30 Day Challenge - Blog Posts

Day 13 of the 30 day challenge

Day 13: Dragon prince

Day 12 of 30 day challenge

Day 12: Nirami

Day 11 of 30 day challenge

Day 11: the little trashmaid

Day 10 of 30 day challenge

Day 10: Ramshackle

Day 9 of 30 day challenge

Day 9: Vampstel

Day 8 of 30 day challenge

Day 8: Kiddos

Day 7 of 30 day challenge

Day 7: gravity falls

Day 6 of 30 day challenge

Day 6: Sacked potato

Day 5 of 30 day challenge

Day 5: Katlaya Rising

DAY 4 OF 30 DAY CHALLENGE

Day 4: Wakfu

30 Day Challenge

DAY 3:

Ginjaninjaowo

Original Character used: Maeli

In all fairness, I don't think I got the body and clothes right, but I do think the head looks the most like June's style. I also don't think I got the brushes right.

30 day challenge

DAY 2:

Funtime Phobia

Original charater used: Maeli

I was struggling, so instead, I decided not to stress with the body and just do the head

30 day challenge

DAY 1:

Bee and Puppycat

Original Character used: Maeli

In all fairness, I don't think I got it right, but yeah

30 day fav character challenge!!

Day 1: Normal

Day 2: In your current clothes

Day 3: Glasses, headphone, hoodie

Day 4: Adult or child (opposite of current)

Day 5: Villain version (hero if the character is a villain)

Day 6: with person most shipped with

Day 7: eating ramen at 3 am

Day 8: sleeping

Day 9: on couch

Day 10: wearing nothing

Day 11: COMPLETELY normal

Day 12: with their favorite animal

Day 13: dressed for Halloween

Day 14: reading

Day 15: sad

Day 16: in a dress

Day 17: doing something they hate

Day 18: cosplaying

Day 19: injured

Day 20: in a onesie

Day 21: as a god/goddess

Day 22: drunk (even kids)

Day 23: opposite personality

Day 24: daydreaming

Day 25: as a sea creature

Day 26: as an alien (if it is- make it more alien)

Day 27: blushing 

Day 28: 10 years in the future

Day 29: in armor

Day 30!!: holding a sign that says “challenge done!”

Reblog this and post your art so I can see them ALL!!!

Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 30

Day 30: Tell the tale of how exactly you found yourself getting into the HM series. Make it long and detailed! :D

Well, I was first introduced to it when I was probably around 8 years old. I went to FuncoLand (a couple of years before it became Gamestop) with my mom and brother to sell off several NES games.

While we were waiting, my brother and I were browsing the games and I remember him showing me the cover for Harvest Moon (but I guess it was either an older print or a European copy?) and he asks me what genre I thought the game was and since I wasn’t used to simulators at the time, I said horror because of the night sky and silhouettes, which pleased him and he flipped over the box and showed me that it was a farming sim (I hadn’t heard the term “Harvest Moon” before, so what can you do?) I was intrigued, but we didn’t get to buy it, which bummed both of us.

Some time later, my brother had discovered emulators and was playing Harvest Moon, I ended up watching him from time to time and it just caught my interest, especially when he hit festivals. I remember him even asking me when I thought he should propose to Maria (we agreed the Starry Night Festival, but discovered you can’t do that lol).

Years later, I was probably a freshman in high school, my brother brought me along to go to Gamestop (different store though) and I noticed mfomt and I was going to buy it, but my brother was told that it wasn’t good by his friends and told me to put it back (I was naive and did), but it bugged me. So I ended up getting a rom of it and played it like crazy over the weekend and scolded him for making me put it back.

I was going to buy it the very next week, but it was already gone... (Honestly, not for story effect, anything with anime artwork was usually sold by the time you visited the store again).

I did eventually get it, but I had to wait a few years before it was in the wild again (I was discouraged to use ebay at the time), it was around the same time DS Cute came out (which I pre-ordered and got my black kitty! Though the house fire ate the doll... But the cartridge survived!)

HM 30 Day Challenge

Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 24 - 29

Day 24: Do you tend to name your farm animals? Or is ‘cow 1’ and ‘cow 2’ more your style?

I’m lame, I usually name my animals after characters or random words that fit their appearance.

Day 25: Are you a completionist when it comes to HM games?

I suppose not....? I start off strong and then once I get married, I lazy out... But I usually have other games I want to play, so I tend to hurry the best I can while still enjoying the game.

Day 26: Who’s better, Witch Princess or the Harvest Goddess?

Witch Princess.

Harvest Goddess kinda has things coming to her with the stuff she says... Witch Princess is a brat, but I figure it’s kind of a mix of the fact that it’s a part of her nature to be impish and she just doesn’t know better.

Day 27: Do you usually find yourself going for the same type of bachelor/bachelorette in each game? (always marrying the doctor, the nerdy girl, etc…)

I do tend to gravitate towards the doctors, but I don’t always marry them, lol. I usually stick the “mature“ types though, like Gill, Lloyd and Klaus when I think of bachelors who aren’t doctors.

Allen is kind of the oddball in the group, he’s kind of mature, but he also loves to tease your character... (but sometimes it felt like he was a tiny bit full of himself, but I feel like that was a poor translation because it seemed random when he behaved that way... It would have been more likely that he was teasing you further, but the dialogue could have been done better to present it that way, like Leon in Rune Factory 4, who loves to tease, but can be serious, then tease you more when he’s being evasive).

Day 28: Weird question, but what’s your favorite crop to grow?

Ahhhhh... Turnips? Since they grow so fast... But it’s always nice to see anything grow!

Day 29: Festivals! Which one’s your favorite?

That really depends on the game... but the one that usually comes to mind is the Firefly Festival from Tree of Tranquility, though I also like version from Magical Melody (though it’s less romantic, but very pretty) and Star Festival from MM.

I still haven’t played Animal Parade (though I just recently bought it) and I know the Firefly Festival is a mix of MM and ToT’s versions, which makes me very happy and want to experience it for myself ❤︎

Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 20 - 23

Day 20: Your first HM game ever?

More Friends of Mineral Town, I might have played a little of the original Harvest Moon, but I don’t really count it as my first since I probably only played one in-game day’s worth because I remember getting lost...

Day 21: So, do you think it’s weird that the same characters keep showing up in each game but with different familial relationships?

Yeah, I didn’t know that when I initially started the series. I figure Back to Nature and HM64 were likely developed around the same time and the development team needed quick, easy (and cheap) resources, so they just ended up sharing them. Plus this was back at a time where families usually only had one gaming system or were dedicated to one brand, so they likely figured it wouldn’t be a big issue at the time.

Day 22: Have you played any of the more obscure HM games? (the gameboy color ones,  puzzle de harvest moon…)

I tried GBC3, it was very limited, but it’s an old game for an old handheld system (Pokemon was very impressive at the time, if you think about it) and I had Puzzle de Harvest Moon, it was ok... nothing to write home about. I do own My Little Shop, it’s cute for a few minutes, but it’s really repetitive...

Day 23: What’s the next HM game you’re planning to get?

Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town! Really excited for this remake! I’m very curious if the dialogue/events will be improved or be about the same and if there’s a possibility of new events. I’m really loving the redesigns, I think they fit everyone much better for their set personalities and backstories now (though I will miss Doctor’s messy hair... but I won’t miss that mirror that he refused to take off...).

I also hope Doctor gets a real name... I know in Japan it’s still Doctor, but I can dream that he’ll tell you to call him by his given name when you marry him like Wizard or Harvest King............. But I know that’s very doubtful...

Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 19

Day 19: Which HM game have you played for the longest in game time?

DS Cute, I was very determined to marry Trent. I’d have to dig out my game, but I think I had 4 or 5 in-game years into it, I wasted too much money and materials on other things, forgetting that I was trying to build a barn and get a  cow since Trent loves milk and you only see him once a week.

Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 18

Day 18: So, not to be negative, but to make this challenge a part of a balanced breakfast, what’s your least favorite HM game?

Ignoring Natsume’s "Harvest Moon” series (because that’s too easy), it’s a toss up between Island of Happiness/Sunshine Islands or The Tale of Two Towns. I never made it into Summer in either game. I would also say Another Wonderful Life, but I’ve never given that one an honest chance, so I can’t really criticize it.

The main issue with the ToTT and the Island games... I found all the characters bland or recycled, especially for the Island ones and I was really excited for a new cast finally, but everyone felt like they were just replacing someone from Mineral Town... But that’s just me, they just didn’t catch me. I even hoped with the new controls in Sunshine, I’d enjoy it more and I did play a little longer, but nothing gripped me.

Tale of Two Towns was a really interesting concept. I was excited for its release, but I was very disappointed, again really bland characters. I’ve restarted the game in both villages to see if it would improve my experience, but no. Plus the requests always made me feel rushed. I think Trio of Towns really improved that mechanic, it’s not unreasonable with you.

That said, I do plan to give both games another chance, but... it’s gonna be a struggle for me. I really want to like them, I really do...

But that does lead me to wonder, if the games were always that bland (even in Japan) or if Natsume did a poor job translating them.

I think most fans know Natsume has edited some of the character sprites in the past to avoid issues in the states (I can only think of Grand Bazaar at the moment) and tried to hide drunk characters for a period, but it makes me wonder if they may have been censoring more than we know or if things simply got lost in translation, such as Luke’s letter having a secret message and other little things like that.

Once Xseed became the new North American publisher, the dialogue overall was vastly improved, but that could be mere coincidence and the games themselves improved.

Before the publisher switch over, A New Beginning felt like a much better game than most of Natsume’s previous titles, but I still always wondered even if something in that was changed...

Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 16 - 17

Day 16: What’s your playing style? Hardcore farming? Buyin n’ sellin’ animals? Flirting with all the girls/boys?

Probably hardcore farming, while also chasing down the guy I’m pursuing around town like a stalker who knows his schedule way too well, until it’s a rains and it screws up your carefully planned out day.

Day 17: So, HM fanfic. What’re your thoughts on it? Link to a good one if you’re in favor.

Fanfics are fine, haven’t we all read them and tried to write one at some point? I used to read them years ago, but I haven’t read any since and I don’t remember any that I read...

Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 15

Day 15: How many times have you reached the ‘end’ of a HM game? (ending farm evaluation, the player dying, etc)

Uhhhh.... I think I “finished” four games, hopefully five soon (right at the end of Trio!)

I know I finished “DS Cute” since found all the harvest sprites, I admit I cheated on that, lol. Pretty sure I saved the Harvest Goddess in “Magical Melody” and “Tree of Tranquility”... “More Friends of Mineral Town” is questionable... I suppose not? Only if you count collecting all the rings, which I didn’t, but I was as done as I was gonna get.

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Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 14

Day 14: Have a favorite heart event?

Ford’s Orange Heart Event "The Doctor's True Intentions", it’s so funny and adorable. Makes you wanna hug him if you could!

Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 13

Day 13: So, how ‘bout those bonus bachelor/bachelorettes (e.g. skye, harvest goddess, leia…)? Draw/find a picture of your favorite. 

I tried to draw Jamie... Eh.

Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 12

Day 12: What do you think of the HM spinoffs? (Rune factory, Innocent life…)

I still haven’t played Innocent Life... so I have no opinion on that, but I thought Rune Factory was a great idea! It has the elements of HM/SoS, while tossing in Fantasy RPG elements. It allows you to either relax and farm, visit with villagers like you would normally do or go on quests and progress through the storyline at your leisure.

I really loved RF4 and really excited for RF5!

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Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 11

Day 11: Draw/find a spiffy piece of fanart of your favorite HM protagonist.

I tried, lol. I figured it’d be practice to use my tablet and I wanted to try out the Krita... but yeah, Annie/Minori from “Story of Seasons” is my favorite... I just love her outfit; very cute, while old-fashioned and rustic.

Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 10

Day 10: Do you like playing as a boy, or a girl?

Girl.

I don’t know why it’s difficult to play as a boy in the HM/SoS games for me, I mean even Rune Factory. I always end up getting bored... (I can play the Persona games just fine ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

Though that said, I usually don’t like the female characters in HM/SoS that much, but in Rune Factory 4, I loved the whole village! So it’d probably be a lot easier to play as a guy if I had to in RF4, but given the choice, I always play as a girl (especially if I can customized because cute outfits).

Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 9

Day 9: How many kids have you had in all your playthroughs?

Been so long, I think I’ve only had kids once or twice, I know my characters were pregnant in at least 3 different games.

I know for a fact that I had a toddler with Trent in “DS Cute” (Boy/Green Outfit)

I think I had a baby in “Magical Melody” with Alex and my character was pregnant in “More Friends of Mineral Town“ with Doctor.

(Huh... that’s an odd observation, I only had babies with Doctor and his clones? What does that say about me? lol)

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Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 7

Day 7: Favorite way to make money?

In the classic sense...

Mining, especially in Mineral Town and DS Cute (even though you could  do the indoor farming cheat in DS Cute...)

It always felt like the fastest way to make money while trying to wait for your crops to grow, especially if you invested in a basket first instead of upgrading your bag (it feels like an eternity at first since your bag doesn’t have many slots, but it’s really worth it on the long run). Then afterwards, it became the challenge of how deep can you go before the day is through or I’m almost out of energy and I have no food!

Fishing always seemed like a mixed bag and took up too much of your time in a time-sensitive game and I would almost always get garbage. I do enjoy foraging, but depending on the game, it was extremely limited or fairly plentiful, but the amount of money is usually minimal.

And of course, farming and producing items will make the best money in the end, but I’ll be honest....  I was usually “done” playing the game once I got around to the point where I could build the makers. The makers didn’t fit my “schedule“, but I have weird priorities...

Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 6

Day 6:  Chickens, cows, or sheep? Or maybe ostriches or alpacas for you newfangled Wii and 3DS people

Can I pick... All the Above???

I love animals in general, but I do get excited over ducks, alpacas and rabbits. I also loved having a pig in “Magical Melody”.

Harvest Moon 30 Day Challenge: Day 5

Day 5: So, what’s your favorite in game season?

I don’t really have a favorite... I suppose Spring or Summer since it’s more likely to rain (because who doesn’t love a rainy day to water your crops?)

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