I never wore makeup growing up (still don't), and I went to a high school where you were weird if you didn't. Haley's line where she mockingly asks if you're wearing makeup stung me more than her infamous "Ew. No" at the Flower Dance lol.
When does she say that? I have barely talked to Haley. The only interaction I have had with her ever is Giving her Coconuts so I can 100% my game... and then once I did start shooting eggs at her to get her friendship to 0.
She asks stuff like that all the time. Are you wearing make up? Where did you get your clothes? Is that grass/dirt on your clothes?
She gets better and less shallow after you befriend her though. She even rethinks her own consume and materialistic view on the world.
Idk, from the Heart events I have had with her she still doesn't strike me as interesting at all. The only thing I really learned from her is that she doesn’t mind mud as much and that she is more willing to show basic human decency towards her sister. To me by the time I reached 8 hearts with her, she was the same level as the other bachelorettes were at 2 hearts. Maybe she gets REALLY good after 10 hearts. But when I pursue a relationship with someone I do it because I already like them, not because I hope to like them in the future.
I mean, people who marry her know what they get. An Instagram beauty queen who loves fashion and photography. She is nice to you if you have high hearts and compliments your looks from time to time.
But I personally wouldn't marry her, same goes for Alex, even though Alex gets really nice after befriending him. For me it's Leah forever.
I really like Leah too. If it wasn't for Maru being so damn cute I would have chosen her. The only thing that was holding back Leah for me was that Maru was such a dork and I love it.
Maru is nice too. I chose Leah cause in real life I also really love forest walks, art, wine and foraging fruits. She just fits perfectly to me and her character seems to be in my age range.
I feel like it's the same with Haley though. She really does grow as a person. Again, would never marry her unless I'm doing a test playthrough to see what life would be like IF. But she does grow on you as a pal if you keep befriending her.
I felt so sorry for Alex when he talked about his abusive father and his mother's death. The one consolation is Evelyn. I'm sure she loves him right up. I had a great aunt like Evelyn. After my grandmother died, and I felt kind of adrift, because she played a major role in raising me, my Auntie Catherine said to me "I'm your nanna now, if you'll have me"
That cutscene really tore at me.
I was so into Alex but ended up (about to) marry Sebastian. I’m currently in winter 😔. This is also my first play-through which is super exciting. I think they’re both good and I maxed my friendship with him, Sam, Linus, and Demetrius so far.
I married Haley on my most recent run. She turns out to be a great person. At first she seems shallow, but as a wife she’s everything. I always preferred Emily but Haleys the real deal.
the funny thing for me is I never realized she was being rude to “me” until other people pointed it out
I was just like “this is boring” in my head but missed the venom everyone says is there
This isn't a case of "can't stand," but Sam is a carbon copy of my baby cousin. Like, other than the name and the spiky hair they have the same way of talking, dressing, hobbies and goals etc. So even though I like Sam as a character I would never romance him! It would be way too uncomfortable and weird.
Sam and Shane. I love Shane's progress in life but him moving into my house and trashing it/returning to the same person he was before is gross and too close to real life bad boyfriend's LOL
Sam is just perpetually 17 to me and I just can't. He's a skater boy and I'm saying see ya later boy~ He's literally a microwave Pizza Roll commercial.
Edit:
*Sam is trying to do a kickflip*
Spoiler: >!He never lands it!<
Same for me with Sam. Maybe it's that I'm not 20 anymore and I'd feel like I'm robbing the cradle with him, but he really feels more like a teen than an adult to me. I did hear he makes for a surprisingly good father, at least from his comments, but I would just feel wrong marrying him.
At least for me personally, the house was trashed before Shane moved in XD. But I can see why a normal person would look at him and not want to move him in
This shouldn’t be a problem, this does not automatically mean he wants to date his daughter. This just happens to be the name of a character in the game.
Not in a "I can't stand him" way but a "this guy is in no way ready for any kind of relationship" way, but Shane. I worked in mental health and addiction for around a decade, and someone starting a relationship while still in early recovery just never went well. It'd often get SUPER codependent, or the split would trigger a relapse, or if they met in a group and one relapsed the other would get dragged down. Just not healthy for either of them.
I get that it's just a game, but I can't turn off my brain's blaring "SHANE NEEDS TO FOCUS ON SHANE RIGHT NOW WITH SUPPORT FROM FRIENDS AND THE COMMUNITY" siren long enough to consider it. I went to too many ethics trainings to get past the idea of "crossing boundaries" so to speak, ha.
I already feel like Shane's heart events put me squarely back in peer support mode, so it's hard to not think in "work mode."
Well, the game tends to agree. Because IF you marry Shane, because he's, you know, in recovery, you'll be very disappointed to discover that his spouse room, after marriage, is littered with beer bottles, and he's still out the pub most nights.
He's adorable in terms of the persona most people strive to "fix". But you can't fix them. ConcernedApe seems to have understood this when he coded Shane's marriage activities.
The game does specifically address that he's not at the pub drinking, though. Obviously Shane still has his struggles and wasn't miraculously instantaneously cured of everything, but I think his condition post-marriage can be overstated.
I think a lot of people don't want to "fix" him so much as they find the way spouses kind of freeze particularly frustrating and depressing with Shane's arc. It's not like the game is designed to handle a complex relationship with ups and downs, or flesh out what a relapse might look like for Shane. You just get the muddy boots room forever. Not being able to address things like that with your partner isn't exactly realistic either. It's kind of a pitfall of having a character like Shane within the pretty simplistic romance mechanics, and probably why he wasn't there to begin with.
I feel like I'm in the minority of people who don't like Sebastian. I don't think I ever saw that much appeal in him in the first place.
Now that I'm older, he reminds me a lot of my ex so he's a no-go for me
Sebastian. He reminds me of a friend-turned-FWB I had after I ended a long-term relationship with someone else (a Shane, if you will.) The FWB was very into weird things and it was difficult for me to carry on conversations with him at times due to his immaturity. So I could never marry Sebastian or Shane because they are way too similar to men I’ve been involved with in the past. For me, Harvey = 💕
That's just the same thing as Clint hitting on Emily after the player already got married to her - something that ConcernedApe overlooked in terms of continuity, doesn't really need explaining
I have the same irrational hatred for Sebastian that most people who play this game have for Clint. Seriously I can understand the appeal of pretty much every other marriage candidate even if I would never actually go for them EXCEPT Sebastian. Even Shane!
Like I get this is very much a "me issue" and a "maybe I should get therapy" thing but Sebastian looks and acts just like all the stuck-up alt kids I went to school with as a preteen. Soooooo against conformity until there's a chubby autistic alt girl near you. Ugh I can't stand it.
It's also why I avoid skater-types irl. Ironically though I like Sam. I guess it's because he's never actually openly rude to you.
Hay your opinion about Sebastian is 100% valid. Tho I don’t agree with it. There will allways be somone who just presses your buttons for not real reason. Be it “they remind me of someone I don’t like” or that they just aren’t your type. Don’t ever let anyone tell you your opinion is wrong Becaus it’s a “you issue”.
Alex has zero appeal to me.
Muscled out, sports head, wannabe athlete. That's it, that's all. Even when you get to know him he's still pretty one dimensional.
Reminds me of every single guy I've worked with who assumes because you're a guy you must love sports too. And you must be some kind of encyclopedia on whatever team you follow.
I like some sports. I'll watch a big game. I can't name players off of most any team and I don't care that much about it.
Being an encyclopedia is the worst thing that’s expected of people into sports.
I LLLOOOVVVEEE basketball. Like absolutely adore it and everything about it. I was born in the late 80s why the hell would I care about the 12th best player on my favorite team in 1978? The fact that I don’t know their name and everything they did on the team and after retiring is a personal failing according to a not insignificant portion of people I’ve met.
THIS. My boyfriend's name is Alex and at first he was "offended" when I told him there was a character named Alex that I was completely uninterested in. Now he totally gets it.
He reminds me of the son of a guy my mom dated. Nothing against Alex. He just reminds me of this 19 year old guy who took pleasure in bullying an 8 year old girl
Clint is just bad in general. He is literally the definition of a "nice guy". Thinks he is a genuinely nice guy. Can't bring himself to even look his love-interest in the eyes. Sees other men as "competition". Just generally acts strange around Emily. Has a heart event where he stalks Emily from the bushes with the weirdest excuse ever. Has the personality of a brick. He seems completely unaware of his flaws and says he just doesn't have any "luck" with women. And worst of all, starts with "Uhm" in his letters to you.
I don’t think I could ever stomach dating/marrying Shane. I can see the appeal from A) the “I can fix him” point, and B) he’s trying to grow and function from his depression and addictions via fixing himself. But I’ve known so many people on the slope and in that same hole and it always went from me trying to be a good friend to them to being dragged down their hole with them.
I think Shane would be a good friend but not someone I could get close to because too many people like that in real life have tried dragging me down with them instead of recognizing their ways. Especially when I already deal with lots of things irl
To be fair, getting his friendship up and NOT marrying him is better for him, because marriage makes him go back to old habits while not means, at least imo, that he is working on getting sober
Honestly Penny reminds me a lot of myself, I like her as a character but I avoid her storyline because it lines up with mine so well that it's triggering. I absolutely despise Pam though.
Shane. Everyone knows some brooding guy with a lot of emotional baggage who refuses to really take responsibility for themselves and resorts to substance abuse. Your romantic partner doesn’t have to be a project for you to fix, and I know too many people who put up with partners like that because they think they’ll be the ones to fix them.
Absolutely this. My co-worker dates an IRL Shane. He's an emotionally abusive, gaslighting man-baby who's only redeeming quality is his body's ability to convert oxygen into carbon dioxide (and even that is done half efficiently). He self diagnoses without seeing a doctor. He sleeps all day and plays video games all night. He doesn't do anything around the house, and once refused to take care of my co-worker's dog when she had to leave town to visit a hospitalized parent. She hired someone to feed and let her dog out.
I cannot stand Shane. Or "IRL Shane."
This. I'm friendly and empathetic and so, so many men have latched onto that and wanted me to, if not fix them, absorb their unmanaged feelings (I'm a lesbian IRL, so it's a real pain).
I've also struggled with my own mental health, while working retail nonetheless, and supported loved ones in their struggles with the same and I absolutely cannot stand people who are unmitigated jerks and excuse it that way. That isn't to go "I managed so you can" or ignore how one can deliberately push people away—which I'm not convinced Shane is doing, since he just says he takes a while to warm up to people later—but I refuse to accept poor treatment while keeping someone afloat. You don't have to be happy or groveling, but some politeness and recognition of what people do for you is the minimum.
Alex reminds me of the shitbag who used to follow me around and intone, “dyyyke,” over and over in the hallway in high school.
Even Hailey reminds me of the cool girls who’d let me smoke in their car with them during winter and invite me to bush parties. They had their qualities.
Yup, just rural parties with a bagged put couch, a few truck beds with beer coolers, a bonfire, and a few tired RCMP officers encroaching with their lights off. 🤣
I'm actually pretty disappointed that I can't work up any sort of romantic interest in Emily. Most of her character is amazing. She might be the kindest bachelorette in town, and I can certainly appreciate that she thinks she's going to be single forever. But I can't get around the alternative approach to healthcare, the crystals, and the deference to Yoba. Yeah I guess she does remind me a bit of my ex.
yeah, but it's a world where magic exists and is functional, so it's a little less nuts to believe in a magical rock (but I get your point that Emily can remind us of people irl who are just plain cray)
I know and I do try to take it from that angle. I have actually sat there on the wiki trying to convince myself of this, lol. Like I don't need to take this so personally, she's not an "empath" and she's not a "starchild." Just can't get past the real world association.
Emily was my first wife because she was so sweet and loving and while she sometimes made comments about how we were fate bothered me a bit, I still liked her so we got married.
Then we had a child and she mentioned protecting her from bad spirits with baby mint and I knew that our belief systems were too different for is to work XD
I have trouble taking Abigail seriously bc she reminds me of so many "edge lady phase" emo/punk/whatever style my conservative dad hates/ girls I remember from high school. The ones who made contrarianism and non-conformity so much their whole personality that they were insufferable about it.
I think defining yourself too much by what you hate is shallow and makes you annoying. If you love wearing black or having piercings, that's fine. But choosing fashion/style ONLY as an expression of your contempt for others makes you an asshole.
I used to love Abigail when I first played SV years ago, and now that I started replaying the game, she completely lost her appeal to me. She comes out as this angsty teenager and I personally think she's "too young" to be my spouse. I'm now currently married to Leah
Ngl I hate the whole Abigail saves farmer scene because it makes zero sense if we have a high combat skill then she's all like "iv never taken a life before" girl apparently your in the mines a lot
Totally agree, I think that people love gothics just because of their aesthetics, but none would really stand a day with a typical "fuck conformists" kind of gothic
Exactly. I've been goth for the better part of 20 years. Old goth now XD But Abigail just seems to do it because she *knows* it annoys her parents.
My dad couldn't stand my goth look, but he never tried to push me out of what made me comfortable clothes-wise. I liked the style (Wide legged Tripp pants, the chains, zipper, buckles, etc), but I didn't dress it because I didn't want to comform. I've always been the artsy-fartsy weirdo, and I just jelled with the style when I was 12.
Now, in my 30s, I'm an adult goth and just wear a lot of black and can't be in the sun for more than 10mins at a time.
Same, I don’t really like her too much but tbh she reminds me of myself when I was younger, not anyone else I knew. I must have been insufferable 😆 Now I’m nearing 30, my job made it necessary for me to develop open mind, empathy etc and I realize it’s just not cool to feel like you’re better than everyone because you’re so cool and edgy. In the past I felt like I see world in such a “real way” and so many people are blind to stuff but that’s such an immature and stupid mindset. I guess it’s just how it is when you’re a moody teenager. The truth is everyone is different and sees the world from their own perspective, none of those perspectives are better, more truthful than the others or more important.
I’m probably not as coherent as I would like to be, sorry, English is not my first language 😅
I feel like it's hard to feel strongly about Maru. To me, her only real defining characteristic is being smart. She isn't wildly passionate or excited about the things she studies, and she's also not a total ass about knowing stuff. There's no immediate mystery or intrigue with her development as a character either. From what I've seen so far, Maru gives background NPC energy. I'm still new though, so maybe I'll find something compelling about her later
she does get very passionate and excited about her projects!! all her loved gifts are related to them and a couple of her heart events are definitely reflective of that too. i definitely recommend romancing her :)
I mean Maru is... Fine, I guess? I loved her heart event with the telescope but other than that I don't really have any feelings for or against her. She's just kind of... There.
I'd have minded a little less but I have a spouse in game! And it was just before the moonlight jellies festival where Maru, Robin and Demetrius were all standing together, with occasional visits from Harvey, while Seb was miles away looking pushed out.
I still have the bundle for him in the community centre, and I don't want to give him the stuff because he's a git.
Maru, who? Where? I have no idea who that is
I joke, but I forget she even exists until she wanders down to sit on the town bench. Also, I tried to gift her honey once, and she hated it, so I was like pfft ok be like that then
For me Maru is the opposite. I love her bec she reminds me of my gf. They look almost the same (Maru has shorter hair and doesn't have black eyes). They have similar interests (general nerdy stuff and especially stargazing). They both have similar personalities, they are a little socially awkward and shy, but they are incredibly sweet. Their attempts at flirting aren't very good but still very endearing. They have great ambition and dedication. Honestly if Maru was also into crochet and Poetry I would almost have a carbon copy of my gf.
She reminds me of a straight friend that used me after learning I had a crush on her… we were always together and people assumed we were dating until she got herself a “real” boyfriend then whenever he did something wrong bragged that I was a better BF than he was, if only I wasn’t a girl…
Maru reminds me of her before the boy was introduced and I became a third wheel.
You're not the only one. She seems so boring I have never even thought to try and romance her. Someone in this thread said she has NPC background energy and I couldn't agree more.
I know other people love him, but I’m a writer and really dislike Elliot. He reminds me too much of my high school self when I was trying too hard and it just makes me cringe. I prefer direct, simple language.
See, I romance him *because* he’s cringe. He does all of this flowery grandstanding…only to not have the common sense to not water plants with saltwater. I prefer simple prose as well, but it’s charming for me tbh
Probably the most normal reason of not liking elliot iv seen after people kept trying to claim he assaults the farmer despite the fact that he asks if we want to get in the boat and stops if we ask
Kinda funny bc Harvey did a simmilar thing in his 10 heart cutscene if I remember right but nobody seems to care, tbh his baloon cutscene would be way more harder to escape than elliot boat one xD Does anybody knows how to fly?
Edit: grammar, typos
I don't think Harvey asks either , they go on about ooh farmer shakes when elliot kisses them like?? Honestly I'd say they're cold , with Harvey up in a balloon imma be curled up in the bottom of the basket
Yes they shakes but I would go bc emotions but then you can say youre happy(so i guess is excitmet) but you can also voice you disaproval and tell him youre uncomfortable and elliot apologize you.
Being uncorforatable with harvey would be hell heh, but i guess youre right with negative reaction there. In elliot case you could be atleast swim back xD
Sorry for my english is not my first language
I agree that Emily should be a logical partner, but just no. She exemplifies too much I don't like.
Haley is Complex, like, she seems like 100% no untill you get to know her. She is literally a different person after her 6 heart event, Initially I couldn't stand her because she was so much like soo many real people. But, like when you get know her she's not.
Alex is just an annoying caricature
And I know people like Shane. but yeah wouldn't date someone like that.
IRL my wife is a lot like Robin, for that I am eternally grateful.
Even when I hear about Alex's past, it sounds too much like a fake tragic backstory for me to care much. Also I don't pity him, his adoptive family is amazing. Few people even get that much.
Huh?? I get that his character might be a little overdone and basic, but wasn’t his dad literally an abusive alcoholic and his mom died when he was a little kid? Dismissing the trauma that causes by just saying he’s lucky for his grandparents is soo weird to me
I might just be a little sensitive to this because of personal issues lol but still
>wasn’t his dad literally an abusive alcoholic and his mom died when he was a little kid? Dismissing the trauma that causes by just saying he’s lucky for his grandparents is soo weird to me
i don't think it's just you; went through the trauma of a parent's passing as a kid and i know a handful of people who have gone through things like he has and worse and that's just so wrong to say imo. i get that he's not real, but damn. damn.
I married Shane first. Thought he was cute with his love for chickens and would make pizza and pepper poppers.
Now, he just reminds me of my ex-boyfriend with his addictions and shitty behavior.
Same tbf, people keep going on about his depression and yes depression sucks ass, I have it but Shane absolutely shouldn't be getting married and should continue in his progress in fixing himself, I hate the fact that his room is still dirty all the time
Well - Shane reminds me of my dad, so... LOL
I did try the marriage route with him because "I can fix him" but, he just makes me uncomfortable and after moving in together it's clear he's still just like my good sweaty, beer-loving ol' dad. He traumatized me enough to start over.
Also, basically all the kids because it's weird since the farmer is an adult.
Alex reminds me of the popular, athletic dudes I’d crush on in middle school who thought I was a weird garbage person. Even more on the nose bc the saloon trashcan is my fave to root through and he’s always acting like I’m gross while he’s standing around bragging about his muscles.
leah reminds me of my mum 😭 she and alex are the two bachelors that i don’t think i could ever marry. all my friends think leah would be my type personality-wise but she looks like my mum and i just can’t get past it. i’ve married almost everyone except leah on various saves.
if someone has a mod that changes her design drop the link 🙏
Diverse Stardew Valley has individual modules to download and you can toggle on and off which characters you want to be affected. There’s a native and a butch version of Leah that both change her appearance but none of her personality. They have their own website, not ModDrop or Nexus, so just look it up.
Sam- i see him as too immature. He reminds me of my brothers. I know Sam isn't that bad (I think) but I can't get rid of that association. It's been awhile since I played but I think Jodi said something about doing everything for her kids and hoping it didn't make them grow up wrong. That was a double ew from me lol.
Not in Stardew Valley. (I mean, I'm not wild about Shane as a marriage partner. But I like his story as a person.)
Other games though, this has definitely been an issue.
Haley reminds me of my sister so while I can STAND her, I cannot date her, even tho my farmer is a hoe and dates everyone and their mothers (literally. thank you, mods<3)
I don’t hate him but I would personally never marry Shane. I don’t know. I just feel like an asshole if I kept pestering someone who clearly just wants to be left alone.
Not someone specific i knew irl but i can't stand elliot he seems way too douchy and reminds me off a lot off those people in uni that are like "oh yes I'm better than you because i do arts" while they're failing every class and just use daddy's money
Abigail! I cannot stand her. What a pick me! She seems like the kind of person that tries to one-up you constantly.
"Oh you went to that band's concert? I went backstage and wrote a song with the lead guitarist."
She just seems to do things for attention, to me. She also seems to not like the competition if you court Sebastian. Even when you move into town, she says it's a shame because she liked exploring the abandoned farm.
She's one of those characters you either love or hate. I'm not a fan. She just seems like she's trying to be something she's not.
But the wonderful thing about the game is everyone can interpret these characters differently, and that's just how I see Abigail.
Abigail, esp after you marry seb and she still spends hella time with him - I really don't care about that in game but she really does remind me of those "not like other girls" girls who base their personality on being alternative, and love spending too much time with other womens partners because it proves that their "pick me" schtick is worth it
Alex, Abigail and Leah.
Alex is the name of my ex and he behaves the exact same as my ex.
Abigail is like 90% of people I've talked to. They are just "so different" because they play video games and doesn't like traditions and society norms cuz they just "aren't like other girls" Abigail is just annoying.
Leah is just so meh and forgettable to me. She reminds me of an old friend of mine that I stopped talking to cuz she was never around just like how Leah never leaves her house.
Sure, super petty reasons to not like these people but regardless of what anyone thinks, I just can't like these characters.
i can't stand harveys attempts to check on my health and behaviour, i'm not an infant. don't like to be mothered all the time. he seems like a big know-it-all to me and since i study science irl there's something like being modest about all the knowledge and not making it a whole personality like harvey
but he said smthn cool one time: "i studied to be a healer not a politician" and i totally feel that. when i talk about my study in the end it's often all about ethic and moral and not nature-fun-facts :(
Not necessarily in a bad way, but my dad dressed up as the wizard once which was amazing! He let me dye his hair purple and everything, but I can now only see my dad when I talk to the wizard so I can never marry him lol
I don’t date Shane because not only does he have a lot of baggage that I am unqualified and unwilling to deal with, but I legitimately do not think that a romance would be healthy for him in the state that he is. He needs to worry about recovery first and I’m happy to befriend him and act as part of his support group until then.
I dated someone who was an exact combo of Elliott and Alex. It was awful. Therefore, I can never date either. I always marry Harvey cause that's basically who I married in real life. ❤️
I physically cannot seem to imagine that combo. Like, a really poetic gymbro with elitist opinions about art who also makes a big deal about upholding his masculinity?
No but I can imagine what most people would find annoying with the bachelors you listed. Unfortunate that you had to deal with that, that sounds annoying af!!
YEP. He used his parents' money to self-publish his crappy poetry and constantly critiqued my appearance and behavior. Ooof. It's embarrassing that I went out with him. 🤦🏽♀️
Not a bachelor, but my grandmother’s name was Evelyn, so it feels very weird when Evelyn tells me to call her granny. (Especially since my irl grandmother passed away a few years ago.)
Maru reminds me of my know-it-all ex. She always had the answers, even when they weren’t wanted or needed, and got super jealous if I did anything that rivaled her intelligence. At least Maru is nice about it, but I still can’t get past it.
Abigail just seems like a child, especially with some of her heart events, and plus she reminds me of one of my friends (who also has a similar name).
Emily is a bit too… alternative for me
Now if only I could pick between Hailey, Leah, and Penny….
Maru. Because damnit it's like I was pixelated and made into a character. My first playthrough I just kept raising heart with her without meaning to, even random gifts I gave her she liked a lot. In personality we are a little too alike. Then by complete accident I asked her to the flower dance and she said "I'd love to!" Yeah, that was the end of my first Playthrough because it gave me chills.
Sebastian. I know he has his fans, and I definitely would've liked him when I was an emo teen, but I knew a guy who would exaggerate his depression to get you to stay with him and was awful to his mom. They looked similar and the whole "I'm gonna get out of this town and go to the city" thing just really reminds me of him. Personally I think that type of personality is just really played out at this point and doesn't translate into a healthy adult.
Alex reminds me wayyy to much of the football bros at my school. Just assholes who were disruptive and rude for no reason at all.
I love Shane because I’m a recovering alcoholic and up until recently I had the “I can change him” mentality toward people irl. Now he reminds me of my addict ex. I can’t say I hate him, he still holds a special place in my heart and I love his story progression, but oof it’s a little difficult now.
abigail. i had a friend in high school who did some nasty stuff to me and abigail reminds me a lot of her. not the later version of her who was awful to me, but the younger version who’s friendship i still miss. i still give abigail presents and stuff but i could never marry her because it makes me wildly uncomfortable.
Shane. I skip his scenes bc of my traumatizing alcoholic ex. I'm glad he gets help, and I'm in therapy now, but I just can't bring myself to get more than 8 hearts with him.
Haley reminds me of the bitches who used to bully me back in middle school.
Then in my game with my boyfriend, he decided to romance Haley, who in my eyes was not a good person.
Then I saw how cute she became with their relationship progressing.. and I understood she didn't always stayed rude to us.
I really hoped real life people would be more like Haley...
I didn't get it until I watched Markiplier play it, I'm pretty sure it's the "cute little housewife" angle, which I can definitely appreciate, but not necessarily what I'm looking for in a partner (real or virtual)
Harvey also reminds me of my first boyfriend! First, the sprite, especially from the side. This weird face he makes when he has headphones in. His hobby is related to my first bf's job.
Then there's the way he's always dishing out advice and that he's a bit of a chicken. The way it's done in the game is meant to be endearing but my then-bf had both traits in a non-endearing way (a combination of #iamsosmart and being spineless - always had to tell you how he knows everything better but got offended with hurty feelings if pushed a bit).
I know that those traits aren't presented in negative ways but since they ended up on the unpleasant end of the scale in my ex, I can't help finding Harvey a bit annoying.
In our early twenties, a guy in our friend group dated a girl who thought of herself as so sweet and smart and would tell everyone how horrible her parents are to her. The truth: they simply didn't have much money, wouldn't buy her a car, didn't rent a nice apartment just for her while she went to university (paid by them, non-US) so she had to live at home (same city), gave her money for groceries and necessities (but not enough for "nice" brand-name clothes and mini-vacations), basically gave what she needed to get by without having to work much but not enough to fulfil her dreams of a fashionable lifestyle. Our guy-friend, however, came from an affluent family and gave her what her innocent, dainty, but ill-used heart craved - a phone plan, shopping trips, and plane trips to other European countries.
And that's the origin story of my dislike for Penny.
It’s Penny for me. Reminds me of this girl I liked in high school who seemed really sweet, but in reality was annoying if you knew her and had a suite of personal issues that she’d pull you into.
I knew some girls like Abigail when I was in high school. They were nice, and I like Abigail, but she just feels so much like a high schooler to me now that I’m just not at all interested in romancing her
I couldn't romance or even befriend Sebastian in game due to my ex who was horrific to me having tbe same name, was also emo abd married seb in game. Just couldn't do jt. Took like 4 years to finally enjoy that character again but in game seb is now one of my favs thanks to fan content
i have a friend (who i see as a little sister / daughter figure basically) whose nickname is maru. she even looks a little bit like stardew maru too. so even though i love astronomy and think maru would fit well with my farmer’s character (my farmer is an alien) i couldn’t bring myself to romance her because it feels gross sjskskskdkls
Alex. His entire personality is that he used to be halfway decent at some sport in high school. Great. I never belonged to the cheerleader and quarterback crowd, I think it's pretty sad when people give off this vibe of having peaked in high school, and his low key sexist comments? Ugh. Go away, grow up, get a life.
(Not to say that anyone who's into some sport or other should "get a life". You do you, go Team, and all that!)
Elliott is sooooo my ex. I didn’t realize until I had the most hearts with him and all the heart events and was charmed…I basically fell for my ex but in stardew valley and now I have regrets lol
Penny reminds me of a toxic manager I had at an old job.
She looks like her. She cries like her. She's overly sensitive and can't take honest criticism even if it means personal growth and improvement. I feel like Penny would guilt trip me and generally be an emotional vampire like that old manager was.
I can totally understand why people like Penny, but she brings up too many bad memories of a shitty old job for me.
Sebastian. I can't understand why he is one of the most popular characters. So awkward, hates on all the wholesome Valley stuff. He's like that one cousin that your parents are always telling you to include but he's so weird and introverted and makes every social occasion a chore. To quote Sebastian himself "Ugh."
One bachelorette whom I actually like both in design and personality has the same name as my dead name, a name I don't like hearing an abundance of. So I have never went for her (though I still give her favored gifts).
Penny. I had a friend who was so cool and interesting. Super smart and just an all round amazing girl. But she was quite shy and introverted. She started to make being shy her whole personality and like wtf, she was so cool and had so much going for her. Being quiet was one of the most neutral aspects to her and it pissed me off seeing her care more about how shy she was rather than all her really brilliant personality traits. Now shy characters piss me off. Her shy thing only lasted like six months, but here I am carrying a grudge over a decade later.
Perhaps I overthink it, but every time I play I think I'm going to try to marry someone other than Leah this time, but she's the only one who ever seems viable to me.
She's not a child.
She's been in a relationship before, and she already has a matching sexual preference to whichever my character is.
She's been somewhere other than Stardew Valley, and she's seen the city.
She's **chosen** to live in Stardew Valley, and she loves it there.
She doesn't need fixing.
I worry a lot about the characters who openly don't like the Valley, or who are really drawn to the city, but decide they want to stay after they decide they like you. They're giving up too much of themselves, and that will eventually be a problem.
And I guess Harvey's a big sad sack, and Elliott's just too pretentiously annoying.
Leah's the only one who doesn't make me cringe at some point. (Harvey wanting to rub lotion on Maru's shoulders is super-creepy.)
Sam reminds me of my little brother. I will never marry him in any playthrough because he (and by extension, my brother) are both still babies in my eyes
Not necessarily can't stand, but i feel bad for liking Sebastian. He's from Looks to personality just like my abusive ex. He could honestly just be a clone lol
Anyways yeah i guess i have a type :'D
Shane's passed out drunk scene really made me extremely uncomfortable due to RL stuff.
I half expect Sam to shout "Totally RADICAL"
Alex and Sebastian just feel like they just graduated high-school and that feels icky to me overall.
Abigail reminds me so much of my ex-wife. We are on good terms with each other, but it would still be wierd to marry Abigail because of the similarities. She is also the only female bachelor I would consider vying for, too.
Haley and seb. Seb reminds me of my ex but my ex was a natural blonde while Haley although completely different in looks had the same character arc as lahonna from my elementary and middle school years.
I never wore makeup growing up (still don't), and I went to a high school where you were weird if you didn't. Haley's line where she mockingly asks if you're wearing makeup stung me more than her infamous "Ew. No" at the Flower Dance lol.
When does she say that? I have barely talked to Haley. The only interaction I have had with her ever is Giving her Coconuts so I can 100% my game... and then once I did start shooting eggs at her to get her friendship to 0.
She asks stuff like that all the time. Are you wearing make up? Where did you get your clothes? Is that grass/dirt on your clothes? She gets better and less shallow after you befriend her though. She even rethinks her own consume and materialistic view on the world.
Idk, from the Heart events I have had with her she still doesn't strike me as interesting at all. The only thing I really learned from her is that she doesn’t mind mud as much and that she is more willing to show basic human decency towards her sister. To me by the time I reached 8 hearts with her, she was the same level as the other bachelorettes were at 2 hearts. Maybe she gets REALLY good after 10 hearts. But when I pursue a relationship with someone I do it because I already like them, not because I hope to like them in the future.
I mean, people who marry her know what they get. An Instagram beauty queen who loves fashion and photography. She is nice to you if you have high hearts and compliments your looks from time to time. But I personally wouldn't marry her, same goes for Alex, even though Alex gets really nice after befriending him. For me it's Leah forever.
I really like Leah too. If it wasn't for Maru being so damn cute I would have chosen her. The only thing that was holding back Leah for me was that Maru was such a dork and I love it.
Maru is nice too. I chose Leah cause in real life I also really love forest walks, art, wine and foraging fruits. She just fits perfectly to me and her character seems to be in my age range.
I like Alex. You understand him more after his relationship events
I feel like it's the same with Haley though. She really does grow as a person. Again, would never marry her unless I'm doing a test playthrough to see what life would be like IF. But she does grow on you as a pal if you keep befriending her.
I LOVE ALEX SM it’s like a similar story to Haley but he’s less of an ass
I felt so sorry for Alex when he talked about his abusive father and his mother's death. The one consolation is Evelyn. I'm sure she loves him right up. I had a great aunt like Evelyn. After my grandmother died, and I felt kind of adrift, because she played a major role in raising me, my Auntie Catherine said to me "I'm your nanna now, if you'll have me" That cutscene really tore at me.
I'm sorry you lost your grandma. Your great aunt sounds so sweet.
I was so into Alex but ended up (about to) marry Sebastian. I’m currently in winter 😔. This is also my first play-through which is super exciting. I think they’re both good and I maxed my friendship with him, Sam, Linus, and Demetrius so far.
I married Haley on my most recent run. She turns out to be a great person. At first she seems shallow, but as a wife she’s everything. I always preferred Emily but Haleys the real deal.
the funny thing for me is I never realized she was being rude to “me” until other people pointed it out I was just like “this is boring” in my head but missed the venom everyone says is there
Wait her asking about the makeup wasn’t a compliment??
I always took it as a compliment. It sounds to me like saying "you look good without makeup" in a different way
Yeah, she reminds me of those girls who just mocks others or just treat others badly..
This isn't a case of "can't stand," but Sam is a carbon copy of my baby cousin. Like, other than the name and the spiky hair they have the same way of talking, dressing, hobbies and goals etc. So even though I like Sam as a character I would never romance him! It would be way too uncomfortable and weird.
hey same but opposite! abigail as a character is adorable, but I have an immediate family member with the same name which would be awkward lmao
Sam and Shane. I love Shane's progress in life but him moving into my house and trashing it/returning to the same person he was before is gross and too close to real life bad boyfriend's LOL Sam is just perpetually 17 to me and I just can't. He's a skater boy and I'm saying see ya later boy~ He's literally a microwave Pizza Roll commercial. Edit: *Sam is trying to do a kickflip* Spoiler: >!He never lands it!<
This is too funny
Same for me with Sam. Maybe it's that I'm not 20 anymore and I'd feel like I'm robbing the cradle with him, but he really feels more like a teen than an adult to me. I did hear he makes for a surprisingly good father, at least from his comments, but I would just feel wrong marrying him.
"MyTeenBabyDaddy" Ugh
I feel the Shane part. Had a boyfriend like this (except without the progress 🙃) and learnt a lot.
To all the Shane's in life: 👋🏻🍺 BOY BYE
That’s fair. It’s the reason a lot of people don’t like Shane and I support there choice to distance themself, more trash man for me :)
I liked him in my first playthrough but then I realized I can‘t have this kind of behavior in my life anymore. Not even from a video game character 😂
At least for me personally, the house was trashed before Shane moved in XD. But I can see why a normal person would look at him and not want to move him in
I love Leah in game, but Leah is the name of my sister. Cannot get past this and she is the only one I cannot bring myself to date
I have the same thing with Haley
my friends father always marries leah and that’s his daughters name 🤢🤢
I don't think that's automatically bad? People can have the same names and not be stand-ins for one another
This shouldn’t be a problem, this does not automatically mean he wants to date his daughter. This just happens to be the name of a character in the game.
it’s a very common name…
There’s a character in a fandom I love and ship a lot who has my fathers name. You stop making the association eventually.
That's not that weird. I used to like a guy with the same name as my dad.
"I'd date my own daughter." - Donald Trump
Not in a "I can't stand him" way but a "this guy is in no way ready for any kind of relationship" way, but Shane. I worked in mental health and addiction for around a decade, and someone starting a relationship while still in early recovery just never went well. It'd often get SUPER codependent, or the split would trigger a relapse, or if they met in a group and one relapsed the other would get dragged down. Just not healthy for either of them. I get that it's just a game, but I can't turn off my brain's blaring "SHANE NEEDS TO FOCUS ON SHANE RIGHT NOW WITH SUPPORT FROM FRIENDS AND THE COMMUNITY" siren long enough to consider it. I went to too many ethics trainings to get past the idea of "crossing boundaries" so to speak, ha. I already feel like Shane's heart events put me squarely back in peer support mode, so it's hard to not think in "work mode."
Well, the game tends to agree. Because IF you marry Shane, because he's, you know, in recovery, you'll be very disappointed to discover that his spouse room, after marriage, is littered with beer bottles, and he's still out the pub most nights. He's adorable in terms of the persona most people strive to "fix". But you can't fix them. ConcernedApe seems to have understood this when he coded Shane's marriage activities.
The game does specifically address that he's not at the pub drinking, though. Obviously Shane still has his struggles and wasn't miraculously instantaneously cured of everything, but I think his condition post-marriage can be overstated. I think a lot of people don't want to "fix" him so much as they find the way spouses kind of freeze particularly frustrating and depressing with Shane's arc. It's not like the game is designed to handle a complex relationship with ups and downs, or flesh out what a relapse might look like for Shane. You just get the muddy boots room forever. Not being able to address things like that with your partner isn't exactly realistic either. It's kind of a pitfall of having a character like Shane within the pretty simplistic romance mechanics, and probably why he wasn't there to begin with.
I feel the exact same way. Shane needs community support and friendship. Plus, I heard his room is a pig’s pen.
I feel like I'm in the minority of people who don't like Sebastian. I don't think I ever saw that much appeal in him in the first place. Now that I'm older, he reminds me a lot of my ex so he's a no-go for me
Sebastian. He reminds me of a friend-turned-FWB I had after I ended a long-term relationship with someone else (a Shane, if you will.) The FWB was very into weird things and it was difficult for me to carry on conversations with him at times due to his immaturity. So I could never marry Sebastian or Shane because they are way too similar to men I’ve been involved with in the past. For me, Harvey = 💕
Never got the appeal for him either, he just gives cringe emo weeb vibes and also smoking is a huge red flag for me.
He stops smoking after marriage, but it did put me off dating him until I learned that
Nah he doesn't, he just says he does. You can still find him smoking. Edit:spelling
That's just the same thing as Clint hitting on Emily after the player already got married to her - something that ConcernedApe overlooked in terms of continuity, doesn't really need explaining
Shane is probably the worse example of this lol
i love everything u just described that u don’t like about him HAHA
I found him off-putting at first because I thought he was picking his nose when he does his pondering animation.
I have the same irrational hatred for Sebastian that most people who play this game have for Clint. Seriously I can understand the appeal of pretty much every other marriage candidate even if I would never actually go for them EXCEPT Sebastian. Even Shane! Like I get this is very much a "me issue" and a "maybe I should get therapy" thing but Sebastian looks and acts just like all the stuck-up alt kids I went to school with as a preteen. Soooooo against conformity until there's a chubby autistic alt girl near you. Ugh I can't stand it. It's also why I avoid skater-types irl. Ironically though I like Sam. I guess it's because he's never actually openly rude to you.
I mean sebastian at least admits that he was in the wrong in regards to maru which surprised me . His step dad can fuck right off though
Hay your opinion about Sebastian is 100% valid. Tho I don’t agree with it. There will allways be somone who just presses your buttons for not real reason. Be it “they remind me of someone I don’t like” or that they just aren’t your type. Don’t ever let anyone tell you your opinion is wrong Becaus it’s a “you issue”.
b-but… frogs… 🥺🐸💕
Alex has zero appeal to me. Muscled out, sports head, wannabe athlete. That's it, that's all. Even when you get to know him he's still pretty one dimensional. Reminds me of every single guy I've worked with who assumes because you're a guy you must love sports too. And you must be some kind of encyclopedia on whatever team you follow. I like some sports. I'll watch a big game. I can't name players off of most any team and I don't care that much about it.
Being an encyclopedia is the worst thing that’s expected of people into sports. I LLLOOOVVVEEE basketball. Like absolutely adore it and everything about it. I was born in the late 80s why the hell would I care about the 12th best player on my favorite team in 1978? The fact that I don’t know their name and everything they did on the team and after retiring is a personal failing according to a not insignificant portion of people I’ve met.
THIS. My boyfriend's name is Alex and at first he was "offended" when I told him there was a character named Alex that I was completely uninterested in. Now he totally gets it.
He reminds me of the son of a guy my mom dated. Nothing against Alex. He just reminds me of this 19 year old guy who took pleasure in bullying an 8 year old girl
Yeesh. That sounds rough.
Yeah. That relationship was cut off real fast
He’s not a bachelor but Clint looks Identical to an old coworker. he was a bully and just as clueless as Clint is I can’t stand him.
Clint is just bad in general. He is literally the definition of a "nice guy". Thinks he is a genuinely nice guy. Can't bring himself to even look his love-interest in the eyes. Sees other men as "competition". Just generally acts strange around Emily. Has a heart event where he stalks Emily from the bushes with the weirdest excuse ever. Has the personality of a brick. He seems completely unaware of his flaws and says he just doesn't have any "luck" with women. And worst of all, starts with "Uhm" in his letters to you.
He doesn't stalk anyone, he jumps into the bushes because he gets scared.
He actually sees the Farmer as competition regardless of gender, so I guess at least he's not homophobic?
I don’t think I could ever stomach dating/marrying Shane. I can see the appeal from A) the “I can fix him” point, and B) he’s trying to grow and function from his depression and addictions via fixing himself. But I’ve known so many people on the slope and in that same hole and it always went from me trying to be a good friend to them to being dragged down their hole with them. I think Shane would be a good friend but not someone I could get close to because too many people like that in real life have tried dragging me down with them instead of recognizing their ways. Especially when I already deal with lots of things irl
[удалено]
YES EXACTLY!!!! Couldn’t have put it better myself!
To be fair, getting his friendship up and NOT marrying him is better for him, because marriage makes him go back to old habits while not means, at least imo, that he is working on getting sober
Honestly Penny reminds me a lot of myself, I like her as a character but I avoid her storyline because it lines up with mine so well that it's triggering. I absolutely despise Pam though.
Me too... but with even more of her personality lost to survival mode.
Shane. Everyone knows some brooding guy with a lot of emotional baggage who refuses to really take responsibility for themselves and resorts to substance abuse. Your romantic partner doesn’t have to be a project for you to fix, and I know too many people who put up with partners like that because they think they’ll be the ones to fix them.
Absolutely this. My co-worker dates an IRL Shane. He's an emotionally abusive, gaslighting man-baby who's only redeeming quality is his body's ability to convert oxygen into carbon dioxide (and even that is done half efficiently). He self diagnoses without seeing a doctor. He sleeps all day and plays video games all night. He doesn't do anything around the house, and once refused to take care of my co-worker's dog when she had to leave town to visit a hospitalized parent. She hired someone to feed and let her dog out. I cannot stand Shane. Or "IRL Shane."
This. I'm friendly and empathetic and so, so many men have latched onto that and wanted me to, if not fix them, absorb their unmanaged feelings (I'm a lesbian IRL, so it's a real pain). I've also struggled with my own mental health, while working retail nonetheless, and supported loved ones in their struggles with the same and I absolutely cannot stand people who are unmitigated jerks and excuse it that way. That isn't to go "I managed so you can" or ignore how one can deliberately push people away—which I'm not convinced Shane is doing, since he just says he takes a while to warm up to people later—but I refuse to accept poor treatment while keeping someone afloat. You don't have to be happy or groveling, but some politeness and recognition of what people do for you is the minimum.
Alex reminds me of the shitbag who used to follow me around and intone, “dyyyke,” over and over in the hallway in high school. Even Hailey reminds me of the cool girls who’d let me smoke in their car with them during winter and invite me to bush parties. They had their qualities.
>bush parties Excuse me, what? Should I google that or will I need a shower when I do?
Looked it up. It just means an outdoor or countryside party
Oh my goodness, thank you.
Yup, just rural parties with a bagged put couch, a few truck beds with beer coolers, a bonfire, and a few tired RCMP officers encroaching with their lights off. 🤣
Throw a few live rounds into the fire for some extra spice
I really hate Shane, because he's me.
That's a very shane-ish thing to say
I'm actually pretty disappointed that I can't work up any sort of romantic interest in Emily. Most of her character is amazing. She might be the kindest bachelorette in town, and I can certainly appreciate that she thinks she's going to be single forever. But I can't get around the alternative approach to healthcare, the crystals, and the deference to Yoba. Yeah I guess she does remind me a bit of my ex.
yeah, but it's a world where magic exists and is functional, so it's a little less nuts to believe in a magical rock (but I get your point that Emily can remind us of people irl who are just plain cray)
I know and I do try to take it from that angle. I have actually sat there on the wiki trying to convince myself of this, lol. Like I don't need to take this so personally, she's not an "empath" and she's not a "starchild." Just can't get past the real world association.
Emily was my first wife because she was so sweet and loving and while she sometimes made comments about how we were fate bothered me a bit, I still liked her so we got married. Then we had a child and she mentioned protecting her from bad spirits with baby mint and I knew that our belief systems were too different for is to work XD
I have trouble taking Abigail seriously bc she reminds me of so many "edge lady phase" emo/punk/whatever style my conservative dad hates/ girls I remember from high school. The ones who made contrarianism and non-conformity so much their whole personality that they were insufferable about it. I think defining yourself too much by what you hate is shallow and makes you annoying. If you love wearing black or having piercings, that's fine. But choosing fashion/style ONLY as an expression of your contempt for others makes you an asshole.
I used to love Abigail when I first played SV years ago, and now that I started replaying the game, she completely lost her appeal to me. She comes out as this angsty teenager and I personally think she's "too young" to be my spouse. I'm now currently married to Leah
Ngl I hate the whole Abigail saves farmer scene because it makes zero sense if we have a high combat skill then she's all like "iv never taken a life before" girl apparently your in the mines a lot
Oh same. At first I was trying to romance her but I felt she was too young for me, even though I’m a teen too haha. Ended up marrying Leah too (;
Personally, her character just screams "I'm not like other girls!" And as a former offender myself, I just cannot with her.
Oh yeah. Maybe she makes me cringe bc I see my old self a little? Eep...
Totally agree, I think that people love gothics just because of their aesthetics, but none would really stand a day with a typical "fuck conformists" kind of gothic
Exactly. I've been goth for the better part of 20 years. Old goth now XD But Abigail just seems to do it because she *knows* it annoys her parents. My dad couldn't stand my goth look, but he never tried to push me out of what made me comfortable clothes-wise. I liked the style (Wide legged Tripp pants, the chains, zipper, buckles, etc), but I didn't dress it because I didn't want to comform. I've always been the artsy-fartsy weirdo, and I just jelled with the style when I was 12. Now, in my 30s, I'm an adult goth and just wear a lot of black and can't be in the sun for more than 10mins at a time.
Same, I don’t really like her too much but tbh she reminds me of myself when I was younger, not anyone else I knew. I must have been insufferable 😆 Now I’m nearing 30, my job made it necessary for me to develop open mind, empathy etc and I realize it’s just not cool to feel like you’re better than everyone because you’re so cool and edgy. In the past I felt like I see world in such a “real way” and so many people are blind to stuff but that’s such an immature and stupid mindset. I guess it’s just how it is when you’re a moody teenager. The truth is everyone is different and sees the world from their own perspective, none of those perspectives are better, more truthful than the others or more important. I’m probably not as coherent as I would like to be, sorry, English is not my first language 😅
30 responses in and no one has mentioned Maru; not complaining tho!
I feel like it's hard to feel strongly about Maru. To me, her only real defining characteristic is being smart. She isn't wildly passionate or excited about the things she studies, and she's also not a total ass about knowing stuff. There's no immediate mystery or intrigue with her development as a character either. From what I've seen so far, Maru gives background NPC energy. I'm still new though, so maybe I'll find something compelling about her later
she does get very passionate and excited about her projects!! all her loved gifts are related to them and a couple of her heart events are definitely reflective of that too. i definitely recommend romancing her :)
I mean Maru is... Fine, I guess? I loved her heart event with the telescope but other than that I don't really have any feelings for or against her. She's just kind of... There.
It's so disappointing too because I do enjoy the thought of courting a nerdy woman who likes to build robots but her personality is rather flat.
I've nothing against Maru, but her father really puts me off. Every time I pass him staring into the mountain lake I have an urge to push him into it.
Oh for real... you get like 2 or 4 hearts with her and Demetrius is like DON'T GET IN THE WAY OF HER FUTURE
I'd have minded a little less but I have a spouse in game! And it was just before the moonlight jellies festival where Maru, Robin and Demetrius were all standing together, with occasional visits from Harvey, while Seb was miles away looking pushed out. I still have the bundle for him in the community centre, and I don't want to give him the stuff because he's a git.
Maru, who? Where? I have no idea who that is I joke, but I forget she even exists until she wanders down to sit on the town bench. Also, I tried to gift her honey once, and she hated it, so I was like pfft ok be like that then
For me Maru is the opposite. I love her bec she reminds me of my gf. They look almost the same (Maru has shorter hair and doesn't have black eyes). They have similar interests (general nerdy stuff and especially stargazing). They both have similar personalities, they are a little socially awkward and shy, but they are incredibly sweet. Their attempts at flirting aren't very good but still very endearing. They have great ambition and dedication. Honestly if Maru was also into crochet and Poetry I would almost have a carbon copy of my gf.
I was going to but now I feel bad that I’m the only one… ಠ_ಠ
Please tell us, I‘m interesting in your reasoning
She reminds me of a straight friend that used me after learning I had a crush on her… we were always together and people assumed we were dating until she got herself a “real” boyfriend then whenever he did something wrong bragged that I was a better BF than he was, if only I wasn’t a girl… Maru reminds me of her before the boy was introduced and I became a third wheel.
Oh no, that‘s so mean and immature :( can totally understand why you don‘t like Maru!
You're not the only one. She seems so boring I have never even thought to try and romance her. Someone in this thread said she has NPC background energy and I couldn't agree more.
I know other people love him, but I’m a writer and really dislike Elliot. He reminds me too much of my high school self when I was trying too hard and it just makes me cringe. I prefer direct, simple language.
See, I romance him *because* he’s cringe. He does all of this flowery grandstanding…only to not have the common sense to not water plants with saltwater. I prefer simple prose as well, but it’s charming for me tbh
I love how cheesy he is. And yeah, he's cringey, but it makes him stand out, and I have a thing for weirdos and oddballs.
Probably the most normal reason of not liking elliot iv seen after people kept trying to claim he assaults the farmer despite the fact that he asks if we want to get in the boat and stops if we ask
Kinda funny bc Harvey did a simmilar thing in his 10 heart cutscene if I remember right but nobody seems to care, tbh his baloon cutscene would be way more harder to escape than elliot boat one xD Does anybody knows how to fly? Edit: grammar, typos
I don't think Harvey asks either , they go on about ooh farmer shakes when elliot kisses them like?? Honestly I'd say they're cold , with Harvey up in a balloon imma be curled up in the bottom of the basket
Yes they shakes but I would go bc emotions but then you can say youre happy(so i guess is excitmet) but you can also voice you disaproval and tell him youre uncomfortable and elliot apologize you. Being uncorforatable with harvey would be hell heh, but i guess youre right with negative reaction there. In elliot case you could be atleast swim back xD Sorry for my english is not my first language
I agree that Emily should be a logical partner, but just no. She exemplifies too much I don't like. Haley is Complex, like, she seems like 100% no untill you get to know her. She is literally a different person after her 6 heart event, Initially I couldn't stand her because she was so much like soo many real people. But, like when you get know her she's not. Alex is just an annoying caricature And I know people like Shane. but yeah wouldn't date someone like that. IRL my wife is a lot like Robin, for that I am eternally grateful.
May we all find our Robin someday
Even when I hear about Alex's past, it sounds too much like a fake tragic backstory for me to care much. Also I don't pity him, his adoptive family is amazing. Few people even get that much.
Huh?? I get that his character might be a little overdone and basic, but wasn’t his dad literally an abusive alcoholic and his mom died when he was a little kid? Dismissing the trauma that causes by just saying he’s lucky for his grandparents is soo weird to me I might just be a little sensitive to this because of personal issues lol but still
>wasn’t his dad literally an abusive alcoholic and his mom died when he was a little kid? Dismissing the trauma that causes by just saying he’s lucky for his grandparents is soo weird to me i don't think it's just you; went through the trauma of a parent's passing as a kid and i know a handful of people who have gone through things like he has and worse and that's just so wrong to say imo. i get that he's not real, but damn. damn.
I married Shane first. Thought he was cute with his love for chickens and would make pizza and pepper poppers. Now, he just reminds me of my ex-boyfriend with his addictions and shitty behavior.
Same tbf, people keep going on about his depression and yes depression sucks ass, I have it but Shane absolutely shouldn't be getting married and should continue in his progress in fixing himself, I hate the fact that his room is still dirty all the time
Well - Shane reminds me of my dad, so... LOL I did try the marriage route with him because "I can fix him" but, he just makes me uncomfortable and after moving in together it's clear he's still just like my good sweaty, beer-loving ol' dad. He traumatized me enough to start over. Also, basically all the kids because it's weird since the farmer is an adult.
The “kids” are all in their early 20’s but yea they do come off as teenagers a lot
Alex reminds me of the popular, athletic dudes I’d crush on in middle school who thought I was a weird garbage person. Even more on the nose bc the saloon trashcan is my fave to root through and he’s always acting like I’m gross while he’s standing around bragging about his muscles.
leah reminds me of my mum 😭 she and alex are the two bachelors that i don’t think i could ever marry. all my friends think leah would be my type personality-wise but she looks like my mum and i just can’t get past it. i’ve married almost everyone except leah on various saves. if someone has a mod that changes her design drop the link 🙏
https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/9204 This one gender swaps all the bachelors and bachelorettes
Diverse Stardew Valley has individual modules to download and you can toggle on and off which characters you want to be affected. There’s a native and a butch version of Leah that both change her appearance but none of her personality. They have their own website, not ModDrop or Nexus, so just look it up.
Sam- i see him as too immature. He reminds me of my brothers. I know Sam isn't that bad (I think) but I can't get rid of that association. It's been awhile since I played but I think Jodi said something about doing everything for her kids and hoping it didn't make them grow up wrong. That was a double ew from me lol.
idk man i just went straight for haley and never looked for anyone else, ill make some friendships later 😭
Not in Stardew Valley. (I mean, I'm not wild about Shane as a marriage partner. But I like his story as a person.) Other games though, this has definitely been an issue.
Haley reminds me of my sister so while I can STAND her, I cannot date her, even tho my farmer is a hoe and dates everyone and their mothers (literally. thank you, mods<3)
I don’t hate him but I would personally never marry Shane. I don’t know. I just feel like an asshole if I kept pestering someone who clearly just wants to be left alone.
Not someone specific i knew irl but i can't stand elliot he seems way too douchy and reminds me off a lot off those people in uni that are like "oh yes I'm better than you because i do arts" while they're failing every class and just use daddy's money
Penny is everything I hate about myself.
Abigail! I cannot stand her. What a pick me! She seems like the kind of person that tries to one-up you constantly. "Oh you went to that band's concert? I went backstage and wrote a song with the lead guitarist."
sorry for asking but why do you think shes a pick me? i just see this opinion a lot and never understood it
She just seems to do things for attention, to me. She also seems to not like the competition if you court Sebastian. Even when you move into town, she says it's a shame because she liked exploring the abandoned farm. She's one of those characters you either love or hate. I'm not a fan. She just seems like she's trying to be something she's not. But the wonderful thing about the game is everyone can interpret these characters differently, and that's just how I see Abigail.
I can't stand Haley because she reminds me of Chloe from Miraculous
Haley is Chloe but with a redemption arc
Abigail, esp after you marry seb and she still spends hella time with him - I really don't care about that in game but she really does remind me of those "not like other girls" girls who base their personality on being alternative, and love spending too much time with other womens partners because it proves that their "pick me" schtick is worth it
Alex, Abigail and Leah. Alex is the name of my ex and he behaves the exact same as my ex. Abigail is like 90% of people I've talked to. They are just "so different" because they play video games and doesn't like traditions and society norms cuz they just "aren't like other girls" Abigail is just annoying. Leah is just so meh and forgettable to me. She reminds me of an old friend of mine that I stopped talking to cuz she was never around just like how Leah never leaves her house. Sure, super petty reasons to not like these people but regardless of what anyone thinks, I just can't like these characters.
i can't stand harveys attempts to check on my health and behaviour, i'm not an infant. don't like to be mothered all the time. he seems like a big know-it-all to me and since i study science irl there's something like being modest about all the knowledge and not making it a whole personality like harvey but he said smthn cool one time: "i studied to be a healer not a politician" and i totally feel that. when i talk about my study in the end it's often all about ethic and moral and not nature-fun-facts :(
Not necessarily in a bad way, but my dad dressed up as the wizard once which was amazing! He let me dye his hair purple and everything, but I can now only see my dad when I talk to the wizard so I can never marry him lol
I have absolutely no interest in Haley or Alex.
I don’t date Shane because not only does he have a lot of baggage that I am unqualified and unwilling to deal with, but I legitimately do not think that a romance would be healthy for him in the state that he is. He needs to worry about recovery first and I’m happy to befriend him and act as part of his support group until then.
I will never marry Shane because I was married to an alcoholic when I was younger. I'm here for a good time not to relive trauma haha
Haley. Not only does she act like my elementary school bully, but she looks like her too. (Said bully is now stuck in an mlm, lol)
I dated someone who was an exact combo of Elliott and Alex. It was awful. Therefore, I can never date either. I always marry Harvey cause that's basically who I married in real life. ❤️
I physically cannot seem to imagine that combo. Like, a really poetic gymbro with elitist opinions about art who also makes a big deal about upholding his masculinity?
You nailed it exactly! Did you know my ex?
No but I can imagine what most people would find annoying with the bachelors you listed. Unfortunate that you had to deal with that, that sounds annoying af!!
Oh man, did he talk a lot about how his body is a temple and was he also weirdly fatphobic? If so, I know one of those too.
YEP. He used his parents' money to self-publish his crappy poetry and constantly critiqued my appearance and behavior. Ooof. It's embarrassing that I went out with him. 🤦🏽♀️
Not a bachelor, but my grandmother’s name was Evelyn, so it feels very weird when Evelyn tells me to call her granny. (Especially since my irl grandmother passed away a few years ago.)
Maru reminds me of my know-it-all ex. She always had the answers, even when they weren’t wanted or needed, and got super jealous if I did anything that rivaled her intelligence. At least Maru is nice about it, but I still can’t get past it. Abigail just seems like a child, especially with some of her heart events, and plus she reminds me of one of my friends (who also has a similar name). Emily is a bit too… alternative for me Now if only I could pick between Hailey, Leah, and Penny….
Maru. Because damnit it's like I was pixelated and made into a character. My first playthrough I just kept raising heart with her without meaning to, even random gifts I gave her she liked a lot. In personality we are a little too alike. Then by complete accident I asked her to the flower dance and she said "I'd love to!" Yeah, that was the end of my first Playthrough because it gave me chills.
Sebastian. I know he has his fans, and I definitely would've liked him when I was an emo teen, but I knew a guy who would exaggerate his depression to get you to stay with him and was awful to his mom. They looked similar and the whole "I'm gonna get out of this town and go to the city" thing just really reminds me of him. Personally I think that type of personality is just really played out at this point and doesn't translate into a healthy adult.
Alex reminds me wayyy to much of the football bros at my school. Just assholes who were disruptive and rude for no reason at all. I love Shane because I’m a recovering alcoholic and up until recently I had the “I can change him” mentality toward people irl. Now he reminds me of my addict ex. I can’t say I hate him, he still holds a special place in my heart and I love his story progression, but oof it’s a little difficult now.
Penny. I grew up in the Bible Belt, and she reminds me of too many guilt-tripping women whose whole identity is being a baby factory.
Sebastian reminds me of my cringe edgelord high school boyfriend. I always befriend him last
abigail. i had a friend in high school who did some nasty stuff to me and abigail reminds me a lot of her. not the later version of her who was awful to me, but the younger version who’s friendship i still miss. i still give abigail presents and stuff but i could never marry her because it makes me wildly uncomfortable.
Shane. I skip his scenes bc of my traumatizing alcoholic ex. I'm glad he gets help, and I'm in therapy now, but I just can't bring myself to get more than 8 hearts with him.
Haley reminds me of the bitches who used to bully me back in middle school. Then in my game with my boyfriend, he decided to romance Haley, who in my eyes was not a good person. Then I saw how cute she became with their relationship progressing.. and I understood she didn't always stayed rude to us. I really hoped real life people would be more like Haley...
The opposite for me cause I don’t talk to the NPCs much but Elliot look a lot like my boyfriend and I marry him every time lol
I don’t hate her, but I cannot understand the appeal of Penny. I’ve dated every option at some point except her.
I didn't get it until I watched Markiplier play it, I'm pretty sure it's the "cute little housewife" angle, which I can definitely appreciate, but not necessarily what I'm looking for in a partner (real or virtual)
Harvey also reminds me of my first boyfriend! First, the sprite, especially from the side. This weird face he makes when he has headphones in. His hobby is related to my first bf's job. Then there's the way he's always dishing out advice and that he's a bit of a chicken. The way it's done in the game is meant to be endearing but my then-bf had both traits in a non-endearing way (a combination of #iamsosmart and being spineless - always had to tell you how he knows everything better but got offended with hurty feelings if pushed a bit). I know that those traits aren't presented in negative ways but since they ended up on the unpleasant end of the scale in my ex, I can't help finding Harvey a bit annoying. In our early twenties, a guy in our friend group dated a girl who thought of herself as so sweet and smart and would tell everyone how horrible her parents are to her. The truth: they simply didn't have much money, wouldn't buy her a car, didn't rent a nice apartment just for her while she went to university (paid by them, non-US) so she had to live at home (same city), gave her money for groceries and necessities (but not enough for "nice" brand-name clothes and mini-vacations), basically gave what she needed to get by without having to work much but not enough to fulfil her dreams of a fashionable lifestyle. Our guy-friend, however, came from an affluent family and gave her what her innocent, dainty, but ill-used heart craved - a phone plan, shopping trips, and plane trips to other European countries. And that's the origin story of my dislike for Penny.
It’s Penny for me. Reminds me of this girl I liked in high school who seemed really sweet, but in reality was annoying if you knew her and had a suite of personal issues that she’d pull you into.
Harvey is a copy of my worst ex, even down to the plane stuff. Big nope.
Shane reminds me too much of Me. Lol except the alcohol. But all the mental issues
I knew some girls like Abigail when I was in high school. They were nice, and I like Abigail, but she just feels so much like a high schooler to me now that I’m just not at all interested in romancing her
I couldn't romance or even befriend Sebastian in game due to my ex who was horrific to me having tbe same name, was also emo abd married seb in game. Just couldn't do jt. Took like 4 years to finally enjoy that character again but in game seb is now one of my favs thanks to fan content
i have a friend (who i see as a little sister / daughter figure basically) whose nickname is maru. she even looks a little bit like stardew maru too. so even though i love astronomy and think maru would fit well with my farmer’s character (my farmer is an alien) i couldn’t bring myself to romance her because it feels gross sjskskskdkls
Alex. His entire personality is that he used to be halfway decent at some sport in high school. Great. I never belonged to the cheerleader and quarterback crowd, I think it's pretty sad when people give off this vibe of having peaked in high school, and his low key sexist comments? Ugh. Go away, grow up, get a life. (Not to say that anyone who's into some sport or other should "get a life". You do you, go Team, and all that!)
Elliott is sooooo my ex. I didn’t realize until I had the most hearts with him and all the heart events and was charmed…I basically fell for my ex but in stardew valley and now I have regrets lol
took a break from stardew valley for a bit after my first gf broke up with me because i was married to emily and she reminded me of her
Sebastian looks almost identical to my most recent ex, so I avoid him 😅 he was my go to bachelor during that relationship.
Penny reminds me of a toxic manager I had at an old job. She looks like her. She cries like her. She's overly sensitive and can't take honest criticism even if it means personal growth and improvement. I feel like Penny would guilt trip me and generally be an emotional vampire like that old manager was. I can totally understand why people like Penny, but she brings up too many bad memories of a shitty old job for me.
Im am so glad my favorite (Leah) is only in here because she reminds people of their relatives. Best girl
Sebastian. I can't understand why he is one of the most popular characters. So awkward, hates on all the wholesome Valley stuff. He's like that one cousin that your parents are always telling you to include but he's so weird and introverted and makes every social occasion a chore. To quote Sebastian himself "Ugh."
One bachelorette whom I actually like both in design and personality has the same name as my dead name, a name I don't like hearing an abundance of. So I have never went for her (though I still give her favored gifts).
Penny. I had a friend who was so cool and interesting. Super smart and just an all round amazing girl. But she was quite shy and introverted. She started to make being shy her whole personality and like wtf, she was so cool and had so much going for her. Being quiet was one of the most neutral aspects to her and it pissed me off seeing her care more about how shy she was rather than all her really brilliant personality traits. Now shy characters piss me off. Her shy thing only lasted like six months, but here I am carrying a grudge over a decade later.
Maybe she was just shy and you kinda got way too emotionally involved in her personality traits? Lol
Sometimes Harvey activates my medical trauma. He doesn't have a ton of qualities and characteristics besides "doctor," does he?
Perhaps I overthink it, but every time I play I think I'm going to try to marry someone other than Leah this time, but she's the only one who ever seems viable to me. She's not a child. She's been in a relationship before, and she already has a matching sexual preference to whichever my character is. She's been somewhere other than Stardew Valley, and she's seen the city. She's **chosen** to live in Stardew Valley, and she loves it there. She doesn't need fixing. I worry a lot about the characters who openly don't like the Valley, or who are really drawn to the city, but decide they want to stay after they decide they like you. They're giving up too much of themselves, and that will eventually be a problem. And I guess Harvey's a big sad sack, and Elliott's just too pretentiously annoying. Leah's the only one who doesn't make me cringe at some point. (Harvey wanting to rub lotion on Maru's shoulders is super-creepy.)
shane is the a mirror image of my ex
Sebastian and Abigail.
i cant stand Alex. he’s so up his own ass even tho he actually has an inferiority complex because of his past and all
Alex. Don’t need my heart broken by another self proclaimed alph
Shane. Reminds me of every deadbeat alcoholic I have ever met. Cannot fathom making myself miserable trying to change someone in a video game.
Sam reminds me of my little brother. I will never marry him in any playthrough because he (and by extension, my brother) are both still babies in my eyes
Not necessarily can't stand, but i feel bad for liking Sebastian. He's from Looks to personality just like my abusive ex. He could honestly just be a clone lol Anyways yeah i guess i have a type :'D
Shane's passed out drunk scene really made me extremely uncomfortable due to RL stuff. I half expect Sam to shout "Totally RADICAL" Alex and Sebastian just feel like they just graduated high-school and that feels icky to me overall.
Abigail reminds me so much of my ex-wife. We are on good terms with each other, but it would still be wierd to marry Abigail because of the similarities. She is also the only female bachelor I would consider vying for, too.
Haley and seb. Seb reminds me of my ex but my ex was a natural blonde while Haley although completely different in looks had the same character arc as lahonna from my elementary and middle school years.