Stardew Expanded - Blog Posts

himeofshyness

3 months ago

A/N: Got this idea by my boyfriend's midnight musings. I find it pretty amusing and it inspired me to write this. This is my first post for this year, 2025. Enjoy! 🎉

Summary: Lance couldn't resist the urge to have a late-night chat with his sleep-deprived farmer.

It's currently night time in the Highlands, and after a late-night expedition exploring the cliffs and caves, Rosemary is too tired to go home, so she decides to sleep at her boyfriend's outpost. Lance doesn't mind, at least he gets to spend time with his beloved farmer. As they're going to sleep, the mage can't help but have random thoughts crossing his mind.

"Sweetheart, would you still love me if I were a worm?", Lance quietly asked his sleepy girlfriend.

Rosemary grunted and turned over in his arms, looking at him with her tired turquoise eyes. "What brought this on?", she asked, her voice heavy with sleep. Lance knew why he loved this woman. Instead of complaining about the late hour or ignoring him until he shoved her awake, Rosemary genuinely cared and took his late-night musings seriously - it was just part of who he was.

"I dreamed I was a human.", Lance said with total seriousness. "Like, just a regular human with no magic whatsoever."

"Sounds mundane.", Rosemary mused, trying to stay awake despite her drowsiness. Lance nodded and continued, "It was okay, but then I met you in that dream. And you were different, too. You were a warrior, strong and beautiful. But you wouldn't speak to me, just ignored me completely. It was like you didn't even know who I was."

Rosemary frowned but remained silent, thinking through Lance's words. He could tell she was trying to make sense of his dream-induced thoughts.

Lance took a deep breath and continued. "And the next thing I knew, I was a worm, just wriggling around in the earth. I thought 'How did this happen?' And you know what I realized, Rose?" Lance asked, pulling her even closer to his chest.

Rosemary nodded, her eyelids starting to feel heavier with each passing second, but she knew she needed to stay awake to hear his thoughts. She had learned that Lance's dreams were never really about the literal transformations he experienced but rather about some underlying fear or worry he had within him. And so, she listened.

"It was because you didn't love me as a human.", he revealed, his voice cracking slightly. "And since you didn't love me, there was no way you could ever love me as a worm. You wouldn't even acknowledge me in the dream, no matter how much I tried to talk to you."

Rosemary only rolled her eyes at Lance's revelation. She could see how upset he was and tried to comfort him. "Oh, love..." she began, but Lance cut her off.

"But then I thought, what if we were both worms?", Lance asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. Rosemary rolled her eyes again at his persistent questioning. "Then we'd be digging the earth together forever in wormy marriage," she replied, before yawning heavily. "Does that make you feel better, love?"

Lance's face broke into a broad smile, and he nodded. "Yes, I think it does," he said, relieved that he could confide in his girlfriend. "I'm sorry for waking you." he apologized, feeling a little embarrassed. Rosemary gently caressed his cheek, telling him it was okay. "It's alright." she reassured him.

Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "And what about you, love? Would you still love me if I was a worm?"

Lance pretended to think deeply about her question for a few moments, then answered seriously. "Worms are the most detestable creatures on Earth. I could never love you if you were one," he said with disdain.

Rosemary's mouth dropped open in surprise, then she burst into fits of laughter. She playfully hit him with a pillow for his blunt answer. "Don't be so mean, Lance!"

Lance grinned sheepishly, realizing his mistake. "Alright, I admit that was a bit harsh there." he conceded. "But you have to admit, worms are pretty repulsive."

Rosemary couldn't refute his point. They were both exhausted, and their random musings were starting to wear thin. But Lance wasn't quite done yet.

"Seriously, what would you do if we both suddenly woke up as worms?" Lance asked curiously.

Rosemary sighed, resigned to the fact that she wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon. "Well..." she began thoughtfully, "I suppose we'd have to adjust to our new wormy lives together. I bet we could dig tunnels in the earth and make a cozy nest for us."

Lance nodded, somewhat impressed by her practicality, but still found worms repulsive. "And what about us as worms? Would we still... you know." Lance's voice trailed off, unable to articulate the rest of his question.

Rosemary giggled, guessing where his mind was heading. "Lance, we'd be worms. That's not exactly an ideal situation for that kind of activity. But who knows, maybe we'd still manage to find our own wormy way to show affection," she said with a chuckle. "Let's rest now, okay? We can continue these wild thoughts in the morning. I have a feeling you'll be even more ridiculous when you're not sleep-deprived."

Lance chuckled, realizing his tired mind was indeed making the conversation more bizarre. "Yes, you're right, love," he said, hugging her closer. "Let's get some sleep, and we can laugh about all of this in the morning."

Rosemary snuggled up to him and smiled. "Good night, Lance. I love you, regardless of whether you're a mage, a human, or even a worm."

Lance leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you too, Rosemary. Sleep well."

As the two drifted off to sleep together, wrapped in each other's arms, the conversation shifted from magical transformations to the simplicity of their love, proving that it surpassed all boundaries, be it human or worm.