#and helping Marnie during festivities

[hailtothepumpkinqueen]

I don't know what it is about seeing a bad take on Shane that has me chewing on the bars of my enclosure(negative)

But like

[spacesapphi]

HES Trio Headcanons (the third)

That's right guys, another one (my brain is rotted). These three live in my head rent free

some the Shane ones are sad again, sorry

Elliott

-had a pet hermit crab as a kid, he's always been a friend of the crabs!

- prefers fancy, decorative candles to scented ones. The prettier the better!

- trying his best to make his room look like Howls from Howls Moving Castle. That clutter of beautiful trinkets is exactly what he wants for a setup

- loves wearing his hair in braids, but is terrible at doing braids on himself. He usually asks Leah

- Willy is like a father to him. His bio father was not a kind man, and Willy is everything he wished his father could be and more

- Willy taught him how to fish too, and he's actually pretty good at it!

- very into a "method acting" style of writing, as in he'll live like a character he's trying to write for a while until he feels like he can realistically interpret them in his writing

- faked a British accent for about a month in middle school because he thought it sounded very sophisticated and artsy

Harvey

- won't tell anyone, but he enjoys little Saturday morning cartoons now and then. It reminds him of the moments of joy he felt when he was little and he cherishes that

- tried to shave off his mustache once and seeing how he looked without it scared him so bad he vowed not to do it again. It looks so bad 😭💔

- wears that Ebenezer scrooge lookin nightgown and cap unironically, swears that it helps him sleep better

- lactose intolerant and has a gluten allergy. He doesn't like cheese and baked goods because of it, they make him really sick

- that being said, if u made/bought him gluten free stuff he would act like he owes his life to you

- once he was at the library at the same time Penny was tutoring the kids. It was during free reading time and Vincent told him he looked like a character in the book he was reading. It was Geronimo Stilton. Harvey has still not recovered from that

- really wanted siblings as a little kid but never had them, so he created an imaginary friend for himself and pretended to go on aviation missions with them

- has a lil gap between his front teeth, he gets a bit shy about it, but it's cute when he smiles and you can see it

Shane

- I changed my height headcanon, bro is 5'3 now

- his ENTIRE family is very short, his mom and Marnie are 5'0. Jas' parents were tall though so once she's older she's absolutely towering over Marnie and Shane

- had very long hair before taking in Jas. For many reasons, especially maintenance, he's kept it short since adopting her

- Him stealing food from Joja is a habit built from necessity, from the time before he moved back in with Marnie. He got to the point financially that he was often stealing food for him and Jas, because he was often forced to choose between groceries and paying rent.

- he's not a vegetarian, but he refuses to eat chicken specifically. Everytime he tries, he just can't bring himself to do it. He loves chickens too much

- even then, he still ate very little. Stealing was risky and he wanted to make sure Jas was given what she needed first. He always had her eat first, and would eat whatever she didn't, like crusts or veggies she didn't like. The night he moved back in with Marnie was the first time he had an actual meal in about a year

- After he starts recovery, he tries to be better friends with Penny given that she's Jas' teacher. She isn't very interested in being close with him, but he still tries to be friendly

- has an arsenal of dad jokes at the ready at any given moment, you are not prepared for how corny this man gets

- forever salty that LEWIS of all people is beating him on the junimo kart leaderboards

- He and Sam have a workplace besties kinda relationship. They still stay pretty good friends after Joja closes, Shane goes to all of his bands shows to show support

- the only festivals he really cares about are the egg festival, luau and Stardew valley fair. The rest he'll go to because it makes Jas and Marnie happy, but those three he has a passion for

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Hihi! Hope you're doing well.

I just wanna ask some headcanons where Marnie dumps Lewis in favor of Marlon (the better guy she deserves), because I feel bad for her man. And Lewis is too sketchy and weird and Marnie deserves someone who loves her <3

Also, I hope I'm not clogging up your asks. I know how full asks blogs inboxes can get, I just wanna say take your time answering them and don't stress.

Stay hydrated! (Seriously, we're roasting over here in the equator).

Hewwo, dear anon :3 And don't worry about it, you're not clogging up my inbox! Thanks for the wishes, and I hope you're escaping the heat too (we have +20⁰C at the moment, but summer is coming soon and it will be unbearably hot 🥲). Have a good day! 💕

_________________________________________

Yoba witness, Marnie had the patience of a saint and could understand many things. She waited and endured. She waited. And waited some more. And then some more, more, and some more, truly believing Lewis' words of true love for her.

But to be honest.... it wasn't how she'd envisioned "true love".

Hiding in the shadows, pretending nothing was going on between them (even though rumors of their relationship were flying around the Pelican Town)? Watching the mayor come through her window at night so they wouldn't be caught by the locals during the day? Lying to her own niece and nephew that they've heard nothing and there's no one else in the house but the three of them? Justify the dates with business meetings at her ranch?

How long will this last? How much longer do they have to hide each other for fear of "public judgment" (when really everyone has known everything for a long time and they don't give a damn!)

It's spring now - the time of flowers and love, and Marnie has to stand apart from it all. Immersed in sad thoughts of wasted youth and wishing in the past that she could find the one person she would be happy with. Really happy with.

Marnie calculates how much chance she, an old nag, has of finding someone, and sighs conciliatingly, realizing the dire result. Lewis had good qualities and flaws, like every human being, but why he acted like he really are embarrassed by her presence? And why was she herself afraid to say everything she thought about it? Why can't she-

"You look beautiful today, Marnie."

Those words brought her out of the fog of confused thoughts and bad memories. She didn’t realize that she was now at one of the most beautiful festivals in the Stardew Valley - the Flower Dance.

"Huh?...."

Marlon, whose compliment had helped Marnie out of her trance, was a little worried that he'd said the wrong thing. "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah...," Marnie added a little uncertainly. "Just... I got a little dizzy from the smell of the flowers." Marlon's emerald eye was perceptive, but still didn't probe his old friend further. 'You look beautiful today, Marnie...' it had been so long since she'd heard those words....

Why should she keep waiting...?

"Say...," Marnie began cautiously, turning her head toward Marlon, "would you like to dance with me?"

Normally the old adventurer's face was stingy with emotion, but Marnie's question caught him off guard. "Are you sure? I haven't danced in over twenty years..." "Neither have I." Marnie was more sure of her own words than ever. "And don't worry, I don't remember much of the moves either. But who knows what will happen tomorrow? Maybe tonight will be the last chance to have some fun?" Why is she lashing out at him? Why is she even trying? How silly of her-

Marlon stood in front of her and extended his hand to her, asking her to dance. "Then I ask for your hand, and let's go have some fun. Just like old times."

To the smooth music, gathering surprised but approving glances from the other dancers and one indignant glance from Lewis, Marnie held Marlon's hands, letting her forget all her problems and troubles. It was as if time itself had stopped. Just him, her, and their dance.

[magazinenerd]

When Marnie Was There..

"When Marnie was there.." is an animated film released by Studio Ghibli in 2014. A commercial hit amongst the Studio Ghibli fans and avid Anime fans alike, the movie explores the emotions and adventures of a teenager named, Anna (and many other like her).

Anna, a middle school foster child suffering from asthma and low-self esteem, describes the world around as if it is split into two halves, to which she elaborates as the ones on the "inside" of the half as the ones who are welcomed , extroverted, cheerful and far away from the clasps of solitude. The other half, in the words of Anna, share a similar nature like her, shy, introverted and perhaps, complex to be understood by everyone.

Understanding the moody and silent attitude of Anna, her foster guardian decided upon her to send to her relatives, who live on the country side of Oiwa, to which the doctor suggests as a great suggestion as it could help strengthen her lungs and help her move ahead in her battle with asthma. Anna, on the other hand accepts the recommendation by the adults as she is, perhaps too indulged in her own thought process to give any suggestion of her own.

Upon reaching Oiwa, she is welcomed with warm smiles of the relatives namely, Setsu and Kiyomasa, who are over the sky to have someone to pamper like their own daughter.

The protagonist does not show signs of interest at the relatives house and rather is laid back about the changes happening around her.

Soon after her arrival, namely, the Marsh House peaks her interest and one day decides to have a little adventure of her own to explore the mansion abandoned at the end of the marsh.

Now, it was as if the planets had aligned and Anna knew all the answers to the mysteries the Universe has to offer, she felt drawn to the house at marsh. And she could've sworn that the blond girl named Marnie at the Marsh house was more than the figment of imagination she saw on the day of the Tanabata festival.

Soon after, she and Marnie become best friends, almost as if they know each other in a few lifetimes of their own. They planned picnics together under bright shining light of the moon. Told each other secrets about their lives, which somehow too different to be shared as one.

Anna, now familiar with Marnie, was now sketching her in her drawing pads, perhaps with the motive to grasp the gist of what she was confronting every night.

During one night of her encounters with Marnie, she meets the boy named Kazuhiko, who is later revealed to be the partner of Marnie.

Amongst all these encounters she meets up with a fellow painter obsessed with the Marsh House, Hisako and the daughter of the family that has recently shifted into the Marsh House.

On one rainy night, Sayako finds Anna unconscious in the nearby forest and immediately takes her for care to her relatives, whom she was staying with.

Anna fever does not seem to be coming down, however, in her dreams, she is sharing the harsh reality that young Marnie had to face in her childhood.

Upon the epiphany from the dream, Anna wakes up with a statement, as if questioning if all the amazing nights she shared with Marnie were merely a dream like this one.

In order to find about the truth about Marnie and her family, Anna and Sayako turn to Hisako, who in return presents them with a picture over which Marnie is written and shares the story of Marnie with the young girls, which explains that Marnie's childhood was full of neglect and abandonment, she had to turn to her maids and nannies to cope up with affection she lacked from her parents side.

And on one stormy night, Marnie is taken up to the silo, where she is abandoned by the maids as they ran away from the silo in order to take shelter from the thunderstorm.

Kazuhiko comes and saves Marnie from what seemed like an endless nightmare. They later on get married and have a child named, Emily. Kazuhiko took ill soon after and passed away, leaving Marnie with the responsibilities to fulfill as the parent of Emily.

Upon the dawn that Marnie will not be able to cope up with loss of her husband and provide Emily with care she deserves, Emily is sent to a boarding school, despite the resent Emily showed in her teen years to her mother, Marnie was willing to patch up the differences between her and her daughter, who now is married and is expecting.

It is to the life full of trauma for Marnie that she realizes that her daughter and husband are now no more in this world as they were involved in a road accident. In order to fulfill the mistakes she might have performed in her life, Marnie takes upon the care of the young child with blue eyes.

Studio Ghibli outperforms itself with every succeeding release of film. This movie is recommended for audience of ages 12 and up. Perfect movie for that girls' night or a Studio Ghibli night to be enjoyed with popcorn and some hearty meals.

Available on- Netflix

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All Rights Reserved @magazinenerd

[sillystardew]

I haven't seen this before but I thought it was a cute idea, so if you like it i'd love to see it written

My prompt is the farmer being good with kids and genuinely enjoys spending time with Jas, so they agree to keep an eye on her when Shane is out of town for therapy or something (and for sone reason Marnie can't).

Cue Shane coming back and seeing Jas curled up on top of the farmer, both of them asleep on the couch after watching a movie or in a blanket fort or something, and Shane instantly having a "Fuck, I love them" moment.

The scenario could take place while they're dating, already married, or while they're still friends and this is the moment he realizes he's in love with them, i'll leave that up to you.

I'm usually an angsty mf living for the pain but tbh I just want Shane to be happy lol

Thank you!!

AGHH yes i love this prompt!! I think i saw it once or twice over on Ao3, its such a cute one!!

Gender neutral reader 🦇

-Shane spends a lot more time with Jas than he did before he started going sober, which now includes picking her up from school and hanging out with her on the weekends and during festivals

-He wants to make sure this kid has a good life. She had a rough start, and he doesn’t want to be another reason for her to feel miserable.

-so, when the day comes that Marnie’s busy and he can’t take care of her, he’s a little stumped.

-normally he would have left her with Vincents mom, but he knows she’s busy today, so who else can help take care of her?

-Well.. the farmer’s not too busy today, right? Maybe she can hang out on the farm? After all, she always talks about all the pretty plants the farmer is growing.

-He asks her, and Jas is ECSTATIC. Jas was super shy when she first met the farmer, but now she loves talking about all the fun things they do and how she wishes she could hang out with them. And now she CAN?!

-She’s hopping and skipping the whoooole way there.

-He knows you wouldn’t do anything stupid with a kid around, so he trusts you to watch her while he heads into the city for his therapist appointment.

-He decides he’s probably going to pick something up in the city to bring back for you two, like food or a game

-anyway! You and Jas are gonna have so much fun :))) I imagine she probably likes to make jewelry (kandi-style or rainbow loom!) so you guys can just hang out at the house and make cute little crafts

-She really likes movies, so you also watch a few of those. You aren’t really sure how long Shane will be gone, so you pick out quite a few

-You two eventually fall asleep on the ground in front of the tv, surrounded by blankets, pillows, and any other soft thing you could find. Your pet is curled up right alongside you two in a big cuddle pile :)

-When Shane gets back and nobody answers the door, he guesses you probably took her out to explore somewhere. He knows you keep the door unlocked though, so he walks in to set down the things he bought, and-

-Oh. My. God.

-He thinks he can feel his pupils dilate when he sees you two passed out on the floor in a little puddle of blankets. Is he crying? Are those tears?

-Takes a moment to compose himself - he literally can’t handle how adorable this is. Why is his heart fluttering? What is going on??

-He turns the tv down since it’s still running, and in the process accidentally wakes up Jas, who immediately glomps him.

“Uncle Shane!!”

“Yoba, kid, keep it down!”

-Her jumping around wakes you up, obviously

-He immediately starts thanking you and apologizing for taking so long

-You’re like, half asleep. You dont process any of it

-after you wave them off and they start heading home (with Jas rambling the whole way about what you two did) he kind of just feels a dawning “oh, shit.”

-lets just say he didn’t get the recommended hours of sleep that night

(If anyone wants this turned into a proper fic and not just this bulletin-style type of writing, let me know! Im thinking of starting an Ao3 account for a shane fic I’ve been working on, so I need other things to post on there too ❤️)

[reallyghostlypost]

Headcanons about Victor and Lance and a potential friendship between the two

This was supposed to be a short post, now it's a whole essay. Also English is hard.

Headcanon #1: The book about the Fern Islands Victor reads in his 2 hearts event was written by Lance.

After all, as far as we know he's the only First Slash adventurer that writes books and the game specifically mentions that he currently writes a research novel, so it would make sense for Lance to keep journals about his adventures and discoveries and to publish them occasionally. This would be an accessible and entertaining way for the population that isn't directly involved with magic and monsters to read about the dangers of the world, the way they can stay safe and who can they address if they need help and an easy way for the First Slash to raise funds for the guild.

Headcanon #2: Victor has a small crush on Lance, not the romantic kind, but the "this is the coolest guy ever!" kind.

Monster hunting and magic aren't a secret in SVE, there are museums, government sectors and laws dedicated to them, Camilla can control who enters Castle Village despite the fact that normal people also live there and monsters are dangerous enough to threaten entire towns so important adventurers and wizards are probably well known by the public, if not to the same level as celebrities, at least as experts in their fields, like real life famous doctors or archaeologists. And some of them are definitely involved in politics.

Lance is the First Slash's second in command, he's good looking and charismatic, he's called a legend by his own guild-mates and he's the one sent by his guild at shareholder meetings in Zuzu City to represent them so he's probably one of the more famous adventurers. Definitely a name that Victor, who reads books about monsters and keeps up with news about adventurers, would recognize.

He's also the nicest and most approachable adventurer yet so he'd probably have no problem answering questions and giving explanations and he likes to talk about his discoveries so his writing would be full of interesting details. It's easy to imagine Victor seeking out his books (or even articles or interviews etc.) over stuff made by other grumpy adventurers who are more tight lipped about their adventures and only answer monosylabically when they're not giving out boring warnings about different dangers without any other explanations.

Plus he comes across as a fearless and highly competent adventurer, since he's both a really good fighter and a good mage in a world where most seem to be either one or the other, and both are qualities that we know Victor respects. And in addition to all of this Lance is also an accomplished researcher (to the point where his findings are displayed in museums) and Victor is a nerd so I think Lance could easily became one of Victor's favorite adventurers and even role model.

Headcanon #3: If the farmer marries Lance he and Victor will become great friends.

Imagine Victor's surprise when one day the farmer casually strolls into Pelican Town with Lance and starts presenting him as their future husband. He'd be shy at first but will soon enough find the courage to approach Lance one night at the saloon. Lance would be curious at first (he mentions that he's not very comfortable in "civilian" spaces) but won't rudely brush Victor off like the Castle Village adventurers during the Spirits Eve festivity (the farmer was a guild member and still got ignored so I assume Victor's conversation with them was even shorter). After Victor will start asking questions about monsters Lance will chuckle and start talking about some of his adventures to Victor's utter delight.

From Lance's perspective, I think Victor (and Abigail and Sebastian too since they are also interested in monsters and adventures) will be the first to make him feel truly welcomed in the town. The townspeople are either weary about magic and monster business, like Andy, or scared, like Marnie. Whenever Marlon or Rasmodius are in Pelican Town nobody speaks with them or gets anywhere near them, and Lance also has the "luck" of being a complete stranger. So seeing Victor and his friends enjoying their discussions and coming to talk with him whenever he goes into town will help Lance in his first weeks, when the Pelican Town residents are still getting used with him.

Aside from his interests in monsters, Victor also has an analytical mind and after a few discussions Lance will notice it. He will start speaking with Victor about his research to see how he'll react and after Victor proves to be good at noticing details and connections he'll let Victor read some of his papers. Sure, Victor can't help with magical research since it seems based on feeling the different energies but he can help with maps, patterns, number crunching and even biological and environmental stuff.

It won't be long before the farmer will start seeing Lance and Victor at the farmhouse or the saloon with their heads bent over a table full of papers discussing the average weight wilderness golems have each season or if the blood contents of gemfishes change depending of the combination of gems they carry on their scales.

[stardewremixed]

More random Halloween headcanon

Olivia would make a kickass Jessica Rabbit. That glittery red dress would look stunning on her. 💃

Robin could pull off the Rosie the ariveter. Freaks Demetrius out. Embarrasses Maru. Seb wouldn't care. Just another day in the Valley with his weird mom swinging her ax. 💪

Harvey is a bit of a Trekkie. Has a uniform he pulls out at Halloween. Oh Doc Bones. Laughs halfway through his line. Damn it, Maru, I'm a doctor not a rocket scientist. 🦴

Caroline is a bit of a prankster on Spirit's Eve. A sugary spider in the orange Jello, anyone? 🕸

Pierre hates the holiday, but it's a great way to make money. All the pumpkin and candy sales. Abigail calls her dad a grinch. Wrong holiday, sweetheart. 😁

Elliott would make a dashing swashbuckling pirate. Complete with an eye patch borrowed from Marlon, a sword borrowed from Lance, the 18th century tricorn borrowed from Willy, and the parrot 🦜 from Emily.

Willy dusted off the old Sherlock Holmes outfit. A good excuse to smoke his pipe. Plus he's solved a mystery or two at sea, and reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle helped pass the time. 🕵️‍♂️

Marlon doesn't really like dressing up, but he does it for the kids. Jas especially lights up when he arrives with his purple glowing orb. , Fortunes abound. It brings a smile to Marnie's face too. 🔮

Lance can't go as an Adventurer. It would be too obvious. Instead he cosplays another famous Arthur - a king from Camelot. The Round Table does sound ideal. Plus he hopes to tempt a pretty townsperson to play his Guinevere. 👑

Morris drunkenly crashes the festival, dressed as Daddy Warbucks. 💰 🤑 💸 Bald is not a good look on you, dude.

(Somehow I headcanon Claire as his neice. She was attending as Marian the Librarian from the Music Man musical. And she is beyond embarrassed when her uncle shows up). 📖

Gus came as a cowboy and rides to the rescue, offers to drive Morris home. 🤠

Sam and Shane, fellow Joja buddies, both try to make a distraught Claire feel better, after they find her hiding out on the beach. Well really Sam with his quips and Shane smoking and leaning against the rocks, offering to TP Morris' home nonchalantly. 🧻

Penny makes an amazing Amelia Earhart. Famous pilot who disappeared over the ocean somewhere. Cute coiffed curls peeping out from her aviator cap. Random aviation facts gathered from her library research. Harvey is smitten. 🛬

Clint wants to impress Emily. He goes as the Karate Kid. 🥋 Nearly gets wiped out during Marlon and Gil's annual demonstration.

Gunther tries juggling. He keeps dropping the ball. Everyone appreciates the effort. 🤹

Leah makes an appearance as Diana, alter ego Wonder Woman. She looks incredible in leather. Alex is drooling. He can't believe he's never noticed her before. 🦸‍♀️

[lesbianlovelanguage]

the harringrove stardew valley post is so adorable omg i love the idea of steve getting up early to help billy around the farm and then at night they hang out at the saloon with their pals before walking home together all giggly! plus think of all the festivals they can attend!! dancing at the flower dance, doing the maze together at spirit’s eve and going to the night market!! just two boys being soft and living a quiet life

YES!!! Yes to all of this! I’ve actually thought a bit more and have some ideas:

Steve’s 8-Heart event is similar to Hayley’s, in which he’s trying to take some photos by Marnie’s Ranch and Billy teaches him how to approach a cow and it’s so cute and soft. Then his 10-Heart event is more like Penny’s, where Steve invites Billy to meet him at the spa and he’s all shy before just dragging Billy into the pool and kissing him.

I know this isn’t actually possible, but it’s my au so I make the rules: Billy proposes at the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies. It’s actually kind of an accident, he was planning on doing it during a picnic date the next week, but he’s just so overcome with how gorgeous Steve is. With only the light from the Jellies glistening in his big brown eyes, how can Billy resist?

They go on romantic trips to the Island, hiding away from the world and simply enjoying the sun, the beach, and exploring the old pirate ship.

Billy hadn’t participated in the Flower Dance before dating Steve, but he knew it was one of Steve’s favorite celebrations so he swallows his own pride and asks Hayley to teach him the dance. He’s terrible, steps all over Steve’s toes the entire time, but Steve still loves that he put in the effort.

They never have kids, but they have their sweet barn cat, a couple chickens, and big ol’ Betsy to keep them company on the farm. Jas and Vincent come to stay the night sometimes when they’re older though.

[istoletheluckyshorts]

My Farmer's relationship with the Villagers of Pelican Town (non Marriage)

Farmer Maria

Lewis: used to think highly of him ever since they came into town, until they found his little requests a little....Weird, but that wasn't enough to change views about him, but what tipped the scales was whenever she would disagree with him on something, he would get passive aggressive with her no matter what and this along with finding out his relationship with Marnie was when she lost all respect for him, now she sees him as some cranky dude, but since he's the mayor, she can't really say outright to his face how she feels.

Robin: On the other hand, Robin has stayed in her high graces since day one till this day, mostly because she was a strong female figure she could look up to and go to when in need of advice, almost as of she was the mother she wanted to have, and after marrying her son, she got what she wanted.

Pierre: she has mixed feelings but is mostly neutral she can understand him being desperate for clients given the Joja situation but feels like running the shop has taken over most of his time instead of being with his family, specially given Caroline's opinions on how he doesn't spend much time with them during festivals (she's also a bit salty that he made the moment she fixed the community center about himself, she understands why he did it but...c'mon!).

Linus: she would be lying if she said she wasn't curious about him, which led to her searching for various opportunities to talk to him to learn more about his situation, eventually the two of them become the best of friends, he was even given the opportunity to be Shelby's godfather, which turned out to be perfect cause her little angel loves the wild.

Marnie: she's forever thankful for all the help she provided in her time in the farm, specially with the animals and befriending Shane, but she has also sat down with her to talk about Lewis, Marnie said it was alright and that it was just another thing she had to deal with, but Maria kept worrying about her, specially when she had to talk to her during the flower dance, it just broke her heart.

Gus: if she had a penny for the amount of times a friendly guy in the town taught her something valuable, she would have two, it ain't much, but she feels blessed that it has happened twice. She admits she wasn't the best cook before, unless her objective was to cause salmonella, thankfully Gus took time off his days to help her cook, and he didn't even asked for payment, since she already bought his meals in the salon.

Willy: this man reminds her too much of her good old dad, his kind nature, the calm aura around him, she just felt like she was at peace with herself whenever they were together, and he was given the honor of being a Godfather too, this time to her son Sam.

Wizard: ominous, that's the first thing that came to mind when they met, not in a scary way, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't skeptical, like Shane, she wasn't one to believe in magic, until she met the Juminos, also she suspected since the beginning that he might be Abby's dad, but she kept her mouth shut....for the most part.

Clint: he's a huge shy dork to her, and isn't that bothered when he doesn't trust her at first, he's a great guy and all, but she draws the line at the Emily situation, to put it simply, she wishes that he saw their possible friendship as enough, she doesn't seem to like him in the same sense he does but that doesn't mean they can't hang out, yes, she knows he has poor communication skills but still, it ain't hard to simply accept that someone isn't interested in you the same way you are, just saying!

Pam: Pam is simply her wine aunt, competitive, doesn't hide her love for food, she's a neat fella, and she feels for hers and Penny's situation, so right now she's saving up to help them get a true house, is the least she can do.

Caroline: she doesn't like that certain behaviors she has with her daughter are way too similar to her own mom, of course she has to remember that it's a small town in the countryside and maybe this is due to their secret, which she got it confirmed with Caroline when talking to her at some point, she doesn't want her to feel guilty forever, and she knows a simply chat with family won't solve anything.

Jodi: another figure she looks up to, specially when came for her own time in motherhood, Jodi was actually the first one to know about it, mostly because Maria was searching for advice, she sees her as a calm and collected woman that has been through a lit, but despite everything, she's there for her sons and husband.

Kent: speaking of Jodi's husband, Maria was at first, for lack of a better word, scared, she only had heard rumors of what war and what comes out of it does to one person, her father had friends that came out as apathetic and traumatized, some weren't able to go back fully to society and retired from the force the moment they got the opportunity, however Kent demonstrated to be the total opposite of what she expected, a caring dad and a loving husband dealing with the hardships from his past, she mentally apologizes to Kent through gifts and favors to make up for her prejudice but he insisted that he didn't need all the gifts.

Demetrius: she likes him, does her best to pay attention to what he's talking about when it comes to research, and he's overall and husband that means well, there are just some stuff that she can't put her finger on it that feel....Odd, his favoritism with Maru, his neglect with Sebastian and how he won't side with his wife in simple conversations, specially when Maria was asked to choose one of them to agree with but he's not bad, he means well, maybe some communication would be nice in the future.

Jas and Vincent: they are two precious beans that need to be protected, Vincent is curious and observes with care the world around him and isn't afraid to speak his mind (let the boy be the flower dance queen) and Jas is a shy and kind girl who knows a lot about the world around her, and is always willing to learn more, Maria is super blessed when they call her auntie Mari.

Evelyn: a charming and sweet old lady that always seems to be looking out for others around her, Maria finds her amazing and will gladly help her out when possible, but Don't be fooled, she's a strong lady.

George: some buts about him are...really something, but she sees that he misses the old days when he could do more for his family and clearly cares about them, a lot. Specially Alex, he wishes he could bond more with his grandkid but he's limited on movement but Alex doesn't mind, once he started reading books again, he goes to his grandpa to explain what he doesn't understand, and thus they end up reading together and sharing their own opinions.

The Dwarf: a odd but adorable and kind of a trickster, Maria doesn't know that much about her but she can't say she complained about her company in the mines, is nice to see some friendly creatures in those mines, and speaking of friendly creature.

Krobus: Maria makes it her mission to tell him all she knows about the human world, specially about their beliefs, Krobus is always paying close attention to what she says, and sometimes she'll get books from. The library so they learn together.

Morris: she hates him is glad that he's gone after the theater is open

Gunther: has served as a guide for various adventures of hers in and out of the mines, he taught her how to understand the language of the Dwarves, the meaning of the artifacts she brought with her from the mines and the mystery lying about Yoba.

Marlon and Gil: not that familiar with either of them, where they came from, how they started this shop, but she's glad to have had someone to teach her how to use a sword and other weapons.

[runawayface]

Fic - Harvey and Lewis (Luau)

Title: Public Health Crisis

Word Count: 2,671

Summary: Harvey has always hated the communal soup at the luau, but this year is the last straw.

Notes: This fic briefly contains my OC farmer May, but no prior knowledge of her is necessary to read the fic. Thanks to @phytocondria for the prompt!

Summer 11, Year 2

“Sunscreen, pajamas, toiletries,” Harvey mumbled under his breath, standing over an open suitcase as he went through his mental packing checklist for the third time.

Only an hour earlier, Harvey and May were at the community luau, enjoying the festival with their friends and neighbors. Now that it was over, it was time to pack their bags in preparation for the following day when they would leave bright and early for a vacation to the city. Not only in celebration of May’s birthday, but also as one last vacation before the arrival of their baby in fall. Robin insisted they needed a ‘babymoon’ and May’s birthday seemed like the perfect time to arrange it. Now that the luau was over, Harvey had the entire rest of the day to fret about their upcoming trip.

“Sweetheart, I’m pretty sure we have everything,” May assured him. “And if we don’t, it’s not like we’re going to the middle of nowhere. It’s the city, we can buy anything we forgot.”

“Pretty sure if I forgot my glasses I couldn’t just get those at any old store,” Harvey pointed out seriously. May couldn’t help but giggle at the absurdity of it.

“Pretty sure if you forgot your glasses you wouldn’t get very far before realizing it,” May teased, reaching for Harvey’s glasses to pull them off. Right away his eyes scrunched up in a struggle to see. “Your eyesight’s so bad, I don’t think you need to worry about accidentally forgetting your glasses.”

“Sorry, I don’t mean to be so neurotic… as usual,” Harvey chuckled darkly, blindly reaching out for his glasses. May gently placed them in his grasping hands so he could place them back on his face.

“You’re just nervous, it’s understandable,” May assured him. “This’ll probably be our last vacation before the baby gets here, it’s important. But I think we’ll be just fine.”

May kissed Harvey gently on the cheek before leaving the room, leaving Harvey behind to stare at the suitcase more. Just as he realized he might want to pack his portable fan in case the hotel room was too warm, he heard a ringing from his pocket. Not from his personal cell phone, however; from the clinic emergency line.

“No,” Harvey uttered in horror under his breath.

The last thing he needed right now was an emergency in town. A stand-in physician would be arriving in the morning to cover the clinic while Harvey was gone, but if something catastrophic happened today, he couldn’t in good conscience leave his replacement with a major medical issue from the start. He would likely have to stay to see it through.

“Pelican Town Medical Clinic, this is Doctor Harvey,” Harvey answered as calmly as he could, but even he could detect the hesitation and nervousness in his voice. He certainly wasn’t projecting his usual aura of calm and professionalism.

“Hi, Doctor,” Marnie greeted him sluggishly. She sounded unwell. “I’m so sorry to call like this, I know you and May are leaving for vacation tomorrow, but I’m really not feeling well after the luau today.”

It was fortunate that this was a phone call and not an in-person visit so that Marnie wouldn’t see Harvey’s shoulders slump forward while he visibly cringed. Marnie was a wonderfully pleasant woman, but after she needed medical attention during last year’s luau, he was starting to wonder how her misfortune at community luaus ended up dragging him down with her.

“What symptoms are you experiencing?” Harvey asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and really focusing to give Marnie his full attention.

“Well, it only started about a half hour ago, but I’ve been feeling light-headed, nauseous, sick to my stomach, and just about five minutes ago I began… vomiting,” Marnie listed off, hesitating at the last one as she became uncomfortable. Harvey was used to it, many patients were uncomfortable disclosing what they felt were more embarrassing symptoms but to Harvey, there was nothing embarrassing about it at all. By this point in his career, he’d seen and heard just about everything and nothing embarrassed him anymore when it came to his patients.

“Are these your only symptoms?” Harvey asked, his mind already sorting through a list of possibilities.

“At the moment, yes,” Marnie replied.

“Well, it doesn’t sound like anything that requires immediate medical attention, but if the symptoms worsen, if you feel like you might pass out, or if the vomiting persists then please call me back. Until then, I advise you to stay hydrated, small sips of water will be easier for your stomach to handle, and drink ginger ale if you’ve got it to help settle your stomach.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Marnie replied gratefully. “Sorry that it always seems to be me that requires your attention on luau days.”

“Not to worry,” Harvey replied honestly. He had initially been annoyed at first by the call, but now just felt guilty that he’d even felt bothered at all by receiving a call from a patient. First and foremost, he was the town’s doctor and it was a duty he did not take lightly.

Once his call with Marnie ended, Harvey stowed the clinic phone back into his pocket and resumed packing. Or at the very least, he resumed worrying about packing. By all accounts the packing was done and over with, now it was just the time to think of all the odd, random things they might possibly need in the case of some one-in-a-million scenario. As his mind stewed over whether or not to bring a pair of nail clippers, just in case of a rogue hangnail, the clinic emergency line rang again. Harvey fumbled for the phone, positive that it would be Marnie once more.

“Hello?” Harvey answered without his usual greeting. He’d been so sure it was Marnie, it felt unnecessary to answer so formally after they’d just spoken minutes earlier. He was surprised to hear a different voice answer back.

“Hello, Doctor,” Elliott answered back. He, too, sounded unwell. “I was calling to check in with you regarding some symptoms I’ve been feeling since returning home from the luau.”

“Go on,” Harvey replied, though he suspected he knew what those symptoms would be.

“I’ve been feeling very nauseous and ever since the luau ended, I’ve been feeling stomach cramps,” Elliott explained. “And just in the last half hour, I’ve been… well, I’ve been…”

For someone usually so eloquent, Harvey could understand why Elliott was hesitant to admit aloud that he’d been vomiting. It would be amusing were it not for the fact that Elliott was ill.

“Vomiting?” Harvey suggested, fairly certain that this is what Elliott had been so hesitant to say.

“Yes,” Elliott confirmed quietly.

“I could be wrong, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I suspect you have food poisoning,” Harvey replied seriously. “It seems to be going around.”

“Is it serious?” Elliott asked in a panic.

“Not usually,” Harvey replied. “Typically food poisoning will get better on its own without any medical intervention, it’s just not exactly a fun experience. If you start to experience worse symptoms, if you can’t keep liquids down, or if it’s paired with a high fever or signs of dehydration, then absolutely give me a call back. That will require medical attention. Until then, I advise you to take it easy and try to stay hydrated.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Elliott replied.

When the call with Elliott ended, Harvey set the phone down on the bed and heaved a weary sigh. There was no sense in putting the phone back in his pocket, Harvey had a feeling this would not be the last call he’d receive. With Marnie, Harvey had wondered if it was something she had eaten at the luau but with Elliott, he was almost sure that it had to be food poisoning. The question now was just how serious it would be, how many people were affected, and what was the cause. Harvey had barely risen from the bed to get May to tell her what was going on when the phone rang a third time.

“Pelican Town Medical Clinic, this is Doctor Harvey,” Harvey answered in a rush, just trying to get past the niceties to hear from his next patient. This time, it was Clint.

The hour that passed was full of phone calls, all from many residents in town all experiencing similar symptoms. By now, Harvey knew the cause had to be food poisoning, there was no other explanation. He sat down at his desk, long since giving up trying to think about packing, and instead set to work to try and figure out the cause. He called many patients back, asking them what they had eaten at the luau to try and narrow down the cause of it. It was unsurprising to Harvey in the least to hear that the one thing they all had in common was the communal luau soup. It was unsurprising because Harvey had felt from his very first luau that it couldn’t be a good idea to have a large pot of soup that anyone and everyone could add to. Not only did it exclude those with food allergies, aversions, or intolerances, but it was also a fantastic way to invite trouble either through pranks or improperly prepared foods. In this case, it was probably the latter. Clearly someone hadn’t handled their ingredient properly and it tainted the entire soup. The situation was far from over, finding out the cause was just the beginning.

The next step for Harvey was to make phone calls to every resident in town, warning each person that food poisoning was possible to anyone who had eaten the luau soup. Unfortunately for Harvey, with the soup being the main attraction of the event, nearly everyone in town had eaten some. There were few people Harvey could think of off the top of his head that definitely wouldn’t have eaten it, those with dietary restrictions certainly lucked out. Harvey was never more thankful in his entire life to have skipped the luau soup and he was incredibly relieved that he’d urged his pregnant wife to do the same. He couldn’t imagine how much worse this would be if May had fallen ill in her condition.

Once he had contacted the residents of town to issue his warning, many of whom did not need his warning as they were already experiencing the symptoms of food poisoning, his last call was to Mayor Lewis. The soup that Harvey had detested from his very first year in Pelican Town finally had to come to an end. This was the last straw. Harvey was never one to make waves and usually remained quiet on town issues that did not concern him, but this was an issue that very much concerned him now.

“H-hello?” Mayor Lewis muttered miserably upon answering the phone. No doubt he was yet another victim of the soup.

“Good evening, Mayor,” Harvey replied politely.

“Doctor! I was actually just about to call you,” Lewis went on, his voice sounding weak. “You see, for the last hour or so I’ve been-”

“Experiencing all the symptoms of food poisoning,” Harvey interrupted, finishing Lewis’ sentence for him. “Yes, that’s actually the reason I’m calling. It seems that quite a few residents in town are suffering from food poisoning.”

“We should notify Gus,” Lewis went on seriously. “I knew those crab cakes looked suspect.”

“It’s actually not the crab cakes that are to blame,” Harvey went on. “The only thing that everyone exhibiting symptoms have in common is the luau soup.”

“Well that can’t be right,” Lewis blurted out, as though the idea were preposterous. “Why would anyone purposefully poison the soup?”

“These things rarely happen on purpose, Mayor,” Harvey explained. “It was probably just a well-meaning resident who didn’t quite prepare their food properly. But that’s not even the issue at hand. The issue is the soup in general. It’s a major health concern. I’ve always felt that way and this year only proved it.”

“Doctor, I hardly think that one bad year proves-” Lewis chortled, but Harvey continued speaking with a cool confidence he could only seem to find while in doctor mode.

“Eighteen,” Harvey cut in. “Eighteen people are exhibiting symptoms of food poisoning. Now nineteen with you. And I’ll go out on a limb and guess twenty for the governor who probably wasn’t too happy to arrive back home with food poisoning. I consider that very problematic.”

“Dear Yoba,” Lewis gasped. Clearly he hadn’t realized the severity of the problem until now.

“You’re inviting trouble having a large, open pot of soup like that for anyone and everyone to just dump ingredients in,” Harvey continued seriously. “You don’t know how those ingredients were handled, you don’t even know exactly what’s in there which of course is a concern to those with food allergies, and lastly it’s a shock to me that none of the younger residents have used this as an opportunity to pull a very public prank. And all of that isn’t even touching upon other health concerns, why just last year poor Marnie passed out from heat exhaustion from the physical exertion of standing in front of a very hot pot and stirring it constantly during one of the hottest days of the season. It’s a major health concern and frankly, I’m putting in a formal complaint and asking for the removal of the communal soup for all future luau events.”

“Doctor, it’s tradition! Be reasonable!” Lewis barked.

“I think it’s very reasonable to choose public safety over tradition,” Harvey replied calmly.

“Well I… but that’s- I mean- come now, Doctor, you can’t…” Lewis stammered, clearly taken aback by Harvey’s request but unable to come up with a decent rebuttal.

“We can discuss this matter further upon my return home from vacation,” Harvey added.

“You can’t go on vacation now, not in the middle of a public health crisis!” Lewis cried out in a panic.

“Ah, so at the very least you do acknowledge that it’s a public health issue,” Harvey quipped. Harvey wasn’t often so quick-witted, but he felt rather proud of himself for his clapback. “Though at the moment, no one seems to be exhibiting serious symptoms that require immediate medical attention. I will have my phone with me all night should that change. In the morning, my replacement will arrive before I leave town and I’ll brief her on everything that has gone on so that she is properly prepared should things take a turn for the worse. I don’t see that outcome happening, but the town will be in good hands if it does. As I stated, we can discuss the issue of the soup once I return home from a well-earned birthday celebration for my wife.”

“Y-yes, Doctor,” Lewis mumbled.

“And before I let you go, I advise you to stay hydrated and get lots of rest to help with your food poisoning symptoms, Mayor,” Harvey added. “Stressing yourself out won’t do any good for your recovery.”

“Yes, Doctor,” Lewis repeated in an irritated grumble.

Harvey’s heart was racing by the time he hung up with Mayor Lewis. For years he had hated the idea of the communal soup and now, he was the one leading the charge to remove it completely. He’d get a petition going if he had to, whatever it took to finally get rid of such a public health issue once and for all. If a petition would be necessary, Harvey had a feeling that it wouldn’t be too difficult to get signatures right about now. At the very least there were probably eighteen residents who would jump at the chance to sign it. When Harvey turned his attention back to the suitcase that still laid open on his bed, he crossed the room and zipped it shut without another glance inside. At the moment, he felt more confident and self-assured than ever. He felt invincible.

[randomfandomasks]

Even More little stuff about Stardew Valley

In my Game Maru and Penny are dating (which is a mod...I think it's called Rivals Hearts or something like that. There is also a version for Sebastian and Sam, Maru and Harvey, Lewis and Marnie, Clint and Emily, Harley and Leah, Leah and Elliott and Alex and Harley)

I must say Maru and Penny are a very cute couple...almost as cute as my Farmer Blake and Emily.

I mean what is more cuter than two nerd dating each other? A ship dynamic were the stoic and shy Partner becomes very soft around the bubbly Sunshine Partner. And plus the height difference . (Blake is very short.)

While I think that Winter is by far the most beautiful season in Stardew Valley, it is probably also the most boring in my opinion.

My Farmer Blake is a big fan of Halloween and Autumn in general (mostly because of the golden pumpkins)

So, the first year is in Stardew Valley is almost over for my Farmer Blake...

Either in year 2 or in year 3 depends on how I feel they´ll probably propose to Emily. (I kinda want them to propose on the same day as the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies event which is on the last day of Summer)

I honestly think that Clint is in denial because during the ice fishing festival when he and Emily were building the snowman, and he said his usual dialogue (You know the one where he thinks that only because Emily helps him to build a snowman that she is immediately in love with him). Literally after Emily flirted with Blake in front of his eyes.

I mean it is kinda obvious that Emily is not attracted to him at all. I mean she and Clint probably know each other for a while, and nothing serious ever happened between them. Then suddenly the new Farmer arrives and they and Emily get together in less than a year....Ouch! Clint.

Besides, I headcanon that Emily is actually the one that flirts with Blake the whole time even before they started dating, because my Farmer Blake is almost as shy and socially awkward as Harvey and Clint combined.(And even though in the game itself the Farmer ask the Bachelors/Bachelorettes to date them, but in my headcanon world it was actually Emily that asked Blake out.)

And instead of just quietly stalking Emily. Blake actually goes into the dangerous mines and gets those Topazes, Amethysts and other Gems that Emily likes.

Also, I definitely think that Shane and sometimes Seb, Sam and Abigail slightly watch over Emily so that Clint doesn't even think about flirting with her. You know since they all are good friends with Blake and because they all silently ship Emily and Blake (Blakily? Emlake?)

Another thing. I think that Evelyn is not as blind as she pretends to be. I mean she told my Farmer Blake, who is always were very dark sunglasses to hide their scar, that they have the same eyes as their Grandfather. How in the hell did she saw their eye color? Did Lewis tell her that? I seriously doubt it. I swear she is probably related to the Wizard, and she probably can do magic.

[what-the-witch-stuff]

Landings Through the Grapevine

Chapter 2: Unfulfilled Expectations

Masterpost: here Go to:  Ch.1   |   Ch.2  |

_________________________

"I have news for you. One good, one bad" Shane said hours after the dance, when everyone was busy cleaning the place up. "Wait! Help me with that table first...Allright. Shoot". Shane grabbed the other side of the table and together they heaved it off the ground to carry it back to Marnie's farm. The path that led to the narrow bridge which divided the forest clearing from the rest of the village, was not large enough for them to carry the table side by side. So Shane volunteered to walk backwards while Riley gave directions. For a few moments Shane didn't say anything but occasionally looked at something over her shoulder. Then he lowered his voice:

"Ok, so...Mr. Darcy" – that was code for Elliott – "has been mingling with my aunt for almost the entire festival and now they both keep looking over at you".

"What?"

"Don't look! I didn't want to say it earlier, because I wasn't sure. But given how Marnie has been really chatty today, I bet she's playing matchmaker again"

"Oh for fuck's sake! What about Elliott?"

"Don't know, maybe he finally figured out that you don't understand his poems, or something"

"Shane!"

„I'm kidding. Don't act so horrified. Also, it's true!"

„No! It's not."

„Okay. Remember the poem he 'gifted' you at the Feast of the Winter Star? What was that about?"

Riley was preparing to answer him in a know-it-all manner but soon realised that she had actually no idea what to say. She hoped her death glare would shut him up for good. Alas, it didn't.

„You can give me the evil eye all you want. I already cringed to death when he started performing it in front of the goddam tree."

„Maybe a few metaphors and references go over my head sometimes, but that's because I never read much poetry before.

„Or maybe his writing is as inflated as his ego"

„Stop! For Yoba's sake, just tell me what's up with him!

„How should I know?"

„Then why tell me?"

"I thought you would want to know these things"

"Well, what does he look like? Does he look upset or anything?"

"Ehm",– at that Shane peeked back over her shoulder, looking rather pained as he tried to awaken his interpersonal skills: "Well he looks like a schmock, so nothing new there. Maybe that's just his –oh shit!"

"What?!"

"He's coming"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Stop! Jesus, Riley have you never been to highschool? You don't look at people you're talking shit about."

"Ok! ok, act natural !"

"You're the only one acting like a headless chicken", he hissed under his breath.

"Well, maybe I would be calmer if you –"

Shane dropped his side of the table. It came to the ground with a soft thud and Riley almost lost her footing from the sudden yank it caused on her side, forcing them to an immediate stop shortly before the bridge. This interrupted Riley's tirade and in hindsight saved her some embarrassment, as Elliott appeared by her side soon after, brushing a strain of hair behind his ear : "Good day, you two. I am so very sorry I didn't get to chat with you sooner. Can I help you with that?", he asked, having seen them struggle but obviously mistaking the situation at hand. Before Riley could even say anything, Shane intervened again : "Glad that you ask!" he said in an overly friendly manner while stretching theatrically and making a face: "My back is killing me! If you don't mind, I'd rather go see if I can help with something else" and with the blink of an eye, Shane and Elliott had switched places.

"You're welcome!", Shane murmured while brushing past her and he was gone. Meanwhile Elliott was getting into position and testing the table's weight while Riley could do nothing but watch him dumbfounded. When he noticed her staring, Elliot winked: "Shall we then?"

"YES! I mean, sure. Thanks for the help", If Riley's face looked as flushed as it felt right then and there, Elliott was gentleman enough to pretend not to notice. "Please, don't thank me! I should have been more involved with the preparations to begin with. I was just so caught up with my newest draft, that I had forgotten all about the dance until a few days ago. Oh, also, I hope I wasn't interrupting anything between you and Shane?", he added, leaning slightly towards her in mock-conspiracy.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it did look like you've been arguing, before I came over. I hope it was nothing serious"

"Ehm... I was just worried. His, eh... his 'back pain' is quite bad, but he didn't want to bother Harvey during a holiday", Riley lied between her teeth, as they made their way over the narrow bridge.

"Poor fellow, no wonder he seemed rather miffed today. But he danced like a champ!", Elliott stated sympathetically.

"Yes, he knows how much it means to Emily and didn't want to let her down"

"See, I was wondering about that a little. I did expect the two of you to be dancing today"

At that, Riley tripped over nothing, looking at Elliott with such astonishment that she almost forgot to warn him about the slight slope the path would be taking, shortly after the bridge.

"Sorry, who?"

"Well, you and Shane….?"

"Huh?"

Elliott then must have come to some sort of realisation, for it was now his turn to look flushed and embarrassed.

"Oh, Let the greater part of the news thou hearest be the least part of what thou believest." he exclaimed ruefully and smiled at her apologetically: " I should have known better than to make assumptions. I am sorry, Riley. It was something I overheard, please pay no mind to it!"

Riley suppressed the urge to ask him if he had been quoting Shakespeare again, as in 5 times out of 7 she had already been wrong. And by now, she had the nagging suspicion that Elliott chose anything but Shakespeare, just to mess with her. Instead, she stammered: "N-No, it's fine! Shane and I are close, but we are just friends...'', and almost Riley would have given into the temptation of adding something like: '...just as you and Leah, if I am not mistaken?'. But she discarded that idea as soon as it came to her. Too obvious. Though Riley was dying to get her hands on any piece of information about what kind of relationship he and the artist were cultivating, she had to be careful. The last thing she needed was the awkwardness of unrequited feelings or the loss of a friendship because of it. However, remembering Shane's assumption regarding Marnie, she continued : "...Though I do believe Marnie wouldn't mind me as her niece-in-law. But neither Shane or I see that ever happening,". She then laughed. But, following her gut instinct, she kept an eye out for Elliott's reaction, who, still dealing with his own embarrassment, couldn't help but wince slightly.

Bingo.

Shane's words were practically echoing in the back of her mind: I bet she's playing matchmaker again.

– ‘Yes she is and you won't like to find out with whom exactly', Riley thought grimly.

To say this was news to her would be a lie, sadly. Last year it had been just a few questions, if Riley was seeing someone, or if she fancied someone from the village already. Before long, Marnie had gotten more obvious about her actual motivation: "Have you met my nephew, yet? Shane. He is from Zuzu-City too. Oh, I need to introduce you to each other, next time you visit."

But said introduction flopped big-time. It had been difficult. Well, Shane had been. But Riley now knew that this wasn't anything personal. She had involuntarily witnessed his downward spiral until the fateful day at the cliffs, where Shane had finally hit rock bottom. Since then he was getting the help he needed and they could manage having a conversation that wasn't ending in a disaster. Nevertheless, as she and Shane clearly never hit it off, Riley thought that Marnie had moved on and was satisfied with talking her up to some other bachelor instead. Apparently, she had been wrong. "Please, do not believe that I usually engage in petty gossip." Elliott exclaimed and Riley knew, if his hands were free, he would probably underline his words with some dramatic gesture: " This is not why I wanted to talk to you. I would never bother you with such shallow conversation!". They finally reached Marnie's farmhouse and were greeted by Gunther and Clint, who were busy sorting Marnie's belongings back to where they belonged. Soon Elliott and Riley were relieved of their task and hurriedly shooed away. "Riley, you did enough! You've been here all day and surely your farm does not run itself", Gunther called over his shoulder as he and Clint disappeared into the house, leaving Elliott and Riley to themselves. „Well, I don't want to keep you from your duties..." Elliott eventually said rather deflated, after some seconds of them just standing there.

„It's fine! Really. I have time to chat."

„Are you sure? I would hate to inconvenience you", though Riley could easily tell that Elliott was just saying that to stay polite.

„You aren't, believe me. What did you want to talk about originally?"

Elliott immediately straightened his posture, his demeanour getting more relaxed as Riley's question offered him the chance to return their conversation back towards familiar territory.

He suspensefully cleared his throat.

"I wanted to thank you, for you have played a significant role regarding my latest draft. Well, draft is a bit much. It's more of an outline, actually."

"Really?!", Riley could not believe her ears. This was like the beginning of some obscure fever dream, where Elliott would finally announce her as his muse and declare his undying love for her…. Totally hypothetically of course, because Riley would never fantasize about such a corny situation! Ever.

"Yes! For as much as I frequent the library, I just recently noticed the marvellous collection of exhibits you have been providing to the museum. I would've never thought for our tiny valley to be such a place of wonder and history! I must be honest, my latest works were getting nowhere and I dreaded starting a new manuscript. I had gotten quite far with my latest piece. But all these treasures have ignited a new spark within me. Now I can hardly put my pen to rest. But I need more inspiration!". Elliott got more excited the more he talked. It was no longer just polite enthusiasm but an almost childlike delight that made his eyes sparkle in a way she rarely got to see on him.

"Oh that's wonderful! But how can I help you with that?" Riley was getting somewhat confused. If Elliott needed more information on the artifacts, he would be better off talking to Guntehr instead. And following that line of thought, Riley couldn't really fathom what Elliott needed of her, to fuel his newfound inspiration.

"It's about this Adventurer's Guild..."

The answer was: absolutely nothing.

"Oh", Riley tried not to sound or even look unhappy about this revelation and Elliott seemed too fixated on his own issues to notice anything, for he continued talking: "I have seen you standing next to that older gentleman, today. What was his name again?"

"Marlon?"

"Yes! He is the guild's leader, I suppose ?"

"Eh, yes, you could call him that."

"I would like to ask him a few questions. I would love to hear some of his adventures. He looks like a man who has many stories to tell. However, I struggle to get a hold of him!

Surely, I tried asking around. But before today, I didn't even know whose company he keeps. I have never seen him in town either, other than during holidays, which is why I had hoped to talk to him today. But shortly after the dance I lost sight of him and he was gone! I could tear my hair out, Riley! That man is like a ghost. How am I supposed to write about fantastic tales of danger, when I have no authentic experience to write from?!" Elliott had talked himself into such a frenzy, that he ended up being short of breath. While he needed a moment to collect himself, Riley used this pause to talk some sense into him.

"Well, you will be happy to hear that the guild building is actually very easy to find. It's right next to the entrance to the mines.", she informed him, trying to push away the feeling of disappointment. "Office hours are between 2 pm to 10 pm. Normally, entrance is only allowed for adventurers only, but technically you would be considered a potential client. And If you really cannot get in, then Clint, Willy and I see Marlon often enough that we can relay a message to him." "Is that so? Thank you so much, I knew I could count on you! I will seek him out first thing tomorrow!". With that he made his goodbyes and hurried back towards the meadow, presumably to find Leah and share his progress with her. She looked after him until his silhouette disappeared from her sight and with a groan Riley decided that it was indeed time to head back to her farm. The gleeful excitement she had felt at the prospect of being alone with Elliott, had vanished to sober disillusion. She wasn't even in the mood to get worked up over the whole Marnie-situation. Therefore, she decided to no longer think about whatever had transpired today. That would be future-her's issue to deal with. When Riley entered the premises to her own farm, the sight of the seemingly endless plot of land filled her with awe, like it did everytime. Proudly, she watched her cows, chicken and ducks peacefully napping in the sun and listened to the faint rustling of leaves above her head, as she finally made her way towards home.

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Golden pumpkins hunt

A short and little crappy story about our farmers and the madness during the maze on Spirits Eve.

Farmer OCs in this story: May (@poxy-domain), Zeke (@theambivalentagender), Rain (@silly-farmer), Wren (@girls4zelda), Bo (@boinurmom13), Miranda (@amishasp), Shiro (@shirokumav3), Myra (@seharuuchan), Marley (@mmarggsstuff), Willow (@vilochkaaa), Skylar (@justashamwithwastedpotential), Thad (@reallyghostlypost), Lucy (@doggoneaway), Bella (@ivquatro), Eris (@lavendel081), Elisa (@elisa6102), Hestia (@g0atmama), Fawn (@fawn-wickenshire), Josephine (@jazhand), Ziana (@nimillaarts) and Julian (my OC).

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"Aunt Marnie! I'm not little anymore, why can't I go into the maze...". Julian turned to Jaz, who had been begging her aunt for about ten minutes to let her enter the scary maze this year, but Marnie was still hesitant. No sooner had Julian greeted the two of them and congratulated them on Spirit's Eve than Bo pulled him back to the maze entrance.

"You'll see, dude, we're definitely going to win this Magnus puzzle! Especially since this year's prize is not one, but three whole golden pumpkins!", Bo enthusiastically tugged on his friend's sleeve, unable to contain his anticipation before the treasure hunt. "We'll divide the spoils, naturally: both get a pumpkin each, and the third... well, we'll figure something out!"

The two young men stopped near two artisanal arches.

"It's showtime, baby! Ok, I'll go left, and you go right then. Good luck, bro." With a Hollywood smile on his face, Bo clapped Julian on the shoulder, and disappeared into the semi-darkness of the maze.

The young man with multicolored eyes sighed a little tiredly: he wasn't opposed to the most exciting adventure to find the golden pumpkin, but before entering the maze, Julian wanted some snacks from the communal food table. The poor lad hadn't had time to eat before the feast, and the smell of spices made his stomach rumble and mind go crazy. But Julian decided he would help Bo win the contest first, because after all, three pumpkins was a very generous reward.

Without wasting any more precious time, Julian finally entered the maze. The tangled paths, the cold, penetrating wind, the dense dark vegetation on either side, the atmosphere and frightening scenery, the shrieks of familiar voices, the laughter and the rush - enthralled by the spirit of the feast, Julian even forgot about hunger for a while.

Continuing to walk further and further down the labyrinth, Julian didn't immediately realize how he found himself in a place separate from the main maze. There was a circle where Magnus Rasmodius himself was sitting cross-legged, and next to the wizard were Julian's friends and colleagues in farming - Eris and Bella were sitting on soft pouffes, holding cups with hot drinks in their hands, and Elisa was eating delicious white chocolate-covered strawberries. The treats were made with scary but still cute faces of all sorts of ghosts and monsters.

"Hey, Julian! Happy Spirit's Eve!", with her mouth slightly full, Elisa congratulated the young man. Bella and Eris also nodded to Julian sincerely happy meeting their friend.

"Greetings, young adept. Enjoying the festivities?", Magnus ducked one eye open, not taking a break from his meditation. Julian sensed a large concentration of magic in this place - apparently to maintain the summoned maze.

"Would you like to join us? We still have some strawberries and hot tea left." Bella moved a loose cushion closer and a plate of strawberries, which Elisa looked at very intently. Oh, how Julian wanted to stay here and have a snack!

But he made a promise to Bo...

"Thanks for the offer, but another time. I still want to win the competition."

"Good luck to you, then." Eris smiled sincerely at the young man, and happily took a sip of hot tea.

"Watch out, young fool. The treasure is guarded by fearsome monsters, it won't be easy to get it..." Magnus was pleased with his own cryptic and creepy speech, and hummed quietly, returning to his meditation. After saying goodbye to everyone, Julian rolled his eyes.

"Scary monsters, yeah... They're all fake for sure!" With that thought, the young man went back to searching for the right path to the treasure.

Walking past the plastic spiders (where Thad was able to hide and scare Julian enough to make the poor guy jump a little), he stopped near a huge cauldron where a green liquid of unknown origin was bubbling. Penny, Ziana, Shiro, and Myra stared at the bottom of the cauldron, mesmerized.

"Mr. Julian..." Ziana said in a slightly monotone somehow. "This cauldron... It smells so good, it makes my head spinning and dizzy." The other girls only nodded slowly to confirm her words.

The boiling water smelled like cotton candy, and Julian's hungry stomach twisted itself into a knot. Ugh, no, he need to move on! Overcoming the urge to stay near the cauldron, the young farmer returned to his original mission, intending to turn left.

"Nope, it's a dead end." Skylar walked out of the darkness a little tiredly with Sam. "Honey, maybe we can go back to the common table?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Sam was delighted, "Besides, the straw in my suit makes me itchy... like, everywhere."

Oh well, Julian thought, the search continues.

"Hmm, maybe I should turn into a dragon? Then I’ll definitely find the treasure..." Hestia stood thoughtfully near the fake tombstones.

"Don't cheat!", Julian said a little provocatively from behind, which slightly frightened the girl. Hestia herself was not in debt, and stuck her tongue out at Julian, disappearing into the darkness of the labyrinth. Giggling, the young man walked on.

Yoba, the labyrinth seemed endless to him, and his stomach is already begged for some food...

"You decided to take part in the treasure hunt too?" Julian didn't notice Rain standing in front of him. He nodded to her in agreement. "And you?" Julian asked.

"Eh, I'm just hanging out here. I like this creepy atmosphere, it gives me goosebumps." Rain smiled, pointing her hand at Fawn and Josephine standing nearby. "Besides, I decided to accompany my friends in case we accidentally stumble upon monsters." She patted the hilt of her sword that was strapped to her hip.

"Huh? But the monsters in the maze aren't real." Julian was surprised.

"How are you so sure?", having asked a rhetorical question, Rain said goodbye to her friend and returned to the girls, who were still looking at the house with chicken legs with delight and curiosity.

Her words made Julian's hand tighten his grip on the hilt of the dagger, which he had taken purely to decorate his suit... "Magnus wouldn't put people's lives in danger. Right?..." Now walking more carefully and listening to every sound, Julian I was able to go through half the maze already.

After about two minutes, the poor guy was scared again when Miranda's figure suddenly appeared from the bushes. The girl’s face was distorted with anger, and she confidently walked past Julian towards the exit, despite the thorny bushes.

"Today there will be one less stupid adventurer in the world," Marley said to Julian with a malicious smile when she saw his downcast face. "You’re on the right track, brother. The treasure is out there somewhere. I think"

"Aren't you going to look for pumpkins?", still in a slight shock, Julian asked hesitantly.

"And miss such a show?" Smiling even wider, Marley hurried after her friend. Julian prayed for the soul of that unfortunate adventurer who became the cause of Miranda's righteous anger. Deciding to find out about this story later, he headed in the direction from which both girls had emerged.

With every step he took, his hope of winning faded, and the thought of returning to other friends at a common table beckoned him more and more.

“Yep, I told you it was fake,” Zeke stopped looking at the plastic chest and just quietly snorted at Shane’s comment. "Oh, another competitor." Shane just smiled faintly, and Zeke waved to Julian in greeting. "Zek, maybe, to hell with these pumpkins? I’m already hungry." Oh, how hungry Julian is - you can’t imagine, Shane!

"Alright alright, let's go for the snacks. I hope there’s some honey bun left in there!' Taking Shane by the hand, Zeke led him towards the exit.

Mmmm, honey buns... Julian can already feel the sweetness melting in his mouth and...

"Oh man, there you are!" Poor Julian might have a heart attack at this rate, and he's too young to die! Ah, it's just Bo.

"We are already close, I can already feel the taste of victory!" Taking Julian again by the sleeve of his leather jacket, the two farmers headed along the only road that would definitely lead them to the desired chest.

"So, now we have to go here and-" Bo didn’t have time to finish when suddenly, before his and Julian’s eyes, the figure of their mutual friend, Wren, appeared.

"Agh, damn, I knew I should have teleport a little further!" Stomping her foot angrily, the red-haired girl, however, immediately turned pale when she saw Julian and Bo, and giggled slightly nervously.

"What the tutty frutty fuck is going on here?" Confused, Bo blinked a couple of times and immediately answered his own question: "Cheater!"

Wren only smiled even stronger and ran away in the opposite direction from the treasure.

"Hey, come back!" Bo rushed off after the girl, leaving Julian alone. Alright.

It became darker and darker, the cold autumn wind did not spare anyone who was now outside, and the stomach began to growl again. So having decided to finally reach the end, the young man already prayed that this would be the end of the hunt for golden pumpkins. He's so tired and so, oh so hungry...

And it seems that this time - finally - Yoba heard the prayers of one of the chaotic farmers in the Stardew Valley.

A large, decorated wooden chest - after so many puzzles and endless dead ends - Julian finally found the treasure. He had already stretched out his hands to touch the lid of the chest and rightfully take the prize, when a human figure again appeared out of nowhere in front of him.

But this time it was May.

The girl smiled to the fact that she had teleported directly to the target, but her smile immediately faded when she realized that she had been caught. Oopsie....

The two farmers looked into each other's eyes for half a minute, not daring to do anything.

"Apple cinnamon pie in exchange for your silence," May finally decided to interrupt this staring contest. Julian's eyes widened.

"Deal", Oh boy, you didn't need to say twice. After shaking her hand and receiving from his friend a plate with a still warm pie (where she even get this pie?), May took her prize from the chest and disappear once again.

With the satisfied smile of the happiest man in the entire Valley, Julian began to leave the maze, still holding the plate of pie in his hands.

"Well, did you get your prize?" Willow laughed good-naturedly, standing with Lucy near the exit from the maze. Julian just nods, and Lucy noted to herself how little a person needs to be happy.

[somedew-fictions]

15 w/ Shane apologizing to the farmer

1462 words - Shane x GN Farmer (pre-relationship) [WHOLESOME ALERT]

#15 “Please stop and listen to me.”

The farmer steps into the clearing in the woods, dressed for the flower dance. This is their second ever flower dance and they know exactly who they are going to ask to dance: Shane. Last year he had originally declined, forcing them to instead take up Emily’s kind offer instead, but now they are better prepared to ask him.

Shane has grown a lot over the last year and the farmer has actually gotten to know him to the point that now they are actually friends. The farmer knows Shane isn’t one for dancing, but when they mentioned it the week before he had given them a small smile and mused to them with a “maybe” behind a suppressed chuckle of amusement and slight rosy cheeks.

The farmer goes around and greets their friends in town, complimenting everybody’s attire and mentioning how beautiful the weather is to keep conversation light. Time always seems to stop during town festivals, but that is just because of how fun they are; time flies and before you know it, its 10 pm and everybody has to head home.

Across the clearing the farmer spots Haley practicing her dance moves as Alex watches, the slightest hint of color across his cheeks as he tries to keep his calm composure. Close by, relaxing in the shade of a tree, is Shane. He is watching Jas play with Vincent near by, his body completely relaxed.

The farmer excuses themselves from their conversation with Gus about his cooking before they begin to move across the grass towards him, their smile growing into a genuine grin. His face is freshly shaven, his shirt is free from wrinkles, and his tie is miraculously not already undone. He has cleaned himself up so nicely, and the farmer secretly hopes they are the reason behind it.

As the farmer approaches they can suddenly see Penny standing on the other side of the tree, her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. She leans across the tree towards Shane and whispers something close to his ear which makes his calm expression crack into a smirk, an eyebrow raised at her before he begins to chuckle.

Penny proceeds to laugh but Shane beacons her back in close where he whispers something back. She throws her head back into a fit of giggles, serving a perfect slap to Shane’s shoulder playfully as he continues to chuckle, his smile radiating.

The farmer stops advancing towards him, their smile thinning away. They don’t know how to react, and before they know it, watching Shane and Penny converse for who knows how long, Mayor Lewis calls for the dance to begin.

The farmer watches as Shane glances around before scratching the back of his head and looking back to Penny. He offers his hand to her and she takes it, accepting his offer.

The farmer’s heart drops into their stomach, their jaw falling slightly agape in disbelief. Had they read Shane wrong this entire time? Was his “maybe” really just a polite way of declining their offer to dance last week? The farmer feels their body tense, unable to move their limbs as the couples of youth line up to dance.

If it wasn’t for Emily once again swinging in, heading quickly over to the farmer and taking their hand to line up with the others, they would have probably just watched the premiere like an idiot, all alone on the sidelines.

“Is everything okay?” Emily whispers to the farmer as they dance, but the farmer is at a lost for words, turning on auto-pilot as they dance and completely zoning out of the whole song. Their thoughts are buzzing wildly in their head, a thousand and one thoughts fighting to be the central point that they don’t even notice Emily whispering to them as they dance with one another.

Soon after the dance is done, the farmer is sitting in the grass with a cup full of punch, deciding they want to be left alone. Leaving a festival early was always deemed as rude, so they stay only to make polite chatter with whoever ventures over to them and to keep an eye on Shane and Penny.

Time crawls by but the Sun finally sets and the air becomes cold, signaling to all the villagers that it is time to head home. The farmer stands up and helps clean up the decorations with Gus and Lewis, packing away everything into boxes and putting them away in the back of Lewis’s pickup truck for him to drive back to town.

By 11 o’clock everyone is gone and the farmer walks home alone. Wanting to get home as soon as possible, they take the short cut by Marnie’s ranch to their property, assuming Shane is already asleep.

The farmer hugs themselves to keep warm as they see the lights of Marnie’s house in the distance, breaking free from the shroud of the forest’s trees into clear view. The farmer begins to walk faster to quickly pass by her house, but to their unfortunate luck they hear the home’s door swing open and somebody’s footsteps in the grass.

“Is that my neighbor sneaking by?” Shane’s voice calls out to them, catching the farmer red handed. They step dead in their tracks, knowing they can’t make a run for it to their farm if they ever want to be able to face Shane ever again.

Taking in a deep breath, the farmer calls back, “yeah, it’s me! Just heading home!”

“You have a second to talk?” Shane asks, pulling on his jacket and approaching the farmer with a friendly smile on his face. 

“I don’t have anything to say to you,” the farmer’s words come out bitter, harsher than they intended them to be. Their words cause Shane to stop in his tracks, his smile falling away and a confused chuckle arising from his throat.

“Did...” he chuckles awkwardly. “Did I do something to make you upset?”

The farmer bites the inside of their cheek and turns their head away from him, unable to think of what they should blurt out next.

“I didn’t really get to see you at the dance,” Shane continues, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “I was looking for you but-”

“But you were too busy flirting with Penny,” the farmer cuts him off, their tongue soaked in poison. They don’t know where these harsh statements are coming from, the words forcing their way out of their mouth before they can take them back.

Shane’s jaw falls agape in surprise before shaking away the punch the farmer had just thrown at him. “What are you talking about?”

“It was obvious, Shane,” The farmer sighs heavily, believing Shane was playing innocent. “You even asked her to be your dance partner- I thought you didn’t dance, Shane. That’s why you declined me last year, remember?”

“Please, stop and listen to me,” Shane’s voice sounds hurt, his eyes begging the farmer’s to meet his gaze. The farmer falls silent, their eyes darting around his, allowing him to speak. “Penny and I were watching Jas and Vincent playing and she was telling me embarrassing stories about them in class, not wanting them to hear. I told her some stories of Jas at home too. She is Jas’s teacher and we never really talked before because of the whole ‘drunkard’ thing,” he sights heavily. “I was waiting for you to come ask me to dance like you said you would. When I didn’t see you, I guessed you finally realized what a loser I am and changed your mind, so I asked Penny because I knew you would probably dance with Emily and Marnie would kill me if I didn’t participate.”

He drops his hands to his side in defeat, having said his piece of the story. The farmer is now left without words, their thoughts changing from targeting Shane to now targeting themselves. They were so stupid, having read everything wrong- doubting Shane...

“Shane,” the farmer meets his gaze, a frown across their face. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” Shane sighs, opening his arms for a hug as the farmer quickly rushes to him to accept it. They share a tight hug, the tenseness from the entire day melting away into thin air as they realize how stupid they both had acted.

“Can I still have that dance?” the farmer whispers into his shoulder after a long pause.

“Maybe,” Shane chuckles softly, unable to hold back his smile. “Only if you promise not to tell anyone we are dancing out here in the dark like idiots.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” the farmer smiles, the two of them slowly letting go with one another.

[mxvladdy]

Little Stardew somethin’ somethin’

*Barges into your house with fluff nobody asked for* In this house we LOVE and RESPECT our sad boi and wish him well. 

Hopeful Fluff of Shane getting better. Idk what to call it but I wrote it soooo-

TW: Mentions of alcoholism and withdrawals symptoms 

Mornings were your favorite. The crisp mountain air coming in from your open windows. Helping erase the slight bitter tinge of mead and wine fermenting in your basement before the next festival. Pouring another cup of coffee you watch the sunrise from your kitchen window. It’s golden rays bounce off the river water flowing lazily outside your garden wall. A few fat salmon jumped out teasingly, scales shining in the cool fall air. 

“Whatca think Salem?” You pat your shepherd's head. “Fishing after herding the sheep? Or a horse ride into town? I think Gus has got some new treats for ya.” Salem woofs, wagging his tail once before trotting to his dog bowl. He eats quickly then eyes the back door expectantly. “All right, herding it is.” Checking the breakfast casserole in the oven and peeking in on your boyfriend’s sleeping form you tiptoe out the house to get your morning started before breakfast. 

Watering and harvesting took longer than usual. The fruit trees hung low and groaned under the weight of their labor. The peaches looked exceptional this harvest too. You pick them, making a mental note to preserve some for Evelyn and Abigail then sell the rest to Pierre. After the harvesting and several trips to the storage shed you go to check on all your babies. 

Several new chickens had hatched overnight too. Three brown, a white, and another void. You tuck the little black chick into your hoodie and give it a smooch. As useless as their eggs were for eating you always had a soft spot for these tiny goth chickens. Taking it to the coop you had specially built for your void-born feathered friends you deposit the little one amongst its brethren. It peeps in thanks before waddling off to peck at the fresh feed.

Morning chores done, you jog back to your house hoping your casserole hasn't burned. The house smelled of spiced ham and fresh garlic when you reentered. The rest of the windows open to let in the river breeze and faint scent of your flower patches. The fireplace roared in its corner, chasing away the frosty nip that clung to your cheeks. “Shane?” You follow the noise from the mudroom to the kitchen entrance. 

“Ye?” He poked his head around the corner. Warm brown eyes blink at you blearily. The corners of which were still crusted over with sleep. He must have just rolled out of bed. “Morin’.” He yawns widely scratching at his rumpled old gridball hoodie. Exchanging a brief morning breath laden kiss you smooth down a few of his more wild strands of bed head. 

“Thought you were taking the day off?” Your lips touch again, pulling a happy little hum from him. 

“I am. Just thought I would finish making breakfast so you could put your feet up faster. Plus, I think I finally figured out your ham recipes.” He drags you to your favorite spot at the breakfast nook before going back to the oven. “It’s the clove to cinnamon ratio ain’t it? Too much of either distract from the flavor of the fat.” 

You nod in approval at his deduction. He pours you another cup of coffee, his hand shakes on the carafe handle. He was jittery today. Whether it was his anxiety spiking or just the jitter after a decent night of sleep you don’t know. But he’ll tell you when ready. He catches you staring when he turns back with two steaming plates of your eggs and veggie casserole and a thick slice of ham. “Tell me what you think.” 

“I’m sure it's fabulous. Gus better watch out or there will be a new chef in town.” Shane practically glows at your praise watching you like a hawk as you eat. You inhale it, the morning exercises catching up with you. He lets you eat in silence, his previous twitchiness evaporating into a nervous silence. “Everything good?” You ask in between bites. You hated to pry or push but sometimes he needed a little nudge to get talking. 

Shane stares into empty space above your head worrying his low lip. His fluffy brows dipping low. “Shit-ye- I got something to talk to you about.” He rose then, shuffling off to your shared bedroom. You exchange a worried look with Salem. He whined low in his throat then followed Shane. Since Shane had moved in Salem had stuck to him like glue. It tickled you, as he was not the friendliest dog to people that took your attention away from him. But, with Shane, he found a couch companion and a late-night walking pal. It worked out great for Shane’s mood and recovery. 

Your boyfriend reappeared with a black binder and several stacks of paper. He places them in front of you. “I’ve been thinking over what you’ve said.” He stuffs his hands in his hoodie pockets burrowing himself deeper into the thinning fabric. “Between you and Harvey I-I want to have a go at it.” His eyes are downcast in shame. You riffle through the brochures. 

Brentforest Care Facilities 

“It’s a three-month inpatient care program. Harvey helped me set up the initial psych evaluation and has vetted for it. He’s got some friends that work there too. He-we think it would be good to work on a few hold-ups I’m having.” His stomach turns sour at the downward tug of your lips when you see the zero’s on the page. “Marnie is helping me cover the cost, an’ after the first few weeks I’m even allowed guests.” He pitters out, the overwhelming need to fill the dead air as you read disappeared as quickly as it had come. 

“You got it all sorted out huh?” You look up from the documents. Shane nods. You look back at the books, then him. He forces himself to breathe through his nose. This is it. This was the last straw, it had to be. He couldn’t blame you though- he wasn’t worth the effort. 

No-nope. Not starting this again. He fought with himself shaking the thoughts right out of his head. He trusted you. Dr. Martina trusted you. You were there during the worst of his withdrawal symptoms. The fevers, and shakes; you never flinched from his unwarranted shouting and irritability either. How many sleepless nights had you spent comforting him as he wept over things he wasn’t ready to talk about. You had gone through a lot with him and still was. You wanted to see him healthy. This was just another step. 

“Dr. Martina- my therapist- and I have been working on this for a bit. I just need a few more signatures and to make the initial payment. Then- then I’m good.” He raises his eyes to meet yours, pushing the fear he felt further down in his chest. 

His arms were suddenly filled with you. Your warm body flush with his. Soft skin and fresh windswept hair flooding his senses with your hug. “I’m so proud of you.” You mutter into his jacket. Farm callus fingers grip him close inviting him to hug you back. Shane let out a shaky breath he hadn’t even known he was hiding and reciprocated. He held you close and rocked you both side to side. “What do you need me to do?”

“Mmm?” He pulled you away from his neck. You loved burrowing your face there for some reason. Months ago he had hated when you did that. He always thought he smelt of stale sweat and the recycled air of the JoJo Mart. It had clung to every part of him for years. Hardly attractive by anyone's standards. But now, working out in the coops and fields alongside volunteering at the Community Center, it had all but disappeared. Now you swore he smelled like earth and like the pine trees that grew around your house. You had even admitted his sweat smells better too. Perhaps his alcohol sweats were finally lifting. Or maybe it was the better diet you made him eat. 

“What do you need of me?” You kiss his scruffy cheek. Eyes alight with determination and affection. 

He returns your kiss with a light peck of his own. “A few signatures- to show you can visit. An’ if there was an emergency you would be a contact. If-if that’s ok with you?” He asks.

“As if you had to ask.” You beam putting your forehead to his. “I’ll miss you.” You whisper between feather light kisses.  

Shane sighs in utter relief around your coffee scented lips. “Promise to write?” He asks cupping your cheeks to rub his thumbs over the sun kissed skin. “And feed Charlie too?” You laugh, nose scrunching up in delight at his joke.

You seal the deal with a kiss. 

[rae-g]

Dire Need of a Change: Spring 6 - Curiouser and Curiouser

I’m never going to get used to waking up this early, am I? You spent the first part of the morning as you normally do; rinsing off in the shower, finding something easy to eat, getting dressed. As you begin lacing up your boots, you hear a knock at your door. You quickly glance over to your door, wondering who would dare to have the audacity to knock on your door at any point during the day, much less at 6am. You wait a few moments, hoping it was just your imagination, but another round of -knock- -knock- -knock- ruined that fantasy.

Standing up, you make your way to the door and open it to find a short, portly woman standing before you. She wore a large cinnamon-colored braid in her hair, and an outfit of red and green.

“Uh… Hi?” You look at the woman, confused.

“Hello!” She smiled, and her eyes bright.

MEW

You looked down, spotting a small orange cat in her arms. You looked back up at the woman and raised an eyebrow.

“You’re the new farmer, right? I’m Marnie. I live at the ranch just south of your farm.”

“Uh, yeah. Hi, nice to meet you.” You continue to stand in the doorway, each moment becoming more and more bizarre.

Marine nervously chuckled, a soft and warm laugh coming from someone. “Well, I was out foraging in the clearing next to my ranch, and I found this,” she looked down at the cat, then back up at you, “sitting outside the entrance to your farm! I think it’s a stray… poor thing.”

“Oh.” You look back down at the cat, and carefully put out your hand, allowing it to sniff you. The cat sniffed your fingers for a few moments, then headbutted your hand. You smiled and started scratching it’s head.

“Well, if it isn’t too much to ask… Don’t you think this farm could use a good barn cat? I know we don’t really know each other, but it does seem to like you, and I’d hate for this little friend to be all alone.”

You look down at the little furry friend who has already begun purring. You gave a small smile and nodded. “Well… I don’t currently have a barn… But, it would be nice to have someone to watch TV with.”

Marnie’s face beamed as she carefully set down the cat. “How wonderful! I’m sure it’ll be so happy here.” She smiled softly, “You know about the upcoming Egg Festival, right?”

You kneeled and continued petting your small new friend. You looked up at Marine, “I don’t, actually.”

Marine grinned. “Well, it’s something we do every spring. I’m not sure if you currently have any chickens, but even if you don’t, we’d love for you to come. The whole town joins in and we have so many different dishes that people make. My nephew works hard all year prepping the chickens for the festival, and it’s always so much fun.”

You stand back up and brush your knees off. “Well, I think that could be fun. I’ll have to think about it. I’m not much of a cook, but it’s hard to say no to free food.”

Marnie beamed once more. “Well, I have to get back to the ranch before the shop opens. If you’re ever looking for animal care, please feel free to swing by!”

The two of you shook hands, and Marnie made her way towards the town. You looked down at your new responsibility and smirked. “Well… guess I’ll have to pick up some cat food for you later.”

----------

You spent most of the day continuing the monumental task of de-weeding your farm. There were still boulders, trees, rocks, and branches littered everywhere, but at least you were able to clear out a little more land. You began to think about what Marine had said. Chickens… Hmmm…You hadn’t even thought about having animals on your farm. The only buildings that seemed to stand the test of time at all were the main cabin, and the green house, but even those were in extremely rough shape.

You crossed your arms as you looked at everything. It was all going to be such a project. You shoulders slumped as every glance just added a new project to the list. I need to repair the green house. Clear out more trees and boulders. Get the oven working, and probably expand the house. Plus, if I want any buildings put up...You sighed. It was like a never-ending list.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, you picked up your watering can and filled it up. You made your way over to your plants. The potatoes and beans were growing nicely, but it was the flash of yellow that truly caught your eyes. You bent down and moved some dirt, and gently tugged on the stem of the parsnip. It came up easily. Your eyes lit up as you stared at the little vegetable. A little on the small side, but it was definitely a parsnip. After dunking it in the watering can, you took a small bite.

“Oh! It’s sweet!” You took a few more bites, and before you knew it the entire vegetable was gone. You savored the taste of the fresh vegetable in your mouth. It was as if someone had sprinkled a carrot with sugar. You looked at the rest of the row and saw more flashes of yellow. “I… I have my first harvest.”

You smiled and began pulling up the small vegetables, inspecting each carefully before moving on. At the end, you had about nine. After watering the rest of your crops, you brought the parsnips inside and began rinsing them off. You picked out the best of the batch and looked around for a small basket or box. Grabbing one of the cardboard Joja boxes from your move, you placed them carefully inside and made your way towards Pierre’s.

----------

*ding*

The little shop bell alerted Pierre to your presence. He turned around and looked at you, “Ah! My favorite farmer. How can I help you out today?”

You walked up to the counter and smiled. “Yeah. I. Uh. Have some crops to sell?”

Pierre grinned, “Wonderful! Show me what you have!”

You placed the box on the ground and pulled out five freshly washed Parsnips. “It’s not much…”

“It’s fantastic! I mean, they are a little on the small side, but they look and smell delicious. Let me do some calculations and see what I can offer.”

After taking a few moments to talk shop, the two of you decided to swap your small harvest for some more seeds, but only after Pierre assured that you would be able to get at least a few more parsnip harvests this season. You placed the seeds in the box and smiled. It’s really happening. I grew vegetables and sold them. I’m really a farmer. The two of you eventually said your good-byes, but not before he told you all about the new rucksacks he would have arriving in the next few days.

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You spent the rest of the day getting your new seeds neatly sowed in two little rows, and finishing up some smaller tasks, before eventually making your way back into the house. Today would be game 4 of the Gridball season. The Tunnelers weren’t playing, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t enjoy the game. You washed up and changed, then made your way over to the bar.

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As you made your way to your seat, you spotted a familiar looking blue jacket. You sat down and flagged over the bartender.

“Hey.”

“Hey back,” you said, giving a small smile.

“Didn’t see you yesterday.” Shane took a swig of his beer, keeping his eyes on the TV screen.

“Didn’t realize you’d miss me.” The waitress came over, and you ordered a hard cider.

Shane coughed slightly, and turned away. After a moment, he turned back to the screen, his body facing you slightly more than it was a moment ago. “I don’t know, missed is a very strong word.” He smirked, and continued sipping on his drink.

You raised your eyebrow and grinned. You turned your attention back to the Gridball game, sipping on your drink. “I sold my first batch of crops today.” You said, continuing to stare at the screen.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Not much. Just a few parsnips.”

“Ah.” He took another sip of his drink, also watching the screen. “Joja has me on overtime this week. The other stocker called out sick, so it’s just me.”

“Laaaaaaame.”

“Yeah. But it’s fine. I’m not going to complain about more beer money.”

You raise your drink towards him, “I can drink to that. That is one of the rough parts about being self-employed. No days off. I don’t work my ass off, I don’t get any money.”

The two of you continued to banter back and forth for the rest of the night, only half paying attention to the game. Mostly the conversion centered around work, Joja, and favorite drinks. Eventually the barkeep called for the last round of drinks. The two of you finished off one more round of beers before heading outside of the saloon.

Taking a few steps out of the door way, you stretched and looked up at the sky. Your eyes widened, and you took a shallow breath. Shane walked over to you, a nervous look on his face, “Everything okay?”

You continued to look up into the night sky, “Its.. its just been awhile since I’ve actually seen stars.”

Shane looked up, “Ah. I get it. I remember when I first moved out here. Hard to see the stars with all the light in the city.” You nodded, then looked over at him. You couldn’t help but feel your cheeks warm as you watched him gaze at the stars. Eventually he glanced over at you, then coughed into his hand. “Anyway. I shouldn’t keep you.” He glanced around for a moment, “you’ll… you planning on swinging by the saloon tomorrow night?”

You nodded. “Probably. Once I get done with all my chores.”

Shane nodded. “Well.. Until then, I suppose.” But instead of leaving, he seemed to linger for a few moments.

“I look forward to it.” You smiled.

Shane reached up and rubbed the back of his head, looking away. “Uh. Yeah. See ya.”

You watched as he walked off.

“Hmm.. Curious,” you mused to yourself, before heading back home.