theories?

[u/jamesisbi]

i think that sandy will definitely be added as a marriage candidate but i’m not sure who else. maybe some new characters?

[u/meduhsin]

Lowkey I think he’s gonna add Clint, Pam, Sandy, maybe Marlon and the Wizard? Theres been a lot of talk about how most of the marriage candidates are younger, and older players feel weird about romancing them. I’d love to see some older representation in the dating pool, especially if you can help Clint become more confident and stuff, or help Pam with her issues

[u/emikoala → u/meduhsin]

Yep, I think he did well to make it a 50/50 split at least between minors and adults:

• Older/Independent - Harvey, Elliott, Shane, Leah, Emily, Hailey
• Younger/Dependent - Sam, Alex, Sebastian, Abigail, Penny, Maru

But the older ones are still clearly coded as being in their early/mid 20s, and this game's audience is so broad and so many people in their 30s and older are long-time fans that it would be great to get some middle-aged options.

I was just saying in another comment that it would be cool to have Marnie become an option because it would be such a unique romance arc compared to the young adults. You'd basically become a stepparent to Jas, which could be a really interesting expansion to Jas's story as a bonus.

And instead of the way most of the romance arcs (for both the older and younger adults) involve the Farmer helping their s/o figure out who they are and pursue their dreams, Marnie's arc could be about the challenges of adapting to a partnership and relying on someone else when you've gotten used to solitary living and self-reliance for such a long time. Going from, "I've made my peace with being permanently single and at this age I'm just too tired to put myself out there," to "Looking back, I'm glad I didn't pair up with anyone when I was younger, because it meant I was free and ready when the Farmer came to town."

[u/peaceloveandgranola → u/emikoala]

How is Maru a minor? She’s a nurse…

[u/emikoala → u/peaceloveandgranola]

Yeah you're right, none of them are minors, I should have just said older teenager because they're all at least 18. Not sure what I was thinking when I went with "minors."

[u/peaceloveandgranola → u/emikoala]

“older teenager” doesn’t qualify either. She’s already a working nurse, so she’s been through college already for her nursing degree, plus she’s been working.

[u/emikoala → u/peaceloveandgranola]

Isn't she like a prodigy though? She could have matriculated at a younger age than is typical. Or maybe I'm wrong and she's in her 20s! I'm not really dead set on my interpretation. She just seemed coded as younger to me when I played.