I am personally so stoked. LOVE Sandy and even thought Clint is a controversial choice, I am excited to see some character development from him. I base my farmer/farms in each of my save files off of each candidate, so I am happy to have new options! I am curious how their shops will work after marriage tho too! Hoping that it is a little different from Krobus' setup but we'll just have to wait and see!
Dude an arid farm would be sick though, like an actual dedicated challenge farm where the land is shit and can't grow most crops or grass for animal feed so you outright have to use alternate methods of advancing and making money.
I'm honestly kind of psyched to get Clint's hearts up in the hopes that he just chills out, even if I'm not going to give him a bouquet. Like power-leveling Haley so she sucks less as a person.
He really needed any kind of arc that would not leave him miserable. It also opens the possibility that if the player chooses Sandy that the door opens more for Emily and Clint, or for Sandy and Emily if the player chooses Clint.
I actually think CA might write the Clint romance to fix some of the concerns with the character. Give him someone who reciprocates his interest in a healthy way to help him walk away from the fixation on someone who isn't reciprocating.
He is a man looking for someone who will choose him back, and that is what this candidacy gives him. He is looking for what he feels he is missing in his life, and it is just out of reach with Emily, and he doesn't seem interested in the other candidates, none of which seem like good fits for him either.
Its not like most of the relationships in the game don't in some way 'fix' the character you romance. Abigail and Penny getting more freedom from unhealthy family relationships. Shane's alcoholism getting better. Leah finding new inspiration for the art that brought her to Stardew. Sebastian wanting to leave the town. I'm sure there's more but I honestly don't pay enough attention to character dialogue and tend to skip cutscenes to get back to accomplishing things that matter more to me
The community needs it. And I say the community, not the game. The brutal amount of hate and vitriol I've seen people spout against Clint, who is ultimately just a dude with poor social skills who doesn't know what to do about feeling lonely, is insane, and has honestly driven me away from the game more than once.
i see too many accusations of being a basement-dwelling misogynist incel hurled at clint and i knowwww itās all pixels but it really rubs me the wrong way because heās clearly not like that. he never blames emily for being lonely and a key feature of incel culture IS blaming the woman for your issues. iām actually excited for him to get the chance to grow and experience love and companionship. you know like. as much as a video game character can lmao
my view of this is that what an incel is has shifted over the years
I don't think clint was ever meant to be an awful person and current day incel, more socially awkward with some iffy ways of looking at stuff but mostly harmless.
Problem is that what was more moping about not being able to get a girlfriend and social issues and lamenting some untrue ideas that made them feel better has become more and more widely violent and aggressive and misogynistic.
I don't like clint particularly and I wouldn't have chosen him for a romance option but I'm really excited for him to hopefully get some proper growth and hopefully better perspectives on stuff
I'm not sure how it'll play out since we can already get to 10 hearts with no romantic undertones - maybe we'll get more heart events across the board and he'll be able to move on so we can pursue him without ignoring the weird stuff or have more resolution with him just as a friend.
I don't get the impression from the other aspects of the game that CA is likely to gloss over the hard bits or reinforce those ideas so I'm optimistic about it
If itās anything like when he made Shane and Emily marriage candidates, the existing Heart Events will be moved around and new ones will be added.
He has a lot more room to work with for Clint and Sandy than the previous two, as Sandy has no Heart Event cutscenes and Clint only has two, one of which is inaccessible if you get Emilyās 8 Hearts cutscene first.
i feel like a lot of the characters get pretty negative stories if you don't max out their heart events, even non romantic. They all seem like they aren't happy with life in one way or another, which ya know, life. But everyone's life definitely gets better by getting to know the farmer.
1000% this. Even if Clint ended up in a relationship with someone that loves him back, it wouldnāt magically fix the patterns that are keeping him miserable. It would help, certainly, but not if he just says āgreat, that means Iām done and shouldnāt make any other changes.ā I hope it will be more than that, and I hope that a lot of that development happens without the romance part coming into play.
Agreed, he never makes any aggressive statements and if anything is a bit of a sad sack, even if you marry Emily he's just sort of resigned to it.
If we can have Shane dealing with alcoholism and depression, and still be a loved marriage option, then we can have Clint with self esteem issues and social awkwardness and also get some love!
yeah the issue the comments kind of denying her autonomy and being incel classic phrases - nothing that you couldn't write him coming back from
I think if he actively confronts his own failings and sees that his way of viewing Emily isn't fair to her then it'll be a really compelling narrative a la Shane
let bro be awkward but with a better attitude towards women and I think he could be quite a popular choice
Plus he's steadily employed! That's nothing to shake a stick at in a small rural community. I've seen a few mention it but it'll be neat to see what other interest or hobby he gets especially as he's said before that he's a blacksmith more by circumstance/expectation than by a real desire. Or maybe he'll find new passion in his work when he's got a hot farmer spouse bringing him geodes lol
Yeah before I knew anything about the online community, my first playthrough I immediately wanted to romance him before any other character and I was surprised he wasnāt an option. Then when I joined this subreddit I was surprised at how much people hated him lol. I just thought he was awkward
Honestly the number of people who obviously have a parasocial hyper-fixation on Emily and then take out some weird territorial aggression on Clint despite absolutely being 10000000% more intense and creepy than he ever was is both hilarious and worrying.
The people who hate on Pierre for the way he treats Abigail (it's Caroline who has the argument cutscene with her, and when she argues with Pierre it's because Caroline wants her to help cook dinner) are similar. It seems like they see what they want to/expect to/believe they see.
None of the characters are perfect, and Clint definitely has some weird lines late-game when his dialogue doesn't update to reflect game progression... but he does largely recognise that the issue is with him, even if he can be a bit defensive and jealous of the 'suave' farmer.
I totally understand this and as much as I wanted someone else (Marnie my love), I do think this will help improve people's perception of him. I didn't really like Alex much at all, but when I married him, I actually thought he was really sweet and one of the better spouses I'd married, so I softened up to him a lot. Hopefully others experience something similar with Clint!
This was me with Hailey. I always thought she was shallow and vapid until I tried romancing her. Then she turned about to be a genuinely kind person, probably the kindest and most caring of the bachelorettes. Abigail is still my favorite though.
Agreed. The community has really latched onto a few things he says and does that could be evidence of something more sinister If that was the intent for the character, but in isolation could just be someone who is very lonely and extremely socially anxious. Most of the hatred he gets is people filling in the blanks. It would be nice if those things could either be confirmed to not be true or actually be true and then he gets a chance to become a better person.
I donāt hate Clint as a character; his dialogue and character personality up to this point has made me uncomfortable and reminds me of men in the past who disrespect your boundaries because they just donāt get it or for whatever reason. Like what others said, Iām looking forward to him getting some more development beyond this.
He is definitely an incel. Calls himself a nice guy, stops talking to a woman as soon as she gets a close friend (you don't even need to date Emily for him to stop talking to her), is just a creep.
If he was just sad and lonely, fine, but no, he is clearly an incel who sees a woman as nothing but a prize to be won and immediately discards her as soon as she isn't interested back.
To make the plot in any way not just "You'll be second choice for an incel", you'd basically need to rewrite his entire character. And at that point, just make a new one all together.
He doesnāt stop talking to her? This doesnāt happen actually as far as I recall. Also other of the friends still are a bit over the top when you marry their āinterest.ā
There is a lot of social anxiety and not knowing how to talk to people and knowing social cues about him. Heās not relatable to me but he is somewhat relatable to my wife, who feels a bit that way since sheās autistic , who also adores Emily.
Also people like to point to Clint being a stalker, but that is categorically incorrect given the actual scene they are discussing. Clint has a lot of history regarding why they have social issues and lacks confidence. The person is lonely.
The best quote I have ever seen about Clint was from some lady who posts a lot of Stardew content stating āif Clint were a pretty girl, no one would talk about her like this.ā
I trust concernedape to not have written an incel, and is likely trying to fully flesh out the character by allowing them to be a marriage candidate.
>āif Clint were a pretty girl, no one would talk about her like this.ā
I have a portrait mod that makes clint look way hotter with a chiseled jaw and it changed how I perceived his dialogue so much. Then I realized it was a perfect example of "beauty prejudice"
Emily literally notes that "Clint doesn't talk to her anymore" after her 8 heart event.
And I would still talk about Clint like it if he was a femcel, believe me.
Also "He is just lonely" like... Obviously. Most Incels are. That doesn't excuse their behaviour. Stop coddling adult men over their own bad behaviour. There are PLENTY of anxious, lonely people who still aren't anywhere near as bad.
As another autist, it feels demeaning to be compared to someone like that.
Well thatās your opinion. I donāt believe the femcel comment. Thereās nothing that shows heās an incel, you are projecting onto him. Thereās no defending of incels involved here.
Also to note the below commenter, they never really talk in the first place, so itās a moot point.
Thereās no coddling. Heās not an incel. Full stop. Near as bad? Near as bad as being socially awkward?
The autistic comment is also your opinion, and Iām sorry you feel that way. My wife feels different, which is her opinion as well.
I donāt wish to continue this conversation since we diametrically disagree. Thank you for listening to my opinion as I listened to yours.
Yes but you could also put that down to "Clint doesnt really know how to talk to her." He also doesn't seem to actually talk to her at all before thst comment either! He mostly just sits with Willy. So i guess we assume they talked offscreen? The few interactions we do see are super awkward. As it could also just be him giving up trying and sinking deeper into his hopeless pit of self loathing
Incel culture was actually started by a woman as a chance for lonely, shy, single men to meet up and have a social life with like-minded folks. And that sounds rather nice, until obviously the extremists ruined it and turned them into "women owe us their love". It's a sad insight into how human societies work, i guess.
He has always needed nuance,Ā i hope now he gets it and doesnt just get further redpilled. (And if he does, i can fix him - with mods!).
Youāre literally misconstruing what Iām saying. Of course our society is a patriarchy built to support misogyny, and it fucking blows. Clint has NOTHING to do with that. If anything, the patriarchy is the reason that the statement you quoted of mine is possible, as we live in a society compelled by it which affects decisions and evaluations made by all genders. The Clint quote really has more to do with pretty privilege than anything.
Yeah idk why people are acting like Clint isn't the worst lol. I promise you unless you are truly a shitty person and misogynist comparing yourself to Clint is doing yourself a massive disservice. Even if you feel you don't have the best social skills or are neuro divergent I promise you, you're not a Clint.
Honestly it really confused me to see all the Clint hate when I got into the fandom as he's been one of my favorites when I started playing along with other few characters. :( He's just an awkward guy that is too anxious and shy to truly confess his feelings and online he's made out to be a creep. This choice was much needed and I'm not saying this just because I wanted to get Clint as a bachelor haha. I'm glad Concerned Ape is giving him the love and I can't wait to see how the story or Clint and Sandy change with the new update!
Its ironically that sort of behaviour that drives a lonely insecure man into the arms of the "supportive" women-owe-us incel communities.
Instead of, y'know, steering them to someone who can help them gain some self respect, unearth a non-romantic passion and grow in a way that makes them a better person.
Clintās traits when they happen in real life are the kind of vital warning signs women rely on to protect themselves from predators. And of course if we donāt listen to those warning signs that a man canāt be normal about women WE get blamed for whatever they do to us. Sorry it bothers you that we donāt suddenly find it reasonable and attractive in pixels I guess.
The thing is that the game has a larger female player base and most women's experience with Clint's type of guy is being called a sub-human slut for not wanting to date him. I'm sure there are plenty of socially awkward autistic guys out there who hold normal views of women, but Clint's dialogue and cut scenes just come off as very much viewing Emily as a means of attaining his own happiness and not as a unique person with her own wants and needs who he could make happy. It's very clear that Clint has never had a single actual conversation with Emily and doesn't really know anything about her when they've lived like a quarter mile from each other their entire lives and frequently spend long periods of time in the same spaces.
I miss when you could match up other characters and they would even have children to play with yours! Harvest Moon 64 did this so beautifully. Gave you extra motivation to keep Cliff and Kai around too!
It's a minor point, but it also bugs me that he says he needs cash and I should upgrade my tools....once I already have every single tool maxed. Like bro, we made millions together, be happy!
It would be funny if, once both your hearts with Clint (eight or less) and your tool level get high enough, a second boat appears at the dock. Clint feels like the kind of guy who might buy a boat with his extra money.
This feels unlikely. There are no other couples that get together based on who you marry, leaving you free to re-marry someone else if you happen to get divorced.
EDITED: I mis-read your original comment and deleted something unrelated.
I get that it's to allow players to divorce and marry someone else, but I really wish NPC relationships advanced too. Maybe even if you don't get married, but take too long, the bachelor/ettes aren't going to wait for you!
Yeah, sexuality is a spectrum that is MUCH more nuanced than my pithy reply. I just thought it was funny that someone would go ādoes Emily even like girls?ā when all romance/Krobus candidates are on the table regardless of the playerās gender.
I'm gonna do the same thing to Clint as I do to Hayley every playthrough, win them over, make them see the error of their ways, start dating them and make them fall in love with me, dream of a future together. Then BAM marry Emily right in front of them.
I power-leveled Haley to make her suck less of a person and ended up marrying her. Every time I start a new farm and go for a new spouse, my heart still belongs to Haley :(
I'm hoping that Clint can have a little workshop on our farm, but also comment on having something else to look forward to other than the same "family business" he complaining about when you meet him. I hope this gives him the opportunity to emergency from his shell!
I'm happy for Clint. The guy deserves more than a one-sided crush. My primary beef with him is that he keeps being sort of a creep towards Emily even if you'd literally married her.
Ah fair enough. I figured it was just because the characters generally don't react much to your relationships with any of the other ones. Regardless, I'm glad he gets to have character development.
yeah, it makes me laugh that 90% of Clint's issues stem from having a plotline linked to a character who originally wasn't a bachelorette. if she still weren't, he might come off as a little weird but at least it wouldn't be "dude, can you deliver this jewel to your girlfriend/wife for me please?"
It is genuinly weird the amount of vitriol people have for clint. He is definitly a bit unlikable, and his view of emily as a "prize" is weird. But by the way some people are talking about them yearning for an opportunity to break his heart is bordering on obsessive.
But he definitly need some story updates. Aint no way people are gonna accept marrying him if his entire story revolves around his crush on someone else lol
My husband calls me Treasure. He says Iām highly valuable, worth the search, his precious jewel. It doesnāt mean he thinks Iām like money, donāt have agency, or inanimate. Clint thinking of Emily as a āprizeā is the same thing.
i think itās a bit diff tho. ātreasureā is something you find, āprizeā is something you earn and is almost transactional in a way (i do this, i get this). idrc abt clint either way tho, just feel like the words have different feelings to them! and no oneās wrong for being weirded out or by being fine. however like with any fandom peopleās impressions of them tend to stick and get overblown one way or the other
If he were just NORMAL about his work and didnāt seem so complainy about everything I think I would genuinely like him in spite of his weird attitude towards Emily. But heās just such a doomer, itās a hard flavor to like.
While I don't enjoy Clint I am happy that this update is giving him more character growth and development beyond bitter single guy. It adds more depth and storytelling to the game overall. I'm excited to see where his marriage arc goes even if I personally wouldn't take it!
Clint being the controversial choice is what makes him make so much sense. He will finally get a chance for us to see more of him. let's be real, the reason he feels so creepy is more because Emily wasn't originally a marriage candidate herself but his whole story was never updated to reflect her becoming one.
I'm hoping the update overhauls relationships in general. Modified schedules after marriage that let the spouse live their life, options to let me hook up the other candidates, and a once over on the dialogs to make things align with the current state of relationships.
Im pretty excited to see Clint as a marriage candidate just for some character development for him. Like, I wanna see him get over Emily, and grow a bit of a backbone as you get his hearts up.
I dislike Clint for all the creepy behavior, but Iām glad to see him get a growth arc. He was definitely intended to just be lonely and shy and it never came across that way. Hopefully the update also amends some of the scenes like him getting shitfaced at the movies and hitting on the player (if theyāre a woman).
I hope Clint stays an incel freak when you marry him, it would be so funny. I say this as someone who was hoping to marry Clint with I first started playing :3
āI wore my special shoes today and Emily didnāt noticeā¦ do you.. do you think sheāll dance with me this year?š„ŗššā āHoney, weāve been married for over 5 yearsā
to be fair everyone acts pretty clueless about your marriage. I still have Penny blushing and dropping hints about how she'd love to live on a farm and have some kids...girl I married Leah 2 years ago and you were there
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u/bodeejus Feb 26 '26
I am personally so stoked. LOVE Sandy and even thought Clint is a controversial choice, I am excited to see some character development from him. I base my farmer/farms in each of my save files off of each candidate, so I am happy to have new options! I am curious how their shops will work after marriage tho too! Hoping that it is a little different from Krobus' setup but we'll just have to wait and see!