#also I'm So tired of running around just to have conversations. I miss dialogue trees. let me talk to people without performing 323649 task

[cityandking]

I'm generally enjoying the wealth of companion storyline and connection in this game but I really wish there were more to do with lucanis? I keep taking him on general crow/treviso missions and outside of the ones where he's a mandatory companion, he's got almost no commentary or banter. and I can't tell if his combat commentary has changed after being romanced??

[loversandantiheroes]

Your fics made me want to play sdv all over again. I've only played sdv on vanilla before and nexus mods is kinda intimidating so I'm not sure what to get for my new farm... Can I get any mod recommendation for a new farm? Doesn't have to be specifically harvey-related(but super welcomed)!

Hm, this is tricky because it largely depends on your aesthetic preferences and how you like to play the game.  I will say that now that Content Patcher exists it is generally a lot easier to mod the game than it used to be (unless you pick something like SDV Expanded, which is kind of involved because it changes so much).  It does also make it easier to make edits to mods that you get where you like most of it except for one or two things (which is what I did with A Toned Down Stardew Valley - I love it, but I didn’t want Eemie’s trees).  I’ll try to go over a few good standards to start with that aren’t too intimidating.

First and foremost there’s two mods you’re going to need just to get things running:

SMAPI and Content Patcher  All current mods need these two to function.

Diverse Stardew Valley with Seasonal Outfits - This has been my go-to for awhile now, and I’m still working on making my own Harvey edits compatible with this.

If you’re less inclined for a big portrait overhaul, my Harvey portrait edits (still pending a ‘stache option because of course I have to repaint it by hand now) are here, and Harvey’s refined sprite for CP can be found here.

A lot of the Harvey-specific mods are dialogue mods, which unfortunately means you either have to pick one alone or compile them together yourself, because they will conflict otherwise.  On the upside, if you are so inclined to get in and poke around, CP dialogue mods are fairly easy to edit, as the coding for dialogue is pretty simple.  Here are a few of the ones I’ve used.

Canon-Friendly Dialogue Expansion - Adds new dialogue for just about everyone.  Use this if you want a one-stop-shopping dialogue mod.

Harvey Personality Mod - this a partial conversion of an older mod, and unfortunately although I have found the other half of the mod converted to go with it, SMAPI doesn’t appear to like it for some reason.  There’s several other dialogue mod conversions here as well.

Harvey Dialogue Expansion

Harvey Marriage Expansion - Smaller amount of dialogue to this one, but it does include a 12-heart event.

There’s one other dialogue mod that I’d found for Harvey that’s actually pretty good, but it’s still in xnb format and hasn’t been converted for Content Patcher, I might look into converting it for the hell of it.

Non-Harv editing mods that are worth your time:

All of Elle’s Animal Replacements 

Hudson Valley Buildings - This is the farm building replacement I use, but there’s loads of them to choose from now, depending on the sort of style you like.

Coop and Barn Facelift - A nice retexture of the inside of the barns/coops.  Also has the option to change the interior dimensions a bit, but that can be fiddly if you decide to remove the mod later.

There’s a few nice map recolors out there, most notably Eemie’s, Starblue Valley, and A Toned Down Stardew Valley, the latter being one you can configure to be compatible with other map recolors if you prefer.  Unfortunately the version of ATDSV I use is a personal edit of the old (and now unavailable) version of the mod, so i can’t link that.  Eemie’s is definitely the most popular aesthetic choice, but Starblue is really nice if you’re just aiming to make the world a little less yellow and bright.

Karmylla’s Immersive Maps - Tweaks the town map a bit, making it easier to get around by horse, among other things.  

Karmylla’s Cellar - I will never understand why the brand new cellar you’ve just had built already looks rundown.  This fixes that.

Garden Variety UI - A nice pack of various UI recolors.  Seed is the one I use, it’s neutral and blends well with the map recolors I use.

Better Ranching - Stops you from accidentally milking the air for thirty seconds when you miss the cow with the bucket.  Thank god.

Scythe Harvesting

Tractor Mod - I still haven’t gotten around to trying this out, but I do like the idea of this.  Allows for more efficient managing of crops and clearing of fields.  You do have to have Robin build the garage for you, which is expensive, both in moneydollars and iridium.

Fishing Made Easy - look I’m terrible at the fishing mini game.  I admit it.  Luckily this mod exists, and has options for just how much easier it makes the fishing.  If you need a little help or a lot of help, this mod’s got you.

Lookup Anything - if you’re like me and forget who likes what or if a certain item is used for a certain thing and are tired of alt-tabbing or grabbing your phone to check the wiki every five minutes, this is a really valuable tool.  

Admittedly this is a small slice, especially given the amount of mods I run (it’s so many, it’s just so many), but I hope this helps!