being square."
"But that was just..."
I shake my head. Why fight? If I win, I don't get cookies and tea.
"OK, fair enough. But we'll be even after this, right?"
"Absolutely."

"MM, those are really tasty. Did you make them yourself?"

"I figure'd they'd be tastier that way...Though I am trying to push her for lavender cookies."
"I've had chocolate with lavender, but never cookies..." It tasted, for the record, like soap.
"Well, maybe one day!"

And good tea, too.
"Thank you, Popuri. It's a really nice treat."
"You're welcome!"


"Anyway, Agro, off to work!"

...Of course. I can't seem to do anything without an interruption. Now who would that be...
"Are you busy, Fox?"
"Too busy for you, Elli? Never. What's up?" When a pretty girl comes by asking if you're busy...Unless she wants you to move stuff, the answer is alway no.
"Well, I was thinking about earlier...And..."

I look. "Rice balls?"
"I was going to bring some cookies I had baked, but...Popuri came by and bought them just before I took my break. I improvised."
"I see...They were good cookies, though."
"Well, thank y-- Wait. Did Popuri share them with you?" She purses her lips. "I didn't know you two were..."
Oh, snap. Idiot! Were you paying attention to a word you were saying?
"No, no, we're not!...She just wanted to thank me for a present I got her for her birthday."
"Oh, I see... *giggle* Popuri's sweet like that, but she's a little naive." No one here's a pinnacle of worldly cynicism...But yeah; she's very innocent. I don't say that, though.

I'm about to take a bite when I remember what she was saying earlier. I eat the first rice-ball and offer her the second one.
"Oh, but that was your..."
"Nah, come on. These are tasty -- I'm impressed...I want you to taste what I'm tasting."
She blushes, but accepts it and eats some, watching me eat.
"You know, I thought you were kind of odd at first. I mean...You're really not the sort of person I picture running a farm."
"I am, perhaps, not your typical farmer..."
"But now I think you're a pretty nice guy."
"Oh? What'd I do?"
She shrugs.
"Well, you remembered what I was saying about tasting today. And that's what I thought, sharing food with you."
I finish up the last one.

"Ok, Elli."

While I'm watering my crops in the evening...The can starts glowing. It is at this point that I realize that there is no appropriate emotional reaction to your watering can being engulfed in white light while it is in your hands.
My solution is to drop it and duck for cover, when the light subsides. The can, suddenly cool and smooth to the touch is...Made of silver.

"What!?"
I am trying to decide if that is cool or terrifying. It's empty, though, which qualifies as annoying.
I have to ride all the way to the pond and back to see if it's got any other surprises... But when I try using it, I learn it does: I can water an entire row of crops at once.
"Woo-hooo! I love you, strange and mystical watering can!"
This is gonna be so awesome. Goodnight, strange and mystical watering can. I think I may love you...

But I probably want to ask Rick about you tommorow.

Spring-26-xxx1


Potatoes and Turnips in today; I spend waaaay too long picking them. I'm glad, though, that I'll be able to get in two more turnip patches.

I spot Cliff on my way up the mountains.
"Heya."
"Hey."
"...Mind if I ask you something? Why were you at the ranch the other day?"
I do sort of see him hanging out there from time to time. He shrugs.


"That a jab?"
"Not at you, but...It is an honesty you don't get with people."
He sighs and looks up to where Cain is circling in the sky.

I say hi to Popuri at the mountain, and head into town to buy seeds....Though I do notice Lillia looking off very dreamy.
"What's up; you look like you're in high spirits."


"He may be gone a season a year... But it's always so wonderful when he's home!"

...I feel like I've read this situation wrong, or she has.

"You look worn-out," Elli comments at the bakery.
"Oh, nah, I'm just thinking about...Stuff."

"You're the sort of guy I worry about; Jeff's the same way, wearing himself out."
...I cannot picture that Mr. Bowtie and I have anything in common.

I enter the tool shop; Rick doesn't have anything new, for which he shrugs.
"What's up?"
"I wanted you to look at this...It changed last night."
I show him my watering can, and he looks it over, making little tut-tut noises.
"That is a tricky thing...You see...I don't know much. Your grandfather told me a little, once...But they're not made of anything I know."
"My Grandpa? What'd he say?"


"The more...How do I phrase it..."
"It gets shiny?"
He nods.
"Not in scientiftic terms, but yes. 'It gains power as it bonds,' is what your grandfather said....When he had it, it looked like it was made of pure gold. But less maleable."
"Pure gold..." I've got a long way to go, then.

I walk in the library where Maria's sorting through some beaten-up looking books. When the door opens, it brings in a gust of cool spring air, sending clouds of dust into the light. We both sneeze, Maria with (I feel I should add) a kitten-level of cute and tiny.
"Spring cleaning's a pain, huh? Especially since a lot of these --" I pause and cough. "-- Are so dusty."
She coughs a little herself and then looks down at the books apologetically.

"Well, I-I... The books are portals into thoughts, or words -- I can be anything in them, thinking things I've never thought. The old ones have a charm all their own, brought on by the years -- they've been softened. They're comfortable...I guess..."

She laughs nervously and looks up at me.
"I bet that's a little silly, right?"
I shake my head.
"No, it makes total sense. Who hasn't accidentally fallen asleep with a book, and ended up curled around it like a teddy bear?"[/color] Well, I have. I can't speak for anyone else, anyway.
"...I thought I was the only person who'd done that..." She's flushed pink, like I just read her diary and pulled out a page.
"Heh. Well, lemee help with those before I go on, at least."
She nods.

I head the rest of my way through the day in quiet until...

I realize I have 3 adult chickens now! Hooray!
...Come to that, I better check on my egg.

And when I do, I come in to see another ball of yellow feather peeping around. She's got kind of a wicked look...
"A wicked name, A wicked name..."

"Yeah, alright. Don't eat me, Malice."
I laugh and put him outside...


And the money's come in. Niiiice. I'm about halfway to my next big money goal.

I spot Karen at the bar, to my...well, a bit to my surprise.
"Your work schedule's a little erratic, isn't it?" Her schedule in general's kind of erratic, really.
"Well, I only work here part-time."

"Yeah, I guess so...You can't get out of here on nothing."
"Right. And nothing's what we have."
"What, the vineyard doesn't make any money?"
"Not really...It's a pretty terrible vineyard. Our wine hasn't been good for a long time."
She turns, and I guess she saw the look on my face, because she smiles and says,
"Oh, don't you go feeling sorry for me!...It's just a thing that happened. No one really knows why. But Your farm's not much better, and anyway...I'm getting out."


...I've got more to think about. "A certain somewhere," huh?...Wonder who to talk to about that...
But...I'm also thinking a bit about the vineyard. I may need to pay a visit soon.

Woo-hoo! Silver watering can. This makes me really happy.

[Seerow]

And I find myself like Elli more and more.

[tomaO2]

Another good update.

I like how you set up the in-game dialogue with your conversations. The setup for Maria talking about her mountain trips was well done.

I also enjoyed the mention of how Fox moves faster then everyone else. Compared to them he really is a bundle of energy. Everyone else meanders around but he just jumps from one thing to the next to the next in an effort to fit everything he needs to do in the short day.

One thing I would have been interested to have seen was for Fox to have not known about how plants crumble and die when the season changes. Incredibly, we are still in the first MONTH of play and he's never been a farmer before. I would have found it amusing if he plants some crops that are one day away from harvesting only to find them destroyed. Then he'd be all, "what happened here". In short, he's too competent, remember, he has never been a farmer before so it might be fun to have him slip up from time to time. Just a thought.

I was also surprised he didn't ask the Goddess her name. That was a bit of a thing in the previous update so I thought he'd be curious about it. Also, I think it would be funny if Malice appeared to be following Fox around. Maybe he wakes up and there Malice is, just staring at him... >_>

[Deme]

HHmmmm...I will say that his unusual competence will be explained; there's sort of a laundry list of stuff between him, the Harvest Sprites, and the Harvest Goddess (including the name thing). They're likely to be my source of not running out of stuff to actually say, like what happened on the 24th.

But a lot of this comes out of my desire for a good playthrough: ...I'll be honest, I kind of want this to be my best run of 64 ever. I really wanna do the absolute best I've ever done...Which I also admit, I'm really anxious about. I sometimes get out Somecrazyguy's number-crunching FAQ and crunch numbers in a state of rising relief/panic, depending on which direction they go in. It looks like some music-box glitching may be necessary, unless I misplaced numbers, or the Harvest Goddess's love wishes are adding an effect I'm not accounting for (fingers crossed). So Fox may occaisonally be competetant enough to be surprising.

As for everything else...Thank you both. I love Elli, but until recently, she was really difficult for me to write (the hardest of all the girls, actually). So I'm glad that's working.

...I will neither confirm nor deny if Malice is an evil being attempting to steal our soul.

[fizzmaister]

I should stop by these forums more often. I just noticed this LP. I'm really enjoying how much extra story you're adding to the game.

[Deme]

Thank you very much!

...Also, guys...
I need to learn how long it takes chicken eggs to hatch. The answer is "Not as Long as I thought." Got another name for me? It's at the tail end of an update, too...

[Seerow]

Originally Posted by Deme

Thank you very much!

...Also, guys...
I need to learn how long it takes chicken eggs to hatch. The answer is "Not as Long as I thought." Got another name for me? It's at the tail end of an update, too...

Just glancing through the ones they suggested earlier, I would go with Billy if you want to avoid an ongoing theme, or Fillet if you don't mind a theme.

[Deme]

I don't care about theme/non-theme. You're the people naming these animals, not me, and I don't have to type their names often enough that it matters if they're silly or not.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

I like the name Fillet. It's fun to name your edible animals after cuts of meat.

[NecroRebel]

Originally Posted by Deme

...I will neither confirm nor deny if Malice is an evil being attempting to steal our soul.

Clearly she's amongst the kindest, most cooperative beings in the village.

Originally Posted by Deme

I don't care about theme/non-theme. You're the people naming these animals, not me, and I don't have to type their names often enough that it matters if they're silly or not.

I care about theme/non-theme! You should either name all animals of a type after a theme, or avoid any sort of theme altogether! Otherwise, they'll form cliques and exclude those who aren't properly named, and that's the sort of behavior that Malice can't stand!

Billy is a suitable name for the next chick.

[tomaO2]

Fillet is a good name. We can make a story about it with him wanting to eat her but he finds out he can't.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Then we can name another one Flay and have fun with confusing homophones.

[Deme]

Chapter 11: The end of Spring

Spoiler

Spring - 27 - XXX1


Breakfast eaten, check. Weather sounds good, check. I guess I'll get ready to...go...
Someone knocks, firmly but not insistantly, at my door.
"It's not locked."
Weirdest thing, having a door and not locking it; I'm just not used to it yet. But...The house doesn't have a lock. And if it did, I dunno where Grandpa would have kept his keys. In a lot of ways, it's still his house -- there's old-guy smell in all the corners.
I'm still pondering the question of ownership when Cliff comes in.


"Heya; what's up?"
I'm amazed he wasn't waiting on my lawn, like everyone else. But generally, inside-time is a peaceful sort of time.


"...This morning, so I came here to share with you."
"Really?" Only girls have given me stuff thusfar. I guess I looked suspicious, because Cliff just smirked.
"Yeah, really...You're not very good at accepting gifts, are you?"
"...Not really." I'm pretty sure I've been surprised every single time; when you look at it that way, I'm a little bit emberassed; everyone else does a pretty good job of being gracious.
"Eh, me neither. But come on, eat up."


It's a pretty tasty fish. I'm trying to picture a world where you can't just eat a fish raw and whole, and thinking that must be a pretty sad world.

"Sorry for bothering you so..."


He heads on out. The people here are pretty swell; no one's ever given me a fresh-caught fish before, after all...But then, before I came here, no one's ever given me much besides my dad.
My dad used to give me ties.

A few seconds after he leaves, there's a loud crash.

"Is that...Ann?"
I dash outside. I find Ann sitting on the ground, looking startled, and Cliff righting himself. He dusts himself off and shakes his head a bit, to get his blonde-tipped bangs out of his face.
"What's the big deal?!"

She stands up as he leaves, knocking away my hand.

"I should watch where I'm going?!"

After a minute of fuming, she pouts and turns to me...But she's not really looking at me; she's still looking up towards where Cliff went.
"I think I've seen that guy before, but...Not often. Is he a traveller?"
"Yeah, his name's Cliff and he's...Sort of a wild man, I guess. Which is like a bum, but with more fishing and hunting, and less waiting under an overpass with a sign about needing to feed his bird."
"He's got a bird?" She looks thoughtful; I guess she's trying to balance the cool factor of Cain with the fact that he knocked into her (or whatever)


She walks off, lost in thought.
"No, no, don't say good morning or anything...I'll be fine."

Well, anyway, onto my day.
I spot the Harvest Sprite in the mountains. It's...Been a while.

"Heya...So, can I ask you a question?"
"Yes; you can ask whichever questions you like."
Well, now that he's so open about it...I feel like I need to fumble around for a minute.
"...Uuhhh...Well, I mean...What do you...Uh, eat up here?"
He smiled brightly.

"Like Wine? You know there's a vineyard here, right?"
"We used to visit our friends there a lot."
"Friends there?"
"Yeah. Ever danced with a fairy in the pale moonlight, Fox?"
"Not really, no."
"...It was a lot of fun, back then..."
"What happened?"
He turned away for a moment, looking...Really tiny. Like, he's already tiny, but somehow...Most of the time, he looks the right size; like he's exactly as big as he's supposed to be, and he's the right size for his place in the world. Now...The cave looks big enough to swallow him alive.
"...Ask-ay something else, if you want."
Well, since he asked...
"Do you know anything about this watering can?"
He looks at it as I offer it to him. He runs his hands over it and it turns bright gold where he touches, leaving tiny needle-point fingerprints of gold. Then...He smiles, a big, wild grin.
"Oh, it works for you!Yaaay! Yaay! I knew it! The rest said it wouldn't, you'd been away, but you saw me and you met the Goddess and it works! Alloo-Cay Allay-Kay!" He chortled in his joy. His giddy, incoherent joy. You know the face of a 5-year old being presented with a birthday cake? He had that face.
"What does all this have to do with anything?!"

"...You don't know?"
"No, I don't know! No one's told me anything!"
"...Nnnn...But the Goddess told me not to tell! I though she was gonna surprise you, or you'd just know!"
Is this guy really old enough to drink?
"Don't worry; as long as no one's asking me to save the world, I can work it out."
"...But...Umm...Can you...Maybe look into...About the Vineyard? I miss our friends..."
"Sure thing, li'l buddy."
Especially since I'm pondering that myself.

He nodded, we finished chatting, and I waved goodbye.

And I go through the rest of my day with relative ease. And I put a new egg in the incubator.


Spring - 28 - xxx1


That...Doesn't sound like anyone I know. Weird.

ohhhh, it's that phoney!

"Or for anyone who would be willing to buy...So...Not for me, at all."
"Buddy, you wanna hear about my fine product, or not?"
"...Sure, shoot."

"Is it in any way distinguishable from what I'm feeding my chickens now?"
I am not currently feeding my chickens anything, actually. But let's not tell him that.
"If you feed your chickens with this food, they'll lay golden eggs!"
Gold is shiny...

"But only 10 meals?...How much does a golden egg sell for?"
"Well...Umm...A fortune!"
"Then why aren't you feeding your chickens this stuff?"
"I don't own any chickens!"
Everything about this guy's logic is wrong.

"Sir, sir, these eggs are different! They're very nutritious!! Full of Vitamins!!!!"
"You're not actually helping your argument."

"I'll throw in Soap! It's a great deal!"

"...Do you actually have soap with you?"
"...Well, not as such, but --"
"No thanks."

"To your senses..."

Whatever.

Anyway, I run into Kent in the mountains.
"Hey, Kent! What're you doing up here?"
"I'm looking for treasure! There are, are..."

"...Alright. Be careful about what you eat, OK?"
"My grandpa tells me to be careful, too; he's always on about what's safe or not."
"Well, that's good, then."

"...Yeah, it sounds like you could."
This place is pretty swell.
Stu steps out from behind his brother and adds,



"Yeah, I eat those sometimes...I didn't know they were medicine"
"Even after you said to be careful? How'd you know they were alright, Bro?"
"...I...I don't really know. I just...Sort of looked at it, and..." I blinked. I didn't ever really think about it, but I was eating those pretty often recently... I think I ate something like them when I was a kid, and was alright; maybe I just remembered subconciously?
"Uhhh...Do as I say, not as I do, alright?"
They nod, Stu eagerly and Kent reluctantly.

Well, that was...Akward.

At the library, Maria was admiring an unusually old book, even by this library's standards. She had a joyous look on her face, and showed it to me as I came in.
"Look, look! It's a first edition of Victorian Autobiography!"
"Really?"
"Really! It's about a former maid who was mistress to a rich man, telling the story of their secret love..."
She brought it back to hug it to her heart.

"Long ago, but her words -- all the feelings she never got to show for her lover while he was alive with her... They get to be heard now, and..."

"That is true; books'll keep a feeling of the author's alive forever...But, if she didn't have anything meaningful to say...It wouldn't matter that there existed a medium to preserve it."
"Y-you do have a point..."
She looked a little concerned as she said that; did I say the wrong thing?

Well, anyway, nothing else happens today, except...

I pick up another music box.

Spring - 29 - xxx1


Rain tommorow, huh?

Two of the turnip crops are in today! I...Sort of get a feeling about planting new ones; I mean, stuff grows in seasons, right? Right.

I spot Jeff fishing in the mountains today.
"What are you doing here?" I am basically sceptical.

"But you're fishing."
"Well, I ran out of tea..."
...Did he...Did he just miss a perfect set-up? He just missed a perfect set-up.
A set-up.
He missed it.

...*sigh* What a world...

I also see Elli on the other side of the river.
"You're fishing, too?"
She nods.
"I didn't take you for the type."

"I see...I can see why that's got appeal."
I find myself either over-focusing or over-wandering; I guess I'm just a bad fisherman.

I also spot Maria; today seems a popular day to be outside.
"What's up?"

...Why? She sees my skeptical face and gestures towards it eagerly.

"I actually figured a bookish girl like you would hate bugs."
"Maybe a normal girl, but I think they're really amazing. They're incredibly complex and diverse..."

I nod and try to avoid watching a dung beetle all day. Sorry, Maria.

Since I have a music box, I also have a guy to show a music box to.
Ann walks in behind me and looks around.


"I'm not sick."

"'You should take your business a little more seriously,'" Ann said, dropping into a perfect imitation of her father's voice.
"I do my best, Ann."
"Yeah, right...Well, if you're OK, I guess I'll just keep the soup Dad made to myself!"
"...But...That's not..."
Ann laughed playfully.


"She did mention that...It's an easy resemblance to see." I mean, how many red-heads could a single town have otherwise?
"She's a forceful girl, but she means well...Anyway, what can I do you for?"
I showed him the music box and he blinked.
"Another one? Where do you get these?"
"...A goddess gave me infinite broken music boxes."
He laughed.
"Alright, you don't have to tell me."
And that's why I haven't tried to tell you.


Anyway...I do want to check out the vineyard, so maybe I can give this to Karen.
She's lounging by the fence.
"Heya, Karen, look what I found."

"I didn't know the song..."
"In other words, you just thought it was pretty, without anything like appreciation. Or...Did you just think I'd think it was pretty?"
"W-well, I..." She saw right through me...But she laughs. It's such an unusual moment for her, to hear her laugh...That it gives me pause.
"All the same...It's a beautiful song...I remember it from long ago,"

She swayed to the music, undulating like kelp in the waves of a moonlit ocean. Her hips carried the motion -- and my gaze -- to the tune, while her hands made little movements like an Eastern Goddess's.

"Take it."

"Are you sure?"
"...Like you said; I don't really appreciate it... But I like seeing you happy with it."[/color]
She takes it in her hands and looks at me, a little dumbfounded...And then she smiles a big cozy smile.

"Oh, hey...We're a little busy today, but come by later this week, and I'll give you a little tour, alright? I've got a secret trick to show you... Bring a flask."
She says with a smile.

I go through the rest of my day quietly...But someone's waiting there when I get back.

"Oh, hey, Karen."

"You do know a way into a man's heart, Karen."
I said, shaking my head...But I'm clearly grinning. (By the way...When did she learn Popuri's greeting?)
"But...Is now the best time?"

She waves off my concern with a casual wave of the hand.

The wine is...Well, it's wine, refreshing and cool for the end of a warm spring. It's not the best wine, but it's been a while since I've had a drink, and it goes straight to my head, plunging it into a refreshing state of warm quiet.

She smiles and saunters out.

It's raining tommorow...I kind of need to prepare for that, right?

So I bring in the chickens and feed them, but...I'm out of food. I'll need to go shopping.

I spend most of the night chopping lumber up in the mountains.

Oh, yeah, and...
I get some good money in, too.

Spring - 30 - xxx1

The sound of rain is soothing as I bring in the last of this season's vegetables.
Also, I have a letter.


Hm, I'll remember that. When I go to the library later, I catch Maria looking out the window and sighing.
"What's up, Maria?"
"I don't like the rain..."
"It's a bit gloomy...And it makes it really hard to work."
"I-I don't mean it like that!..."

"That's a good way of looking at it."
It's actually doing me no good today, to be honest... It's the end of the season; it's no blessing at all!

When I go inside to check on my chickens...

We've got another little baby peeping around. I guess I'll call him...

Because the irony there always gets me, since I'm not going to eat them.
Malice just sort of glares at him with a sour expression; I guess he's worried that the little guy will take his place.
"Don't worry, little buddy; I love you all." Even if Malice is the only name I remember off the top of my head.


Anyway, I finish up the evening by moving more rocks...And planting some grass seeds. One day soon, after all, I'll want a cow.

Anyway, Summer starts tommorow. Let's hope for a good season.

End of Spring

Well, that's the end of our first season, boys and girls! I'd say we're doing alright, but my mood still oscillates wildly between "Yeah, we're doing Alright" and "Ohmygod, I'm not going to get *anything* done in time I am a huuuuge loser."

Anyway, we'll probably go with "Billy" for what looks like our last Chicken, we'll probably have to wait a while on a cow name, since we've got seeds to worry for...
And in-game tommorrow, there's a firework display! Hooray! We get to watch it worth a girl! Double hooray!
And...I'm almost starting to feel vaguely confident that we'll get where we need to get with Maria. Just, you know, almost. And since I'm starting to flip into panic mode concerning...Uhh...Everyone else (OK, I kid, really just Karen), I figured I would ask you guys: Who should we watch them with? (I reccomend Karen, Maria, or Elli. Popuri's got no rush attached, and Ann has a whole extra season over Karen and Elli.)

Also, today's scene with Ann and Cliff gives us today's... Typo Report!

Spoiler

You may notice that Ann doesn't look like she officially says much during her scene where she meets Cliff, that I had to fill in some gaps. Actually, I did relatively little inventing for that scene; I just didn't take screenshots because Ann's actual lines... ARE TOTALLY RUINED BY THE TRANSLATORS.

These take place immediately after she gets done yelling after him:


It's easy to see what happened: they derped so hard that they didn't realize that Ann is asking you about someone else, instead of asking you about yourself. I don't know, however, how they could *do* that.

More's the pity; that sprite is adorable.

[fizzmaister]

Originally Posted by Deme

Chapter 11: The end of Spring
[color=goldenrod]"My grandpa tells me to be careful, too; he's always on about what's safe or not."[/b]
"Well, that's good, then."

You're missing a /color tag. Other than that, this was a fun chapter (as always). We should watch the fireworks with Elli. She and Maria are the best girls, and I think we need to spend some more time with Elli.

[Seerow]

Woo one season done, we're now officially what, 1/12th of the way through the game? (3 years of 4 seasons right?)

On the fireworks, my favorites are still Elli and Maria. I barely remember who Ann is, and honestly haven't liked Karen much (though admittedly, her continuing to bring free wine could raise opinions of her dramatically).

Other random things:
-I liked the comment about how they're just eating raw fish hole. Made me laugh at least.
-What's up with the skeezy guy? Does he just randomly offer things that are sometimes great deals and then other times a waste of money?
-I am interested to see where this is going with Fox's connection with the land that keeps getting alluded to, and was somewhat more front and center this update. Apparently it's a little bit more than just being able to see the Goddess.

Also, question: You've mentioned that you can use the music box glitch to bring anyone up who needs to, does this hinder your progress anywhere else? I've mentioned I haven't played Harvest Moon, so I don't know how the mechanics work, but you've mentioned like having stamina or whatever. Does digging up the box/getting it fixed take up stamina, or otherwise waste an inordinate amount of time, or is it efficient enough that you can use it without hindering other things?

[Deme]

I have fixed that; thanks, Fizzmaister!

Actually, Seerow, we're more like 1/9th of the way through the game, and are now exactly 2 years from Evaluation. The third year isn't actually a full year; the Evaluation happens on Summer 1, Year 3. Hence why I'd like to be able to get married in Spring of next year; there's a post-marriage summer event I've never seen, and I'd rather like to see it. And have an anniversary, too. (I prefer Spring 2 to Winter 1 for this since I think using Winter and New Years to actually work the storyline in with who we're marrying would be cute.)

The Salesman actually has some scenes with other people, so it's not just us he's bugging...But basically, yes. Except that we already bought his one good deal. He won't even actually sell you a soap item (because there is no soap item) if you accept his second offer. The jerk.

As for the music box...It does cost stamina to dig it up (if you use a tool, it costs stamina and fatigue), but not enough to be prohibitive. Fox is actually pretty good for Stamina relative to the workload I give him. But it's mainly time; the music box is on the far side of the farm, and so even with a horse, it takes a while to do. And Rick, as he mentioned today, is closed pretty often. I try to do it when I have free time, which isn't very often; it may be better this season, though, and I probably will need to use it to get things done.

[Mewtarthio]

Huh. Karen actually has facial expressions besides arrogant smirking. Whaddya know?

Also, the game's been teasing us about the vineyard quite a bit now. Is there any reason you haven't gone there yet? Is it just an efficiency thing, or do you need some prerequisites first? (Raise your approval with Karen? Convince the sprites to show you a secret back door? Kill the Harvest King and steal his Double Jump Boots?)