You blink your eyes as the loud sound of a rooster fills your ears. The sunlight pours into the room from the windows, glaring into your eyes. As you pushed yourself up, you noticed a package wrapped neatly in blue duct tape. You got out of bed and knelt down to the box, taking the note that was taped onto it. 'Here's a little something to get you started. -Mayor Lewis'. You placed the note on the ground, tugging the duct tape off of the package and opening up the cardboard box. Inside was a bunch of little packets with a parsnip picture on the front. You took one out, reading the front and back, assuming they were seed packets.
You took them all out of the box, absentmindedly shoving them into your pockets and walking toward the TV. You looked around for a remote, quickly realizing you'd have to control the TV with the buttons on the sides. Kneeling down to the floor again to find the power button, pressing the red button. You heard a whirring sound and the TV had turned on, only three channels seemed to be on and the TV was very staticky. You didn't know how you would survive without internet but you'd have to figure it out. The weather channel seemed most useful so you clicked on that one first.
Welcome to KOZU 5... your number one source for weather, news, and entertainment. And now, the weather forecast for tomorrow... It's going to be clear and sunny all day.
You tucked that information away and ignored the Fortune Teller channel believing it was bullshit. You instead clicked onto the channel called, 'Livin' Off The Land' which was apparently some farming guide show which might be useful for a newbie farmer.
Welcome to 'Livin' Off The Land'. We're back again with another tip for y'all. Now listen up: This one's for all you greenhorns out there: chop and search for wild to earn some cash while waiting on your first harvest!
The man's voice was extremely country but oddly satisfying to listen to. You turned off the television, the whirring noise coming to a stop. You stood up, looking around the small cabin, eventually spotting a tool rack. You grabbed what you assumed was a hoe and carried it with you out the door, the sun even brighter out here. You researched as much as you could on farming before you came here so you had a pretty good idea on what you had to do. First things first, you'd have to clear out the foliage from around the front of your house.
You pulled a couple weeds and grass out from the soil, tossing some of them into your pockets. Who knows if you'll need it later? You threw some stones off to the side, some of the pebbles you kept in your pockets as well. Lastly, you threw a couple of the logs into the lumber pile beside your house. You were a little tired, but kept going. Next step was to hoe the dirt to get the seeds to the fertile soil which you tried to do and expertly failed at. You soon realized you were holding it the wrong way, so you moved your hand placement and tried it that way, which seemed to work fine.
You successfully hoed one piece of land, a triumphant smile on your face. You got to work on tilling more dirt before taking out a seed packet and ripping it open. You crouch down to the hoed land, digging a small hole and pouring the seeds in. You cover it back up with soil, repeating those steps 14 more times until all of the seed packets were all empty. Crossing off those steps in your brain, you know that you need to water the seeds. You head back inside, looking around the tool rack for the watering can, picking it up by the handle. You head toward the small pond you had spotted yesterday.
You filled it up with the water from the pond which was surprisingly blue despite all of the trash you could see at the bottom. Once it was full, you walked back to the crops and poured what seemed like a good about of water on each little dirt lump. Once you finished, the can was still roughly halfway full, so you placed it next to the steps to use tomorrow. You checked your watch which was probably the most high-tech thing in this town. It told you the time, todays weather, the date, and the season. It also kept track of your money which you decided not to question how it worked.
It was roughly 8:50AM which seemed like a good time to head out into town. You assumed most people would be up by now so it might be a good time to meet people. You head back inside, placing your hoe back on the rack and brushing the dirt off of your pants, cleaning yourself up a bit. You want to make a good impression after all and dirty overalls won't do the trick. You exit the house again, moving your hair out of your face and adjusting your overalls and heading out of the farm and onto the dirt path. Once you make it to the town, the path switched from dirt to polished cobblestone.
The town looked anything but new but it looked homely. There was a blue-white building with a sky blue plus above the door and it was attached to a light tan, significantly bigger building with a big sign that reads: Pierre's. It had a billboard with all sorts of stuff on it and a balcony above everything. You saw a man with a yellow flannel and a blue shirt walking toward the tan building. You jog up to him before he can enter the building. "Hi! I'm Y/N, the new farmer." You introduce yourself, holding your hand out for a handshake. He turned toward you, a smiled growing on his face under his bushy mustache.
He accepts the gesture, shaking your hand with a firm grip. "Well hello there! I'm Gus, chef and owner of the Stardrop Saloon." He motions to the brick building a couple yards away. The bricks look worn and cracked and definitely dirt coated but the vine covered building felt welcoming. "Stop in if you need any refreshments. I've always got hot coffee and cold beer at the ready." You nodded at him, "It's nice to meet you Gus, I think I'll stop by soon. I could use a coffee anytime." "You're always welcome. I have some stuff to buy but I'll see you sometime." You waved to him as he entered Pierre's. A reddish brown haired main opening the doors for him.
The man spots you, telling something to Gus before walking over to you. "Hey, it's Mx. Y/N, the new farmer!" He says, a grin on his face. "That's me!" You say, stepping toward him. "I'm Pierre, the owner of the local general store." You look toward the building he exited from. "Oh, so you're Pierre." You say aloud. "Yep! If you're looking for seeds, my shop is the place to go. I'll also buy produce from you for a good price!" You tuck that piece of information away, now knowing where to buy more parsnip seeds. "I guess we'll be like unofficial business partners then, since I'm running the farm now."
He nods at you before walking backwards back into the general store. "A little agriculture could really inject new life into the local economy!" You wave each other off and you hear the door chime go off before you are left to find other people. You head toward the little area near the Saloon, hearing a noise to the left of you. You turn and see a boy around your age messing with a football. He was wearing a green varsity jacket and he had messy hair which looked like it was full of hair gel. There was no way it stayed like that normally. You walked up to him but he noticed you before you could talk.
"Hey, you're the new farmer, huh?" He asked, catching the football and tucking it under his arm. "Yeah, that I am. I'm Y/N." You grin at him. "Cool, I hope we get along. I'm Alex." "Nice to meet you Alex, I hope we get along too. See you around." You say as he starts to throw the football again. "I'll see you around." That was quite a quick conversation but it gave you more time to meet more people. It was around 9:40 now which surprised you, how did it take you almost an hour to meet 3 people?
You walk past the front of the Saloon and see a ginger haired girl, who looked rather old fashioned, sitting against a tree. You walk up to her and tap her on the shoulder. She jumps a little, turning her head toward you quickly. "Hello! I'm Y/N, the new farmer." You greet as she just gives you a shy grin. "Oh...Hello! I'm Penny..." She says just loud enough for you to hear. You smile at her before noticing the book in her hands. "Oh, sorry to interrupt your reading. It was nice meeting you." You wave before scurrying off, her giving a little wave in response.
You see a woman with bushy brown hair in a braid and a green an red dress with leaf designs. You walk up to her, a grin making its way to her face as you get closer. "Hi! I'm Y/N! I'm the new farmer!" The woman smiles at you before she talks in the most country, country accent you have ever heard. "Ah, Mayor Lewis told me you just arrived. I'm Marnie!" She suddenly wraps you in a giant hug. You weren't expecting that so it takes you a minute to reciprocate the action. She eventually lets you go before continuing to talk. "I sell livestock and animal care products at my ranch. You should swing by sometime." And then she was off. No goodbye, nothing.
You just sort of stood in shock but eventually snapped out of it. You saw yet another girl with a braid walking toward you. She had her hands in her pockets and seemed to be admiring the scenery. You walk up to her and she quickly takes notice, giving you a grin. "Hi there! I'm Y/N. The new farmer." You greet just like you did multiple times before. "Hello, it's nice to meet you." She had a calm yet energetic tone that reminded you of maple. "You picked a good time to move here... The spring is lovely." "It is quite gorgeous, I have to agree." She smiles at you, moving on with her day. "I'm Leah by the way." She calls back.
A blond haired boy, who looked quite cute you won't lie but not your type, walked out of the blue house farthest away from you. He wore a yellow shirt with a blue jean jacket over top, pins and buttons scattered everywhere across the surface of it. You could guarantee he had pounds of hair gel or wax in his hair because NOBODIES hair sticks up like that naturally. You jog up to him as a playful grin crosses his face. "Hey, I'm Y/N. The farmer!" You introduce yourself. "Hey, I'm Sam. Good to meet you." He smiles before his watch starts to beep. "Ah, shit. I'd love to stay but I have work. See you later!" He calls, running off to his job.
You are about to leave to go find other people when another person walks out of the house closest to you. She has long, wavy blonde hair and she looks like she came straight out of a fashion magazine. You go to tap her shoulder but she turns around and avoids your hand, a halfway disgusted look on her face. "Oh... you're that new farmer person, aren't you." She spoke exactly like how you thought she would. Kind of bitchy, kind of nice, "Uhm, yeah. I am. My name is Y/N. What's yours?" She seems to not really be paying attention to you at all, so you wave your hand in her face to get her focus back.
She blinks a couple times, "Huh? Oh... I'm Haley." She looks you up and down before scoffing. "If it weren't for those horrendous clothes you might actually look good." You were taken aback. Who does she think she is? "Excuse me?" "Actually, never mind." She then walks off the opposite direction. Well she got you out of the mood for talking to people. You decide to instead explore the town by yourself. The building you were standing in front of was a light tan with an orangey brown roof and accents. There was a sun decoration above the door with a face that looked to be drawn on. It had '2 Willow Lane' engraved near the door so you assumed the house beside it would be '1 Willow Lane'.
Your suspicions were correct when the blue building had those exact words carved next to one of the windows. It was a very basic house with blue painted wood and purple colored roof tiles. A large steering wheel for a ship was hanging above their door, and you could see a red-headed boy playing in his room with a green dinosaur monster. You turn back around the way you came, walking upon a small graveyard with only 4 gravestones. The only readable one was the gravestone in the middle honoring someone named Mona. You peeked over a fenced off area in front of the graveyard only to be greeted with a closed off sewer entrance.
You swiftly moved along the dirt path, turning to walk across a bridge, bumping into a tall man with long orange hair. He stepped back slightly, looking you over before he smiled. "Ah, the new farmer we've all been expecting... and whose arrival has sparked many a conversation!" He spoke poetically, like straight out of a Shakespearian play. "That I am. The name's Y/N." You introduce for what seemed like millionth time today. "I'm Elliot... I live in the little cabin by the beach. It's a pleasure to meet you." You let a grin grace your face. This was a big positive turn from that Haley girl. "It's nice to meet you too. I'll let you be on your way now. Have a good one." You wave him off, watching the man walk toward the general store.
Continuing on your way across the bridge, you find yourself on a sandy beach, a cabin to your left and docks at your front. You assume the cabin belonged to Elliot so you made your way down to the docks toward the pale wooded building with mismatched roof tiles. Once you made it to the end of the dock, you saw that the front was decorated with different fishing gear and typical beach like decor. A sign above the door read, 'FISH' along with a letter on the door notifying you that the owner was out on a trip and wouldn't be back till tomorrow. You then left the docks alone, not finding a reason to stay any longer, making your way back toward land.
Before you leave the beach, you find a broken wood path leading toward a split off section of the beach. You couldn't find a way across and a little sign in front of the pathway said it needed 300 wood to be fixed so you just left it to be fixed, probably by you, later. Getting off the beach, you head to your right, going across yet another bridge. There seemed to be a lot of bridges in Pelican Town. A forest green building with a purple roof stood there, a magnifying glass and an open book above the door. It was probably the most well kept building you had seen here so far. Further up the path was a dull gray brick building, significantly smaller than the other one.
There was a mechanical thing extending from the back of the building with a bunch of buttons on it. You were quickly distracted by a minecart track with a minecart just sitting there but the track didn't seem to be operational so you left it be and walked around it. Past a fenced off area with tons of foliage was possibly your worst nightmare. A Joja Mart. The one thing you came here to escape from. You walked by as quickly as you could, trying to rid your memories from the painful time you had working at the company. Crossing yet another bridge, you follow a small path away from town, walking along the peaceful and flowing river.
A staircase was building into the side of the tiny cliff, giving you easy access to the top of the cliff. At the top there was a building in pure ruin. It looked entirely run down with a broken clock on the front and vines over taking the walls and roof. You decide on leaving it be, hurriedly walking by and down the path. You find yourself in front of a expertly build house with polished wood for the walls and a bright blue roof. A sign showed a picture of a saw on it so you put two and two together and assumed it was the carpenter's shop. Pushing open the front door, you saw the familiar red haired woman sitting behind the counter, smiling when she saw you. "Hey Y/N!" She greets, waving you over.
The shop part of the house was built with a lighter wood than the outside, and there was a small waiting area made up of two chairs and a table in between. Piles of wood were scattered around the floor and family photos on the walls. "Hey Robin." You respond, looking around the room. "Have you met everyone in town yet?" She asks you, crossing her arms, placing them against the table and leaning against them. "Not yet, but I met quite a few. I've walked all across Pelican Town." You say, making a couple small hand gestures. She gives you a look of sympathy, "That sounds exhausting." You nodded in agreement as a man in a blue shirt walks in the room.
"Hey babe, this is Y/N, the farmer." Robin introduces you to her husband who was taking off rubber gloves. "Greetings! I'm Demetrius, local scientist and father." He gestures to a girl with a bob in the other room. "Hello! I'm Y/N, the new farmer as Robin said." You forced a smile, getting bad vibes from him but being nice none the less. "Thanks for introducing yourself!" You nod at him before a strange smell drifted in from the other room. "My apologies for the smell. I'm studying the local plants and animals from my home laboratory." "Huh, that's interesting." You lie. You didn't really care about science and stuff like that nor were you ever good at it in school, but you tried to be as nice as you could because he was Robin's husband. "Have you met my daughter Maru? She's interested to meet you."
You shake your head as a small explosion noise is heard from the room with the girl. "I haven't, I'll go introduce myself now. It was nice meeting you!" You call to the couple as you wandered into the lab, strange beakers, flasks, and chemicals scattered around everywhere. The girl, who you assumed was Maru, was picking things up off the floor so you knelt down to help her. You grabbed a petri dish and a couple vials from the floor. "Thank you for helping..." The girl looks up at you and the corner of her lips turn upward into the biggest smile you've seen. "Oh! Aren't you the one who just moved in?" She asked, taking the things out of your hands and placing them on the table. "Your welcome, and yeah, that's me. I'm Y/N." You stand back up onto your feet.
"I'm Maru. I've been looking forward to meeting you!" She extends her hand for a hand shake which you accept, your grip firm. "You know, with a small town like this, a new face can really alter the community dynamic. It's exciting!" She speaks loudly, shaking her hands in excitement which rubs off on you making you smile. Before you can respond, someone with a raspy voice speaks first. "Maru, can you be quieter? I'm really trying to work here." You turn around to see a boy with dark black hair and a pale face peeking around the corner. This must have been Robin's other kid. Maru rolled her eyes and leaned against the lab table. "What work? You literally sit on your computer all day doing nothing."
The boys brows furrow and he opens his mouth to speak, but he closes it, shaking his head slightly. "Just, please be quieter." And that's the end of that. You hear footsteps going down before a door shuts. You turn back to Maru who sighs deeply before turning to you, "That's Sebastian, he's my half-brother, if you didn't know already. We look and act totally different." She explains with an annoyed look on her face. You nod with a tight-lipped smile, "Yeah, I can tell." An awkward silence fills the room before Maru breaks it, "Well, I need to finish this experiment. I'll see you later." She gives you a small wave. "Okay, goodbye." You respond and hurry out of there. You notice that Robin and Demetrius have left and you spot them standing next to a cliff leaning into each other. They wave at you when you walk by, and you reciprocate the gesture.
After waving at a couple people you met, you make it back to L/N Farm. You sigh, opening the door and flopping down on your bed face first into the pillow. It wasn't super late, maybe around 4PM but you were wiped. Socializing wasn't really your thing. You didn't make any friends when you worked at Joja but that's because you didn't like them, and you don't think they liked you either. It was a very mutual feeling that you had with most people, but here? Here was different. People actually made an effort to talk with you. The townsfolk actually seemed happy when chatting with you. You felt... happy. A feeling you weren't used too. You were excited for the future and everything to come, but for now, maybe a nap wouldn't hurt...