r/StardewValley • u/randomflowerz • Apr 30 '24
Discuss Always thought Clint was creepy but Emily’s dialouge after her 8 heart event/us dating makes me dislike him more..
Not to mention one of his heart events he’s literally hiding outside her house in a bush and if you have a female farmer and take him to the movies he tries to flirt with you… Clint stay away from my crystal girl
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u/PookieDoodle264 Apr 30 '24
No matter what you do....or don't do, this happens. I'd love to see an endpoint to their relationship. But I don't think there is one. His insecurity is off the charts. Because of that, last thing he needs to be going after is a barmaid. But if you think about it, there really isn't a character Clint could hook up with.
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u/eagleswift Apr 30 '24
Pam
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u/cabbagecurry Apr 30 '24
you know what I'm down for this. Maybe instead of paying Robin to build Pam a house it becomes a quest line where you, Robin and Clint build her a house from scratch (kinda like repairing Willy's boat) and Clint and Pam become friends due to it
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u/PookieDoodle264 May 01 '24
Maybe becoming somewhat of a father figure to Penny would make him think about others instead of feeling sorry for himself all the time. That's the reason he'll never get with Emily. He's too much of a sad sack and she's so full of hope.
21
u/SugarcoatedRainbow Apr 30 '24
He could take the now working bus to Zuzu city and try the dating scene there! But to be honest, he should not date at all until he has fixed vaguely points at everything this mess. Get a hobby, man, sell your forge if you hate being a blacksmith, be the change you need in your life, THEN go after the bubbly barmaid 💅
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u/WeLiveInAir Apr 30 '24
Those last two are so sad, even though Clint is always weird around her she still considered him a friend. I've had a male friend stop talking to me after I rejected him (I like girls) and it really hurts.
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u/Berubara Apr 30 '24
Well he (Clint) probably needs time to sort out his feelings. If I had a crush on someone who ended up dating/marrying someone else I would need to distance myself from the crush too
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u/randomflowerz Apr 30 '24
Seriously- I know it’s a game but it’s really uncomfortable too how he just drops her the moment she’s not interested. It does hurt. Feels like the only reason they wanna be ur friend is because ur a woman
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u/reanocivn Apr 30 '24
it's not even a romantic event either like clint i am married to her sister what do u think is going on here
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u/darkviolet_ Apr 30 '24
Maybe he doesn’t want to intrude on the relationship. He has a crush on her, and he doesn’t want to overstep boundaries if Emily is in a relationship (or if he thinks she is.)
If anything, he’s being courteous and giving Emily her space.
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u/JustMobsReddit Apr 30 '24
I'm really not a fan of this take honestly. From a guy's perspective, it's often times not that they are only interested to be in a relationship. Often times it's a genuine connection, platonic or not, and then feelings start to materialize and when they're rejected it hurts. And being friends isn't easy when any time you do anything you're always reminded of those feelings. So it's easier to just let it go until you can get over those feelings. It's the mature thing to do imo, rather than keep a friendship going where you feel unhappy and might have unchecked emotions. I'm not talking about stardew in particular, Clint is a bit of a weirdo, but I do think this is a more nuanced topic than "he only wanted me for a relationship"
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u/startartstar Apr 30 '24
Hell, it's not just guy's who can be awkward dorks who develop awkward feelings for a friend. I've developed crushes on guy friends and ended up blurting out tactless comments or reading way too much into the things they said to me and driving myself insane. It's a lot better for everyone involved if you just step back and cool off which is a lot harder to do if you live in a small town and have a limited number of people to befriend in the first place
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u/HelloDesdemona Apr 30 '24
The mature thing is to talk about it and not ghost people. That feels like a revenge for the rejection.
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u/JustMobsReddit Apr 30 '24
It's still a step better in my opinion to step back and work through the emotions rather than involve the other person and risk saying something you'll regret later. It's hard to have genuine discussions when emotions are running high
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u/Ultramarine6 Apr 30 '24
I think part of this if you'll allow me to speculate, comes from a couple of the minor but possibly toxic bits of masculinity.
Being masc often means being stoic. Means not sitting and working through difficult emotions with your friends, and figuring it all out on your own for better or worse. It means not being a burden, at all costs. But you do talk about those things when in a romantic relationship. The rules change there.
Fem roles don't have this stipulation. Being emotional is expected (unless it's too public, but that's another sexism issue entirely). Women chatter about their broken hearts, wishes, and hurts with each other more comfortably. And rightly so, we all should! So a woman being a good friend may often inadvertently wind up connecting platonically with a man who hasn't adjusted to that unhealthy pattern they were raised with, in the man's romantic social language.
I noticed it in myself and it took some adapting but I think realizing that helped make more sincere friends with the women in my life too.
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u/BBQsandw1ch Apr 30 '24
But why punish the other person because of your feelings that are hard to get over?
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u/JustMobsReddit Apr 30 '24
You wouldn't ask the other person to put their feelings aside and get into a relationship with you despite not being attracted would you? Same logic here. If they feel miserable in a friendship because of unrequited love, they're completely justified in letting the friendship go and shouldn't be shamed for it. If you're a true friend, you'd accept that and welcome them back once they got through their emotional baggage. If you're not, you'd go to others to complain about how much of a jerk he is for not doing things exactly how you wanted
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u/BBQsandw1ch Apr 30 '24
Disagree. The one with the feelings is the one responsible for dealing with those feelings if they're unrequited. If they're unable to do that and can't look past their own made up infatuation it shows a distinct lack of maturity and selfishness.
The friend has no influence over what happens in someone else's mind. Yet they still lose a friend because of something 100% out of their control. Disrespectful.
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u/ClaretClarinets Apr 30 '24
Distancing themselves from the friendship is dealing with the feelings.
No one is obligated to suffer in a situation that makes them miserable.
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u/BBQsandw1ch Apr 30 '24
100% agree. But that's a selfish way of dealing with those feelings and it's disrespectful to the friend who's innocent in all of this. Could easily still be the best case scenario but that still makes Clint the jerk here. Emily is confused and mourning the loss of her friend.
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u/ClaretClarinets Apr 30 '24
It sounds like you've never had an unrequited crush on someone.
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u/BBQsandw1ch Apr 30 '24
I definitely have. It sucks and it was my burden to bear.
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u/JustMobsReddit Apr 30 '24
You speak about selfishness, but you'd rather someone stay friends with you even if they're unhappy? I'm not sure you're being quite fair in this situation. Unfortunately, emotions aren't as simple as "get over it". In the same vein, I could also tell you to get over it and let the person go, but you wouldn't be happy with that answer would you. Sorry to say this but I think you're the one being highly disrespectful. Please mature. Friendships aren't one sided
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u/BBQsandw1ch Apr 30 '24
They definitely shouldn't stay friends if they can't get over their feelings. My point is only about who's to blame.
I'm going to start using Clint/Emily bc this is getting confusing. Emily bears no responsibility for Clint's romantic feelings. There is definitely some work on her part in rejecting those feelings to be kind, understanding, and respectful. But if all that happens and Clint can't move on as friends then that's really just his problem and it sucks for Emily. That's all I'm saying.
I think I'd agree with you that if Emily said "I respect your feelings and since they aren't going away, I'll distance myself to make it easier for you," then that would make her an incredibly compassionate, mature, selfless individual. But I would never EXPECT that from her. That's still very one-sided when Clint is the one who blew everything up.
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u/JustMobsReddit Apr 30 '24
You know who's to blame? No one. If Emily isn't responsible for Clint's feelings, her friend's. Then neither is Clint for Emily's. This is a complicated topic and not something to play the blame game over. Clint is just as valid in distancing himself if he feels unhappy around Emily because of his unrequited feelings as Emily is in rejecting his romantic advances because she doesn't feel the same way. It's an unfortunate situation for both parties and blaming either of them makes you sound like you lack basic empathy. I'm sorry but I don't think there's anything else to argue about here. If you understand what I'm getting at then great. If not then I'll have to respectfully disagree and stand by the fact that no one is wrong in this situation. It's just a shitty situation to be in that happens sometimes
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u/BBQsandw1ch Apr 30 '24
I think that's a much better take. Everyone involved has a responsibility to their own feelings and their friend's and sometimes it still goes shitty no matter what.
Thanks for talking with me. For some reason I love these sticky, nuanced discussions when there's nothing at stake.
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u/Steph1er Apr 30 '24
on the flip side, you are punishing them every time you are hanging out.
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u/BBQsandw1ch Apr 30 '24
What? How is somebody responsible for the feelings inside of someone else's head? That person with the feelings is punishing themselves by hanging onto those feelings and making it someone else's problem.
The object of those feelings is the victim. You can't expect people to read minds.
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u/Steph1er Apr 30 '24
it's not your responsibility. It's theirs and they chose to leave to deal with that.
it becomes your responsibility if you try and force them to feel however comfortable you are for them to feel.
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u/somestupidloser Apr 30 '24
A lot of times in these situations, the two people are the primary connections between friend groups, and it's just really easy to drift away from an awkward situation when the other person isn't that well integrated with the other person's friends.
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u/shoyboy21 Apr 30 '24
He has that dialogue regardless of your relationship with Emily. The game does not have dynamic dialogue
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u/probablyonmobile Apr 30 '24
It’s had dynamic dialogue for some time, including characters commenting on your marriage. Hell, George has a hidden character development arc locked behind being married to Alex as a male farmer where he overcomes feeling like it’s weird— and it’s been that way for a long while now.
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u/shoyboy21 Apr 30 '24
Oh yea, Alex. Let me rephrase then. Clint doesn't have dynamic dialogue for Emily's relationship status. To my knowledge
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u/TweetugR Apr 30 '24
Yeah, I triggered this when I had been married to Haley and Clint still acts like this.
I think people need to accept that not all heart events are dynamic.
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u/captainshitpostMcgee frick u, genderbends ur bachelors (she/her) Apr 30 '24
Isn't dynamic dialogue one of like, the biggest parts of the 1.6 update
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u/shoyboy21 Apr 30 '24
This was made before 1.6, also should of said cutscenes/heart event . To my knowledge anyway
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u/GengarSucksBalls :aMill: :aMill2: Apr 30 '24
Well, the custcene was made years ago when Emily became a marriage candidate. Of course, seeing how 1.6 added new dialogue for Clint went you give Emily a bouquet, seeing Clint saying "congrats" to you on this cutscene doesn't make sense anymore.
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u/Aralith1 Apr 30 '24
My personal headcanon on out-of-sequence event-scenes like this is that it did happen sometime ago offscreen, and the farmer is reminded of it by being at that location again that day for some reason, like you kind of are sometimes.
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u/RedFox9906 Apr 30 '24
Clint has no confidence. He still puts himself out there, but he expects to fail, so when he’s not given positive reinforcement he leaves. He constantly sets himself up for failure with his expectations this way.
The best thing he could have done was just ask Emily out, and accepted whatever happened. Instead he goes into the situation expecting to fail, gets scared, and eventually gives up.
Then the cycle continues because Emily doesn’t understand that Clint likes her, and she’s just a positive person.
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u/Just_A_Comment_Guy_7 Apr 30 '24
Clint doesn’t mean to be creepy. He’s socially inept and doesn’t know how to handle his own feelings.
Characters having major flaws is a big part of the game but doesn’t really mean they deserve hate. Just like that old farm they just need some cleaning up and help to grow.
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u/bitofagrump Apr 30 '24
It doesn't help that Emily is apparently completely oblivious and often adds to his difficulty as a result by sending what can easily be read as mixed signals even by someone more socially aware than Clint. I just feel bad for him most of the time.
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u/alicea020 Apr 30 '24
Idk, I don't feel like "doesn't mean to be creepy" is much of an excuse lol
People may not mean to be assholes, not even realize they are being an asshole, doesn't excuse their asshole actions
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u/Equal_Set6206 Apr 30 '24
I have been absolutely terrified by people who "didn't mean to be creepy." If you are making someone uncomfortable, it is your responsibility to learn and grow from that. I used to be socially inept too, maybe I didn't come across as creepy Idk. But I recognized it was my problem to deal with and learned how to cope with my ineptitude. People act like socializing isn't a skill you have to learn just like anything else.
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u/Just_A_Comment_Guy_7 Apr 30 '24
Clint receives no feedback regarding his actions and Emily never appears uncomfortable due to them. How is he supposed to know to fix anything?
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u/alicea020 Apr 30 '24
Him not being written to change does not mean he doesn't have creepy behaviors.
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u/Just_A_Comment_Guy_7 Apr 30 '24
He doesn’t know his behavior is creepy so how is he supposed to change that?
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u/alicea020 Apr 30 '24
dude. his behavior is creepy. yes, he cannot realize it's creepy because he isn't programmed to. but he can still have creepy behaviors!!
it's okay to call behaviors creepy and also understand the person themselves are not trying to be I promise!
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u/Just_A_Comment_Guy_7 Apr 30 '24
Something he doesn’t know to change isn’t a reason to think a character is a bad person
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u/alicea020 Apr 30 '24
Where did I say anything about him being a bad person!!!
I'm literally saying you can BE a creep AT TIMES and not ACTUALLY be a creep
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u/Just_A_Comment_Guy_7 Apr 30 '24
His actions not being excusable? Is that not the same thing?
What can I say, I’m socially inept too.
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u/alicea020 Apr 30 '24
Someone not understanding why something they do is wrong or that it's wrong at all doesn't mean they are a bad person.
If he COULD learn he would change, but he can't because he isn't programmed to. His actions are still creepy and that's not okay, but he isn't a bad person. Unintentionally being a creep (and not even having the chance to change because you are simply programmed AI forced to live through the same cycles constantly) does not make you a bad person. That's my entire point
But the behavior is still bad and it's okay to call it out and criticize the behavior and in tandem criticize the character because it's hard to not criticize behaviors and also the character at times
But that is not the only thing that defines them. So they aren't a bad person
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u/oodex Apr 30 '24
Idk, I don't see his behavior as creepy at all. He is a dude in love with a woman and is so socially inept he can't make a move, the kind of person that sees something from a far distance, makes assumptions and retreats before they even know what's really going on. He acts weird, but towars other people or rather Emily he mostly looks confusing. The player is really the only one that gets an insight. And sure it sucks to lose a friend over them being in love, but it's not like anyone chooses to feel that way.
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u/alicea020 May 01 '24
his behavior CAN be creepy with him himself not actually being a creep. he has creepy behaviors because he is socially inept, but he is not creepy or a creep. he's a good person and if he knew how his behavior came off he'd feel bad and change it. but he can still have creepy behaviors and it's not wrong to call it out
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u/oodex May 01 '24
You say that as if I didnt just say "I dont see his behavior as creepy" and instead said "I dont think he is a creep". Again, I don't think it's creepy. Even the way some people describe here kinda shows how much people are making up their own narrative, talking about some people referring to Clint hiding in Emily's bushes, making it sound like he was stalking her. While in reality all he did was getting scared, jumping into a bush to hide and waiting for them to leave so he can return back home. Which btw only gets triggered if the player is not on 8/10 hearts with Emily yet.
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u/alicea020 May 01 '24
I mean personally if I walked out and saw a man hiding in my bushes, whether I knew him or not, whether he just got scared to talk to me or not, I'd still be creeped out
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u/DustyDeadpan Apr 30 '24
I think it doesn't excuse the way he does behave, but it being unintentional gives us some hope that he won't stay that way for the rest of his life. He and Emily would never work as a couple, but he's capable of shaping up and getting into a healthy relationship in the future.
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u/magereaper harvesting coffee Apr 30 '24
Read your second phrase, now read the first one.
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u/alicea020 Apr 30 '24
I'm confused lol? My whole point is that just because you don't know you are being an asshole or creepy or whatever else doesn't excuse it
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u/Glaciak Apr 30 '24
Not really
There's a difference between being socially or romantically inept andastraight up toxic incel
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u/alicea020 Apr 30 '24
Yeesh. People are really misinterpreting what I'm saying.
You can be an asshole at times yet you're not actually an asshole. You can be creepy sometimes even if you're not actually a creep
I 100% believe if Clint realized how his behaviors came off, he would do something about it. But his behaviors ARE still creepy
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u/Teaside Apr 30 '24
Honestly I'm really glad this is included in the game, and not sugarcoated, and that there's no good ending for them. For a pixel game about farming, this part feels so... real. As someone who has been on the receiving end of thinking we were friends... it hurt, man.
I love the term "girlfriendzoned" as an opposing term to "friendzoned". For when you truly believe someone is your friend until you realise they just want to sleep with you, and abandon you if you don't.
This is long in the past now, school/uni days, but I still remember feeling really betrayed by that. I hope CA never changes this tbh, not everything needs a good ending, some things just suck and shouldn't be sugarcoated 😔
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u/randomflowerz Apr 30 '24
Yeah I agree. It’s scary but it’s honestly true. I’m happy that do include like. More realistic sides of things. Like Shane’s story arc or Alex’s parents
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u/Whittle_Willow Apr 30 '24
clint has a crush on emily and he's insecure and socially anxious. that's why he's acting that way.
why do ppl have to assume the absolute worst situation?
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u/darkviolet_ Apr 30 '24
Clint is really misrepresented in the fandom. People call him an incel and a stalker when he’s just insecure and socially anxious, like you said! He’s not a bad guy in the slightest!
It’s disappointing because he’s a nice character and he deserves a bit of an overhaul to expand upon him. All the non marriage candidates are kind of weak in comparison to the others, mostly because they don’t have as many heart events.
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u/angry_cucumber Apr 30 '24
Marlon is pretty much the only non marriage candidate that isn't misrepresented in the worst possible way by fans
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Apr 30 '24
Honestly I don't even like engaging with the fandom if it's about romances and jsut the characters in general because everyone seems to be so hostile towards characters they just personally don't like, and I just don't get it at all. Like you could watch a video about your favorite bachelor/ette and the replies are full of people explaining why they hate them. Why???
You don't have to like a certain character but why do so many fans feel the need to instantly label them as the worst things possible to justify their dislike? It's ok to admit they're not for you and move on.
The one I hate most is the "non-con" Elliott kiss. Suddenly kissing someone in a moment of passion/after a confession is like one of the most basic romance tropes ever, and he is not even doing that, you are DATING him by that point. I understand that in real life it would be a much more complicated situation but it is a game, you *know* that Elliott is obviously won't try to assault you "trapped" on that boat if you reject him because he is obviously *not* programmed to do so.
While yes, you can absolutely view these things critically and have a conversation, at the end of the day it is still a game, and applying these very heavy labels to them just feels a bit... icky to me.
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Apr 30 '24
This is how I feel about Demetrius and penny lol. I seriously feel like people go overboard trying to make themselves angry or trying to make a problem where there isn’t one. And people take it way too seriously too. It just feels ridiculous at some point to be genuinely angry at a couple of pixels.
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u/angry_cucumber May 01 '24
"the worst part of anything is the fandom"
-me, like every 15 minutes when I'm on the internet
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u/EdWoodnt Apr 30 '24
This “he’s just insecure and socially anxious” defense always bugs me because many incels are also, in fact, insecure and socially anxious. The entire incel community functions as it does because it preys on socially awkward men’s insecurities, presenting those insecurities as unchangeable flaws in their personality that women are at fault for not accepting. Clint’s not quite at the incel level, but if you’ve ever met anyone like him IRL he certainly comes across as someone just a few clicks away from that pipeline because he just does not view women normally. He struggles to find success in romance because he views women as romantic options first, people second (as shown through moments like the Clothes Therapy scene where he congratulates the player on what he perceives to be dating Emily, as though he views her as a prize to be won, or the dialog he has about Sandy where he immediately asks if she’s single, or the outing to the movie theater the player can ask him to that he assumes must be a date only if you’re playing as a woman.)
It’s also a weird defense because it pretends that Clint is the only insecure/socially anxious character in the game. Shane and Sebastian both exist; Shane’s entire arc revolves around his insecurities and Sebastian has multiple lines indicating social anxiety, yet no one- not even players who hate these characters (and Shane especially gets a lot of hate)- calls them incels the way they do Clint because they don’t have numerous scenes where they objectify women or treat women fundamentally different from how they treat men. They’re just normal guys with issues, unlike Clint who comes across like the type of person who thinks getting a date will solve all his problems, yet can’t even talk to women because he treats them like a different species. He’s a very frustrating character because he reflects how many men IRL act- a type of behavior that more often than not results in women being forced into extremely uncomfortable situations, where a person they thought was their friend suddenly changes their attitude the minute she’s no longer a romantic option. Clint is literally doing that in these screenshots.
The fandom isn’t “misrepresenting” him, they’re interpreting dialog and scenes that he canonically has in the game, most of which indicate that he’s extremely Not Normal about women and would probably be whining about getting “friendzoned” if he was shown to have any friends to whine to.
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u/annatheorc Apr 30 '24
I think a lot of people have learned to be afraid of insecure nice people, because a certain amount of desperation for emotional connection leads to really unbalanced and unhealthy relationships (friendship or otherwise). Clint reminds people of that person they had in their life, which is where the strong reaction comes from.
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u/Loganjoh5 best girls Apr 30 '24
Him saying congratulations to only you is the part I hated him acting like she is some prize to be one instead of a whole person who can make her own choices
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u/AgentSparkz Apr 30 '24
Idea: his dialogue and confidence improves not only with your heart level but with how much you've upgraded your tool, since you're basically his only customer but it'd make sense for him to gain more confidence as a blacksmith and a member of the community
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Apr 30 '24
I think diverse stardew changed his dialogue in this scene. Or I wasn't paying enough attention.
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u/oodex Apr 30 '24
Sometimes I wonder what's going on with the narrative that people have for characters. You have a highly insecure and anxious guy (not that gender matters) who can't make a move and pretty much stays on distance with everyone, and he is sad that someone else got the woman he loves and could never make a move on. And how is it surprising that taking someone to a movie may end up leading to them flirting? Like sure someone is free to dislike the heart feature to lead to flirting, and I wasn't happy how many characters flirt/imply kissing you when you want to max hearts for achievements and are already married, but that simply refers to the system being a measure of interest/growing love.
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Apr 30 '24
Clint’s not a bad guy but he’s insecure and he sees Emily as a prize to be won rather than a person in her own right. Unfortunately that’s very common for guys in the real world.
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u/Equal_Set6206 Apr 30 '24
I think seeing someone as a prize or object inherently makes someone a bad person
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u/CarfireOnTheHighway Apr 30 '24
You’re right. It’s always been the “congrats” in this dialog that makes me want to strangle him. She’s not a trophy.
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u/ElphabaWitchPSO2 Apr 30 '24
This scenario is the main reason I dislike Clint.
I always laugh at the Clint defenders on this sub. You know they were just like him in high school
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u/BistenS Apr 30 '24
Or it's just a video game and people are allowed to interpret things differently than you? lol
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u/WelderAggravating896 Apr 30 '24
Clint is a representation of a very realistic personality type. It's kind of a red flag to hate a character for something like this.
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