#friendofbats

6. say three nice things about yourself (three physical and three non-physical).

😅 Ack, the dreaded question. Phew, okay... let's give this a try.

Physical: I like the color of my green eyes. I am proud of myself for no longer being ashamed of my wider nose - it adds character to my face. I have awesome fashion sense. (I type this as I am wearing an oversized Kirby tee for pajamas. Told you it was awesome!) Non-Physical: I have a caring heart full of love for others. I like to think that I am a good cook. I strive to improve myself and continue to grow, even when it's hard.

22. what would you say to your future self?

The winning lotto numbers! 😛 Just kidding! Probably something more like "Remember why you started doing this all in the first place. You're worth the effort, even if you don't think you are. There's a part of you that really believes you are. So if you feel like crap today, remember how you felt at your lowest. You're not there anymore, and you never will be again. You've got this!"

And now I'm making myself emotional again...

24. what’s something you do to de-stress?

I often will use the sense of touch to ground myself if I have a lot of stress or anxiety. I have a few plushies that I keep around for squishing and hugging for comfort, and I also use a fidget cube to keep myself from more destructive de-stressing behaviors like skin picking or biting my nails. I have this really fun one that's colored like a Super Famicom controller. It's got different textures, buttons, toggles and gadgets on each side. I use different sides for different kinds of stress.

30. what reminds you of home (doesn’t have to mean house… just things that remind you of the feeling of home)?

The sound of a tea kettle. I have one that's used every day. My husband and I make pitchers of iced tea to drink, but I like a hot beverage every now and then, too. Lately, I've been loving the blend of jasmine green tea with lemon he's been making! 💖

Thank you so much, Bats 🤗

13. what’s your comfort food?

Pasta! When I'm feeling down, a plate of spaghetti, or macaroni and cheese, or even just fusili with cheddar grated on top, never fails to make me feel a little better.

Also, the mushroom pasta dish from Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns inspired me to try adding fried mushrooms to my pasta, and it is so good!

14. favorite feel-good show?

This question honestly took me the longest of them all, because I just couldn't think of an answer. Mostly because I barely watch any traditional shows anymore.

What I do watch a lot of is YouTube, and one of the channels that always puts a smile on my face is PlayFrame, a let's play channel run by Dan and Carrie Floyd, previously of Extra Credits.

I especially love their series for Undertale, Hollowknight and Spirit Farer.

21. if you could tell your past self one thing, what would it be?

(so, so many things, but the question only says one, so...)

The vast majority of things you worry about will never happen. Spend more time enjoying the present than worrying about the future.

22. what would you say to your future self?

Not my quote.

[Text reads: On particularly rough days when I'm sure I can't possibly endure, I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days so far is 100%, and that's pretty good.]

😭 Thank you so much for this!

Honestly, Photograph is probably my favourite fic I've written so far. It was incredibly cathartic to write, too. I actually teared up multiple times while writing it 😅

This is going to be interesting.  I’ve always thought of them as good friends, but I guess it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch of the imagination for their chemistry to work romantically.  This is actually really cute!

Gotz x Harris

SEND ME A SHIP and I’ll tell you: Who said “I love you” first

Oooh, again, this is tough.  Gotz is a widower who is still grieving, and Harris went through unrequited love with Aja.  I can see Harris confessing and immediately being horrified that he won’t be worthy to take Gotz’s wife’s place and he’ll be worried he’ll be rejected just like Aja did to him.  But Gotz would explain isn’t looking to “replace” his late wife - Harris also has a place in his heart, and he loves him, too.  He’s ready to move forward in life - forward with Harris.

Who would have the other’s picture as their phone background

Gotz would find that kind of thing sappy, although the idea might make him blush.  Harris might have a photo of the two of them on his phone, though, that he checks throughout the day. ^-^

Who leaves notes written in fog on the bathroom mirror

Neither.  Gotz would just wipe it away in his half-awake stupor anyway as he got ready for the day, lol.

Who buys the other cheesy gifts

Okay, I can see Harris getting something cute for Gotz.  Maybe a new axe with something cute engraved in the handle.  I can imagine Gotz being really touched by this. <3

Who initiated the first kiss

Gotz.  Harris wouldn’t want to make the first move physically because he’d be afraid of stepping over boundaries regarding Gotz’s late wife.  I imagine there being a situation where Harris does something really sweet and heartfelt for him and Gotz just gives him a big hug and kisses him without thinking.  It takes him a few moments to realize what he’s done, and they’re both blushing and giggly and happy.

Who kisses the other awake in the morning

Harris.  I don’t picture Gotz as a morning person, and he’s been alone for so long that he’d have to get used to other people being in the house.

Who starts tickle fights

There are no tickle fights in this relationship.  I could see them “accidentally” bumping past one another, though.

Who asks who if they can join the other in the shower

I feel like they'd naturally just ask each other.  I imagine them using the hot springs a lot, so they just join.  The washing off and rinsing beforehand, though… I can imagine them being a little shy doing that around each other after their relationship starts, but neither of them make a big deal out of it, because I feel like that’s something they would’ve done regularly as friends.

Who surprises the other in the middle of the day at work with lunch

Harris, for sure!  I can imagine him picking up something from Doug’s and stopping by in the afternoon to make sure Gotz remembers to eat.  I headcanon that that’s what they’re doing anyway in game when he’s hanging out over there in the afternoons.

Who was nervous and shy on the first date

Both.  I feel like their first date would be a hike in the woods up the mountain trail, with neither of them really knowing what to say.  They’d take in the scenery and eventually see something that acts as an icebreaker, like a squirrel or bird, and then they’d naturally open up to one another.

Who kills/takes out the spiders

They both take them outside with no fuss.

Who loudly proclaims their love when they’re drunk

Both.  Harris is pretty loose-lipped in the bar in HM64, and I can see him being the same way in Mineral Town.  I don’t imagine Gotz going out to drink much, but maybe he joins Harris at the bar after they start dating.  I imagine Gotz as being quite the romantic when he was married, so I can easily see him gushing about Harris after a few drinks.

Thank you for your patience on these asks!  I had a lot of fun doing them, and it was fun to think of the unique pairings.  I love rarepairs! <3

Lol, I'll probably regret saying this, but ask as many as you like 😅

🍏 Gimme any of your Harvest Moon/Stardew unpopular opinions!

OK, here goes: it feels like more effort was put into the combat mechanics of Stardew Valley than the farming.

Sure, the combat is a fun and unique touch, but the farming feels a little bit bare in comparison. And raising your animals and crops feels so empty when there aren't even competitions to enter them in.

I'd rather have fewer mine levels and enemies to fight if it meant the farming felt more rewarding.

🍏 What feature that you haven't seen yet do you wish the games would implement?

Ooh, that's a good question!

It's only a little thing, but I'd like it if the games allowed us to choose our pronouns for dialogue. It broke my immersion a little bit when SoS:FoMT had characters refer to me as "they" - it made it feel like they barely knew me, instead of supposedly being my good friends.

Let players input what pronouns they want to be called by, regardless of sex/gender. I don't see why it would be too difficult to implement. The games already let you input your name for the characters to say. It shouldn't be too hard to code in an option for he/she/they and him/her/them, with an option to add your own custom pronouns as well.

On a more gameplay note, I'd love the option to adopt animals. Maybe the Farm shops could have livestock that have been "returned" to them and need a good home. These animals could be half the price of the regular livestock, but maybe they gain affection at a much slower rate, or their products aren't as high value. It's your choice whether to take in these "rescues" or just buy the ordinary livestock.

Aww, thank you 💕 I'm glad people are enjoying them.

🥔(Potato) - Favourite non-romanceable character

FoMT:

Is it any surprise that I pick Harris? 😅 He was just another NPC to me originally, but over time I've really grown to love this big Teddy bear.

If Harris was a bachelor, though, then I'd choose Barley/Mugi. He's such a sweet, kind old man. I want to adopt him as my grandpa, please.

Nearly everyone in Mineral Town feels like family to me, at this point 😅 I love (almost) all of them.

SV:

Kinda hard to choose just one, tbh. I like a lot of the side characters. Linus is a sweetheart, and Clint reminds me somewhat of Harris.

But I think I like George the best. Grumpy old man who warms up to you gradually as you show him kindness? Check. Tragic backstory? Check. Genuine heart of gold beneath his gruff exterior? Check.

🍋(Lemon) - Least favourite character

FoMT:

I'm sorry, I just don't like Won/Huang. His first event - where you meet him at Zack's, and he ogles Karen and gives her preferencal treatment because she's pretty - just left a really sour taste in my mouth. And it doesn't help that he's quite arrogant and so obsessed with money.

SV:

Does Morris the Jojamart manager count? 😅 No? OK, then.

Probably Mayor Lewis. He refuses to settle down with Marnie, even though she clearly wants to, because he's "worried about his reputation"?! Big red flags there, Marnie! And besides, what kind of mayor uses town funds to commission a golden statue of himself instead of putting that money back into the town through, say, repairing the bus service to the city?!

🍅 (Tomato) - Favourite and least favourite festival?

FoMT:

Since I've already talked about the Animal Festivals and the Horse Races, I'll mention another event I really love: the Harvest Festival.

The whole town getting together to cook a giant potluck, with everyone bringing something along, has such a warm, homey vibe for me. I really get a sense of community from this festival. I love it, and all its variations across the games.

Least favourite is probably White Day/Valentine's Day. It's a non-event if you're not high enough with anyone. And if you're high enough with enough candidates, you have to hang around on your farm most of the day waiting for them to arrive. I want to get on around town and the mountain on my daily routine, not sit around at home waiting all day.

SV:

I think the festivals are sadly lacking in this game, especially after all the interesting events that HM/SoS has to offer.

My favourite of the few available is the Stardew Valley Fair, because you can interact with a lot of the stalls, and because its the only festival where your farming actually comes into play.

My least favourite is probably Spirit's Eve: after you've done it the first year, there's really nothing to do in subsequent years.

🍐(Pear) - Favourite rival pairing (Canon or non-canon)?

FoMT:

Karen x Rick is a brilliant pairing. So is Gray x Mary. Both of them feel like they complement each other really well.

Non-canon: I'm really growing to like the idea of Ann x Kai. I feel like they'd have some really good chemistry.

SV: No rival pairs in this game, alas, so we'll have to go with non-canon.

I think Harvey x Penny would be a sweet couple. Probably extremely traditional and low-key, but I think they'd work well together.