#carter (fomt)

[nightbigail]

MY BELOVED

[awlimagines]

The Chime Hours of Forgotten Valley

Surrounded by nature, Forgotten Valley enjoyed peaceful tranquility without interference from the Caldwell Foundation or the Fae and their wars. However, the valley's residents have faced hardship as the lands produced less and the wilderness grew unchecked in the past ten years. After an incident in the mountains, the town’s mayor called for help from the Caldwell Foundation, while local fae reached out to their leader for assistance. Choose to play as newly appointed hunter Pony Hopkins or Claire Lyndall, a chime child loved by the fae as you care for crops and livestock and explore the mysteries of Forgotten Valley and its residents.

MAIN CHARACTER PATHS

Pony Hopkins decides to follow as a talented Hunter in her father’s footsteps. As a fresh graduate of the Caldwell Foundation, Pony is charged with an uncover assignment to blend into the community and search for fae poisoning the land and endangering the lives of citizens. Pony never expects her path to lead to her father’s hometown. She finds a place to call home with an old friend of her father. Pony juggles trying to restore the farm and completing her mission. 

Claire Lyndall left her hometown in search of freedom and a fresh start. She didn’t realize how much money such a thing cost. Luckily, the decline of the land over the years opened some farmland in Forgotten Valley. The Mayor was willing to give her the land for the meager change in her pocket, thrilled to have a new townsmember. Claire is barely settled when Harvest Sprites approach her for help reviving the land’s Harvest Goddess and restoring the safety of the local fae.

ROUTES

Once an excellent Hunter at the top of his game, Matthew was poisoned by a catoblepas in his prime. His breathing has been sorely affected, regulating the man into a supervisory role. Matthew’s harsh exterior hides the worry and care for his subordinates and citizens. He becomes conflicted in the Apprentice Path over sending you to increasingly dangerous situations without feeling he can adequately protect you. While in the Chime Child Path, Matthew faces a conflict of faith in realizing everything he was led to believe is not as it seems.

The senior hunter assigned to the area, Gordy Scherer, works directly beneath the area’s supervisor. Due to his silent nature, Gordy’s accomplishments have mostly flown under the radar. No one is sure how he accomplishes his work, but no area he has been stationed has any fae remaining when he leaves. As he opens up, one discovers his passion for art. You learn his secret to complete his missions in the Apprentice Path. While in the Chime Child Path, Gordy can be persuaded to work against the Caldwell Foundation.

While Daryl Bowditch works for the Caldwell Foundation, he only does so for the funding to pursue his studies of the fae. The scientist is vocal about his displeasure with the state of fae delivered to his lab. His independent attempts to capture live specimens have all failed. The Apprentice Path focuses on Daryl persuading you to capture live fae for study rather than extermination. In contrast, the Chime Child Path follows Daryl’s experiments, interest in your abilities, and encouragement to introduce him to new subjects.

Gray Corwin completed the primary classes offered at the Caldwell Academy before apprenticing as a blacksmith with his grandfather. Due to the increased number of hunters in Forgotten Valley, the forge has accepted a temporary partnership with the Cadlwell Foundation to provide them with new tools and weapons in addition to maintenance. While Gray is grateful for the increase in work, he wishes to pursue making his projects rather than the same things every day. In the Apprentice Path, you encourage Gray to explore his interests and help test his accessories and tools. Meanwhile, in the Chime Child Path, Gray is eager to learn how the fae makes accessories and how they can be adapted for human use.

Rick de Lancre is a new graduate of the Caldwell Foundation, where he was at the top of the class each year. He won’t let you or anyone else forget his position. His time in Forgotten Valley is a stepping stone before moving to greater things. As you work together in the field, you see his mask slip as he questions his capabilities and the pressures on him to be the best. In the Apprentice Path, Rick bonds with you over the burdens of being raised in a hunter family. The Chime Child Path finds Rick struggling between his duty and heart in accepting someone he has been taught to hate.

Living on your own without your parent’s guidance and help is tougher than you thought. Thankfully, the talented musician Gustafa Anderson is willing to help you. The older man is experienced in living independently and being the new person in a town. Though not a fae, as a chime child, Gustafa is intrinsically linked to them and enjoys their company. In the Chime Child Path, Gustafa is on your side from day one when he finds you conversing with the sprites. He helps you learn to use your abilities without revealing yourself and introduces you to the local fae. Conversely, in the Apprentice Path, once Gustafa trusts you, he shares about Chime Children, humans who are friends with the fae and share ties with them, gently encouraging you to expand your beliefs of right and wrong.

Rock Lei, son of the Lei-Over Inn’s keepers, is an open book. He is often found shooting his shot with anyone willing to give him the time of day. Rock claims you’re the real prize he’d like to win, and everyone else is a Plan B. As you grow closer, you learn that while he’s willing to share and be honest about his past. The fae replaced Tei and Lou’s child with Rock at the age of four. He views the couple as his parents, and they never treat him as less, so Rock doesn’t believe in acknowledging the specifics. Rock overcomes his dislike of the fae enough to help revive the Harvest Queen in the Chime Child Path. In the Apprentice Path, he assists you in protecting his parents from accusations of being fae.

Doctor is cold and clinical in his dealings with everyone in town. His strict professionalism leaves you questioning if his nurse even knows his name. It isn’t until you grow closer that you realize Doctor Trent Petrarch cares very deeply for the safety and health of the town’s residents. While he is immensely talented and trained as a doctor, Trent has the assistance of his abilities as a unicorn to heal terminal illnesses or injuries for more complex cases. Trent helps you purify the spring to revive the Harvest Goddess in the Chime Child Path, while in the Apprentice Path, he finds himself in danger with the Caldwell Foundation.

Throughout the Spring, you wondered what the abandoned shack at the beach could be. The mystery is solved when Kai Gessner suddenly appears in the Summer, serving food from the building. His dashing smile and confidence cause your heart to skip a beat, but then he has that effect on all his targets. You arrive late one evening to deliver fresh produce, catching Kai swimming in the ocean. Nothing would be odd about that except for the glittering scaled tail replacing his legs. Kai encounters trouble being lured and caught by hunters who wish to display him in the Chime Child Path. In the Apprentice Path, Kai is framed as having sunk ships trying to reach Forgotten Valley.

You’re shocked to recognize a familiar face in town. Cliff Fee was a friend you never thought to see again. The two of you played together daily until he disappeared from town around the age of twelve. Your friendship can pick up where it left off with you confiding your troubles to him. He initially offers you his support unconditionally but begins to pull back, becoming withdrawn. You soon learn Cliff is the heir to the Fae Throne when he confesses the secret after feeling terrible keeping it from you. Cliff has to choose between assuming responsibility for the local fae or fleeing town once more to protect himself in the Chime Child Path. In the Apprentice Path, Cliff faces conflicts over his love for you and the dangers being close to you poses him.

SECRET ROUTES

Your Enemy, Your Friend (Pony/Claire Route)

You find that you keep bumping into the town’s other newcomer constantly. Considering how close your accommodations are, it shouldn’t be a surprise, but it’s happening everywhere, including outside of town. You begin growing closer, discovering that you share similar histories and recent losses. Then, your companionship is shattered as you learn they’re everything you’re fighting against. Can you find common ground with them, or will your duty win out?

A Grim Affair

The work is more challenging than expected, and everyone wants something from you. You find refuge in the church and the kindly priest who tends to it. As you spend more time at the church, Pastor Carter asks you to assist in helping residents. A mishap leads you to discover the pastor keeps a sinister secret.

NOTES

I'm sorry it's so much, but I was consumed by the thought once I made it. I imagine (with my zero experience in making games) it would play mainly like a regular HM/SoS, with the heart events being replaced by plot-relevant interactions/encounters based on whether you play Pony or Claire. I have ideas for bad/good endings for each route, and some details about how a couple different routes would work. If anyone is interested in the idea, I might create a poll and start work on writing out interactions/encounters and the endings.

[tenebrous-dream]

carrie no... u dont have to do that,,,..

[wildflowercryptid]

potentially batshit headcanon, but i think it'd be funny if these two were related somehow.

[yorunoangel]

My picture for day two of the Bokumono Winter Warm Up Weekend is Trent and Carter having an intimate Starry Night date, dedicated to my dearest @jake-marshall. Thanks for infecting me with your parasitic FoMT brainworms <3

[dougkisser]

You try explaining yaoi to him and he goes "Good God!" as he clutches his pendant

[jake-marshall]

[Fic] Blessed Are Those

New fic ahoy! TItle: Blessed Are Those Rating: M Ships: Carter/Trent, Claire/The Kappa, Carter & Harvest Goddess, Carter & May, other romantic relationships mentioned in notes Word Chapter Count: 24.5k, 4 chapters; complete. Summary:

Carter and Trent don't often have the opportunity to spend time together alone, but a rainy Spring day gives them that chance - before it's interrupted by Claire, and the unspeakable transgression that is weighing on her soul.

Surely the Harvest Goddess will forgive her. But as for Carter? He is but a man, after all, and therefore prone to the anger, jealousy and bitterness that comes with being human.

Struggling to accept that this mere farmer can wed a deity while he can not, he sequesters himself both emotionally and physically from the rest of Mineral Town, including Trent. Only through an epiphany brought about by divine intervention (and a handful of mushrooms) does Carter realize being a righteous man does not mean he must also be a lonely one.

Please mind the tags and the author's note at the beginning!!

>>Read "Blessed are Those" on ao3<<

(Notes and rambling under the cut)

(This is all a sort of rehash of my end author's notes but yeah) So my Writing Project for the month of August turned out to be what was originally planned to be a silly one-shot, that instead grew to a 24.5k monstrosity that let me sift through my religious trauma a bit and flex a bit of writing muscle re: relationship communication and non-graphic sex scenes.

This was also going to be way darker and fucky in re: Claire's role, lol, but I did not expect Carter and Trent to end up cute and almost, even, wholesome, thus steering the fic in a more mild and introspective direction (although lbr they're still pretty shady in this, its just not as focused on as I initially intended). I enjoyed considering Carter's possible background, too. He's so funny to me, I can't even say how much I like him versus how much he just cracks me up, but he makes an excellent conduit for me to pour my religious trauma into lol.

I'm not gonna sit here and pretend more than maybe 5 people are interested enough in Trent/Carter as a ship to read a fic this long about them but I am insanely proud of this fic both in the content and my technical writing, and hope if you do give this a chance that you enjoy the journey as much as I did.

Big thanks to @yorunoangel for being the one to inspire the path this took and being my rubber duck as I worked through it, and also thanks to @owls-den for letting me yell about the Boys as well as our bishie Fish Husband. Who knows, maybe there will be some Claire/Kappa in the future set in this universe. :p

[beautiful-02-08-18]

SoS: FoMT Priest Carter Redesign

DISCLAIMER: I am not saying I am “better” than professional character designers with my redesign. I am just trying to find a middle ground between what the fans want and what the designers want. This was made for fun for a game that came out 4-5 years ago. Additionally, I know that people are “passionate” about the character, so please do not make any inappropriate comments. It makes me uncomfortable. Without further ado, here is my character design analysis.

John 7:24 (KJV)

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgement.

I joined the fandom of my old farming game love: Harvest Moon, or what is now called, Story of Seasons. After I had been informed about the Split, I went to Reddit and ended up reading about an old discussion surrounding the new character designs of Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town. What ended up standing out most to me was that people did not like the redesign the designers made for the priest character, Carter.

Apparently, there was a considerable amount of people who used to think Carter was attractive and were pretty disappointed with the redesign. It is not a big deal, but then I went to TV Tropes and it had Carter under “Adaptational Ugliness”. It is one thing if a group of fans thought the design was ugly, it is another thing if it is so widely agreed upon they put it on TV Tropes, a website dedicated to listing tropes done by a certain media. Although, its accuracy is debatable.

Was the redesign actually bad? Carter’s redesign is pretty solid, and most fans agree. His old design had him in a Catholic priest outfit, which does not make sense in the lore. I like religious symbols as a religious person, but why does Carter look like a Catholic priest (and sometimes wears a cross) if he worships the Harvest Goddess? The old design seems to be the effects of Japanese media tending to use religious symbols with no further thought put into it. 

Why was the redesign so different? The designers decided to rightfully change his design to better resemble the redesign of the Harvest Goddess, Gaia. In my opinion, they successfully achieved it as Carter shares a handful of design elements with Gaia.

However, they ended up changing his silhouette drastically. A character silhouette is the overall shape of the character design in solid color. This is a crucial part of designing as it shows the readability of a character. Carter’s new silhouette differs so much from his old silhouette. He no longer has his old bangs, nor does he have his shirt and pants, but now wears a robe and a hat with a whole new different hairstyle.

I personally believe that a redesign should resemble the original design as much as possible if the circumstances allow it. (This is why I have problems with Karen but I am not going into that.) In Carter’s case, they sacrificed his recognizability with world-building accuracy, and again, this I agree with. He looks essentially the same anyway, just that he has new clothes, longer hair, and has gotten thinner. This makes sense to me personally, because unless the residents of Mineral Town have been consistently providing for him, I doubt this canonically broke priest, whose one of his self-proclaimed “luxuries” is being able to freely eat the mushrooms that grow in the back of the Church, would be able to eat as much. He still has his signature facial expression, his closed-eyed smile. I adored that, as someone who likes character designs, Carter is still recognizable by his expression alone even if he had changed so drastically. However, I’d argue that the old design would still work if it was tweaked a little. I will go into that later.

On the Harvest Moon wiki, I learned of another priest character, Chester from Hero of Leaf Valley. I thought he looked like a combination of Carter’s old design with his new design. Then I learned about Nathan from Harvest Moon DS: Island of Happiness, Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands, and Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns. His design seems to be the basis of Carter’s redesign.

I think the original design of Carter was the basis of both of these priests’ character designs, then those designs were used for Carter’s redesign. Chester, who has a similar-sounding name and brown hair, looks like a fantastical Catholic priest. Nathan, on the other hand, has similar clothes as the original and even a similar pose. Carter’s redesign seems to be a combination of their designs but with a leaning of Nathan’s.

He accidentally became my favorite character then decided to try and redesign him.

First off, I do not think that Carter’s design is “ugly,” just the way he was drawn. All of the adult male characters, with the exception of Basil for some reason, were drawn cartoonishly compared to the bachelors. If Carter was drawn in a similar way as the bachelors, I think he looks pretty decent, as shown in an official comic panel. (I edited out the other characters.) Here is my redraw and edit:

I traced a bachelor’s head and used references of different bachelors to mimic the game’s art style and there is a clear difference. The bachelor’s proportions are much more realistic compared to the villagers’. Additionally, I made Carter’s hair push out more to look more natural. It seems he had absorbed Rick’s adorkableness.

I tried to mimic the game’s art style, and I learned that while the art was done digitally, it was colored/shaded as if it was done traditionally. I can see what looks like brush strokes. Combined with the art of Pioneers of Olive Town, it seems the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons franchise creates digital art that looks like it was partially created by traditional mediums, and I love that direction.

Still have no idea why Basil was spared as I can not find any patterns, maybe the designers just like Basil more. Who knows.

For the redesign, as said before, I think his old design could still work if the appropriate changes and justifications had been made. I drew my redesigns in my own art style to make it easier for myself, and here is my 1st redesign:

I leaned heavily on the Catholic priest influence but used the priests’ and the Harvest Goddess’ designs so it would still make sense within the lore. I tried to keep his old silhouette as much as possible and drew him in his old pose to add to his recognizability.

I gave Carter a hat that Catholic priests wear called a cappello romano because I had thought his sprite had him holding one. It was apparently a green book according to his character art, but it seems to be slightly inaccurate though, as his polo shirt was drawn as a green stripe down his shirt. He was consistently drawn holding a book either way. 

For his hair, I just combined his old and new hairstyle which worked surprisingly well. 

The dark shade of color for his clothes was color-picked from Chester’s clothes but changed to blue. It is not actually black, it was a deep shade of violet. True black can be found on Alice, another character in Hero of Leaf Valley. I gave him white cuffs on his sleeves and pants based on Nathan’s and Carter’s official design.

If Carter were to wear dark clothes he might stand out among the characters, but Harris wears predominantly dark clothes so I do not think it is a problem. Additionally, if Carter wears dark clothes that look almost nothing like what the Harvest Goddess wears, it would still make sense within the lore.

The games keep mentioning tidbits of information that Carter has no idea what he is doing, he himself admits that he is not a real priest. Carter wearing clothes that do not resemble the Harvest Goddess’ would make sense as he is not a real priest, further solidifying that fact.

He’d be more similar to Chester, who was described as being shady, than Nathan, who seems to be the only real legitimate priest of the three.

Speaking of color, my redesign was originally supposed to be green because I thought that he was lacking his Harvest Goddess’, Gaia, signature color. The aforementioned priests have their Harvest Goddess’ signature color, or so I thought.

I color-picked Chester’s stole and Marina’s, his Harvest Goddess’ name, hair. It turns out that Chester’s was a deep shade of purple while Marina’s was a light shade of pink. However, when color-picking Nathan’s scarf and the Harvest Goddess’ hair, it was a similar shade of green. If that is the case, why does Carter not don the signature color of his Harvest Goddess? He and Nathan worship the same Harvest Goddess, after all.

I later noticed that Carter has a saturated shade of blue on his amice, which is a similar shade to Gaia’s new design with her gradient hair. But that would mean if Nathan were ever to appear in a game entry that would mean he would forego the green in his design.

It is also possible that the design element, in truth, has no significant meaning, but I would like to treat it as if it has one for this instance.

As said before, I was planning to have Carter wear green but changed it to blue to further suit the character. I still, however, kept the green on his stole. His stole started on the bottom edges with a blue color that gradients into green, then white. In relation to Gaia, this was supposed to mimic her hair and to keep her signature colors. Additionally, I did this to keep his old design and when his would-be character portrait appears, the white of his stole can only be seen exactly like his old portrait.

I made it have an added meaning too, that while Carter is religious, he is not faithful. Chester may or may not have the signature color of Marina’s but there is no doubt that he devotes himself to her. The definition of “He a little confused, but he got the spirit”. Nathan has the signature color of Gaia and he has dedicated his life to her. But Carter has expressed trying to find a higher purpose in his life. Having the stole fade from blue to white was my way of representing that listlessness.

In addition to that, I had placed the vine-like markings on his stole and used that same color of blue, and included it on his shirt and hat. The medallion is supposedly the symbol of the Harvest Goddess as Nathan also has one so that design element is crucial.

Added some buttons on him, and I noticed that in his original design, his hair is the same color as his shoes so I incorporated that. That is all for now about my 1st Priest Carter Redesign.

Here is my 2nd Redesign:

I took some design elements from his official design but changed it to lean more on Chester than Nathan. If Carter’s official design leans more on Nathan, then this redesign leans more on Chester. Still kept him in his old pose but instead of holding his hat, he is holding his medallion similar to his official design.

I have a similar thought process with this redesign as before.

For this one, I used black with dark blues to still have him resemble Gaia. The dark blue came from Chester’s design as well, just changed to blue. In addition, the curled-up ends of the cincture or sash, which is fully green with a blue gradient this time, and the three scapulars are supposed to callback to Gaia’s curly hair and layered dress.

I still drew him in my redesigned hair style but it is possible the reason why the designers just chopped off his bangs was because it would be difficult to draw Carter with a hat. Not impossible, just difficult. He does look more like a stereotypical priest with his hair on the official design, and it was the designers’ goal to make him more comical.

Speaking of which, for good measure, I drew Carter’s expressions using my redesigned versions. I actually like how the redesign made him much more expressive through his posing. The most expressive sprite he had, the one on the bottom left, was cut in the switch to the GameBoy Advance. Yes, Carter may be a generally calm guy so his expressions would not be that extreme. However, the most expressive he has been is changing his expressions while looking straight ahead or his body turned slightly to the left. 

For some touches, I made his medallion longer so the black color would not be as distracting. His scapulars and amice have the same vine-like designs from his official design. Lastly, his scapulars have similar patterns as his hat.

I honestly would love to have Carter as a bachelor, even with his design right now. If the developers were to remove someone like Bon Vivant for example; I do not really think people would complain. They were able to do it by promoting Gordy to bachelor status. Maybe in the Harvest Moon DS: Cute remake, we could marry his descendant or something like in the original. Crossing my fingers that he appears in a game and becomes a bachelor for some reason.

Anyway, I am excited for the next installment of Story of Seasons!

I hope my redesign did not come off as prideful, as I said before this was made for fun. I hope people will like my takes though, so I would love to hear some feedback. Thank you for reading!

[actaeoncross]

Ugh, I'm so sick of trying to find a name for baby girl. And honestly, half of it at this point is my parents. I've never seen them be so judgmental and it's ticking me off. I told them we had it narrowed down to Charlotte buy neither of us were happy with that name.

We both really like Carter, though. Carter Elise for a little girl, which we stumbled upon less than 24 hours ago. So, we're not 100% sure, but my parents are already all over it. Mom wants to know if we'll butcher/change the spelling to be more feminine, and Dad just says it's a boy name.

The one sister I've talked to loves it, and some friends do as well.

[durotoswrites]

April Drabble Prompts: Mud

I had a lot of fun writing this one!

5. Mud

“I… I told you it’s chocolate!” May insisted.

Carter looked down at the pie tin in his hand. The twigs sticking out of the top of the concoction she had offered him suggested otherwise. He raised an eyebrow, his expression amused.

“Is that so? And what kind of garnish is this?” He pulled out a small twig and twirled it between his fingers, a leaf still attached.

Stu exploded into giggles, covering his mouth with his hands.

May scowled at her friend and turned back toward the pastor. “They’re... pretzel sticks!” she proclaimed.

Carter stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Hmmm… chocolate and pretzels. Sounds like you’re a fan of the sweet and savory combination. Since you’re so excited about it, May, I’ll allow you to take the first slice. Let me get my good plates and we can all tuck in.”

May’s face grew pale. “Oh… uh…”

Stu’s grin was bigger than ever, his face practically screaming “I told you so”.

“And I’m sure Stu would love to have some as well. You’re the biggest fan of chocolate out of the three of us!”

Both children looked at each other uncomfortably.

“I can get us some milk to wash it down with. We can save the leftovers for your grandparents, too.”

May and Stu whispered among themselves (rather loudly) before she turned toward Carter, kicking her feet in the dirt.

“Uh… actually… There’s someplace me and Stu have to go.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. I guess I’ll have this chocolate pie all by myself…”

“Don’t eat it!” May spurted. She covered her mouth with his hands, but it was too late, the words had already left her.

“Ha! I told you that you couldn’t do it!” Stu pointed a finger in her face, gloating.

“Couldn’t do what?” Carter asked innocently.

He could practically see May’s brain hammering out a solution. “Couldn’t spoil my appetite for dinner. Come on, Stu, let’s go!” They began to run away, Stu laughing loudly, when May turned around. “Please don’t eat that.”

“I suppose I wouldn’t want to spoil my appetite for dinner, either.” He winked at her.

“Don’t eat it!” she repeated.

Carter gave her a knowing look. “Let’s hope for all of our sakes that you don’t have any other pie deliveries for anyone else.”

“N-No, Pastor Carter!”

“Good. Run along, now, or Stu will beat you back to the farm!” He waved to the children, turning the pie dish over into the grass.

April 2023 Drabble Prompts

[gymleadercheren]

okay what is WITH harvest moon games and suddenly hitting you with a creepy story about hands coming out of the ground and trapping people?? First carter’s story from fomt about the hands holding the guy down in the burning building and now this?? Is this just like a thing in harvest moon lore??? Evil hands that tether you in place to keep you from escaping a deadly situation? I NEED TO UNDERSTAND

[nightbigail]

30 Days of HM/SOS!

Day 8: favorite non-marriage candidate / dance

The last time I drew Carter, I said it was my final Carter post. I lied.

[awlimagines]

The Devout Grim (First Meeting)

The overcast skies threatened rain and perfectly matched the young woman’s current temperament. Pony growled as she stalked through the cobbled streets of Mineral Town. The larger half of Forgotten Valley was prioritized in providing some form of pavement to the town’s center. The intersecting streets were barely wide enough to contain a carriage. It was probably much nicer than the mud that sucked your boots into the earth when it rained like the half she lived on. Pony’s displeasure didn’t come from the differences in Forgotten Valley’s two halves. Much like the other residents away from Mineral Town, she wasn’t bothered by the unpaved roads. Instead, she enjoyed it. Pony had lived too many years contained in the capital’s stone walls attending the Caldwell Foundation’s school to not enjoy the fresh air and open space before her now. No. Her anger was fully focused on her circumstances and certain residents. 

The Caldwell Foundation sent her here undercover as a typical resident—a poor girl searching for solace in her father’s death in the only place he called home. Pony had thought her superiors at the school seemed cold for such a disguise after she genuinely lost her father. But, she could not argue the cleverness of using such a story when Pony was too straightforward to lie easily. Even now, Pony wondered if she sold the appearance of a daughter mourning her father and returning to his roots appropriately to Takakura. It was difficult to read the emotions of her father’s childhood friend. 

After a traveler’s death on the mountain, with clear signs indicating the work of fae, the Caldwell Foundation wanted more measures to root out the cause. In addition to herself, there was an active Hunter assigned to the area, a retired Hunter regulated to a supervisory role, and a fellow graduate at the top of their class, alongside support staff. The amount of people for such a mission seemed overkill to Pony when she saw the size of the community. Takakura appeared to catch a hint of her disappointment upon her arrival and explained that although there were few residents, Forgotten Valley was essential to the land. They were one of the greatest suppliers of produce and animal products until recently, and travelers regularly passed through the town. 

Her supervisor, Matthew Hale, the retired Hunter, should have been the one to explain everything to her. Instead, he told her to focus on her farm and learn how to farm appropriately. Pony didn’t see why a cover was so important when she should be finding the cause of the town’s problems. She dutifully obeyed his orders, focusing her first week on animal care and tending crops while speaking with her neighbors. Beyond telling her to leave the other Hunter, Gordy Scherer, and the scientist Daryl Bowditch alone to complete their work, Pony had yet to receive any other orders. 

To make matters worse, Rick de Lancre was in town. The de Lancre family moved to the Mineral Town side years ago. His sick mother was sent to live in the cleaner country air while their father searched for a cure. Pony was thrilled to know a familiar face at first. Then, Rick opened his mouth to remark about her release from the Caldwell Foundation snidely. She endured his ribbing about her lackluster performance in everything but physical classes during their school years. Pony tasted blood biting her tongue when Rick mentioned farming was a better occupation for her and offered to help her learn to care for chickens if the work was too difficult. She had to maintain her cover, no matter how infuriating her peer became. 

Pony planned to take a break and ease her anger by soaking in the natural hot springs in Forgotten Valley’s mountains. Her plan was swiftly ruined when Gordy and Rick found a pixie nest in the same area. After Matthew discretely told her to remain out of the way, Pony found herself wandering the town. She just wanted a quiet corner alone to unwind. Yet, everywhere she went, townspeople were lingering in small groups. Her purple eyes glared at the church before her, debating on entering. Every other shop had people too eager to speak with her. Churches were known for being places where silence was coveted. Pony decided to take her chances and slipped inside. 

She knew it was the largest building in town, but Pony did not expect it to rival the smaller chapels of the city. It was kept pristine like all other buildings in the proud Forgotten Valley. Neat rows of bright, white pews stood alongside a plush, red rug leading through their center to the altar. She worried the dried dirt and muck on her boots would ruin the rich carpet. Her fears didn’t last long as she caught sight of the stained glass windows dying the afternoon sun into brilliant patterns across the wooden floor. Pony’s sharp eyes scanned the altar. Nothing was there to indicate what god the church worshipped. Those in the capital focused their praise on Saint Emeline, who freed humans from the tyranny of the fae. However, she knew from half-awake history lessons in school that some of the rural communities still worshipped the fae goddesses of the land. Each township seemed to have its own deity, but each was called the same thing: Harvest Goddess. Once the professor stated their practices had fallen from favor, Pony dismissed the lesson as unimportant.  

Pony turned her back to the altar, intending to revel in the quiet peace she had finally found. Her blood ran cold at the sight of Rick de Lancre passing the windows outside the church. In a panic, she scanned the room for somewhere to hide. Moving swiftly to avoid further wounds to her pride from the young man, Pony crammed herself into the confessional. The seconds felt like hours as she strained to hear the church doors open. A sigh of relief fluttered from her at the continued silence. Come to think of it, wasn’t he walking and speaking with someone else? They were probably only walking past the church. The sound of someone politely clearing their throat from the confessional’s other side shocked Pony. She let out a startled yelp as she crashed into the back of the booth, sitting hard on the small bench. 

“I’m sorry; please forgive me for surprising you so,” the calm tone mostly masked its owner’s underlying amusement. 

“No, sorry. I didn’t hear you earlier.” Pony fought the flush of embarrassment, warming her face. Of course, the pastor would be there somewhere if the church was open. If she let her guard down in the field like this, she would be dead instantly. 

“Is something the matter?” 

“No, I- Well. You can’t share what I say with people, right?” 

“I wouldn’t dream of such a thing. All confessions are between you and the goddess,” the voice reassured. Pony waited as he paused, weighing how much she believed the stranger’s words. When the pastor spoke again, the words sounded like those of a co-conspirator. “Now, pray tell me, what is it that weighs upon your mind?” 

“Townspeople don’t like me.” Pony cursed herself the moment the words left her mouth. That was too vague. “Wait, I mean, not all dislike me, but I am having trouble getting along with a handful. I just- I think I should do better.” 

“How funny. I find that I dislike being around you as well. Let’s wrap this up quickly, shall we? The divine has no forgiveness for sinners like you. Heavenly retribution will surely rain down from above.” 

The pastor’s switch from friendly ambivalence to casual cruelty froze Pony. The confessional suddenly felt cramped. She hadn’t even met the pastor face to face. How could she have made such a terrible impression so quickly? Frustrated tears pricked at her eyes. 

“Forgive me, that seemed the quickest way to show you you’re worrying over things you shouldn’t,” he soothed. “Such conflicts are normal when first meeting others. The divine can see your sincerity in having good relations, and soon, so will those you think dislike you.” 

“I see,” Pony mumbled, slowly recovering from the shock. It was eerie how accurately the pastor had pinpointed one of her greatest struggles and addressed her concerns. A mere week in town was hardly enough to have formed any relation with people. They would see in time that Pony genuinely cared about getting to know those around her and not just for the sake of her mission. She joined the Caldwell Foundation to help people, not just follow her father’s footsteps. As for Rick, she couldn’t say his confidence was unfounded. He had been at the top of their class for a reason. Besides, Pony was not a slouch herself, and despite the secrecy, she was assigned to be here. Rick was merely on break, visiting family and awaiting his first assignment. In this instance, Pony was the one a step ahead. 

“Your spirits seem restored.” 

“Yes, thank you. I do feel better after speaking with you.”

“I’m glad,” the words seemed to linger as if their owner was waiting to say something more.  Pony vaguely wondered what his pause was for until she remembered their location. 

“I should leave. Others might need to confess; thank you again, um, pastor,” Pony belatedly realized she didn’t have a name for the voice. She didn’t know there was a church to have a pastor until today either; she reflected as the brunette scrambled from the space into the church. Pony stepped further into the church, away from the confessional’s door. Another person had entered while she was in. The young male sat on the pews, making no motion to move. She hesitated to speak with him. Not only did she want to avoid interrupting his moment of reflection, but he seemed downtrodden. 

“You’re Pony, yes? A most auspicious meeting indeed. Takakura told me all about you. My name is Carter; I hope I see you at church more.” 

Pony turned to view the pastor as he exited the confessional behind her. Carter wore a kind smile, his eyes shut with the wideness of it. She was shocked to see the pastor. Pony had expected an older man, but he was much younger than the priests she saw in the city. Pony didn’t think he could be much older than herself. Unlike the other priests, who wore bright colors and ornaments, the pastor of Forgotten Valley wore modest black, broken only by a splash of green and a white stole. His hair was straight and brown, a little longer than she would have expected, but kept neat. Carter’s eyes cracked open to stare directly into her own at her silence. Pony was caught in his gaze like an ancient and unfortunate insect as his eyelids parted slightly to reveal amber eyes. She fought to banish the thoughts bubbling in her mind at the man before her, fumbling out a question instead. 

“What do you mean? That this is an auspicious meeting, does that mean something bad?”

“I merely believe you will bring a much-needed change to Forgotten Valley. I look forward to it greatly.”

Pony mumbled an excuse about needing to tend to the farm and her lone cow to make a hasty retreat. She was grateful as the rain began to fall in a steady shower as she hurried home. The cool water was a welcome relief to her warm face. Though not immensely religious, Pony felt she had crossed a line she shouldn’t have for thinking Carter handsome. She decided she would be sure to address him by his title, as Pony prayed to any god willing to listen that Pastor Carter didn’t see her blush.

[truebluefantasy]

If the townspeople reacted to you showing them a Preserved Flower in HM/SOS: FOMT!

Lillia: "O-oh dear... Sweetie, I'm sorry, but I'm still waiting for my husband to come back! Please give it to someone that will cherish you."

Dudley: "A flower... I'm sorry, but no matter how many years it's been... my heart still belongs to my wife. You give it to someone that you can spend a long life with, alright?"

Duke: "Eh? What have you got there? ... What?! Get outta here you joker, I won't hear the end of it from Manna if this gets out!"

Manna: "What a lovely flower! ... Oh! I never thought this would happen! I mean I've been told I still look good for my age, and that I'd be a lovely woman that buys bags of sugar for someone younger, but- Duke, he would... Aja/Adja is about the same age as you and- Sasha and Anna would talk about it at the square and- Oh no no no NO! I don't want to imagine what would happen! I'm flattered, really I am, but I have to say no!"

Anna: "Oh, this must be the flower Basil was raving on about! ... ... ... ... Excuse me? I hope you're joking. ... Please don't give it to Marie after this. I will tell her what you did just now if you do."

Basil: "I'm so glad we got to discover these flowers! ... Thank you, but I already have tons of specimens in my collection."

Sasha: "My, a lovely flower! ... You do know Jeff is my husband, right? ... Wait a minute! Just because he's timid, can't say no, and is possibly a hypochondriac doesn't mean I don't love him! You better watch what you say from now on!"

Jeff: "Ah, that's a Preserved Flower! ... Th-that reminds me... I need to finish my painting of it for Sasha!"

Carter: "An offering? ... Alas, my calling requires full devotion to the Goddess Herself! I will gladly take it off your hands if you have no need for it anymore. Would I give it to the Goddess? Heavens no! (Now that you've caught on...)"

Zack: "A Preserved Flower! If only I could give one... Wh-wh-what?! Uhh, I- that is to say- I really- I mean-! What I mean to say is, my heart belongs to somebody else!! I'm sorry!! Please don't cry!!"

Gotts: "... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... I don't get why you would show me this."

Harris: "That's a pretty flower! ... Uhh... I, uh, I'm too busy keeping the town safe to think about dating! Yup, that's right!"

Thomas: "A Preserved Flower! What a great way to show someone you want to date them! I hope everyone makes good use out of it! ... I said I hope everyone makes GOOD USE OUT OF IT!"

Ellen: "Oh my! I've heard young'uns don't just give Blue Feathers willy-nilly anymore… I hope it works out with whoever you give it to, dear."

Barley/Mugi: "What do you have there? ... Ohohoho! Reminds me of back in my day when you'd go on a hunt for a Blue Feather! I suppose even the old folks' days of going steady are out of fashion, as they say. Why don't you go and have fun with folks your age while you can?"

Saibara: "What's this? ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Give your head a shake! You better not influence Gray with your nonsense!"

Stu/Yu: "Whazzat? Preserved Flower? ... Eww, you're gonna catch cooties from *Bachelor/ette with highest Romance*!"

May/Mei: "What a pretty flower! Who's it for? ... It's a secret? Ooh, I hope it's *Bachelor/ette with highest Romance*!"

The fun part would be minus friendship/romance points from Bachelor/ettes and other townspeople depending on who you show it to!

[wildflowercryptid]

i've been thinking about the potential of ships with awl & fomt characters and honestly... the idea of cliff/matthew is really making me go 🤔

just 2 quiet dudes who struggle to strike up conversations and make connections due to their own self-doubt, slowly warming up to each other and finding someone who really understands them + they can lean on for support.

like i imagine cliff coming to the valley to drop off shipments of wine at the café once or twice a month and vesta notices pretty quickly how antsy matt gets on those days. maybe there's hope for her lil bro after all. :) meanwhile, cliff immediately runs to the church after getting back to mineral town and asks carter if it's okay if he's thinks about kissing another man in the confessional.

[yorunoangel]

So tbh FOMT has never inspired me creatively but @jake-marshall's brainworms have infected me like a parasite. This is a collection of doodles based on our silly ideas, including: - what if Brandon and Gordy were art buddies (and the aftermath) - me deciding to give Trent a Fun Tie bc his remake design is boring (featuring the mushroom expert Carter) - what if Trent and Ford were roommates in med school - and Cliff getting his hair cut by Manna bc Cliff is Baby ("Oh Cliff, your hair is getting so long! Let me give it a trim, you don't want to look like a hobo caveman do you??")