Stardew Valley: First Fall
There will be spoilers in this play through!
My first fall in Stardew Valley arrives, and everything turns shades of gold, as expected. I’m continuing to make progress on my farm and in the mines, but also with forging friendships with folks in the town.
Unexpected Shane
I stashed away a bunch of hot peppers, which I’d used to work my way into Shane’s good graces over time. I was still surprised that one rainy night, upon entering the forest, I found him sitting at the lake drinking.
Instead of telling me to bug off like normal, he invited me over and shared a beer. He also shared some personal information that I didn’t expect to hear from him.
I hadn’t really thought about it much until that moment. How the only times I saw Shane was when he was trudging to work in the retail Joja Mart, when he was stocking produce on the shelves, or when he was drinking away his night in the tavern.
The truth is, I knew what he was going through — I’ve spent years working retail and it’s a soul-sucking job. Suddenly, I had a lot more sympathy for this guy. And after getting stuff off his shoulders, he was also a lot more open towards me from then on out.
In the following days, he even sent me a pizza… that he said he swiped from the market a long time ago. I’m not sure whether to be flattered or not.
It’s progress, I guess.
Harvey’s Trust
In the meantime, I was still fostering my friendship with Harvey. It seemed that my connection was helping him feel more involved in Stardew Valley. I actually noticed him coming to the tavern sometimes at night, too.
One day, as I entered the market, I stumbled upon the town’s aerobic workout class. Everyone there was female… except for Harvey. And he didn’t look like he was having a good time.
On his way out of the class, he stumbled into me, much to his embarrassment. He admitted that he’d been attending the classes to better his health, but it wasn’t easy for him.
I’m totally right there with you, Harvey.
Anyhow, he asked me to keep it a secret… even though half the town’s population was also attending the class. A secret from whom? The other guys? I dunno, but I agreed and that seemed to make him feel better.
Meanwhile
Speaking of feeling better, I explored the spa for the first time. I knew it was there, but just didn’t mess around in the hot springs much. I’m assuming spending time there restores energy, similar to Harvest Moon.
I also continued to work on my skills.
Earning the ability to craft that quality sprinkler was a big deal for me. The base sprinkler hardly helps at all, so I was excited to finally be able to work on expanding my crop layouts without having to spend all day watering them!
Fall is starting out well!