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Some Pinterest boards inspired by the cousins! ~ Author C

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Your Secret is a Whisper Away

This is a small story by Author C to try to figure out how to write Anise and Basil a bit better, plus some fun magic!

Basil knew better than to ask questions at this point. That wouldn’t stop her from making a sly remark or two though. 

“Anise, what’s the hold up? What are you even trying to do, make everyone fall asleep?” Basil said as she walked up to the front porch of the farmhouse. 

Anise was too busy stirring her cauldron to acknowledge Basil’s comment. She looked excited as she muttered something about making sure to have enough flower quartz this time. It’d been a few hours since she promised Basil and her friends a “display that would amaze!” Basil of course half expected it wouldn’t work out, but she was at least hoping for a comical result. Watching Anise boringly pouring over her notes to double check the temperature of her cauldron wasn’t the most exciting thing she could be doing right now. 

“Hey! Witchcraft takes time! Let her do her thing!” Abigail called out to Basil.

“This is a bit boring though,” Sam admitted, “I should’ve brought my board. Could’ve done some flips!” He smiled as he pictured himself doing flips in his head.

Basil let out a huff as she walked back over towards the two. If Anise didn’t pick up the pace she’d just have to ditch to go on a river adventure or something. Anything would be more fun than this. Even watching grass grow! 

Fwoom 

The cauldron let out a burst of purple smoke as bubbles began to drift out from the source. Between the now purple mist small stars twinkled in a rhythmic pattern, gently drifting towards the group of teens. Basil shot Anise a look of “is this safe to touch??” and Anise gave her a wide smile along with a thumbs up. Her star-shaped sunglasses tipped down from her head landing awkwardly on her nose giving her a goofy appearance as she tried to readjust them. 

Before Basil knew it the mist began to wrap around her, the twinkling lights continuing to dance as faint whispers began speaking, synchronized yet disjointed. It promised secrets, glorious knowledge, in return for a secret of her own. 

“What do you think I am, stupid?” Basil said aloud, though it was contained in the mist. No one seemed to acknowledge her speaking- it was for the magic alone. 

“You’d waste opportunity from fear?” The voices said in unison, together they made an enchanting voice, one of sereness and mystery. It was almost taunting as it made it’s reply from all directions, up, down, left, right, even in her own mind. 

“I’m not dumb! ‘Oooh are you scared? Too chicken to make a demon deal?’ Come on.” Basil waved her hands in exasperation. 

“Come now, I’ve been summoned for this, a secret for a secret. A fair trade, is it not?”

“No?? Literally shut up. Anise you gotta stop summoning demons.” Basil was eager to get away from this situation. With her friends here it went from the usual annoyance to a sort of stage fright, as if a magician had selected her for a trick and she didn’t trust that he wasn’t really going to saw her in half. She had to pawn this responsibility off on someone else. “If you want someone who’s gonna fall for that, try her!” Basil gestured to the vague direction she last saw her cousin and attempted to step away from the clingy mist.

The whispers overlapped in disjointed thoughts, she couldn’t make out each one individually but it was clear there was a small argument. As soon as the whispers began they ceased, the mist began to roll back from her vision revealing the farm once again. 

Taking in her surroundings once again Basil came to a realization, she wasn’t on stage performing, they all were. Sam and Abigail were all cloaked in the purple smog as the lights twinkled around them. Surely they wouldn’t listen to some demon thing or whatever. Right? 

“Anise get your magic demon thing off them now.” Basil was clearly not in the mood for her friend’s souls to be stolen. 

“What?? They’re just gossiping with some magic! It’s no big deal!” 

“No way!” “C’mon you don’t want to ruin their fun do you?”

“Ughhhhhh”

“That’s what I thought!” Anise seemed pleased with herself as she sat back down on the porch. Basil followed suit and sat next to her.

“If they lose their souls I’m blaming you.” She said it jokingly but Basil knew there was always a chance. A chance she wouldn’t be liable for.

About ten minutes later that mist began to subside from Sam. 

“That was crazy!! I can’t believe I never knew that about kickflips!” Sam seemed pleased with his exchange as he did a little victory hop. “Wait hold on I gotta try this out- be back later!!” he dashed towards his house, probably to get his skateboard. 

“Seeee? Nothing bad!” Anise had a “I told you so” smirk on her face as she looked at Basil. 

“Whatever.” Basil gave her a small push, but she was relieved. 

--

It’d been another twenty minutes, Abigail had yet to be released from the purple shrouding her.

“Anise what the heck! This is taking way too long!” Basil huffed as she waved her hand where Abigail’s eyes probably were, it was hard to tell from the mist.

“Hey it’s not my fault she’s chatty! Don’t worry the mist will fade once the exchange is done!”

“How long with that take??”

“Dunno!”

Basil threw her arms up in the air in exasperation. “Just watch her, I’m going to get a Joja Cola” she kicked a rock as she walked towards the front door. 

Basil walked out with half drinken lukewarm soda in hand to see Anise a bit panicked. Uh oh. Anise must’ve heard the door squeak open as she quickly turned to face Basil. 

“Everything is fineeeee just uh, maybe give your friend some space? Or go look for her? I don’t know uhh… well she went that way-” Anise gestured towards the path to town. 

“Anise I am actually going to kill you.”

“You always say that!” “Maybe because you’re so killable!!” Basil groaned as she started to pace around. 

“Whatever, Abigail can deal with the consequences of making a deal on her own. Not my problem!” Basil threw up her hands and slinked back to the couch. Why should she have to deal with this? She didn’t do anything wrong. 

Anise figured she should probably check on Basil’s friend. She was the one who cast the spell afterall, plus she didn’t really have anything better to do. She called out to Basil from the porch “well I’m going to check on her! Maybe you should too!” No response. Anise shrugged and headed towards town. 

Huh. Abigail apparently hadn’t gone back to her house. Anise barging in and asking definitely worried Caroline a bit but Anise did her best to reassure her everything was fineeee. Caroline decided to look for Abigail. 

“Okay you check by the mines, I’ll go towards the beach.” Caroline instructed. 

“Okok I’ll bring her back if I find her!”

Caroline made a face Anise couldn’t quite discern. After a moment of silence she simply thanked Anise and walked towards the south end of town. 

Well, Abigail was nowhere to be found outside the mines. Anise tried to check the Adventurer’s Guild but they told her she hadn’t “earned her membership” which like- rude!! She made a mental note to put them on her “unlikable old men” list. But from peaking through the windows she didn’t seen Abigail in there either. Good! If she had access Anise would’ve been pissed. No wait- Anise realized why she was here in the first place. Bad. She still hadn’t found her. Who would’ve thought a girl with bright amethyst hair would be so hard to find! 

No luck inside the mines. She figured she couldn’t have made it to, let alone past, floor fifteen so she ended her exploration after about an hour or two of searching. Great. Now she was covered in bug meat for nothing! At least the slime would come out easy, but her outfit was matted now. She’d even dressed up for the magical display earlier this afternoon. Bummer. Well, she supposed it was time to find Caroline and tell her she cleared the area. Maybe she’d check the west end after this, or more likely take a nap. Ooh maybe she was at the saloon and she could pick up a drink, Anise could really go for a frappe about now, the mines were exhausting. 

--

Okay so maybe going to the Saloon first wasn’t the most responsible thing to do… but the coffee called to her! Besides she got to see Cassia who praised her for surviving the mines. Sure it was just a nod but that’s totally high praise! But now she could finally get back on track. 

After walking out of the Saloon she almost immediately saw Caroline, her hair made her very distinctive. She appeared to be in the graveyard, just standing there looking down a bit. There was a sadness in her gaze. Anise tried to wave her down but she wasn’t looking towards Anise at all, in fact she had her eyes intently fixed on something- maybe someone, then she started talking in a hushed tone. Weird. 

“Caroline! I didn’t find-” 

Caroline’s gaze shot daggers into Anise, clearly she should skedaddle.

Anise put her hands halfway up, palms facing Caroline to gesture “woah sorry!” as she walked back into the Stardrop Saloon. 

“Back already?” Cassia questioned as Anise sat down at the bar. 

“Not by choice! Anyways got any more coffee..?”

“Only if you can pay..” “Of course!” Anise proceeded to put down a few artifacts on the bar table. 

Cassia sighed, while Anise attempted to persuade a brick wall for the next half hour why she should be able to pay in artifacts. Surely she’d give in this time! The last four attempts were unsuccessful but Anise had a good feeling about this time!

It’d been about an hour and a half since Anise tried to rope Gus into the conversation about taking artifacts as currency, when suddenly yelling could be heard from outside. Anise jolted up, though it wasn’t from fear- she had way too much caffeine in her system from buying drinks between her persuading them. Gus glanced towards Cassia, she simply nodded in reply and walked towards the door. Almost in the same breath of her walking out the door she walked back inside. 

“Not a customer. It’s a family matter.” She bluntly said as she returned to the counter.

“Who?” Gus questioned. 

“Caroline and Abigail, not my business.”

Gus sighed, clearly concerned but knowing he shouldn’t get involved.

“Look, I’ll go out if they’re still at it twenty minutes from now.” He said simply. 

The shouting stopped about fifteen minutes after it'd begun. Only bits and pieces could be made out through the thick walls of the saloon, “I hate you!” “Why didn’t you tell me!?” and such. Afterwards, angry footsteps and an argument no one could quite discern the topic of was heard going past the saloon. What was that about?

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Drawings courtesy of Author B! 2 pages of Anise, the ditzy witch, and a page each for the overworked Cassia and bored Basil. Also, miscellaneous goofs, and a b/w attempt at Basil in the SDV portrait style after a challenge from Author C (who is struggling with translating Basil's character design into pixel art herself currently...! Sorry about her stupid hair)

Further notes below cut bc I'm talky

(1 + 2) I like drawing Anise the most I think, although I struggle with her star-shaped novelty sunglasses especially when at an angle (which is most of the time since they are on her head). She's serious about her research but is shameless in attitude, so she's pretty versatile in terms of poses and expressions. I like to just draw her with a bunch of sparkles and stars around her... Also she's the only one of the cousins who wears skirts.

(3) Cassia has a very serious attitude, so I like to imagine what would cause her to make other expressions, especially since she seems very self conscious. She loves her pets (Nugget the miniature t-rex and Biscuit the border collie) unabashedly, so there's one thing! There's also someone out there she maybe sort of has a thing for... who also maybe sot of has a thing for her..?

(4) Basil wears her emotions quite plainly, but they're a bit of a mess. ... I don't have much to say here, these aren't the best or most character-ful drawings. Next time maybe I'll have something better for her. Also the dog drawing labelled "grandpaw" in unrelated. I was watching an episode of Drawtectives.

(5 + 6) Anise has magic vision because she is working hard to bring everything about the magic world to light, so she can see junimos! (she drank the potion from the game). Cassia cannot see junimos, like most people! Basil can just see junimos normally..!? There's some weird blood in this family. The thumbs up/down pics are like, little emote type doodlings for fun

(7) I was asked by Author C to try my hand at doing a pixel portrait since she was struggling on making one herself. I am not displeased with it but I will admit to: not doing pixel art ever, being a coward and not doing it in color, giving up totally on the hair rendering, and not being very attentive to details... forgive me. but also given all that I think it looks okay. I have low standards for things that I do for fun

Ok that's all I have thank you very much for looking at my art!

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I'm trying to recreate some OCs in the Stardew Valley Portrait art style. These obviously aren't done but I think I'm at the stage of needing some feedback. I think I'm happiest with Anise (pink hair) but I've been struggling quite a bit with the other two, so I'd love some advice!

Basil (green hair) is the one I'm least happy with. Ignoring the clothing as I've barely started I think the facial structure and hair has been the hardest to replicate.

Cassia (white hair) will definitely be reworked color wise as she was created first without sticking to a limited color scheme. I'm unsure how to make her expression seem intimidating if that makes sense?

~ Author C

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Family Game Night

Desc: Cassia attempts to get Anise and Basil in on some family bonding. It's hard to get everyone to settle down for that long, or settle on a single thing to do!

Notes: Author B! Again, just the cousins messing around. Fun times!

Cassia has had her two rowdy cousins living at her farm for over a month now, and her life has become a lot more hectic… But often it was indirectly. She would receive reports from her neighbors while working in the bar, or see some sort of aftermath, but she was busy in so many ways that she rarely got to experience the hijinks first-hand.

It was a relief in some ways, but also… She just felt like she was missing out on something.

Well, anyway, it was why they were all gathered around her dinky coffee table in front of the tv, looking at grandpa’s old games she’d found stashed in a cupboard.

“I’m not playing monopoly. Done it too many times, always ends tragically,” Basil said, shoving the game into the growing pile of rejects. Not much remained on the table at this point. Cassia spotted a deck of cards beneath one of the cardboard game boxes and pulled it out.

“What about blackjack?” she asked, removing the cards from the box and adeptly shuffling them. Anise watched for a moment, then motioned for Cassia to hand the cards to her. Cassia did so, and Anise proceeded to show her up by shuffling the cards in some ridiculous fancy fashion. After spending about two minutes doing that, she handed the deck back to Cassia with a flourish. Anise smirked triumphantly.

“I don’t know how to play any card games,” Anise said, the expression on her face never wavering.

Cassia gave a blank look at that. “Anise,” she said, “never have you lied so blatantly to my face. And that,” Cassia crossed her arms and leaned back against the couch, “is saying something.”

Anise looked as ashamed as she was capable of looking. “Look, I just don’t want to, ok? I mean we’re not even going to gamble, what’s the point? We might as well just-” Anise blustered for a moment. “Make card castles or something!” 

Basil perked up at that (from the phone game she’d been playing since Anise had started handling the cards). “Let’s do that.”

And then they spent a while making card castles until Anise’s got knocked down and she blamed it on Basil (Basil had been blowing at the cards but she didn’t think the stress test was going to actually knock it over and Anise clearly should have just built her castle more sturdily! (Anise knocked over Basil’s castle after she said that (Cassia was mildly proud to have kept hers standing the longest)))

Cassia would call that board game night a success, but she knew she’d have to get more games before next Saturday. Maybe Penny knew some good ones, she mused…

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Cassia at Work - Cousins in the Stardrop Saloon

Desc: Cassia is just trying to do her job, bartending at the Stardrop Saloon. Her cousins are there. It makes the shift feel much longer.

Notes: Slice of life from Author B! A lot of these stories, despite being set in the world of Stardew Valley, are just about our ocs bouncing off each other. Sometimes I feel bad about main tagging those... On the other hand, look at our funny characters

“I’ll take today’s special,” Basil said.

Cassia gave her a blank look. “I’m not taking your order, Basil.”

Basil returned an equally straight face. “I’ll tell your boss you’re not doing your job.”

Cassia sighed. “Basil, I saw you turn Gus away twenty seconds ago when he asked for your order. You can just talk to him instead sometimes, it doesn’t always have to be me.”

“Didn’t wanna,” Basil replied.

Gus called for Cassia’s attention from further down the crowded counter. She turned to look at him and he gestured to a customer across the counter from him, a few occupied seats away from Basil. “Customer for you, Cass.”

Cassia craned her neck to see who it was even though she already knew. Anise looked up from her book to meet her eye and she waved. Cassia gave a disapproving glare, to which Anise smiled and shrugged before going back to her book. Cassia turned her look at Gus, who looked like he was trying not to laugh as he went to check on another customer.

--

“Anise needs a pair of reading glasses,” Basil commented to Cassia through a mouthful of pasta. Business had slowed down a bit at this point and some of the crowd from the bar had grouped up and moved on to tables. Basil’s rowdy teenager friends were over in the game room and Basil was in a little of a hurry to join them, but there was a moment where Cassia was nearby and not too busy to talk, so Basil had apparently taken the chance to throw a thought out there.

Cassia looked over at Anise curiously. Anise had her book in one hand and a fork full of chicken in her other, hovering over her plate until she could pry her eyes from the passage that had absorbed her attention. Cassia couldn’t see anything that indicated Anise was having any difficulty with her reading. She seemed rather too into it - her fork had been in that position for maybe two minutes now. She turned a questioning look on Basil. “Does she?”

Basil took a swig of her soda, then popped the glass back on the counter. “It’d match her magic-researcher thing,” she said, twisting some spaghetti noodles onto her fork. “For the aesthetic.”

Ah, of course. Cassia huffed out a quiet laugh and went to check if anyone needed their drinks refilled.

--

Basil slurped up the last of her noodles, pushed the plate forward and called out to Gus to “put it on her tab!” before rushing off to the pool table. She snuck a fry off of Anise’s plate as she passed her, breaking Anise’s concentration for long enough to shoo her off. Anise almost dropped the chicken from her fork onto her book in the process, provoking an ungodly shriek from her and causing her to knock over her drink. While Cassia and Gus attempted to help Anise with the mess, Basil snuck off to the other room, managing to escape the chaos that she had caused, at least for the moment.

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What if I profess my love to Cassia?

You'd have to get in line lol

-Author C

are you a red head? might up your chances

-B

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A Small Trek - Young Cassia & Penny

Hello Author C here! If you couldn't tell already my favorite character in Stardew Valley is Penny, I try to avoid picking favorites in writing but the other two authors seem to love when I write about her. When thinking about what life was like for Cassia on the farm as a teenager I figured her grandfather would have introduced her to Penny, so I thought it'd be nice to flesh out their relationship. This takes place a few months after their initial meeting!

“Are you sure we’re allowed to be out here..?” Penny was clearly nervous, but didn’t want to be a party pooper either, afterall Cassia had invited her to join her for this morning trip.

Cassia glanced back to see Penny fiddling with her hair as they slowly ascended the rising plains of the farm. Cassia knew it was safe, she’d made triple sure of that before bringing her.

“It’s fine, I checked. Just keep close behind me.” Cassia replied. 

Penny bit her lip nervously as she attempted to keep up with Cassia. Cassi had built up some muscle since moving here, it made her a bit hard to keep up with as Penny patted down her skirt. Though it was a bit comforting, if she fell she knew she could be caught.

At first the climb up was simple, there was a clear dearth path that wound up the grassy mound. But as they went the path became narrower and the grass shallower, eventually turning into a gravely slope. The only trace of a path left was Cassia’s own directions.

Eventually halted to a stop, the path ahead was steeper than before but it seemed as though the end was in sight. Penny could vaguely makeout a wooden sign up ahead. Cassia glanced back at Penny yet again.

“This part is a bit tricky, just follow my steps.” 

Cassia slowly ascended the slope with careful movements, clearly trying to demonstrate for Penny. Each step she took had a shallow imprint that she could lift herself up with, by the end she had practically scaled a wall. 

Once she’d reached the top Cassia looked down at Penny and gave her best to give her a warm smile she’d been practicing. “See? Easy!”

Though Penny didn’t seem to take notice. She nervously fidgeted with her skirt as she glanced back and forth at the path ahead. There was no way she could do that she thought to herself, she didn’t have the dexterity let alone strength for that. Sure Cassia could but she had been bettering her physique for at least a month since she moved here. But she couldn’t let her down- what if she thought less of her? What if she stopped inviting her to hang out! What if- 

“Penny?”

Suddenly Penny was thrust back into reality, she realized she’d almost begun welling up with tears. Oh no no no no. She tried to hide her face as she brushed back the tears with her wrist. 

Beside her she heard a thump, Cassia had jumped back down. 

“Hey- are you alright?” Cassia attempted to awkwardly squat to decrease her height a bit. 

“Ah yeah, I- I’m fine.” Her voice was shaky as Penny tried to steady her breathing. She was still looking down trying to compose herself.

“Here,” Cassia reached out her hand so Penny could see it, “let’s go up together.” 

Slowly Penny followed Cassia as she tightened her grip around her hand. The climb was much easier then she’d expected, somehow the path seemed to still be there in spirit. As they approached the top she finally saw their destination, a shallow opening in the mound. It appeared to lead into a cave?

The girls chuckled a bit as Cassia almost bumped her head on the entrance. Cassia joked about how she’d probably grown since the last time she went in, but it was probably true, she’d grown quite a bit since Penny first met her, about three months ago. When they finally went inside the cave was shockingly homey. The floor had a few blankets and pillows sprawled across the floor and the ceiling above had warm orange christmas lights illuminating the space. It was clear it had been used by Cassia as a small stack of gothic patches rested next to a cookie tin filled with sewing supplies. It took her a few minutes to take everything in. 

“It’s beautiful here, did you do this all yourself..?” Penny asked, still a bit stunned. 

“No, I found it like this. Kind of- well I fixed it up.” Cassia replied a bit sheepishly. 

“That’s amazing! Oh this would look so cute with stuffed animals, oh and maybe a pet like a dog or a cat or a bunny! I can only imagine what reading in here must be like-” Penny suddenly cut herself off realizing she’d begun tangenting. Her face began to turn a rosy pink. 

“I do have a book or two from the library here if you’d like to read!” Cassia didn’t mention she’d checked them out in case Penny would want to though. 

Penny’s face lit up as she saw the books Cassia had gestured to. She grabbed the one about the fae and fairy tales as Cassia sat down next to her sewing supplies. 

They sat across from each other the rest of the night enjoying one another’s company under the twinkling lights. Their home away from home. It was perfect.

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Misc doodles from author B! In Stars and Time doodles and what the Herbs and Spices characters' craft types would be (good game! authors A and C will back me up on this!), silly OC doodles, trying to learn how to draw Cassia's dog Biscuit (also pictured, Anise with a cat which we have discussed and never written), and finally and most importantly: Junimo!

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Happy (Late) Feast of the Winter Star from Herbs & Spices! Instead of writing this one out we thought drawings would convey what happens best! Enjoy!

There are drawings from all three authors! We decided to do a little secret Santa type deal with the cousins, choosing random villagers for them to give gifts to and get gifts from. The first image with them giving gifts had each of the cousins drawn by their associated author, so maybe you can suss out who did the rest from there..?

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Penny in the Vampire’s Lair

Happy Spirit's Eve from Herbs & Spices! Author C here! This is just a small story about Cassia & Penny hanging out on Spirit's Eve! I thought it'd be fun to lean into Cassia's "vampireness" a bit more, after all she's pale, tall, red-eyed, and avoids the sun. Enjoy!

Walking along the dirt path was a strange sensation, it was so familiar- but in the way a dream is familiar, it was surreal. She’d done this dozens of times before, but that all felt so far away now. She slowly walked towards the farm, it was filled with all the last colors of autumn before the winter month came tomorrow, red, orange, yellow, and browns. Even in its somewhat disheveled state the farm was still full of life, she could hear the hens clucking in the distance, just past that a small patch full of pumpkins, corn, and cranberries. The farm always had smelled earthy, but underneath that there was something different, something rotting. As soon as that thought came to her she tried to calm her breathing, it must just be some fertilizer or decaying pumpkins. Penny knew Cassia, there couldn’t be anything actually wrong here. Still her shoulders stiffened as she made her way up the steps. 

The porch was illuminated by a small lantern, it used to contain an old candle but it’d been replaced by a red one engraved with runes. The red light was dim, but enough to make out the door ahead of her, it was beautifully hand carved. Although another rune had been crudely chiseled on top, was that always there..? She fiddled with her skirt a bit before getting the courage to knock on the door, it seemed to echo as she anxiously waited. Why did she come here? She didn’t like horror. She doesn’t know how to talk to people. What if this invitation was sent out of pity? Worse- what if this was a trap? Was she wrong about her- what if she really was a bad person and she’d fallen in lo- been fooled. She had to leave, this was a mistake. 

Before Penny could muster up the courage to even move she heard the door latch open. 

A looming figure appeared in the door. It towered over her in height, its eyes were a deep red that gazed through her soul- and pale skin that allowed her to see each and every battle scar carved or slashed into it. The figure wielded a knife in one hand, the other still held onto the door. She was petrified. 

--

Cassia looked down at Penny who was clearly trembling. She looked around to see if she was missing something, was she just anxious about coming over?

“Come in. I need to finish something in the kitchen, then we can watch the movie.” 

She tried as always to give her a warm smile as she led Penny into the living room. Before she had come over Cassia had tried her best to make the house a bit festive, taking out the orange blankets and displaying some of Anise’s “witchy” items. She was quite pleased with how it came out, it certainly felt like Spirit’s Eve. To make sure no monsters bothered them tonight she’d put out some oil of garlic mixed with monster guts, she didn’t want to scare Penny with any monsters tonight. 

--

Penny was frozen with fear on the couch. The room she’d been placed in was filled with what used to be Cassia’s grandfather’s items now mixed with abominations. A jar of eyeballs she swore followed her, herbs that were dried and labeled poison, containers filled with mysterious bubbling substances lined the shelves. Was she dreaming? There was no way her old friend was actually going to use her for a ritual right-? In the room behind her she could hear the chopping of a knife. She was sure she was just being paranoid but- this was all a lot to take in.

Trying to ground herself Penny locked her eyes onto the TV, it was on but only displayed a static that seemed to grow louder by the second. It enveloped her as she lost track of why she’d been here in the first place. It felt like it was hissing, screeching, crying out as its jumbled mess of black and white statically flashed across the screen. She couldn’t help but to look at it, even as her eyes began to well up with tears from the piercing light. 

She heard the rhythmic sound of heavy boot steps from behind her as she pried her gaze from the TV, it- she had returned. 

--

Cassia finished plating up the pumpkin pie as she exited the kitchen, it was barely a different room but Anise’s cluttered bookshelf seemed to section off the space. In the living room she found Penny staring at the TV’s static, she felt bad realizing that was probably the only entertaining thing in the room. Penny looked up at Cassia as she heard her walk in, her eyes were weirdly watery, she really had to fix that TV if it was giving Penny this much trouble to look at. She made sure to make a mental note of that as she placed the two plates of pumpkin pie on the coffee table. 

“Ready?” Cassia picked up the VHS tape from atop a stack of books as she approached the TV. 

Penny simply nodded her head in acknowledgement. It was nice that they didn’t need a lot of words to communicate, it made things easy. She inserted the VHS tape into the player, making sure it didn’t get jammed then headed back towards the couch. 

She sat next to Penny and laid back to relax. 

“This is a classic, it even gets the gore accurate.”

Penny didn’t seem to respond as she locked eyes onto the credits as they rolled in at the beginning of the film. She must really appreciate all the work that went into these. Cassia did the same as she followed the names across the screen, it was nice having a night off with her friend.

--

Penny was frozen. Cassia had sat next to her, but she felt like she couldn’t move an inch. She tried to concentrate on the credits as she tried to push her judgemental thoughts to the back of her mind. This was her friend, just because her house was strange didn’t make her any less of her friend. Still, she felt uneasy as she felt prying eyeballs from all directions stare through her. Slowly she took deep breaths as the credits rhythmically flashed across the screen. When the final credit rolled in, a blood curdling scream echoed all throughout the house. She could feel herself jump out of her skin as she looked around, was it just from the television? It had been horrifyingly realistic. Looking towards Cassia she hadn’t so much as flinched, though now she was looking down at Penny with an expression she couldn’t understand. 

“I can change it.” Cassia gestured towards the screen. 

“No! It’s fine! I’m the one who accepted the invitation!” Penny replied a bit too quickly. 

“You sure?” 

She nodded her head affirmingly as she turned back to the screen. 

--

As the movie progressed the terror did not stop. More screams, blood, guts, doppelgangers, hideous monsters, and of course a cheesy side romance to top it off. Penny had begun to noticeably shake by the time one of the main characters had begun to puke a dark ichor, a sure sign of them not being who they claimed. She repeatedly tried to ignore the fact that the setting mirrored her own, a closed off country house in the middle of the night, possibly hiding a monster in plain sight. Cassia on the other hand had noticed Penny’s shaking, she put her arm around the back of the couch to comfort her. It didn’t help, she could feel Penny’s whole body flinch. Penny clearly noticed her reaction and looked immediately embarrassed, though Cassia was looking away. She felt bad, Penny probably wasn’t comfortable around her yet. 

As the awkward silence grew another screech echoed from the TV, this time reaching the kitchen. There they could hear whimpering, Biscuit. Cassia got up from the couch hurriedly to check on him. Biscuit was under the kitchen counter, at first she thought he was scared but with a quick glance he clearly just wanted attention. His wide puppy eyes looked up at her as if to say, “pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee gimme attention,” with heartbreak in his eyes. 

She gestured for him to follow her as she made her way back up onto the couch. He happily trotted behind her and leaped up onto the couch on her lap. Biscuit wasn’t a small dog, he wasn’t giant but certainly not a lapdog, still she let him attempt to sit on her lap. Penny let out a light laugh at the sight, he was adorable and Cassia’s face had softened considerably. 

--

Penny had curled up next to Cassia, making sure to pet Biscuit the whole time. It was hard to be scared of anything when a cute dog was whining to be pet next to her. They both enjoyed the pumpkin pie Cassia had made, and she promised to teach Penny the recipe. By the end Cassia had drifted to sleep, all the work she’d done lately had caught up to her. Penny did her best not to laugh as she tried to dislodge herself from Cassia’s sleeping arms, unfortunately she didn’t have the strength. She supposed she could stay the night, Biscuit wouldn’t move off both their laps anyways. 

--

Anise and Basil returned to find the trio resting soundly on the couch. 

“Dibs on Cassia’s bed!”

“No way!”

--

Happy Spirit’s Eve! 

[sdvsalad]

A Beautiful Night

Author C here! I tend to avoid writing romantic stories since I can never imagine what it'd be like. It's important to push your boundaries a bit though to improve as both a writer and gain new perspectives! Enjoy a bit of fluff!

The fairy lights lit up the tree-line as they softly twinkled overhead. The trees were all shades of yellow, orange, and red as they swayed side to side, catching the light from the string lights in a beautiful unison. Below sat a checkered red blanket, filled with pillows and a picnic basket that contained an elegant spread of charcuterie and carious edible forgeable plants. A lean ginger woman took the strong stoic woman by the hand as she led them to the blanket, gently sitting down together. 

It must have been hours since they’d sat, the stars twinkled overhead as they laid on the blanket, watching the brilliant dance. The ginger woman excitedly pointed out various constellations and the story behind each, she even pulled out a small sketchpad to connect the dots into beautiful drawings. She explained their meanings, and even what sign represented her. She even managed to figure out the other woman’s based on her birthday, she smiled with delight as she revealed they were perfectly compatible. The white haired woman simply laid down and watched the stars twinkle while listening to the woman beside her. She gave a light smile and murmured something about how beautiful the other woman was. 

The ginger woman began to blush as she remarked back that the other woman was more beautiful, even making a few flirty comments to regain her composure. This went on for a few minutes longer until the ginger woman kissed the other. She giggled a bit as the other woman’s face began to turn as red as her eyes. The ginger woman laid beside her once again and put one arm on the woman’s chest and the other continued to point out the stars above, they still twinkled in a light dance.

It was truly a beautiful night, eventually they both grew tired and drifted off into a restful slumber, still next to each other under the soft fairy lights. 

[sdvsalad]

The Island’s Visitor

I'll keep this introduction short and sweet. This story was made by Author C, have fun!

It was a beautiful day in the city. The sky was a light shade of gray, you could almost make out the subtle blue tones of it, almost. As the smog rolled across the endless plains of concrete a limousine followed suit. It smoothly rode towards the docks, there the smog turned to a finer mist that left small specks of water behind. This was the closest thing you’d have to rain in the city, always overcast, never raining. 

“Ahoy there lassie! Tis’ good to see you again!” An old marinor waved pleasantly at the slender looking woman emerging from the mist. 

“Heyyy, want to give me a ride to the island?” She made a somewhat pleading face as she pursued her lips together thoughtfully. 

Getting a better look at the woman it was clear she came from wealth, and was quite young too. She had tan skin (a clear sign of privilege with the lack of the sun), paired with strawberry blonde hair that shifted into a subtle orange hue. Her eyes were a brilliant emerald green that contrasted her warm tones. She wore a pale floral sundress that was clearly well made, possibly even designer. Her heeled sandals clicked as she leaned forward. 

“Please~” 

--

“Thank you~ Keep this between us two~ Alright?” She winked at the old man as she strided onto the sand. Of course, being sure to leave him a generous tip of a few cents. 

The old mariner nodded and drove his boat off into the distance, he would probably fish for a few hours. 

“Finally!” The woman said, glancing around quickly to ensure no one was looking. Giggling a bit to herself she removed her heels and walked towards the sandy beach part of the island. Watching the waves had always been a guilty pleasure of hers. It was beautiful, so full of life. The sea was a crisp blue contrasted by the warm yellow of the sand beneath her. The tropical fish in the distance were all brilliant vibrant colors as they swam in their own schools. 

Looking around the island she saw the stunning flora, from palm trees to the smallest of flower patches, it was all breathtaking. Even though she’d been here a few times it always seemed to surprise her just how lively it was. The animals even seemed more colorful, the parrots were dazzling colors and chirped with glee all around the island. 

After exploring for a bit she returned to the beach. She strolled around it as she collected seashells and gently placed them in her tote bag. They were all different shapes, sizes, and colors- each unique in their own way but still cohesive with each other. Eventually she settled atop the dock and began to string various shells together with a simple needle and twine. She made necklaces, bracelets, and even small strung together shell dream catchers. It was her way of taking her dreams back, her dreams, no one else's. This island was where she could be herself. It was her island. Ginger’s Island. 

[sdvsalad]

Tidepool Stroll

Hello Author C here! Before I even began writing these short stories I made a relationship chart for every character with Cassia. I realized I'd missed out on exploring quite a few of these relationships, so here's a short about someone you don't see too often!

It’d been a long day in the mines and Cassia really needed a break. She didn’t get outside often since the sun hated her guts but it had begun to set already. 

“I’ll be back later,” Cassia called out to no one in particular. The house was quiet, but that didn’t mean no one was there. It was hard to tell when her cousins were around, especially when one of them could be doing some strange spells to listen in on the rusty old cabin they called home. Even with it being a cloudy dusk she ensured to apply sunscreen to her pasty skin and keep an umbrella in her sword sheath. 

“Biscuit!” Cassia exclaimed with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. She really loved her border collie but her exhaustion had taken a toll on her tone of voice. Still, her dog came barreling towards her with enough energy for the both of them. Biscuit excitedly moved side to side with his leash already in his mouth, he definitely knew what time it was and wouldn’t wait a second longer! Cassia chuckled to herself and clipped Biscuit’s leash to his collar underneath the bandana he never took off. As she lifted herself back up from her squat she saw a tiny creature in the corner of her eye.

“Chirp!”

The noise took Cassia by surprise- she thought it’d be asleep by now. But there it was, a tiny dinosaur stumbling awkwardly towards Cassia. Nugget the dinosaur was barely a month old, it was quite the shock when it hatched but Cassia treated it like any other pet. It had grown quite fond of Biscuit, treating him like it’s mother and always curling up next to him to sleep. It seemed as though Nugget wanted to join them. Cassia was hesitant at first - after all, the poor thing kept stumbling over itself - but she couldn’t say no to its puppy dog eyes; clearly a trait it had learned from Biscuit. 

--

Nugget happily chirped as it rested on top of Cassia, curling around her neck like a shawl. She thought of it as a way to socialize the creature and get a small workout in the process. Biscuit happily ran forward towards his favorite spot, the beach’s tide pool. Ever since Cassia used some spare lumber to repair the bridge to the secluded tide pool it acted as a peaceful area to walk around and enjoy the waves. Well, it was supposed to be anyways. 

“Why Cassia! What a peculiar scarf you’re wearing! Please join me by the water, I’d love to take notes on it for my novel!” Elliott was patting down a spot next to him on the dock for her to join him by. 

Ugh. At least at the saloon Cassia could pretend his pretentious way of speech was a drunken joke, but here he displayed it so proudly. What a pain. 

“It’s uh, it’s not a scarf. This is Nugget.” Cassia gestured towards the small dinosaur as she approached him, while being careful not to disrupt its resting place. 

“My word- Cassia is that thing breathing?!” 

“Yes.”

It was clear Elliott wanted further elaboration but Cassia couldn’t be bothered, this was supposed to be time for her pets. He decided not to pry after seeing her apprehensive expression- or was that her resting face?

“Well, what brings you out here? The beauty of the sea? Or perhaps you just wanted to see me..?” His hair seemed to flow in the wind with perfect timing. He blinked elegantly as the setting sun sharpened his features into a thing of beauty. Cassia didn’t notice though, she was fixated on the rotting deck beneath her. Robin would have been mortified of the state of the dock, she thought to herself. 

“Just wanted to walk Biscuit.” Cassia said it bluntly, but at least she engaged in the conversation at all. If she really disliked him she would’ve walked away by now. Elliot took it as a sign of friendship and kept his usual enthusiasm. 

“That’s wonderful! The fresh air of this valley is good for body and mind. A quick stroll outdoors always invigorates me.”

Elliott began to ramble about his book and all his latest inspirations while Cassia gave short but responsive replies. Cassia continued her walk and Elliott followed, happily talking the whole time. By the end of the stroll Cassia had softened a bit, and she allowed Elliott to pet Biscuit, though she was still wary of Nugget being touched by others. When nightfall arrived they split ways, Elliott had tried to make the ending poetic and grand by offering her a rose. Cassia simply pretended not to see the gesture and walked home, he wasn’t all that bad- but that was probably enough sober Elliott interaction for the week. 

--

“Why didn’t Lady Cassia accept my fair rose- a token of my friendship? Oh how she looks like a ghostly figure who longs for interaction, yet she is as cold as the depths of the arctic itself. Surely a gentlewoman such as her will open up to my light!” Elliott was loudly exclaiming as he sipped his fifth beer of the night.

“Maybe she thinks you only like her for her cold, unemotional exterior?” Shane joked, sliding an empty bottle and his payment across the counter.

“Elliott we’re closing up now- I’ll put the drinks on your tab. Get home safe now!” Gus tried his best to be sympathetic as he walked him out of the Stardrop Saloon. 

“Skin as glowing as the moonlight, eyes as deep as the blood that rushes through my veins! Oh why won’t she reply kindly to my pleas of companionship!” Elliott clearly wanted to stay and recite his free verse poetry but he’d already been escorted out the door.

He walked home while loudly reciting verses to a poem he’d made in his own head. The teens in the graveyard next door found it utterly hilarious. Though eventually he passed out in the safety of his home.

Apparently the old mayor and old marinor didn’t take too kindly to poetry at midnight. Elliott found a noise complaint notice on his door the following morning.

[sdvsalad]

Delivery! - Cassia & Leah Chat

Desc: Cassia makes a simple material drop-off to Leah, who's working on something special. Cassia ends up staying a little longer than she expected. Anise and Basil are obligated to be annoying about this due to being her cousins, you know how it is.

Notes: Half Author C, half Author B (B's the one writing the notes here, hi!), and a little Author A. Turns out Cassia is more anxious than she seems sometimes! She really only socializes while she's working at the saloon, so entering other people's spaces isn't common for her, which might explain some of it (fear of overstepping boundaries). Usually she'd be casually flirting with Leah, but she's a bit confused on how to act when they see eachother out and about around others.

Cassia was delivering some wood to Leah. She did this on occasion, as she had plenty of extra wood from her attempts to cull the enchanted woods around her farm, and Leah was deep into a carving project that she needed scrap wood for. Plus her cousins’ unsuccessful fishing attempts had rendered them too much driftwood to reasonably store in the home. 

As she strolled over to Leah’s cabin Cassia had a sickening feeling in her stomach, her nerves were getting to her. This was an uncomfortable feeling, one she hadn’t felt since she’d first introduced herself to the residents of Stardew Valley all those years ago. But Leah made her feel different than everyone else, there was something about the way she spoke that had always caught Cassia’s attention. Her kindness and passion were admirable but not in a way that made her envious, just awestruck. Even though they’d been chatting for months at the saloon these feelings of nervousness never seemed to fade. 

None of that mattered though, Cassia had a promise to uphold and responsibilities to tend to. As she pushed her thoughts away she realized she’d arrived at Leah’s door. 

As gently as she could Cassia knocked on the cabin’s entrance, it was difficult not to make a dent in the softwood Leah had chosen. Her previously failed attempts to knock gently could be seen in a shallow indentation of the wood, she was surprised Leah hadn’t crafted a new door by now. Especially since she’d so graciously hand engraved a new door for Cassia’s cabin after she’d cracked it from slamming it into a wilderness golem. Just then the door swung open.

“Oh hello Cassi, it’s good to see you!” Leah spoke warmly, and her face and hands had dried paint on them that crinkled as she smiled. 

“It’s nice to see you too, I had some extra driftwood and hardwood lying around so I thought you could use it.” Cassia said. She was worried she’d come off too blunt but her expression remained neutral. 

“These shapes are so interesting, it’s amazing what nature can make! Thank you so much, please come inside you must be tired from carrying all that.” 

Cassia paused for a moment, was that a good idea? She had planned to go to the mines after this, Clint had requested some fresh iron on the Help Wanted Board.

“I-” she was ready to politely decline when she felt Leah tug on her arm to bring her inside. Of course Leah couldn’t physically move Cassia but she went along with the motion anyways. She let herself be dragged past the threshold and followed Leah to her workspace to drop off the wood. After she dropped it into a pile, she looked at the small sculptures that littered Leah’s table. They were strange, abstract, twisting shapes in miniature, some painted, some linked together by some kind of wood-crafting miracle work.

“See anything that catches your eye there?” Leah asked. She was smiling, but looked like she was waiting intently for whatever feedback Cassia had to give.

Cassia didn’t know what to do, so she made a snap judgement. “I think they’re neat.” Oh Yoba- was that the right thing to say? Did that come off as too familiar? She didn’t know how to talk to people she should just go back to serving drinks in stony silence-

Oh, Leah looked happy. And she looked cute when she was smiling like that. Uh, good?

What was the difference between awkward silence and comfortable silence? Cassia felt awfully uncomfortable but Leah appeared totally unperturbed as always. Why couldn’t Cassia pull her usual blank exterior around Leah? This was so, so annoying. Made worse by the fact that her cousins were waiting outside further away gossiping about how Cassia was soooooo in love - Cassia regretted taking them along on the walk. This pitstop was just supposed to be a drop off and now she was sitting next to Leah on her comfortable sofa and drinking tea and listening to her talk about the intricacies of carving. She was cool. 

Cassia made it out in one piece without making any horrible conversational mistakes, probably, she thinks; she was still feeling a little off kilter as she approached her cousins. Anise and Basil were giving her a smug look from the place where they’d settled down in the shade of a tree a little distance from Leah’s cabin. They’d apparently been keeping themselves entertained by drawing in the dirt with sticks (Cassia was too deep in… whatever emotions she was dealing with to care that much about the magic circles that Anise had been practicing).

“Someone got a little present!” Anise sing-songed, pointing at Cassia’s hand. Oh right. Leah had pressed something into her hand before she’d stepped out and she’d gotten flustered at the contact and just thanked Leah and ushered herself out without looking at it. She opened up her hand to find one of the little sculptures she’d seen when she first went in. Delicate loops carved from light, smooth wood… It might look nice on her bedside table.

“Did we get anything?” Basil asked, knowing the answer fully well.

Cassia put the sculpture in her pocket, running her fingers over the soft wood grain. “You can get yourself something when we stop at the store. C’mon, we’ve got more errands to do,” Cassia said, starting towards town. Anise and Basil stood up from their spots, brushing off the dust and stretching exaggeratedly before trotting after her, Basil complaining about Pierre’s snack selection and Anise trying to prod the “juicy details” out of Cassia.

Leah, watching from her porch step, laughed softly and stepped back inside… but not before blowing a kiss at Cassia’s back as she walked away.

[sdvsalad]

Timeline Masterpost

Chronologically close enough to accurate

Cassia Gets Ice Cream - Punk Rock (Eater)

Basil and the Woods - Fast Friends

Basil Tries to Fulfill a Dream (Sword)

Blurb - Rainman - Basil “Meets” Sebastian

Buckets of Fun - Sewer fish

Envy Green - The Witch and the Rain

Haley and Anise Meet (Ultimate Cringe)

Wood Chopping

The Island’s Visitor

Void Chicken - Anise Learns to Curse

Delivery! - Cassia & Leah Chat

Walk the Dog - Cassia’s Down Time

Apple Day - Cassia is Carrying this Town on her Back, and in her Big Strong Arms

Coop Intruder - Cassia Strikes Gold

Penny in the Vampire’s Lair

Tidepool Stroll

Cassia at Work - Cousins in the Stardrop Saloon

A Beautiful Night

Blurbs, not on the timeline, misc:

Blurb - Drinks

Anise Studies - Junimo Soda