beautiful-02-08-18

[beautiful-02-08-18]

Ask, and it shall be given you;

Ngl kinda miss when heart event requirements resembled the holy grenade instructions in monty python and the quest for the holy grail

[beautiful-02-08-18]

I can’t believe I went back to writing again for a shipfic.

I made this because not only was Carter X Claire a rarepair to begin with, I have yet to see any content involving their SoS: FoMT incarnations. Which is understandable because the remake drastically changed Carter’s design, but I still want to see those kind of content so I just made it myself.

I think I started this since November and I just now finished it just in time for the New Year which was great. The premise was always about the New Year anyway regarding the story. I doubt that I’m going to make more fanfics so I won’t be posting this on other fanfic websites.

Its heavy on the headcanons since its characters were not deeply fleshed out in the game. Claire gets a pass because she’s like the self-insert with a bit of a backstory but I got almost nothing on Carter. I had his wiki page open constantly for this fic and try to get context clues from it.

More info about the fic:

I also had a vague backstory for this fanfic which goes like: Claire went to the confessionals daily and Carter keeps being mean, until Claire had enough and told him that she’s closer to the Harvest Goddess than he is as a priest. She told him where the Harvest Goddess resides and he says that he doesn’t believe it.

Carter went to the Spring to see if Claire’s telling the truth but since she literally lives beside it they both meet. She summoned the Harvest Goddess to prove it and lo and behold, the Harvest Goddess appeared.

And the Harvest Goddess chews him out or something for being a jerk in the confessional so Carter now vows to be nicer and all is good. Since he does canonically has a crush on the Harvest Goddess he still brings flowers as offerings to her.

But he eventually loses the crush.

Warm Welcome - A Story of Seasons Oneshot

Warning: Alcohol Consumption

Ships: Carter X Claire

Author’s Notes: The story has elements from Harvest Moon: Boy & Girl, Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town, and Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral. Additionally, its heavy on the headcanons so keep that in mind. If the formatting is bad, please let me know. Thank you.

Claire always felt unwelcomed. In her childhood home, in her office, and now in her own town too.

Claire thought that after moving into the farm advertised in the newspaper, her life would be more exciting. She would have more fun, more income, and more…friends. In hindsight, it was foolish. Not only was she scammed of a peaceful and refreshing farm life but quitting her boring, yet admittingly stable, job and moving out of her apartment bringing next to nothing was not truly a sound decision. In the last week of the year too, no less.

Old habits die hard, she thought. Claire hugged herself, she had only been walking for a few minutes but the winter’s breeze was still present in Mineral Town. It would only be for a few more before she would be at the Inn for the New Year Festival. The piercing cold was starting to make her regret leaving the Rose Plaza in the first place.

I had no one to dance with anyway, she reasoned with herself. I’ll just grab a drink, warm up, and leave, just like I always do.

Finally, after around 15 minutes of walking, Claire was at the front of the Inn. The warm glow seemed to beckon her inside and to join in on the joy of the town’s people, but cold regret still surrounded her. She can not go back to the Rose Plaza, nor can she go back to her farm because it would be an hour-long walk. After standing for another few minutes, she grabbed the handles of the door and sighed. It may be the start of the new year, but every day is still the same for Claire.

As Claire went inside the Inn’s warmness embraced her, but she still felt cold. The place was packed full of people, mostly older people, so she hoped that there was at least a seat to spare. She strode towards the counter but noticed familiar faces across the room and thought that maybe, just maybe, she could spend the festival with someone she was at least acquainted with. Claire could see Gotts sitting alone by himself, but he was already having fun. There was Saibara and Zack sitting at another table, but Claire could not think of what to talk about with them. Across the room was Basil and Anna but she did not want to intrude on the couple. The same sentiment goes to Duke and Manna as well (Mayor Thomas was also with them and Claire would rather avoid any conversation regarding her attacks on the mayor on this very day upon arriving at the farm). Jeff was at the corner but it seemed like he was not drinking. The only one left would be Dudley by the counter, which was fine by her; until Claire’s eye caught a bright light blue color among the orange glow.

Carter, Claire thought. Her eye then landed on the spare seat beside the priest and hastened to take it. Carter was having a glass of wine himself while conversing with Dudley when he noticed Claire had sat beside him.

“Hi, Carter.” She smiled.

Carter smiled back. “Claire? What are you doing over here? Aren’t there anybody you want to dance with?”

She responded by staring daggers at Carter, who flinched. Claire was beginning to regret walking up to the Inn in the first place. “Dudley, a glass please,” she asked, breaking her glare at Carter.

As Dudley took out a bottle of wine, there was only silence between the two, only being filled by the revelries surrounding them. Carter drank the last of his glass. “Forgive me. I did not know you were not going to attend the dance.”

“Eh, I’m not really a good dancer anyway,” said Claire as she waved her hand. She thanked Dudley as she took her glass and chugged the wine, then placed it on the counter. “Ah! That hits the spot! Another one, please.”

“You know what, Claire? You’ve been in Mineral Town for a year, right?” Dudley was holding the bottle of wine he had used for her.

Claire raised a brow but nodded.

“Well, here’s a bottle, in the house! Think of this as an anniversary gift. A welcome gift, if you will.”

Claire’s eyes widened but regardless, took the wine and thanked him.

“No problem, just don’t tell this to Duke. Well, if you two excuse me I’ll go help myself a glass as well!” He then proceeded into the kitchen.

Claire looked at the bottle and winced. It was Mt. Grape Wine, costing 500 G per bottle. And to think that Dudley just gave it to her for free.

“Ah, what a generous act of kindness! This town never ceases to surprise—me?” Carter saw Claire examining the bottle like she was given something she disliked. “Is something the matter?”

“Yes?” Claire shrugged. “I mean—no! I just…” She let out an exasperated sigh and brushed her hair. “You’re not going to use this against me in the confessionals, right?” She pointed at the priest.

“I would never dream of it! I had since made a vow to the Harvest Goddess Herself to be gentler in my reproving.”

Claire was apprehensive but continued, “I’m…still not used to the hospitality of the town. Everybody is so nice here, unlike the people back in the city.” The memories of the past year flooded back to her. Arriving at town with only 500 G just enough for some seeds, cleaning the farm to turn it into something presentable, trying to make enough money to make ends meet, and attempting to be friendly with the residents. It was all fatiguing for her, as evidenced by Claire’s many trips to the clinic. “I feel like I’m just a tourist in town, rather than a resident.” She placed the bottle on the counter and examined it. “That, and I’m a little broke.”

Carter looked at Claire lost in thought. “Well, I can’t aid you in your financial troubles, but it has only been a year since your arrival. That’s hardly enough time to be well-adjusted. I recall when Cliff was in his second year, he was still having difficulty with talking to me. This is a completely normal thing to experience and there is no shame in feeling that.”

Claire’s eyes still had not left the wine bottle.

The priest continued, “Gray also came from the city, in addition to Kai, and—even Jennifer,” he said that last name rather dull, “I as well. And we are regarded as residents of the town, so I say you fit quite well as one. Perhaps Kai is an odd one, but he still is very much accepted.”

Her gaze averted to look at Carter. As much as he can be annoying, the priest can give wise words of advice. Sometimes. She felt her face lit up and opened the wine bottle. “Want some?” She gestured at him.

“It would be rude to refuse a kind offering.” Carter raised his empty glass in gleeful anticipation. 

Claire was about to pour some when she suddenly pulled away and gave a toothy grin. “On second thought, I don’t think a priest like you should be drinking this much.” 

“Ah—! I-I don’t drink that much and I only had one glass. I’m sure the Harvest Goddess will forgive me and—!” 

“Just messing with you.” She said in a singsong tone and poured a ruffled Carter a glass full of wine.

The pair talked about the events of the past year: about Claire’s first harvest, catch, ore, and gem, their time in the festivals, and both even talked about their experiences in the city before arriving at Mineral Town. (Claire was also telling a worried Carter about what would happen when she got her hands on MT Realtor by pretending to hit someone with a hammer. Carter, in return, told a horrified Claire about which part of the city where the burning apartment was.) Savoring the wine while enjoying the New Year Festival in the Inn made Claire start to feel warmer, as well as her face.

She emptied the bottle of wine into her glass. “I want to make a confession.”

“Now?” Carter lowered his glass. “We’re not in the confessional…okay. Pray tell me, what is it that weighs upon your mind?”

“I lied.” She looked at the priest with the same toothy grin, this time with a redder face. “I can dance, pretty well actually.” Claire noticed Carter’s furrowed brows. “Don’t look at me like that! You’re the one who told me about how white lies saved Snow White.”

“The girl wasn’t Snow White, yes, I was inspired by the classic fairytale yet—anyway—I am certain you have no malicious intent with that lie. Your sins have been forgiven.”

“A bit nicer when there is nothing between us, eh? Anyway, I had no one to dance with so I went here instead for a drink.” She gazed longingly at her half-empty glass of Mt. Grape Wine, but could not bring herself to drink it.

“I do not mean to intrude, however, there are many who would want to dance with you. I could ask Cliff to—“

“Cliff wanted to dance with Ran as thanks for her work in the Inn. Elly really wanted to dance with Doctor. Karen already asked Rick out. Popuri has Harris. Gray and Marie are just waiting on the other to ask them out. Huang came back to his country for the New Year. Jennifer and Brandon already got started.”

Carter opened his mouth but finished the last of his wine instead.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m used to it.” Claire knew that did not ease him one bit and continued, “Whenever there’s a party at my old office, I always head to the bar, if there is one, and have a few drinks. Maybe have a chat with the bartender, I don’t mind.”

There was silence again between the priest and the farmer, only being broken by the exuberant talk of the Inn’s visitors. Claire finally felt warm and had her drink, but still could not bring herself to finish her drink—or to leave. 

“Don’t get my old coworkers wrong. They were nice, fun people. But we just don’t gel well together. I tried to be close with them…but it just never worked out. At least I have my dog Momo with me now.” Claire chuckled.

“Hmm, how about your family? They—” Carter noticed that Claire went silent.

“W-well, sometimes setting aside time for yourself is great.” He was fidgeting with his glass as the silence between the two started to set in once again.

“What are you doing here?”

“Pardon?”

“What are you doing over here? Does being a priest stop you from dancing with someone or something?” Claire’s grin crept on her face again. “Ooorr you couldn’t muster the confidence to ask the Harvest Goddess for a dance? Don’t you luh-ove her?”

“What?” The priest almost dropped his glass. “N-no! I mean, that does sound nice but—being a priest does not ‘stop me from dancing with someone’. My devotion is only for the Harvest Goddess. That, and I’m not exactly a dancer. I-I think the wine is making you a bit inebriated.” He looked away with a noticeably redder face.

Claire laughed. “Forgive me, O priest…maybe you can ask her out next year. (C-Claire!”, said the priest.)” Her eyes went back to the wine and—not knowing what to do with it—swirled the glass around. The wafted fruity and earthy aroma was like the summer season and it reminded her of the town. Claire wondered if she would ever feel welcomed in her life. “Maybe by then, I’ll have someone to dance with too.”

Some people were leaving the Inn and the silence became more prominent.

Carter turned to see Claire smiling, but not the grin he knew of. It was soft, but her eyes had a tinge of sadness. He recognized this smile with his experience with people. “My devotion for the Harvest Goddess is—ONLY—for a priest and to his Deity but…” Claire looked at Carter, who for some reason could not string words together. Perhaps the wine has made him inebriated instead. “If you have no one to dance with for the next year’s festival, I could be your partner.”

Claire’s eyes widened, and Carter was afraid that he had not enunciated properly until, “Really? You’d do that?”

“W-well, yes. If that is what you want.” He smiled. “And if you are having troubles with things such as money, you could depend on the kindness of people in Mineral Town. There is an amazing power that lies within human connection, and I believe you will experience it as well. Although, I am in dire need of a few dance lessons if I ever become your dance partner.”

Claire made a soft smile in return, but there was no sadness in her eyes anymore. She glanced back at her half-full glass of wine and finished it. “You know, you’re something else sometimes. I like that about you.”

“Is…is that something positive or…”

“How about you think about it?”

Carter sighed. “Well, from all the time we had known each other, that is what I like about you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Think about it.”

Claire lightly pushed Carter, who almost fell off his chair before Claire grabbed hold of him. She apologized while Carter was adjusting his hat.

“For the new year, I wish you to do a better job at being a priest.”

“W-well, I pray that—that, you visit the church more often!“

“Sure. Someone has to keep you accountable in keeping your promises.” She stood up and grinned at him. “I think I should leave, it’s getting pretty late and I have some chores to do tomorrow.”

“Oh. Um…if you’re leaving, I guess I should take my leave too.”

The pair thanked Dudley and left the Inn. They noticed a crowd of people coming from the Rose Plaza, who all looked tired yet satisfied.

“Looks like they had fun,” Claire said.

 “Yes, it seems so…” Carter thought back to the promise he had made. “It has become dark now, I heard there are some wild dogs that go out at this time. Do you want me to accompany you to your farm?”

“No, I’m fine. I always have my hammer with me.” She pulled out her Silver Hammer and hit the pavement.

“Ah, I should be more worried for whatever is receiving the end of your wrath instead.”

“You know, if you’re going to bring flowers to the Harvest Goddess every day, you could visit my farm sometimes. It won’t hassle me or anything.”

“Oh, well…that sounds great. I’ll make sure to visit then. Good night, Claire. I pray for safe travels and for a great year.”

“Good night, Carter.”

Claire walked down streets along with a few people who were passing by. It would still be an hour-long walk but she did not mind as the spring’s breeze finally came to Mineral Town. Claire finally felt warm.

[beautiful-02-08-18]

Warm Welcome - A Story of Seasons Oneshot

Warning: Alcohol Consumption

Ships: Carter X Claire

Author’s Notes: The story has elements from Harvest Moon: Boy & Girl, Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town, and Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral. Additionally, its heavy on the headcanons so keep that in mind. If the formatting is bad, please let me know. Thank you.

Claire always felt unwelcomed. In her childhood home, in her office, and now in her own town too.

Claire thought that after moving into the farm advertised in the newspaper, her life would be more exciting. She would have more fun, more income, and more…friends. In hindsight, it was foolish. Not only was she scammed of a peaceful and refreshing farm life but quitting her boring, yet admittingly stable, job and moving out of her apartment bringing next to nothing was not truly a sound decision. In the last week of the year too, no less.

Old habits die hard, she thought. Claire hugged herself, she had only been walking for a few minutes but the winter’s breeze was still present in Mineral Town. It would only be for a few more before she would be at the Inn for the New Year Festival. The piercing cold was starting to make her regret leaving the Rose Plaza in the first place.

I had no one to dance with anyway, she reasoned with herself. I’ll just grab a drink, warm up, and leave, just like I always do.

Finally, after around 15 minutes of walking, Claire was at the front of the Inn. The warm glow seemed to beckon her inside and to join in on the joy of the town’s people, but cold regret still surrounded her. She can not go back to the Rose Plaza, nor can she go back to her farm because it would be an hour-long walk. After standing for another few minutes, she grabbed the handles of the door and sighed. It may be the start of the new year, but every day is still the same for Claire.

As Claire went inside the Inn’s warmness embraced her, but she still felt cold. The place was packed full of people, mostly older people, so she hoped that there was at least a seat to spare. She strode towards the counter but noticed familiar faces across the room and thought that maybe, just maybe, she could spend the festival with someone she was at least acquainted with. Claire could see Gotts sitting alone by himself, but he was already having fun. There was Saibara and Zack sitting at another table, but Claire could not think of what to talk about with them. Across the room was Basil and Anna but she did not want to intrude on the couple. The same sentiment goes to Duke and Manna as well (Mayor Thomas was also with them and Claire would rather avoid any conversation regarding her attacks on the mayor on this very day upon arriving at the farm). Jeff was at the corner but it seemed like he was not drinking. The only one left would be Dudley by the counter, which was fine by her; until Claire’s eye caught a bright light blue color among the orange glow.

Carter, Claire thought. Her eye then landed on the spare seat beside the priest and hastened to take it. Carter was having a glass of wine himself while conversing with Dudley when he noticed Claire had sat beside him.

“Hi, Carter.” She smiled.

Carter smiled back. “Claire? What are you doing over here? Aren’t there anybody you want to dance with?”

She responded by staring daggers at Carter, who flinched. Claire was beginning to regret walking up to the Inn in the first place. “Dudley, a glass please,” she asked, breaking her glare at Carter.

As Dudley took out a bottle of wine, there was only silence between the two, only being filled by the revelries surrounding them. Carter drank the last of his glass. “Forgive me. I did not know you were not going to attend the dance.”

“Eh, I’m not really a good dancer anyway,” said Claire as she waved her hand. She thanked Dudley as she took her glass and chugged the wine, then placed it on the counter. “Ah! That hits the spot! Another one, please.”

“You know what, Claire? You’ve been in Mineral Town for a year, right?” Dudley was holding the bottle of wine he had used for her.

Claire raised a brow but nodded.

“Well, here’s a bottle, in the house! Think of this as an anniversary gift. A welcome gift, if you will.”

Claire’s eyes widened but regardless, took the wine and thanked him.

“No problem, just don’t tell this to Duke. Well, if you two excuse me I’ll go help myself a glass as well!” He then proceeded into the kitchen.

Claire looked at the bottle and winced. It was Mt. Grape Wine, costing 500 G per bottle. And to think that Dudley just gave it to her for free.

“Ah, what a generous act of kindness! This town never ceases to surprise—me?” Carter saw Claire examining the bottle like she was given something she disliked. “Is something the matter?”

“Yes?” Claire shrugged. “I mean—no! I just…” She let out an exasperated sigh and brushed her hair. “You’re not going to use this against me in the confessionals, right?” She pointed at the priest.

“I would never dream of it! I had since made a vow to the Harvest Goddess Herself to be gentler in my reproving.”

Claire was apprehensive but continued, “I’m…still not used to the hospitality of the town. Everybody is so nice here, unlike the people back in the city.” The memories of the past year flooded back to her. Arriving at town with only 500 G just enough for some seeds, cleaning the farm to turn it into something presentable, trying to make enough money to make ends meet, and attempting to be friendly with the residents. It was all fatiguing for her, as evidenced by Claire’s many trips to the clinic. “I feel like I’m just a tourist in town, rather than a resident.” She placed the bottle on the counter and examined it. “That, and I’m a little broke.”

Carter looked at Claire lost in thought. “Well, I can’t aid you in your financial troubles, but it has only been a year since your arrival. That’s hardly enough time to be well-adjusted. I recall when Cliff was in his second year, he was still having difficulty with talking to me. This is a completely normal thing to experience and there is no shame in feeling that.”

Claire’s eyes still had not left the wine bottle.

The priest continued, “Gray also came from the city, in addition to Kai, and—even Jennifer,” he said that last name rather dull, “I as well. And we are regarded as residents of the town, so I say you fit quite well as one. Perhaps Kai is an odd one, but he still is very much accepted.”

Her gaze averted to look at Carter. As much as he can be annoying, the priest can give wise words of advice. Sometimes. She felt her face lit up and opened the wine bottle. “Want some?” She gestured at him.

“It would be rude to refuse a kind offering.” Carter raised his empty glass in gleeful anticipation. 

Claire was about to pour some when she suddenly pulled away and gave a toothy grin. “On second thought, I don’t think a priest like you should be drinking this much.” 

“Ah—! I-I don’t drink that much and I only had one glass. I’m sure the Harvest Goddess will forgive me and—!” 

“Just messing with you.” She said in a singsong tone and poured a ruffled Carter a glass full of wine.

The pair talked about the events of the past year: about Claire’s first harvest, catch, ore, and gem, their time in the festivals, and both even talked about their experiences in the city before arriving at Mineral Town. (Claire was also telling a worried Carter about what would happen when she got her hands on MT Realtor by pretending to hit someone with a hammer. Carter, in return, told a horrified Claire about which part of the city where the burning apartment was.) Savoring the wine while enjoying the New Year Festival in the Inn made Claire start to feel warmer, as well as her face.

She emptied the bottle of wine into her glass. “I want to make a confession.”

“Now?” Carter lowered his glass. “We’re not in the confessional…okay. Pray tell me, what is it that weighs upon your mind?”

“I lied.” She looked at the priest with the same toothy grin, this time with a redder face. “I can dance, pretty well actually.” Claire noticed Carter’s furrowed brows. “Don’t look at me like that! You’re the one who told me about how white lies saved Snow White.”

“The girl wasn’t Snow White, yes, I was inspired by the classic fairytale yet—anyway—I am certain you have no malicious intent with that lie. Your sins have been forgiven.”

“A bit nicer when there is nothing between us, eh? Anyway, I had no one to dance with so I went here instead for a drink.” She gazed longingly at her half-empty glass of Mt. Grape Wine, but could not bring herself to drink it.

“I do not mean to intrude, however, there are many who would want to dance with you. I could ask Cliff to—“

“Cliff wanted to dance with Ran as thanks for her work in the Inn. Elly really wanted to dance with Doctor. Karen already asked Rick out. Popuri has Harris. Gray and Marie are just waiting on the other to ask them out. Huang came back to his country for the New Year. Jennifer and Brandon already got started.”

Carter opened his mouth but finished the last of his wine instead.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m used to it.” Claire knew that did not ease him one bit and continued, “Whenever there’s a party at my old office, I always head to the bar, if there is one, and have a few drinks. Maybe have a chat with the bartender, I don’t mind.”

There was silence again between the priest and the farmer, only being broken by the exuberant talk of the Inn’s visitors. Claire finally felt warm and had her drink, but still could not bring herself to finish her drink—or to leave. 

“Don’t get my old coworkers wrong. They were nice, fun people. But we just don’t gel well together. I tried to be close with them…but it just never worked out. At least I have my dog Momo with me now.” Claire chuckled.

“Hmm, how about your family? They—” Carter noticed that Claire went silent.

“W-well, sometimes setting aside time for yourself is great.” He was fidgeting with his glass as the silence between the two started to set in once again.

“What are you doing here?”

“Pardon?”

“What are you doing over here? Does being a priest stop you from dancing with someone or something?” Claire’s grin crept on her face again. “Ooorr you couldn’t muster the confidence to ask the Harvest Goddess for a dance? Don’t you luh-ove her?”

“What?” The priest almost dropped his glass. “N-no! I mean, that does sound nice but—being a priest does not ‘stop me from dancing with someone’. My devotion is only for the Harvest Goddess. That, and I’m not exactly a dancer. I-I think the wine is making you a bit inebriated.” He looked away with a noticeably redder face.

Claire laughed. “Forgive me, O priest…maybe you can ask her out next year. (C-Claire!”, said the priest.)” Her eyes went back to the wine and—not knowing what to do with it—swirled the glass around. The wafted fruity and earthy aroma was like the summer season and it reminded her of the town. Claire wondered if she would ever feel welcomed in her life. “Maybe by then, I’ll have someone to dance with too.”

Some people were leaving the Inn and the silence became more prominent.

Carter turned to see Claire smiling, but not the grin he knew of. It was soft, but her eyes had a tinge of sadness. He recognized this smile with his experience with people. “My devotion for the Harvest Goddess is—ONLY—for a priest and to his Deity but…” Claire looked at Carter, who for some reason could not string words together. Perhaps the wine has made him inebriated instead. “If you have no one to dance with for the next year’s festival, I could be your partner.”

Claire’s eyes widened, and Carter was afraid that he had not enunciated properly until, “Really? You’d do that?”

“W-well, yes. If that is what you want.” He smiled. “And if you are having troubles with things such as money, you could depend on the kindness of people in Mineral Town. There is an amazing power that lies within human connection, and I believe you will experience it as well. Although, I am in dire need of a few dance lessons if I ever become your dance partner.”

Claire made a soft smile in return, but there was no sadness in her eyes anymore. She glanced back at her half-full glass of wine and finished it. “You know, you’re something else sometimes. I like that about you.”

“Is…is that something positive or…”

“How about you think about it?”

Carter sighed. “Well, from all the time we had known each other, that is what I like about you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Think about it.”

Claire lightly pushed Carter, who almost fell off his chair before Claire grabbed hold of him. She apologized while Carter was adjusting his hat.

“For the new year, I wish you to do a better job at being a priest.”

“W-well, I pray that—that, you visit the church more often!“

“Sure. Someone has to keep you accountable in keeping your promises.” She stood up and grinned at him. “I think I should leave, it’s getting pretty late and I have some chores to do tomorrow.”

“Oh. Um…if you’re leaving, I guess I should take my leave too.”

The pair thanked Dudley and left the Inn. They noticed a crowd of people coming from the Rose Plaza, who all looked tired yet satisfied.

“Looks like they had fun,” Claire said.

 “Yes, it seems so…” Carter thought back to the promise he had made. “It has become dark now, I heard there are some wild dogs that go out at this time. Do you want me to accompany you to your farm?”

“No, I’m fine. I always have my hammer with me.” She pulled out her Silver Hammer and hit the pavement.

“Ah, I should be more worried for whatever is receiving the end of your wrath instead.”

“You know, if you’re going to bring flowers to the Harvest Goddess every day, you could visit my farm sometimes. It won’t hassle me or anything.”

“Oh, well…that sounds great. I’ll make sure to visit then. Good night, Claire. I pray for safe travels and for a great year.”

“Good night, Carter.”

Claire walked down streets along with a few people who were passing by. It would still be an hour-long walk but she did not mind as the spring’s breeze finally came to Mineral Town. Claire finally felt warm.

[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!

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What religion are you? (Not how you were raised but what you personally believe/practice)

Christian

Muslim

Jewish

Hindu

Buddhist

Sikh

Other religion not listed here

Spiritual, but not religious

Agnostic

Atheist

A fusion of more than one of these

Results

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THIS IS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN

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🎶 POYOOOOOOOOOOO 🎶

Got Poyo’d

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1 Corinthians 10:14 (KJV)

Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

Fan Interpretation of Charming Gold’s parents from Running Man Animation.

When I was watching Running Man Animation, I at first never really paid much attention to Charming Gold. Before him, I was more interested in Pala, and even with the whole villain reveal, I still did not really pay him much attention until his backstory was revealed. I immediately became attached to CG after that.

In Charming Gold’s backstory, we are shown his parents and what’s interesting is that they are the only characters with faces. The other Pikok members have some sort of comedy theater mask on their faces, or even not drawn at all.

I probably thought more of these characters, if you can call them that, than what was intended. They were only present for precisely 15 seconds combined but there are so many storytelling elements on them. We were only shown their bust and side view and for this reason, we were never shown their full designs. It was hard trying to make their designs as it was in a flashback sequence with a yellow filter on everything so we, the audience, did not even know what colors they were. They do not even have names! They are called “Charming Gold’s mother” and “Charming Gold’s father” or “Charming Gold’s parents”. Even then, I actually liked these characters. Or their story potential regarding Charming Gold.

I’ll go talk about their names first instead of calling them “Charming Gold’s mother” and “Charming Gold’s father”. I named his mother Charming “Darling” Diamond because the diamond is one of the most valuable gemstones, fitting for the queen of the beautiful Pikok tribe. For his father, I was originally going to name him Charming Cobalt so his name is an alliteration similar to Charming Gold and also to reference his blue feathers. However, I thought that would make Charming Gold an outlier. My friend pointed out many years ago that Charming Gold's name is “Gold” but he’s blue. Since there are already characters with alliterations on their names I changed it to Charming Platinum. I made this as a reference that Gold's father is higher in power than him as platinum, which can also be known as white gold, is more valuable than gold.

On to their designs, as I said before in my Dazzling Diaspore character art I have a headcanon that the women of the Pikok tribe have duller colors compared to their male counterparts. I used a real-life image of a peahen so that’s why Diamond has a blue neck. Platinum has a hue of deep rich blue color, to further emphasize his authority over Gold, who has a standard blue color.

Using Charming Gold as a reference for their designs, I noticed that while looking at Gold’s design his whole body is a gradient. From a light teal on his nose to dark violets on the tips of his hair to even the icy blue color of his tail. With bold colors of red and gold on his face with purple eyes. I incorporated that detail into the designs of Pikok characters.

I did not want Charming Gold’s parents to be an exact copy of him, so I tried my best to make them look different, but still similar, to CG. Granted that, I may have overdone it. I did 3-4 color tests to see what I liked the most.

Another headcanon is the makeup they wear is a part of their face. So that eyeshadow and goatee on Charming Gold is actually a part of his face. While looking at the close-up shot of Platinum I noticed that there seemed to be some sort of bottom eyeliner, and since I wanted them to look like their son more so I made him have eye makeup similar to Gold. There seems to be no make-up on Diamond so I had to improvise.

Charming Gold seems to embody Korean beauty standards like his androgynous body and flawless skin. His backstory of being horrifically bullied is a common story in Korean Media, especially stories about beauty standards.

With that in mind, I designed Diamond and Platinum from those beauty standards. In Korea, facial hair is seen as unattractive, but according to history, men were not allowed to harm their bodies and that includes hair. That is why I had Platinum sport a beard than Gold’s goatee. (Side note: Fandom Wiki just described it as a “red line” but I personally see it as Gold having a goatee.) Diamond have freckles and a mole because from what I had researched these beauty marks are at best neutral or at worst ugly in Korea. I found no solid statement even though some KPop idols, who are known to follow Korean beauty standards, have these same beauty marks. She was shown to have pronounced eyelashes so I made sure to show that.

I also have a headcanon that as they age, their faces darken from a white to a gray color. I picked the gray from their grayscale.

For the clothes, Charming Platinum's design was simple enough as his clothes seemed to be a long-sleeved polo shirt with buttons paired with black pants and shoes. He had this cloth wrapped around him like a belt and was wearing a large cape or a royal mantle. He was noticeably wearing the same backless vest Gold wore in the show. Hence, I see the vest like a crown, where the king, Platinum, passed it down to his heir, Gold. And let me tell you, it was hard getting a decent reference for this very symmetrical pattern.

For Charming Diamond here, we were never shown much. I had interpreted it as her wearing a royal mantle and a sleeveless dress and that is all. I noticed that the design on her brooch has the same design that can be throughout the show, like the window in one of the references.

Their royal mantles are rather interesting to me since Charming Gold never wore one in the show; however, since the mantles have peacock patterns on them, I think they were supposed to represent a peacock’s tail, similar to how Gold wore one during Season 1. I did some creative liberty while designing their clothes as we were never shown their full frontal view. Clothes from the Pikok tribe are surprisingly rather simple.

For my headcanons about their deaths, it is rather simple. I did not really think much about it, just a vague idea about how they died. Charming Diamond died from an illness, and she never knew about Gold’s ability and that he was the one behind the missing persons cases. Charming Platinum was stabbed in an assassination attempt by a member of the Mong tribe, who Gold killed to save the former, ultimately revealing his secret power. Platinum later died from the injury he sustained but was on rather good terms with Gold after learning the latter’s ability.

I do not really like the idea that Charming Gold killed his parents. While yes, he probably killed all of the members of the Pikok tribe I just can not really see him as the type of person to kill his parents. Maybe that is just my rose-tinted glasses, but I like to interpret his relationship with his parents as complicated but loving. In his backstory, it was implied that Gold immediately went to his parents after being bullied again. We can assume that this was not the first time this had happened to him, and he possibly went to his parents for consolement.

When he realized that even his own parents were ashamed of him, he was completely heartbroken as implied by the emphasis on the single teardrop. Charming Gold’s parents were ashamed of him because of his appearance, so it is possible that when Gold gained his energy absorption ability and became “beautiful” they started to treat him better. They did have some sort of familial love for him before that, but it became more apparent after the “curse” was lifted. But this is just my interpretation.

For their personalities, we were never shown much. What little we get is where they are in a stressful situation, so we can not really know for sure how they normally act. But Gold’s personality and skill must have come from somewhere.

I might draw and flesh them out more but this is it for now. I have been trying a new art style where I lean into the gothic medieval style so that is why the art has a yellow filter, but there is still the other version where there is no filter. Drawing these two was hard because as it turns out, I’m not actually good with drawing two characters existing in the same space with correct proportions.

Thank you for reading!

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y'all wanna see the meme i made one time in csp which i forgot was there but then made me laugh when i came back to it?

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Get this post 1k reblogs and Asriel will read the Bible

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I’m curious now

Please keep this civil! We’re all brothers and sisters in Christ! I’m just curious

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Get this post 1k reblogs and Asriel will read the Bible

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🎉POYO 2024🎊

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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The girl reading this~

The girl reading this is Christian! 😊

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John 3:16-17 (KJV)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

I had arisen from the pits of college!

College was pretty hectic so I only managed to post something for Halloween because we had a lot of free time, but after that, I needed to focus on my studies and some other stuff.

I’m currently making another FNAF Character Illustration but I wanted to make this sketch comic. I saw this trend where you put Santa hats on your profile picture and I wanted to participate. Then I decided to make this comic revolving around that.

Since the profile picture is literally from a Halloween art piece I thought it’d be funny to put a Santa hat on it. The comic is an in-universe explanation for her dress-up.

I tried to have them be in character as much as possible. This scenario would take place after Charming Gold and Dazzling Diaspore were redeemed and they just coexist with the Running Men without conflict. CG and DD would be platonic housemates, but that depends on my interpretations of them. In this version, they’re more like friends, but in the original art they’re kind of a couple.

Side note: I drew CG in a turtleneck with prominent cuffs because I thought it would suit him. CG’s character design has him wear a black bodysuit with cuffs so I honestly can’t imagine him wearing anything else that doesn’t fit his character silhouette.

I placed a yellow filter on the comic because while I was studying historical art style for class I really liked the Gothic art style. The reason why everything is so yellow is because light was a crucial part of the architecture, and in turn, influenced the paintings. It is also because I wanted my digital art to resemble traditional art more so the canvas color also has a yellow tint on it.

Merry Christmas everybody!

REFERENCES:

https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/jhn/3/16-17/s_1000016 Running Man Animation was created by LINE Friends Corporation and SBS Dazzling Diaspore belongs to me/@beautiful_02.08.18/beautiful-02-08-18

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Get well from your cold, Kirbo.

Merry Christmas!

reblog to give the prev a hot chocolate with (optional) whipped cream and marshmallows

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NEW KIRBO CHRISTMAS

(how rude of me, I almost left this post without the link)