Strange Problem with Cursed Tools in HM DS

A player emailed me with this problem: With a cursed tool equipped in the Tool, the player had the required amount of money and rang the Church for service. Carter told the player that he doesn't have the cursed item with him. (I am using 'him' because the character is a boy in HM DS.) The tool is equipped: in fact, the character is unable to remove it now because it IS a Cursed Tool.

This is not the first time I have heard of this, but I cannot recall any solution. Does any one have any helpful information about this?

Questions I still have in IoH...

When Wada reaches 7 hearts or higher and you reach the third year in the game, you can experience an Event at his Hut, in which he will push aside the barrier to the side door, allowing you access to his secret garden, where the Tower is situated.

There you csn meet Manfred daily and obtain a random item from him...

Very useful indeed as it is a means by which you can obtain ANY item, including those you have not unlocked yet. Make certain you have a Seed Maker, so you can convert rare Crops into Seeds if you have not unlocked them at Chen's Market yet.

My question: If Wada's heart level somehow decreases below 7 hearts, will the door be barred again?

Remember Carter and the back door in the Church that led to the Secret Garden in FoMT and MFoMT? If you neglected him or upset him to the point where you no longer had his friendship, that door would be locked again.

As I have Wada at 10 hearts, it would be an awful struggle to lower his heart level sufficiently to discover the answer to this question... but if any one wishes to try in his/her game, I'd love to know what happens...

Marriage to Mary in HM Boy & Girl

I promised some photographs of Mary's wedding to a fan of Harvest Moon. Here are photographs of my (temporary) wedding to Mary. Her behaviour after marriage has been included now in my Courtship and Marriage Guide. I'm rather sorry I didn't stay married long enough to record Ann's dialogue at night... Another time perhaps.

I have been married to all these girls before in FoMT. I was a little cross with Mary in FoMT as in the afternoon, she would talk about how much I ate, as though endless supplies of food was my sole interest in life. In HM Boy & Girl in the afternoon, her first remark is similarly about food but then she softens it a little by saying that a person who works as hard as I do needs food.

She does remark sweetly that no one understands her the way I do... I almost could have stayed married to her for that.

Incidentally, pregnancy in Boy & Girl is far less dramatic than in FoMT/MFoMT. Mary's conversation simply changed one day and a few days later, she told me she had visited the clinic and that I should expect a blessed event... Perhaps I missed something as I was rushing through the game at that point simply to experience rival heart events but probably not.

As I do not like to play Harvest Moon that way, I refused to experience the birth of a child until I had played properly... so in the middle of summer, I simply reloaded back to my single state.

Weddings occur about a week after a successful marriage proposal. You will awaken in Church and Carter will preside. As you can see, May and Stu often act as page and flower girl. Thomas lends the weight of his official presence to the ceremony.

At home, your wife will move back and forth through the main chamber of the farmhouse during the day but will be in the bedroom after 6.00 p.m. Her conversation will change after noon and at night. At night, Mary confessed that she was a night owl and that she often fell asleep in the Library after a late night. She expressed a wish that we both could stay up late together, but then said she realised farmers could not live that way...

A very difficult life in HM Boy and Girl, but with rewards

Harvest Moon Log, Harvest Moon date: 3 Summer, Year 1. Earth time: Noon, 1 March 2008. I ask myself: 'Why bother with Harvest Moon Boy & Girl where the largest rucksack only gives me 8 slots and where at the beginning of Summer, I haven't been able to expand my house yet?'

Why indeed? There is a part of me that longs to spend my entire Harvest Moon life in the Forget-Me-Not Valley of HM DS/Cute DS, where each slot allows a stack of 99 items, where one can get rich on the first day of gameplay by digging in the Excavation Site, where my life at this point is rather easy and automatic...

Why did I have ANY interest in the PSP Harvest Moon Boy & Girl? My life is difficult there, far more so than in Friends of Mineral Town or More Friends of Mineral Town. The controls stick often, causing dreadful accidents where I throw away an item inadvertantly. Transportation is SLOW. In HM DS and HM Cute DS, one can buy a Teleport Stone in the second week of gameplay... Oh, for a Teleport Stone!!!

Having said all this, I still want to continue my life in Harvest Moon Boy & Girl. The graphics are wonderful, with vibrant colours and detail. Although it is very similar to FoMT/MFoMT in plot and even in terms of many events, there are new events to experience. In particular, the Blue Heart Events of the girls, hitherto the stuff of legend for me, now can be experienced firsthand.

When a game is difficult, moreover, the rewards are greatly appreciated once they are obtained. I have to say that I HATED the Swim Contest on Opening Day. I knew that I would. I did not win it. If I had been able to save my game immediately before I entered the Beach area (as one could do in FoMT and MFoMT), I would have replayed it again and again until I won it, but in the circumstances, where one must replay the entire day, I couldn't be bothered. I'll win it next year...

The most important motivation in continuing Harvest Moon Boy & Girl, though, may be the emotional attachment to characters. There is a real poignancy to some of the stories about characters in HMBG that does not exist in HM DS or HM Cute DS. These stories are included in FoMT and MFoMT, but I had forgotten how they tug at the heartstrings.

For example, there is the story of little May and her longing for her mother, Joanna. I just experienced the event where Barley asks me to help him find her, when she is missing... Finding her on the pier at last after 6.00 p.m., she told me: 'I hope Mom comes home soon... Then I can live with her and Grandpa, the three of us.' When I take her home to Barley, he asks her: 'Are you lonely living with me?'

Both children in Mineral Town are rather lonely. Stu lives with his disabled grandmother, Ellen. She is very loving, but cannot leave the house (apart from one incident in FoMT/MFoMT, where she manages to get to Kai's restaurant for a meal). Elli, his sister, spends most of her time at the Clinic. Until you engineer a regular babysitting job for Carter that includes both children, they wander about aimlessly alone, wishing for a playmate.

The story of Aja is another rather poignant tale of loss and longing. She is the daughter of Duke and Manna who ran off to the city. The Winery in fact was named after her, but she has not been willing to return and does not communicate enough with her parents. Duke's heavy drinking apparently started after her departure... Manna's loneliness is based on her longing for her daughter's return. Harris, the local police constable, is in love with Aja, but it is an unrequited affair.

For characters like these and for the excitement that new heart events brings, I am determined to continue my lives in Harvest Moon PSP Boy and Girl. Unfortunately, I now must gird my loins for the ordeal of the Sumo Chicken Contest. I hated that Contest in FoMT/MFoMT, although by being able to save at the point of entering the Square, I could replay it until I won. It was possible in those games to win even with a Chicken with only a single heart... but one had to be persistent. Even chickens with maximum heart levels could behave idiotically, again and again... I daresay it will be the same in this game.

Kai secretly visits Mineral Town in early Spring???

One of the joys of Harvest Moon is the way one can follow characters and the threads of a tale from game to game. Harvest Moon Boy & Girl may be very similar to 'Friends of Mineral Town' and 'More Friends of Mineral Town' in its characters, events and even much of its dialogue but there are some surprising differences and startling new events that delight the true Harvest Moon fan.

In the first week of gameplay, as a girl in HM Boy & Girl, I triggered an event with Cliff at the Church. Carter declared his intention to go to the Supermarket for supplies and asked me if I would watch the Church in his absence. Cliff, half-hidden in one of the pews, overheard and became extremely agitated at the thought of being left alone anywhere with a GIRL. He told Carter he would accompany him to the Supermarket. Both of them went out the door and I was left alone in the Church.

What possessed me to investigate the Confessional rather than simply walking out the door I never will know but I am very pleased that I did.

I was not terribly happy to be in the tiny dark room alone.

'Ugh, this is no fun...' I thought.

I had been there only a moment or two when Kai entered the Church.

Looking for Carter, he thought perhaps that the priest might be in the Confessional. Kai entered and began his own Confession!

I now had a choice either to tell him that I wasn't Carter or simply to go ahead and hear his confession. As dearly as I wished to hear his Confession, I knew that declaring myself was the right thing to do, so I told him that I wasn't Carter.

Outside the Confessional, he introduced himself. Carter and Cliff duly returned, putting an end to this intriguing encounter. Kai said he would look forward to renewing our acquaintance in Summer...

The Spring Thanksgiving in Cute

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As far as the romantic Thanksgiving Festivals in Harvest Moon are concerned, playing as a boy rather than a girl really does have some early advantages.

There are two Thanksgiving Festivals in FoMT/MFoMT and in HM DS/HM Cute DS. The Spring Thanksgiving is an opportunity for boys to give Chocolate Cookies to girls they fancy. The Winter Thanksgiving is the corresponding Festival where girls are given the chance to present boys they fancy with a piece of Chocolate Cake. If you are playing as a boy, you DO have an advantage in Friends of Mineral Town but not in Harvest Moon DS. In FoMT, a simple gift of chocolate would suffice and would be recognised as a Thanksgiving gift. In Harvest Moon DS, however, nothing less than Cookies or Chocolate Cookies will do.

In Spring of your first year in ANY of these games, you will not have a kitchen and therefore will not be able to bake Cookies or Chocolate Cookies. You will have access to the Supermarket and be able to buy chocolate. In Mineral Town, you can give chocolate to EVERY ONE, and individuals of either gender will be pleased on the occasion of the Thanksgiving Festival, even those like Karen who ordinarily detest chocolate.

As a boy in Harvest Moon DS, you will feel very frustrated in your first Spring, not being able to give Chocolate Cookies to ANY ONE. As a girl, it is even worse, though, because it can hit your sense of self-esteem very hard not to receive a single visit from a boy... Even though you are a newcomer, it is one of those seminal events in life that can leave a nasty scar. Girls who didn't receive Valentines at school when other girls did or who weren't invited to a Ball... and so on...

Even so, by the second Spring, you can have every bachelor at your door with a gift of Chocolate Cookies. It is a rather heady feeling to be loved by every one! It does make up somewhat for that lonely first Spring Thanksgiving when all doors were locked in the Valley and you did not see a single soul, let alone receive any visits from aspiring bachelors!

In FoMT/MFoMT and HM DS/HM Cute DS, there is a schedule for visitors on Festivals like this.

In Cute, the visits occur as follows:


Marlin arrives first at 6.00 a.m
Gustafa will be at your door at 8.00 a.m.
Rock is amazingly early at 10.00 a.m.
Carter is willing to leave his research to appear at 12.00 noon
Griffin arrives at 2.00 p.m.
Skye braves the dangers of the law enforcement community and vigilantes of the Valley to arrive at your door at 4.00 p.m.

As previously posted, Magical Girls, despite their Winter promise to reciprocate, DO NOT do so!

I am absurdly sentimental about my Harvest Moon gifts. I have a 'page' in my Refrigerator and Shelf menus devoted solely to special gifts. In the refrigerator, the Big Fish from Mukumuku now has been joined by a stack of Spring Thanksgiving Chocolate Cookies from all bachelors apart from my darling Skye. My plate of Chocolate Cookies from Skye rests in a slot of its own! In the Shelf, I have a piece of Golden Lumber from Thomas on 2 Winter next to the Diamond that I found in my sock on 25 Winter. As the years progress, the slots will fill... I never, ever use any of these special items, no matter what their commercial value may be.

The Star Festival and Griffin

Spending the Festival with Griffin and Muffy means an evening of drinking. No food whatsoever is offered but drinks are displayed in generous number. In fact, watching Muffy and Griffin together, it is obvious that they are made for one another. I did not feel guilty at all at the prospect of spending the Festival with Skye instead...

It is only Carter actually who appears to dread the prospect of spending the evening alone with your rival if you refuse his invitation!

The Star Festival with Carter

As in the original Harvest Moon DS, when you spend the Starry Night Festival with an eligible girl or bachelor from the Valley, you basically spend it with that individual's 'family'. It is not so much a romantic event as it is a family event but you will not be extended an invitation unless girl or bachelor is at Green heart level or higher.

If you are interested in Carter in Cute, therefore, you will be invited to the tent to spend the Festival with Carter and Flora in the same way as you would have spent it in the original HM DS.

Carter will welcome you jovially and suggest a discussion of ancient civilisations. Flora will demur, declaring that you will NOT be interested in the subject. If not interested in the man's life work, why on earth would you marry him???

Although I personally am VERY interested in ancient civilisations, I am not particularly eager to marry Carter and thus will leave that possible dilemma to other girls... Meanwhile, I did spend a pleasant evening in the tent before I reloaded to experience the event with some one else.

Flora actually made wonderful cakes for the occasion. Well, she SAID she made them, but they seemed far too professional compared to her ordinary cooking attempts... I think she had help from Ruby, but no one ever will admit that. Cake was served with Large Milk.

More Winter Thanks-Fest Responses

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In my previous post, I dealt with Rock and Gustafa and their responses to a gift of Chocolate Cake at the Winter Thanksgiving. Here are the responses of Griffin, Carter and Marlin.

Griffin; Is it okay to give me this? Come again. I didn't do it this year. I'll prepare for next year...

Carter: Oh, it's Winter Thanks-Fest. And I didn't even give you anything. Sorry...

Marlin: ... It's for me? I'm sorry I didn't get you anything this year...

As you can see, all these bachelors are slightly embarrassed by a gift from me when they failed to give me Cookies at the Spring Thanksgiving. If I do not marry before the next Spring Thanksgiving, I will be visited by each and every one of them bearing the gift of Cookies...

If you marry Carter...

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If you marry Carter, you will experience a rather sweet moment during the wedding when he will declare that his happiness is indescribable. At home, however, he will remind you of the age gap when he suggests that you create a 'snazzy' nickname for yourself. One doesn't encounter THAT word often in this day and age...

His greeting to you each morning and his advice not to work too hard are perfectly acceptable if neither lyrical nor romantic... He obviously is a decent man who cares about you, although his first love always will be his work.

My Valentine's Day Treat

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I promised myself I would do this on St. Valentine's Day. After all, what better way to celebrate the Day of Lovers than by experiencing a wedding in Harvest Moon? The only problem for me is that it is an experience fraught with a small degree of terror, as I always am afraid I will save the game by accident and be forced to live with the consequences! You see, I have all the ordinary Valley bachelors at deepest red heart level but do not intend to marry any of them. My heart is set upon Skye and I don't wish to marry him even until I have experienced all the Mineral Town Heart Events. I expect that my REAL wedding will have to wait until Spring...

Meanwhile, though, I need to begin to LOWER the Valley bachelors' hearts again so that I can set them up with my rivals in Spring for the Second Rival Heart Events. Before I do that, however, I would like to document their weddings. I have proposed to each of them and documented the proposal events, but a wedding is more involved. One must wait a week after the proposal in order to experience the wedding.

As I have three Bird Barns and three Animal Barns packed to the rafters, I either have to SELL all the animals before I sleep through the week or allow them to fall ill and deal with the repetitious Sprite announcements that something is wrong in the barn. Well, the course of false love runs no smoother than that of true love.

So far, I have experienced a wedding with Carter and one with Rock. I still need to experience the other three...

Weddings with any ordinary Valley bachelor basically are very similar. They occur at the beach and EVERY ONE attends. The configuration of the audience is a little different for each but the ceremony follows the same ritual, with the Harvest Goddess ringing the bells as a gift to you after you both pronounce your wedding vows to Thomas. The credits then roll.

You find yourself afterwards at your table in your farmhouse with your spouse. He will suggest that you choose a nickname for yourself but not for him. After that, you will see a little message to the effect that:

Tomorrow begins our new life together.

You will be taken directly to the next morning where you will be able to discover the way in which your spouse will speak to you every morning...

For those who are playing the original 'boy' version of Harvest Moon DS, the details of weddings are very similar. As you can see, the Harvest Goddess is one of the main participants in the ceremony. You therefore CANNOT marry until you have rescued the Harvest Goddess by rescuing 60 Harvest Sprites.

For the many players who ask which bachelor will make the best husband, I will post a little about each...

Carter's Marriage Proposal Event

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Finally, my Marriage Proposal to Carter... This, of all the Proposals to Valley bachelors probably was the most dramatic in terms of Flora's responses. There were a few sticky moments when I thought she would resort to her 'Lovely Maiden' technique to dispose of me, her successful rival. Little does she know, but I am going to let her have him ultimately. I am choosing the one Valley bachelor for whom I have no rival (or perhaps for whom EVERY woman is a potential rival), Skye.

I usually do this in Harvest Moon games in order to be able to marry off all the other couples. If I take the possible spouse of one of my Rivals, she will be left eternally out in the cold. For example, despite Muffy's hope that she could find some one else someday, if she is not given a chance to marry Griffin, she will be doomed to spinsterhood. If Skye were some one like the Gourmet, I don't know if I would be as generous, but in the circumstances, he is a rather wonderful male creature with the ability to excite and delight...

To return to Flora, however, note how unpleasant she can be when she remarks that she 'didn't know you had a thing for older men, Freya'. To imply that my proposal to Carter is based upon some bizarre GENERAL obsession with old men is truly nasty. It is odd as well, given the fact that SHE is interested in Carter. Does that mean that she has a 'thing' for older men?

When told that she no longer will be obliged to cook for Carter, she whines that she will be reduced to the depressing situation of eating alone. I mean, really! What does she expect, that Carter will forego wife and home to eat her despicable Curries???

Take a look at Carter here... he really does look quite old after she succeeds in laying a guilt trip on him...

Well, I try to be a good friend to every one in Harvest Moon, so I shall break off the engagement, allow Flora to heal his broken heart and finally marry him herself. Perhaps I will obtain a promise from her first not to force the poor man to eat the dish he hates above all others if I surrender him to her.

The First Hot Spring in HM DS and HM Cute DS

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In earlier Harvest Moon games, your village often had a Hot Spring when you first arrived at your farm. It was thus even in Mineral Town, but in Forget-Me-Not Valley in HM DS, you must discover the Hot Spring. Your first opportunity to do this is by experiencing Flora's 3rd Heart Event, otherwise known as her Blue Heart Event. Sometimes players fail to understand that experiencing Heart Events does not force you to marry the girl or bachelor involved in the event. It is best to experience as many events as possible, whatever you ultimately decide to do with your life.

In 'Cute', the discovery of the first Hot Spring remains tied to Flora's old Blue Heart Event. In fact, it is virtually identical to her Blue Heart Event in the 'boy' version of the game. The only difference is that you cannot raise her AP in 'Cute' but you must raise her FP to 255 in order to experience the event.

It is rather a curious event actually as it involves the discovery of an extraordinary lithograph. This purportedly is the entire reason Carter and Flora are working in the Valley but when Flora brings the lithograph to him, he tells her he cannot join her to search for the 'treasure' because he has 'other plans'. What plans possibly could be more important than his life's work???

It does give you the chance to take his place in the treasure hunt, joining Flora to dig for the hidden 'treasure'. That treasure is the Hot Spring. Unlike some events that transpire at night, this one takes no real time and you will find yourself outside your house at the end of it at the same time you entered the screen to trigger the scene.

Incidentally, what is odd about this is that I was able to experience it on a Tuesday night, ostensibly Flora's day off. It is rather annoying that I was able to trigger this event on a Tuesday, against all logic, but that the game continued to operate like clockwork on Sunday night when I tried to experience Part II of Skye's Event, denying me any opportunity to do so after allowing me cruelly to trigger Part I. (And Skye is disappointed with me!!! He reverted to purple heart level when I failed to appear.)

Sunday, Bloody Sunday... all Carter's FAULT!!!

Well, as every one knows, there is such a thing as being too clever. Miss Clever Clogs here always saves in both slots when she is in the mines, as if by some chance there is neither stairs nor hole on a specific floor, she then can reload in the other slot on the previous floor and descend to a new configuration. Otherwise, if not in the mines, I try to keep my other slot on the previous day to prevent irrevocable errors...

I was in the mines, so I saved in both slots after experiencing Part I of Skye's Blue Heart Event on a rainy Sunday. I thought I was terribly clever to have triggered the event on Sunday as I needed to experience Marlin's Blue Heart Event the next day and one can't experience a Skye Event and Marlin's 3rd Heart Event on the same night... I had been putting Marlin off for ages because of this and intervening Festivals. He was almost at green heart level in fact, but I still needed to experience the Event.

So... I returned in the rain at 10.00 p.m. to the Tent, only to remember that Carter visits the Blue Bar on Sundays. I waited patiently for him to return, little realising the horrible destiny I had set in motion for myself.

Bloody Carter!!! He staggered back onto the screen at 11.50 p.m. and did not even enter the tent until midnight! When I went to the door, it was locked, of course. All doors are locked at midnight.

I reloaded and tried again, attempting to slip into the tent WITH him. No luck. I could keep HIM outside the tent if I barred his path, but I couldn't trigger the event without him.

No matter how many times I tried, I was unable to trigger the event. If I entered BEFORE Carter, I would be inside the tent alone with Flora, which will not set Part II of the Event in motion...

So, it appears as though I will not be able to marry Skye in this game as I probably will not be able to trigger the 4th Heart Event, having missed the main portion of the Blue Heart Event.

I seldom contact Natsume for help with my own game, as I prefer to solve all puzzles myself, but this time I was on the telephone instantly to my contact there. He told me that I needed to experience both parts of the Heart Event and that, yes, not being able to do so would ruin my chances of marrying Skye.

He then told me that, as I would not be able to keep this game in any case, it may 'be for the best' if my heart is fixed upon Skye as I would find it more difficult to send back the cartridge if I were living in wedded bliss with the thief who stole my heart. Perhaps...

Nonetheless, stubborn and determined, I immediately began a NEW game in Slot 2 so that I could consummate my romance with Skye in one game at least...

As you can imagine, this has slowed down my progress enormously. I have had to go through the long, arduous process of setting up a new farm and making enough money by the second day of gameplay to order a Bird Barn and so on...

After I slept fitfully last night (in real life), I awakened with a better prospective. I am glad at least that I did not overwrite the old game, but left it in Slot 1. There is hope of Life after Skye.

This morning, returning to Slot 1, my Kitchen and Can Maker were delivered, making it possible for me to COOK. I will soldier on, forgetting about Skye for the moment.

After all, 5 other Valley bachelors, 5 Mineral Town bachelors and the four Magical Girls still are available...

As for the new game in Slot 2, I will continue to play it when time permits, but will not ignore my primary game in Slot 1.

Finally, it is only through innocent errors such as these that guides can be written properly. If I had not experienced Part I of Skye's 3rd Heart Event on Sunday, I would not be able to warn other players of the consequences. Who would have known?
When programmers create these games, they do not pause to consider all ramifications. It would require an extraordinary memory of all permutations to realise that a two-part event may have two different sets of requirements. Perhaps in a later version of 'Cute', they will re-programme the game to prevent Part I from being triggered on a day when Part II cannot be completed. On the other hand, life is cruel and circumstances often prevent us from obtaining our heart's desire.

As many characters in Forget-Me-Not Valley remark, the life of a rancher is hard...

Final Note on this: I am not admitting defeat, even in my original Slot 1 game. Although Natsume categorically states that you must experience all four heart events, and I would agree, as this is a requirement in all Harvest Moon games with traditional 'heart events', is it even remotely possible that experiencing Part I of an Event with Skye will qualify? It could be akin to a situation where a player does experience the Heart Event but gives the wrong response, thereby lowering the bachelor's or girl's heart level. I probably have lost my chance with Skye, but I am going to pray there is a glimmer of hope... If he continues to appear in the Valley at night, I will raise his heart level, however slowly and see if I can trigger the Fourth Event with him... I doubt it will be possible, but time will tell. In any case, it is vital to find out for the sake of the guide and all the other players out there who will be fascinated by Skye.

Carter's 3rd Heart Event: Trouble Ahead for THAT Couple!

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In terms of matchmaking for other couples, it is not difficult to see the attraction between Marlin and Celia, Rock and Lumina, Griffin and Muffy or Gustafa and Nami. If you do not intervene to court the bachelor or girl yourself, the romance between your rival and his/her intended spouse follows a fairly smooth path on the whole.

Where Carter and Flora are concerned, however, it is a very different matter. Even in the original HM DS, it was apparent that domestic contentment was far from assured. Carter's 3rd Heart Event demonstrates the problems they will face if they ultimately marry. Flora definitely is the strongest. most aggressive girl in the Valley...

In this event, Flora announces her plan to make 'Curry Rice' for lunch. Carter never has been silent with respect to his responses to Flora's cooking and he detests Curry Rice. Flora, of course, loves it. She is determined to force it down his throat at any cost, to train him to like it, if need be, it seems. She states quite categorically that Curry Rice is the what she intends to prepare and repeats her declaration with obvious relish.

Carter, in desperation, creates an imaginary 'date' with you for lunch and asks you to confirm his fabrication. If you do, he will be extremely grateful and you will lunch with him at the Inner Inn. Afterwards, Carter will confess that Flora makes food that he 'simply cannot stomach' although he will add that he is thankful she is willing to cook for him. He ruins his brief display of gratitude, however, by offering YOU Flora's job! Fortunately, you are not required to respond here. Your character automatically will shake her head regretfully...

One imagines now that any future marriage between Flora and Carter will be fraught with domestic conflict as she continues to try to assert herself and he attempts to avoid her iron will.

If, however, you fail to back up his story, Flora will not hesitate to castigate her Professor in no uncertain terms. Beyond that, she will tell you that you too are his victim and command you to display equal rage!

The ordinary Valley Bachelors of Harvest Moon Cute

I feel rather ashamed of myself today after I may have appeared to slag off the bachelors of Forget-Me-Not Valley by referring to them as 'older men'. They definitely ARE older men, but each has his own charm. I personally may prefer the young boys of Harvest Moon but I ultimately do try to marry each and every one of the potential spouses in my games. I certainly experience ALL the Heart Events of each in EVERY game I play...

I often receive emails from players asking me who the best wife or husband would be in any Harvest Moon game. The fact of the matter is that all are equal in most of the games, apart from 'A Wonderful Life' and 'Another Wonderful Life' where the identity of your spouse DOES influence your child. In Harvest Moon DS, it only influences the physical appearance and clothing of your child... and the appearance of the child is randomly chosen if you marry Skye or become the 'Best Friend' of a magical girl.

In any event, I thought I should give players a little idea of the personalities of the various bachelors.

Griffin is the barkeep at the Blue Bar. He is an older man who is both sensitive and shy, extremely polite and considerate. He actually has a creative side and is a 'closet' musician, as players of AWL and AnWL will recall.

In Harvest Moon Cute, you become aware of this facet of his character when you experience his first Rival Heart Event on a rainy morning, when he confides in Muffy:

Muffy: Hey, Griffin.
Griffin: What?
Muffy: Griffin, didn't you used to be a musician?
Griffin: Yeah.
Muffy: How did you get into music?
Griffin hesitates, then turns to face her.
Griffin: Hmm... I just happened to find an old guitar in the back of this store. It was like it was calling to me to come and play it. And when I asked my dad about that guitar, he said it was one of our ancestor's. Maybe it was that ancestor telling me to play?
Muffy (with music): Yeah. That's a wonderful story. Hey, play for me next time.
Griffin: Got it. I will, sometime.

Speak to him after the event and he will say:
Griffin: I know we promised... I'm a little shy, though.

(This event is Muffy's First Rival Heart Event in the original HM DS)

Gustafa is another one of the 'older men' whom you can marry in the game. He is the resident poet of Forget-Me-Not Valley and is a musician as well, from a long line of musicians. In fact, he will tell you about his heritage when you reach 100 FP with him either in the original HM DS or Cute:

Gustafa: Hey, Freya. How have you been? Is work still busy?
I nod.
Gustafa: Hahaha. You're very straightforward. But I really admire life at the ranch. You always get to pet animals and pick crops, right? I can think of lots of songs. Oops, did I say music? I guess it's in my blood to be a musician after all.
Me:?
Gustafa: My ancestors had been minstrels for the king in the country that they lived. It seems that every one in my family has had jobs involving music. That's why I've been making music since I was born. Since birth, I have followed this chosen path of becoming a musician. That's why you and I are similar. The life at the ranch was chosen for you before you were born, too.
I nod.
Gustafa: There is no 'if' in this world but if I wasn't born into a musician's family, I wonder what I would be doing now. Knowing me, I would've chosen the musician's path. After all, I love music. You probably would've chosen life at the ranch, too.
I nod.
Gustafa: Hahaha. I guess this means that things are good the way they are. Sorry to make you listen to something this boring.
I shake my head.
Gustafa: Now then, I guess I'll go sing.

If you speak to him after the event:
Gustafa: Let's both do our best.

The event that truly epitomises Rock's character is one that occurs in Another Wonderful Life when he faces your dog and later crafts an improbable tale of heroic battle against the pet he has renamed 'Crusher'.

In Harvest Moon Cute, you will discover his nature when you experience his first Heart Event at the beach:

Rock: (!) Hey, Freya. Did you come to look at the sea, too?
I nod.
Rock (with music): The sea's so nice. It's so expansive... Just so beautiful and blue! I love to look at it. Plus, it matches my personality perfectly! It's so big and beautiful. Just like me.
Me: (...)
Rock (?) What's wrong, Freya? You got quiet all of a sudden.
Rosk (with music) Oh, I know! You've been taken aback by how cool I am, huh?

My choices:

Yes, I'm mesmerised.
You disgust me.

With some amused affection for the boastful boy, I chose: Yes, I'm mesmerised.

Rock (with music): Yes, I thought so! You can look at me all you want! I'm not shy! But you have to let me look at you too, then.

Rock: ................

......................
.......................
Rock: (with music)
Me: (?)
Rock: Hahaha, you're pretty funny, Freya. You won't even look at me. Haha!
Me: (!) (displaying large red heart)
Embarrassed, I race from the beach.
Rock: Aww, you're so shy that you're leaving! How cute!

There is no malice in Rock and he is unabashedly lazy and irresponsible. In the original Harvest Moon DS game, it was only Kai who possibly challenged his position as the ultimate charming but rather irresponsible bachelor, although Kai does work hard at his stall at the beach in the summer. In Harvest Moon Cute, however, both Kai and Rock are relegated to the shade by the smooth-talking cat burglar Skye.

It is the 'older men' I intended to showcase in this post, however, and it is Carter and Marlin who need to be discussed now.

Carter is a devoted archaeologist who is driven by the belief that he will discover facts about his ancestors and heritage through his work. He is an avowed
sun-worshipper, as players of AWL and AnWL may recall. He actually shares a tent with his assistant Flora, but although she cooks for him (very badly!), their relationship is properly platonic. You will not be courting a married man if you court Carter!

Many of Carter's statements deal with Flora's cuisine. In fact, it is the focus of his first Rival Heart Event:

Carter was facing the northern wall and Flora was behind him.
Flora; Professor?
Carter: What's the matter, Flora?
Flora: How about Curry Rice for dinner tonight?
Carter (with cross): What?!
Flora: Don't be so picky!
Carter: I'm begging you! Anything but that!
Flora: Grrrr! Are you trying to make me mad?!
Carter: (...) Umm, n... no... Oh no...

Carter evidently is too pedantic for most people as when you visit him at his tent, morning or night:

Carter: Ah. Thank you for coming. Make yourself comfortable. Would you like to talk of ancient ruins? What? You'll 'pass' on that? Very well then...

Apparently, he never has been able to persuade any one to settle down for a long session of archaeological dialogue. One feels rather sorry for him sometimes...

Marlin, if anything, is even more shy about himself than Griffin. He is thoroughly tongue-tied, a little abrupt and unapproachable. I happen to know that many female players are attracted to these qualities, although I would not include myself in Marlin's fan group. In Another Wonderful Life, where there were but three choices in terms of potential spouses, he was my second choice after Rock. (The wedding event with Gustafa, with Gustafa hopping along on his buttocks, just was too awful for words. I cannot look at him even in Cute without recalling it! Gustafa is the ultimate laid-back hippy from the 1960s. Ironically, I really like his character, but find his personal appearance off-putting. I never have liked beards for a start.) This paragraph was supposed to be about MARLIN, not Gustafa...

Marlin demonstrates his almost pathological reticence in his First Heart Event in Cute:

Marlin: (!) ... Hey.... sorry, but Celia is upstairs sleeping. Vesta is looking after Celia right now... If you want to meet with Vesta or Celia, please come another time... Or did you come for me?

My choices:
Want to talk?
OK. I'm leaving, then.

(N.B. In any heart event, your character has two choices of response. One will raise the affection level of the bachelor and the other will lower it. I am including both here. The first response was the correct one obviously.)

I chose: Want to talk?
Marlin (startled): I don't really have anything to talk to you about...
Me (with tear):
My choices now:
Wh... what food do you like?
What do you think of Celia?

Wh... what food do you like?
Marline: ... Why do you ask that?
Me (with tear)
Marlin: ... Well, whatever... Yeah...
... What's my favourite food?
I nod encouragingly.
Marlin: (...) ... I never do have a good answer for that...
I nod again encouragingly, desperately hoping to get SOMETHING out of him.
Marlin: (...) ........................
... My favourite food is...
I nod once again with infinite patience.
Vesta now comes down the stairs:
Vesta: (!) Oh, Freya! You're here. You and Marlin together? Well, that's unexpected! What were you talking about?
Marlin: (Freya... This conversation is over.) Nothing, really... It was no big deal... More importantly... How is Celia feeling?
Vesta: Well, it's no big deal. She's just worn out. I think she'll wake up soon.
Marlin: ... Oh, I see. ... I hope so.

After:

Marlin: ... Let's talk again later.
Vesta: Don't worry! I'll be better soon!

If I had said: OK. I'm leaving, then.
Marlin: ... Oh, OK. ... Fine. Sorry that every one worth talking to is busy. .... See you.
Vesta comes down the stairs after I leave.
Vesta: ? Oh, is somebody here?
Marlin: It's not important. How is Celia feeling?
Vesta: Well, it's no big deal. She's just worn out. I think sh'll wake up soon.
Marlin: ... Oh, I see. ... I hope so.

As you can see, you will not even discover Marlin's favourite food in this event. Oddly enough, it was an important question, as each individual in any Harvest Moon game has a 'Most Favourite Item' that, when given, will raise his/her affection and/or friendship level. For any one who may be interested in Marlin, I happen to know that his 'Most Favourite' is Elli Leaves, a concoction that is more potent than any other Medicine available in the game. This makes sense when you realise that Marlin's health is as precarious as his ability to socialise. If you meet him outside the farm, he will tell you:

Marlin: Our farm was near town at first, but my ancestors came here looking for more land. It looks like my ancestors were sickly too. It must be hereditary...

I dealt with Skye exhaustively in an earlier post. I will discuss the bachelors of Mineral Town later. Any one who has played Friends of Mineral Town or More Friends of Mineral Town will be very familiar with their characters. Moreover, unless you insert a cartridge of FoMT or MFoMT into your DS, you never will meet any of them in HM Cute...