Clint Can't White Knight His Way Into Emily's Heart - 1.5 Spoilers

[@jettash0720]

The way Clint stops basically talking to Emily kinda reminded me a bit of how Alex and Hailey will grow more distant with one another when you start pursuing them romantically, too

[@MelaKenzu]

Agreed, but I always chalked it up to how much they mature in both of their respective routes. It’s hard to hang with a friend you care about when their behavior is mean/childish. Clint and Emily on the other hand…I never saw that hide behind the bushes scene before and now I’m terrified.

[@Leapalot]

To be fair, most (all?) marriage candidates adjust their schedules as you grow in hearts with their "match." But in this case Emily specifically talks about not understanding why she lost a friend.

[@jettash0720]

@@MelaKenzu That's very true! I guess I never really looked into Hailey that much, just going based on what others have said (and the wiki)

[@jettash0720]

@@Leapalot Ah yeah, that's very true

[@pamelahoney874]

that’s so true i remember not long after i married haley, i ran into alex and he said “at first when you married haley, i was jealous, but now i’ve learned some things about myself.” or something along those lines

[@gamerparker123]

Sad fact: You can occasionally find copper, iron, and gold bars in Emily’s trash can. This implies that Clint is giving her these and she’s throwing them away.

[@sunset_sarsaparilla]

Or Clint *tries* to give her those gifts and then chickens out and throws it away instead.

[@southernsnowman7788]

I don't know which one is more sad... But I guess both of that is true

[@And1slash]

Don't feel bad at least we can use them for other stuff I think he chickens out

[@Angelica-sq9lh]

I think he chickens out, Emily isn't the kind of person that would throw gifts away, even if she hated it.

[@lazyladytired]

@dont stop me now because he was already near her house, i guess?

[@ayrrimrevorg7233]

"you cant give someone an amethyst twice a week and expect them to love u" me who married abigail: 👁👄👁

[@tophatman2272]

Me who married Emily the exact same way 👁️👄👁️

[@aeresys]

I always think of him as "the incel that opens geodes quicker than a geode crusher"

[@Leapalot]

Only place to do golden coconuts too I believe.

[@itsamebi413]

@@Leapalot artifact troves too

[@sophiathefurbst]

I think the geode crushes makes up for it since it’s free and Clint just straight up doesn’t work on Friday if you do the community center

[@madman7544]

@@sophiathefurbst it uses coal

[@GuiSmith]

@@madman7544 Which you can get from wood, which is free with time

[@AuroSya]

I always feel the worst for Emily. Her only canonical friend lives a whole bus ride away. So if she and the farmer get together, she loses the only local "friend" she had. Sure, she has her sister, but I can only imagine how jarring and upsetting that must be on her end, since Clint NEVER talks to her about it :( I wish that at higher relationship levels with Clint you get to see him realize his infatuation with Emily isn't healthy and he grows to treat her as a friend rather than just a crush, to the point where if you and Emily get together, he congratulates BOTH of you, even if he's sad. Clint could have a really interesting character development storyline as you get to know him. But instead the farmer really just... enables it.

[@Leapalot]

This would be nice, and you're right. If they really are friends, he should be happy for her happiness regardless of his own feelings.

[@alley6950]

actually, when you marry Emily, she'll go visit Sandy in the desert once or twice a week. I saw them outside Sandy's store once on my way to Skull Cavern. granted that might be just for the expanded mod though.. :/ would be cool if she did that for the vanilla game too.

[@emp6591]

@@alley6950 She does in the vanilla game but only once a year, on Sandy's birthday lol. Still sad that that's it though

[@legerdemain444]

Emily and Shane do seem to be friends though, they talk about chickens and he asks her to help h with his commercial so I don't think Clint is the only friend.

[@PhantommiYT]

@@legerdemain444 they also dance together during the flower dance:)

[@HanaNoMachi]

It’s kind of sad that even Shane has more affinity with Emily than he does

[@myheartismadeofstars]

Yeah I made a thing once about Stardew Valley Rival couples... It's Emily and Shane that got paired up. I do think she could be good for him too! But Clint is basically obsessed with her

[@yes5826]

@@myheartismadeofstars Wait now if you think about it she can fix him, she is very cute and also kind and shane is a tired alcholic(did i spell right?)Also if I remember right they dance together in the flower dance!Also maybe shane only goes to saloon because of Emily!

[@williamknott818]

@@yes5826 in reality its that they were the two unplanned marriage canditates added after a poll. hence why maru and harvey, leah and elliot, penny and sam and seb and abigail all go together and they really dont

[@vanyadolly]

Except that Shane and Emily would make a much better couple. He could use some crystal healing and she can do better than Clint. They're also both caring people and love animals.

[@Leslie_-xm2vq]

@@williamknott818 tbh Penny and Sam doesn’t make that much sense, I’ve never seen them together. Heck even Penny and Vincent would make more sense but ok

[@chada4806]

I honestly feel like Clint thinks the only thing he has to do is confess. As if Emily is GUARANTEED to like him back. :/

[@JoshIdstein]

"you only see me as a friend. it's my fault" - yeah sure hon or maybe she's just not into you.

[@SHITFUCK1999]

why'd you say that

[@chubbybunny6975]

@@SHITFUCK1999 Because even in his letter, he literally implies that it's HIS fault they aren't dating. Which means he isn't even taking HER feelings towards him into consideration at all. He basically believes that Emily already loves him, but is waiting for him to make the first move, and that simply just isn't the case.

[@SHITFUCK1999]

@@chubbybunny6975 i think he just says it's his fault because he never made any moves or tried to advance the relationship, don't think the devs intended his character to be lime that

[@SHITFUCK1999]

@@chubbybunny6975 also I don't think he thinks Emily already loves him bc in the letter he literally admits he knows she only thinks of him as a friend

[@OllieV__nl]

"You don't accidentally get married to a bartender just by showing up every day where I work and sit in a corner for five hours". Me, but with my crush who worked at the uni library. Didn't work. Did pay off, as that was my best semester ever and met several other friends.

[@Leapalot]

Sometimes love is the friends we make along the way?

[@AdmiralStormy]

@@Leapalot sure. I love my friends, not the same way I love my partner or my family, but I love them.

[@amandablue6326]

i got eight hearts with emily after i had already married alex. ik the dialogue doesn’t change for this but it just brought a whole new level of sad when clint congratulated a happily married person

[@noemi-valen-g4y]

mans in his own world isn't he 💀😭😂

[@monikaaaax3]

Same, but i am married to Abigail

[@ShadowSorel]

@@monikaaaax3 i feel like the dialogue is especially odd during emily's 8-heart event if you married abigail or shane because how the fuck do you literally see the farmer's spouse immediately walk out of the building and think "yeah this farmer is trying to steal emily from me"

[@WhatRemainsofNovaJames]

He said this to me and I am married to Emily’s SISTER

[@vanyadolly]

@@ShadowSorel He seems to jump to conclusions just because she's talking to another person, which is at least another half red flag imo.

[@adriftinglink]

Clint creeps me out. I used to sympathize but now that I’m older I realize he’s creepy.

[@Leapalot]

I feel bad for him for his circumstances, but they don't excuse his behavior.

[@adriftinglink]

@@Leapalot 100%

[@Dan55888]

So you grew to internet pressure and started hating on people who are not actually bad because it's trendy to blame people who heartache

[@graciemcwatt3860]

@@Dan55888 No, they matured and realized that men who watch women from afar without asking them out are total weirdos. Emily and Shane are better friends than Emily and Clint, as they at least dance together in the flower dance. Not to mention that Clint is likely 10-15 years older than her...yikes. His weird obsession with Emily is not heartache, because he hasn't even been rejected. Emily is very civil towards him, and he has no reason to believe that she would reject him (other than the age gap 💀) but is too cowardly to ask her out and just watches her instead. On my first play through, I tried to befriend him because he seemed like a classic lonely guy who just needed a friend, but I had to stop because some of his dialogue made me cringe hard (the nice guy line was the first major red flag.) Sometimes characters are hated for a reason.

[@thefutureisnow6882]

@@Dan55888 this is the most incel comment ive seen in a while /lh

[@fangirlstampede3065]

I wish they gave Clint different dialogue after you get married to Emily. It’s kinda awkward having a guy pine for your wife and mother of your kids every time you go to a social gathering.

[@SentientSalt]

"U should buy something i can use the money" dude i just gave u 25,000 and 5 Iridium bars yesterday

[@Leapalot]

Truuuuee

[@e_puffin]

lmao but doesn't Robin and Marnie say those things too?

[@jadedoptimistt]

Makes sense. Those upgrade are few, far between, and ultimately finite opportunities to make some money. If you don't buy his stuff and have jume crack geodes forget you, he loses most his income after your last iridium tool.

[@li.theo.4]

@@e_puffin They might, but they still have goods to offer you. I mean, I love mining, so I might be biased, but I’ve never needed to buy ore or coal. “You should upgrade your tools… I could use the cash.” sounds pretty sad when you’ve already upgraded all of your tools lmao.

[@blokvader8283]

Mf tells me to upgrade my tools because he could use the cash My brother in Yoba, I've maxed out my tools months ago.

[@lilielf5652]

1:42 fun fact, I got that three heart scene with Clint when I was already married to Emily. I've hated Clint ever since that, because who asks for dating advice and then tries to ask out someone's wife in front of them?

[@seankock7649]

Mayhe its a flashback?

[@chillaxin1926]

@@seankock7649 Emily and Shane were not originally marriage candidates when Stardew Valley was first released. They were then made to be marriage-able in a later update by "popular demand". The prevailing theory is that ConcernedApe simply overlooked these intricate dialogue interactions in making Emily and Shane marriage candidates. Had someone pointed this out to him while he was busy developing the game, I'm sure that he would have fixed this.

[@blokvader8283]

Bruh I tried to max out all friends, and it's creepy having Abigail simp for me when I've been happily married to Maru for like 3 years

[@artsyebonyrose]

same here 😭 i always hated him bc emily was the love interest i went for from the start, so his constant whining about wanting to get with her urked me. then i got this heart scene while i was already with emily and i wanted to punch him so bad bc of the NERVE LMAO

[@celariea.7513]

The sarcastic jerk option is so funny, I'm tempted to pick it every time it comes up. I guess it depends what kind of dialog I've gotten from him before. He can be kinda rude.

[@Leapalot]

He's one of the NPCs who has rude dialogue until like 6 hearts. I'm the only person upgrading my tools Clint. Don't say, "don't you have work to do" like I'm not single handedly paying your mortgage.

[@parallaxpatella]

@@Leapalot Whenever Clint says "don't you have work to do" I give him something he hates. It's one of my favourite things to do to Clint.

[@celariea.7513]

@@Leapalot YES!! Exactly!

[@driftingdruid]

i compromise and pick clown, bit closer to "a comedian" answer

[@chillaxin1926]

I dunno... I kinda wish there were "A rootin' tootin' boot-wearin' cowboy" option for that question.

[@lordarthur2165]

I love how I got the Emily clothing scene when I was already married and I was like: -"Bro... I am already marry to Shane... I AM GAY." I laughed a lot

[@And1slash]

I don't think his scripts were updated to remember events you could be married to another npc the day before and he will attend However 8 heart emily event he acts like you are interested in her

[@lordarthur2165]

@@And1slash yes, that's true to another NPCs, I remember that the 8 heart scene with Penny was funny as hell, Vincent asking if I was going to marry her when I was already married for 3 years with Shane was hilarious.p

[@southernsnowman7788]

I always try to finished Mr.Qi quest before Emily heart scene. I refuse to get into that cut scene even if I get to see emo Shane on the way.

[@lordarthur2165]

@@southernsnowman7788 oh why???

[@beepusboop8678]

SAME

[@YumikoMayamine]

I had to deal with someone like Clint and I have social anxiety which made everything even worst so I really dislike this charater, I also find people (boys or girls) watching other people for days really creepy.

[@Leapalot]

But how will I know when to buy you roses if I don't know when you sleep Yuchan? 👀🌹👀

[@YumikoMayamine]

@@Leapalot noooo T.T

[@ThunderEwokB]

I'll do you one better: I was someone like Clint! Believe me, after some time the memories of our - "nice guy's" - labors aren't exactly making us proud either. All I can say is that at the time we had the best intentions but we just had no god damn idea how to go about them! Sincere apologies for making you(and others like you) uncomfortable! I was actually very lucky because the girl I was creepy towards was a good sport about it. I've written a comment here with my story if you're interested, it's the long one.

[@Dan55888]

Sucks so much to be liked/loved by someone eh?

[@zachanikwano]

@@Dan55888 If they’re creepy about it, absolutely.

[@e_puffin]

Apparently, I just realized that a lot of people thought that Clint saying "Don't you have work to do?" is rude. To me, I thought he was just trying to make small talk. I mean his portrait is at default while Shane's when he said something rude, his portrait changed.

[@driftingdruid]

same, i learned to read the portraits as well as the text

[@UshioKiss]

I can't really imagine anyone saying that trying to make small talk. It sounds like they want you to leave them alone to go do your work. A more appropriate thing would be "How is work going?"

[@Pumbear]

@@UshioKiss Which is why it fits as Clint is meant to be socially inept. Him not being able to appropriately express himself is the point of the character.

[@UshioKiss]

@@Pumbear I think someone can be socially inept or awkward while also being intentionally rude

[@SpecterNeverSpectator]

@@UshioKiss and the opposite is true, thing goes both ways man

[@driftingdruid]

creepy *_because_* he's awkward, anxious, and socially inept i pity him and wish we could do something more constructive than threaten him into asking Emily out, but he's also just repeatedly running into his own walls of rigid mindsets ...feels like my farmer needs to mention these things to Dr. Harvey to get Clint into counseling at Zuzu City, like he did with Shane. Probs need to raise funds for a community counseling service for all of Pelican Town too, at this rate

[@nadieimportante1979]

Mental health aren't the only reason why he is like that, mental health don't turn you into a creepy dude, it partially affected his behaviour, the rest is on him. He should get therapy, but he still is a creep, mental health issues or not

[@toniotrussardi8126]

he stalked emily and treated her as something you win as he says when he sees you with emily " you win" see my point? he sees her as something to win to have weird as hell

[@SpecterNeverSpectator]

@@toniotrussardi8126 that's får fetched as hell tho

[@Dan55888]

One of the only reasonable comments here. Thank you. Not jumping on the "he's an incel! Let's hate him" that the internet loves to do these days. You can't hate jocks, bitches or even rude drunks because that's not cool, but it's a-ok to hate the socially awkward...

[@Canadian_Zac]

As someone who is very socially awkward (i bassically cannot start conversations unless i know the person well), so i feel for him a bit. But theres lots with him that go beyond just being awkward. Not talking to her once he thinks shes taken is the biggest thing. If you actually love someone, you want them to be happy, even if it isnt with you.

[@rainraven9881]

As someone with social anxiety, I can definitely see it being part of Clint's problem - but only part of it. I wouldn't say he's a full Nice Guy but he definitely has some of those tendencies and could definitely end up going that way if he decided to lean into them more. I also get the feeling he's kind of using his social anxiety as an excuse, if he does have it? Like an emotional crutch - as much as he complains, he never has to take the chance on changing how things are, sticking with the misery he knows instead.

[@nadieimportante1979]

Yes, this are exactly my thoughts. Clint sure has some mental issues, but those don8excuse them and aren't the actual reason why he is like this. It's probably how he was raised, because mental health doesn't make you an ass to be with or a creep, not fully

[@Kyra-qn3nh]

I like to call this the "f*ckzone". When a man puts you in this zone, he only cares about you or interacts with you if he thinks he can get you to sleep with him/go out with him via supposed niceness. The fact that Clint flat out ignores her when he doesn't get to be with her tells me everything I need to know.

[@senorwookie6178]

Sounds like a weird analogy. I definitely can see your point with the fuckzone. But I personally couldn't hold a friendship myself if I asked her out and got rejected, or found out that she started dating by now. Definitely not an immediate thing like Clint does in the game, but there definitely would be way less interaction till the friendship fades.

[@catscanhavelittleasalami]

yup, men who don't believe in male/female friendships

[@Trojan073]

The main problem with Clint is how Emily was added as a marriage candidate. It probably wasn’t as bad before. It would be less creepy. The Emily event is even weirder if your already married

[@Leapalot]

Yeah. Clint didn't get an overhaul when Emily became a marriage candidate. But still, I would be concerned if someone was acting like this around a friend of mine, not just a romantic partner.

[@Dan55888]

It's a programming mismatch tjat still happens because things can happen out of order

[@ryokiritani4187]

"Is he really going to flirt with my wife in front of me after asking me for advice?" -Walter White, RTgame

[@deathmetalparrot172]

Yeah I think people forget or didn't know that Emily wasn't always a marriage candidate... the clothes therapy wasn't even a scene in the game until 1.1 update

[@spyjonsachurin2101]

@@deathmetalparrot172 wasn’t Shane also added as a candidate?

[@pandoravex4791]

I don’t like Clint cause his whole personality is pining for Emily. I’m honestly glad we didn’t get him as a romanceable option. He needs more going on for him for me to be interested.

[@insertname7325]

If he was a romance able option, he'd probably have more going for him than he does now.

[@artur6912]

Shane also didn't have much going on for him UNTIL he became a romance option. I'm betting that if Clint became one, he would get more dialogue that would make him far more sympathetic.

[@Gabi-ik4rt]

Yeah, I normally romance Shane but then I got some mods and decided to romance a modded character… I noticed even with 8 hearts with Shane, he’s still not a great guy, especially with the festival dialogue. Maybe in the universe where Clint got selected instead of Shane, it would’ve been vice versa. Shane hate instead of Clint. Either way fuck Clint lol

[@alestiiidaeno_last3075]

I'd argue that the when he eventually stops talking to Emily, it's nothing netharious. They player tells him to treat her like he treats everyone else. And since he doesn't know how to talk with anyone else, well... it's sadly the expected conclusion to his arc... treating her like everyone else. It's unfortunate that he doesn't have a happy conclusion to things; I'd want to see him learn to make friends and be loved by those around him.

[@driftingdruid]

same, we farmers need to sign him up for socialization classes or something

[@dragonoideification]

Good interpretation. For me, just seemed like he only liked Emily romantically, and when he realised that she was already in love with someone else, he just didn't had a reason to Interact with her anymore. She even says he seems like he is mad at her or something like that If im not mistaken

[@Dan55888]

It's easier for the internet to just makr up evil intentions and shit because hating Nice guys are the onky people that it is ok to hate these days

[@JuMiKu]

@@Dan55888 As a woman, I honestly don't get the hate in this case. He had a huge crush and didn't know how to express himself. If you had romantic interest in someone, you usually step back, when it isn't reciprocated and you think they are in love with one of your friends. Sticking around would probably be awkward for everyone. Especially someone who is really bad at socializing. The reason why he congratulated the farmer was due to the fact that Clint realized that Emily still had no idea about his feelings. The farmer did and needed to know it was OK and that they were still friends. It wasn't a heartfelt congrats on a relationship, but a guy telling their friend they are cool. (And people are angry at this very character for being socially-inept...) Concerning the movie-part, misunderstanding it as a date isn't that far-fetched and the line wasn't that cringe. A lot of Clint could be fixed, if marriage was more integrated into the game and dialogue. Clint isn't the only character, who ignores your marriage.

[@Pirokh]

@@JuMiKu Alex constantly "enjoying the view" of Haley after I married her immediately comes to mind.

[@TophatTalulah]

I knew a guy like Clint in college. He'd talk to every woman he met, but ignore you as soon as he finds out you have a partner. I was literally in the middle of a convo with him when we first met, mentioned I had a boyfriend, and he literally just got up and walked away without another word.

[@senorwookie6178]

I don't see the issue with that. Wouldn't it be way worse to persue a friendship although your intentions were deeper? That the first conversation already had that intention is sad, but otherwise I would think it's preferable.

[@TophatTalulah]

@Señor Wookie what? No. It was creepy. As if my only use to him was for romantic and/or sexual conquest, instead of treating me like a peer in an educational setting, or idk maybe just a friend?? Not to mention that later on, I found out that he had done that to almost every other woman in our conservatory. What an incredibly lonely life to live if you refuse to befriend a woman because she has a significant other who isn't you.

[@senorwookie6178]

@@TophatTalulah I agree that it's stupid to walk up to a woman and hope that this would end up in a relationship. Finding friends and progressing from there is the more natural way. If his intentions were to get a girlfriend though, it still would be preferable if he stopped the communication, rather than continue it and hope to succeed in the long run. For the intentions he had, he was more noble than some other guys would be.

[@Archadianite]

@@TophatTalulah Personally the guy that seems more sad than creepy. I mean at least he had the decency to leave you alone instead of becoming a stalker, or started to insult you for "not falling for a nice guy". You have every right to feel offended though.

[@TophatTalulah]

@Archadianite oh, so you were there, too? You saw exactly how he was around women? Oh wait, no, then you'd know his nickname was literally R*pey Nate. Let's not try to defend a creep and say he's misunderstood, k?

[@JoshIdstein]

When I was like 17-19, I was such a textbook nice guy and these days, talking to Clint just really reminds me of that. Nice guys are just as bad as fuckboys, there's no difference in how they perceive women as just a prize to be won. I hate that part of me that used to be like this and I loath Clint.

[@Dan55888]

So instead of being sympathetic and understanding how he could come to be the way he was you instead just hate him? Kick em while they are down? No, he is trash right and always will be? No potential there like you? Sounds like you are still an asshole, you only see him as trash and nothing more, not a human who can make mistakes, have complicated feelings and can grow and change. Yep, just loathe him that is all he deserves?

[@spyjonsachurin2101]

But unlike Clint, you learned and matured and recognized your mindset wasn’t good. Clint seems so wrapped up in his self pity that he can’t see his own flaws

[@FWDDGS]

I could forgive it all if he was just interesting at all. Hell, I’d listen to him talk about blacksmithing, or the saloon or his family. But he just had absolutely nothing to say.

[@seankock7649]

Cause he doesnt even like his job

[@willyeeton4390]

@@seankock7649 and he won't even tell us what he'd rather do. Maybe he doesn't even know.

[@seankock7649]

@@willyeeton4390 the only people that really visit him is us, he has a job that bassically no one needs, he is alone most of the time

[@Dan55888]

So he is boring so therefore he is dirt? He can't be a human with flaws?

[@ryokiritani4187]

@@Dan55888 he's a character in a town where most people are interesting to talk to, so yeah

[@Roytahto]

I've always seen Clint as a guy that does have his heart in the right place, but certainly doesn't know to go about his issues and needs in healthy ways. During one of his Ginger Island visits he's trying to indirectly draw attention to himself calling his special red trunks eye catching, but ends up stressing about menial things throughout, and even exclaims how they're all at the beach and he still feels so alone.

[@driftingdruid]

^ exactly this

[@Dan55888]

People just find it easier to hate on the socially awkward and make up sinister motives like they are all masterminds intentionally trying to be assholes or something...

[@ATFADL]

That and the comment about his special shoes, make me think Clint really doesn't know how to interact with others. Hence he would attribute success in interpersonal relationships to luck, because he doen't understand how they work.

[@cakeisyummy5755]

"Unless your name rhymes with Stumps." M.... Mu-

[@Leapalot]

👀👀 Don't say his name or he might show up and marry everyone you know...

[@AkitaSyn]

I don’t get it

[@Lady.Friday]

@@AkitaSyn blasphemy!

[@cakeisyummy5755]

@@Leapalot Ok, i won't UTTER the name of he who SHALL marry and Divorce our entire Town! ;)

[@Leapalot]

@@AkitaSyn DangerouslyFunny used to use a character named... 👀Mumps👀 in old Stardew Valley videos. Lots of SDV content is only here because of the stuff he used to make.

[@alexiasepia2740]

Clint isn't her only friend in pelican town tho. Shane is a very good friend to her, he always makes her laugh with chicken stories as seen on one of Clint's heart events and on Emily's 10 heart event Shane is the first one to do her dress up therapy..

[@Xternzz]

She isn't on her wiki page

[@aeroscantsee1665]

Shane and Emily's friendship is just really wholesome.

[@rainfyre2694]

I remember purposely giving Clint bad relationship advice because of Emily was my wife…

[@TheMissileHappy]

When I first played the game I felt sorry for Clint, but then I met someone like him in real life and basically became his Emily and god now I hate Clint. He has no idea how awful it feels to have someone behave like that towards you all the time. Also his constant negativity is exhausting that goes for my real life Clint as well.

[@Dan55888]

Yeah! They should just turn off their feelings and be happy the person they love dosnt love them back! It's so easy!

[@talklalala1292]

@@Dan55888 okay Clint.

[@catscanhavelittleasalami]

@@Dan55888 you're all over this comment section mocking women who are rightfully creeped out by stalkers and weirdos. That's just incredibly sad.

[@mun150]

I always felt that Clint has a lot of issues that he needs solving and that in general he's not a very likeable character. On the other hand I understand him in a bit when it comes to ignoring Emily after she shows romantic interest in someone else. It might be too painful for him to talk with her and he needs time to accept the fact that she'll never be with him - especially when he couldn't even ask her out on a date.

[@Dan55888]

That is too hard for people to understand. People talk about how they can't just turn on feelings for someone but ignore the reverse isnt true... Like Clint can just go "oh! Ok Me and Emily wont be a thing" and goes on happily whistling and just being a friend with someone he probably sees every day doing things that made him fall for her in the first place

[@beththedarkmage3359]

As a woman with social anxiety, I agree with you. He refuses to get help so he can't keep playing the victim card when his awful actions blow up on him. He's a creep!

[@Dan55888]

And who is gonna help him? What if the game was a tad more serious and he blew his head off because he feels alone? Would you still be so proud of your hate?

[@ihavenoidea2805]

@@Dan55888 wtf are you talking about... I've also seen you commenting in a few other reply sections and your comments are always so ridiculous and awful

[@froggnt8621]

@@Dan55888stop projecting jfc, its a video game

[@kinseylise8595]

I've always seen Clint as a normal guy who's just incredibly socially awkward since most of his strange behavior and odd lines come from him being too nervous to tell Emily how he feels. Even when he congratulates you, it's him trying to push down his own sadness to find happiness for his friends. In my eyes he wasn't sad about you finding a partner, only that Emily had, so it made sense to me that he was more comfortable congratulating you. Additionally, many villagers hang out at the saloon every night so I didn't think he'd be making Emily uncomfortable, especially since she considers him a friend. I felt similarly about the bush scene; he's not stalking her, just being overwhelmed by nervousness. You force him to face his fears in the moment but because he hasn't worked through his nerves himself, he isn't able to make it clear to Emily that he wanted a date when they went to the fair together, so their relationship stays platonic and he can't figure out what to do because he's so scared of telling her how he feels. Even the phone line doesn't come across to me as that strange; he's saying that to the player and regardless of gender, maybe it's just true. However, I've never taken Clint to the movies. That really changed my interpretation of him from someone who just can't get out of his own head to someone who fully doesn't understand social boundaries. Emily seems very easygoing and unflappable (and in my opinion is pretty obtuse), so she likely doesn't mind this and they have a good friendship. I think Clint was so excited to finally be accepted and liked by someone that he jumped on the fantasy of having a romantic relationship without the social grace required to actually make it happen. I don't think this is an excuse, he seems to drink to attempt to improve his social skills but that only removes his inhibitions and causes him to behave inappropriately instead of being as reserved as he usually is. I also find it super weird that he just assumes visiting the movies is a date, and I interpret that to prove that he doesn't understand the boundaries of friendship and romance and is confusing the two with not only Emily but also the other person who gets close to him, the player.

[@Alex_Barbosa]

This ^^^ Clint is not a bad guy, he's just socially inept. And the "stalker" scene only looks that way due to game limitations, that scene is meant to be more like him standing away from Emily working up the courage to talk about his feelings like any first time crush would. Talking to girls your attracted to can be nerve wracking, especially if you've never done it before and weren't taught how to express your feelings. Fear of rejection is a real thing and can be crippling. Also the phrase "nice guy" doesn't have to have bad implications, the dude could just be expressing that he's a good person who's just too afraid to open up to other people. Which is likely, due to his social ineptitude.

[@Kunabee]

I read Clint as neurodivergent, maybe even autistic in a different way from Demetrius. Autism is a spectrum, and part of it is difficulty socializing. If Clint has severe social anxiety, it's possible he never learned even the basics of stuff. Idk. I just feel bad for Clint, I don't find him creepy. I want him to get with Emily if the player doesn't pursue her, and to get over his crush and grow as a person if they do. But he's just... stuck. (Also, I'm Autistic myself. Sometimes Autistic people have behaviors that other people find 'creepy' when really we're just trying to figure out socializing rules! But if you read Clint in an unfavorable light, then by all means go ahead and let him be creepy. I just happen to view him fairly favorably and take everything in a sort of positive spin.)

[@Leapalot]

I feel sympathy for Clint and his circumstances but still find his behavior inappropriate/unacceptable. But seeing the world in a positive light is a great way to live! So don't feel like I'm trying to take that away from you!

[@rowan6650]

I’m autistic and I had a less generous reading than you did. I do pity him, and wish we as the player could help him expand his horizons to find happiness in areas other than romance, but I don’t personally read Clint as being coded as autistic, and regardless, you can be both autistic and a creepy stalker.

[@catscanhavelittleasalami]

don't throw us autistic people with this creep

[@Rikigals]

I’ve literally been married to Emily for 3 years and he’s STILL trying to move in on her 😡😡😡😡😡

[@theanswerisa3758]

My main impression of Clint is my first winter star where he was my secret Santa, and he comes up and goes “hey this isn’t much, I scraped up the money to afford it” and gave me a wholeass iridium bar

[@hue_tjark]

Honestly, sometimes when I see people commenting about how they want to bring Clint and Emily together, all I think is "Do you really want to make Emily suffer even more?"

[@Thegreatercheese]

If he were to get a redemption storyline he needs to move on from her.

[@darkwizard4757]

Emily was not a marriageable candidate at the beginning, when she became one her script was changed but Clint's was not, which is why it seems weird but it is not Clint's fault it is CA's fault for not changing Clint's script to reflect this.

[@Leapalot]

Clint's behavior is concerning whether his target is a marriage candidate or not. Phones are new in 1.5, and the dialogue where he gets drunk and hits on you during a movie was added well after Emily was changed to a marriage candidate. ConcernedApe has only added to Clint's narrative since Emily was updated, even if some batches of dialogue/quests weren't updated.

[@moraelity]

Even in that context, he is still creepy. Hiding in a bush and watching someone you love is still extremely creepy

[@Dan55888]

Right? It's an abandoned story line that probably originally had more growth but instead they made Emily availible and Clint had to be thrown in the trash and become a one note character.

[@qrapefru1t150]

Great takes as always, again another character I rarely befriend. The only interaction I had with Clint when I first played (other than the blacksmiths) is when he gave me an iridium bar at the feast of the winter star. I don’t know if concerned ape meant Clint to be fully creepy or “stalker-like” just shy and holding some strange opinions, but I do agree that he definitely comes across as weird/creepy in most situations. Quite a lot of characters have weird gender biases for certain things in game (referencing the movie) like George if you marry Alex as a man. I think it overall just reflects how great of a game stardew really is that concerned ape still added controversy into the pelican town community. Great video :)

[@Leapalot]

Thanks! I love that Clint is in the game. I think he's a great addition. Just like in real life, you can't tell everything about a person just by talking to them a dozen times. It would be nice to know definitively whether he's just shy, but we won't. So of course, as humans, we speculate! And yes, CA did an amazing job with all the residents, including Clint!

[@starofaetherius]

Female farmer here and yeah, your thoughts on the movie especially echo with me. I always put off upgrading my tools just to avoid talking to him because I don't know if I'll see another weird/creepy line I missed before. Worst part is, metallurgy is cool as heck and I thought the blacksmith character would be cooler when I started instead of this weird stalker.

[@blokvader8283]

I wanna say, I've never seen the movie cutscene, and holy shit thats horrifying Even if it's a game, I couldn't imagine what it'd be like, I felt violated watching Leap read off his text lmao

[@OkSid300]

This comment section is overloaded with snowflakes. I can't image how you go through your life with such pathetic mindset.

[@corruptor55]

Ngl, I feel kinda bad for Clint…at least when it comes to his struggles with socializing. But it makes more sense considering that he _probably_ grew up in a rural setting, with less people to interact with. …still, I don’t think that’s *any* excuse to act the way he does towards Emily(or even women in general). Also, I didn’t even know his “stalking event” existed, so I appreciate that extra effort your put into your videos :)

[@oldkid820]

I think Clint being out of touch makes his character funny, for me at least. Clint is the character that makes me want dialogue options, so I can compliment his shoes just to see what he says.

[@greattitan371]

I remember seeing a large scale poll done to determine the most hated Stardew Villager. Clint beat Pierre in the semi finals then beat Lewis in the finals

[@miceltusav88]

I gave him a gift and all he did was sigh. So I basically stopped caring about raising friendship

[@cantthinkofaname750]

What did you give him tho?

[@miceltusav88]

@@cantthinkofaname750 I don't remember. But I've seen this vid a lot and I'm starting to think Clint is on the spectrum. Specifically, asperger's syndrome. I have that myself, and he displays a lot of tendencies I did at times, and sometimes still do. The ignoring Emily I think is more out of a sense of "well, I long for her still, being friends would be painful until I can move on, IF I can move on." Something I did in high school to my crush. She and I are friends NOW, sure, but while I had feelings for her I felt it would be more harmful until I didn't feel that way

[@BbSis]

At first I thought he was just shy like he said but then i started noticing the red flags and now he just gives me the freaks u.u

[@BlossomPathOnStage15]

Same. But honestly I don't hate or dislike him. I just pity him. Can't read the room, stalking someone, can't see his own flaws and constantly surrounding himself with self-pity. I can't help but wonder "How did guys like him turned out like this? Like god this guy is so sad and pathetic."

[@BbSis]

@@BlossomPathOnStage15 I guess in his case especially no one told him his behavior is not nice, and let's face it, the non romanceable adults in the game are not good examples and probably just pity him like we do

[@amityblight5000]

As someone with diagnosed social anxiety he’s 100% also like me. We can take small things - like people not noticing when we dress up more- can seem like genuine insults or like people are avoiding us. I wish that he could become better, though :/

[@Leapalot]

Right! I'm not saying people can't have their struggles. Like... look at everyone in the valley. They're all messed up. I just wish there was progress.

[@nadieimportante1979]

Yes, Clint sure has his problems, I recognise depression in his character, he sure diserves some help wth that

[@toniotrussardi8126]

@@nadieimportante1979 yeah sometimes feels like he doesnt want to get help bc he keeps the self pity stuff even after you help him

[@amityblight5000]

@@Leapalot oh yeah don’t worry I understand! Actually, I love this video because it sheds light on the way we can usually act but calling out the negative behaviors :)

[@lance5691]

I had a "friend" like Clint once. Had an obsession with me, but only in a relationship type of way. It happened to be during a time in my life where I was transitioning (I'm FTM), and I wasn't really comfortable enough with myself to get into a relationship, and I ended up telling them that. And, while I knew they would be upset by some news, I genuinely wanted to keep the friendship, as I wasn't really bothered by their attraction as I would likely be willing to give a relationship a try once I felt more comfortable with myself and the friendship was reinstated. I'm actually demisexual, so my attraction for anyone is pretty reliant on me feeling a personal bond with them. However, they at first would act like they would continue being friends, but they got more dismissive of me, promising to come over but then forgetting, or saying they were really busy. I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt, maybe they are telling the truth, or were just scared and didn't want to tell me, but after it happens 5 times in a row? It's hard to accept that they were never interested in me as a person, but I realize I dodged a person. This was never a person who was going to care about me after the initial stage of trying to "win" me, given they can't even be honest about no longer being interested in the friendship. I ended up giving them one last chance, they said "lol I'm busy" and I just ended it there, blocking all forms of contact with them. For as much as people complain about the "friendzone", I believe the "fuckzone" that these nice guys put people in is far more demeaning and should be talked about more.

[@Dan55888]

So you think they can just turn off attraction any easier than if someone asked you to turn ON attraction? You lost a friend, they lost someone they loved.

[@oops383]

I’ve had to deal with guys as a teenager like Clint. I don’t really have sympathy for his character or like him because people like that are self centered and kind of rude. They get so caught up in the idea of liking someone that they don’t get to know them as a person and grow into liking the idea of them rather than the person themselves with seemingly no care for what she thinks about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Emily was the first girl who talked to him and he just grew mildly obsessed with her because he doesn’t get attention from women.

[@gwendolynrobinson3900]

I think there's a line between "my friend that I like is with someone else, I'm sad about it so I might need some distance for a little bit for my sake" and "the person I like is no longer available so why would I bother talking to them if there's nothing in it for me" and Clint definitely seems to fall into the latter description

[@Arixandrine]

I interpreted telling clint to ask her out as a way for this situation to get some closure, she does go with him because emily is a saint and oblivious, but i wish she didn't, clint could move on afterwards

[@enlargedgarfield1499]

Tbf to Clint he never leaves his workshop so is most likely never really used to talking to people

[@existentialdemo]

while clint deeply disgusts me, i hate pierre. tbh it almost feels like different genres of deeply negative feelings

[@dkdkdnffjxjdj6019]

Reminds me of when I wore a berserk shirt in public and some random guy confessed his love for me

[@Leapalot]

😬

[@RandomstrangerthatlikesRPGs]

0:54 yep, that sounds exactly like something he’d do

[@michaelleue7594]

People judge Clint pretty harshly, in my opinion. Social anxiety creates a situation where a person is bad at making friends, not one where the person is bad at *being* friends. Clint never gets the privilege of attempting the latter, so there's no basis for judging him on that metric. Considering this is a game where making friends can literally consist of nothing but zero-effort conversations in which you say nothing, I feel like it's pretty high-handed to judge Clint for his problems. Calling Clint creepy because he's embarrassing to be around when he sends up "red flags" in social situations is no different from calling a poor person creepy because they're embarrassing to be around when they try to affect like they're in a different economic stratum. In both cases, the problem is social ignorance, not creepiness, and the people who are conflating the two are the ones who are really at fault. I would venture to guess that there's not a single player in the entire history of this game who was ever actually worried that Clint was going to do something untoward. Not to Emily, or to the farmer. The context doesn't match up for that to be plausible. So when people say he's being "creepy" what they really mean is that he's being embarrassing, and that is nothing but an uncharitable take.

[@tinystalker1821]

There's a difference between being socially awkward and being an incel. Clint is an incel

[@insertname7325]

@@tinystalker1821 Nope he really is just socially awkward. An incel wouldn't even be wanting to even attempt at pursuing a person romantically.

[@NiamhConway_16_Panda]

I find these bars in Emilys bin and then use them for tool upgrades 💀

[@akihikosakurai4013]

People are really misunderstanding Clint. He's not creepy, he's just lonely and isolated and doesn't know how to interact with people. Also I think people would be more sympathetic to him if he didn't have a beard and looked a little more attractive. Cause I guarantee if Alex was doing the same things as Clint, people would have a lot more sympathy for him than they do clint

[@TheIrland09]

Sebastian is way worse than Clint and people simp for him I wonder why 😒

[@akihikosakurai4013]

@@TheIrland09 Sebastian is the best character and you're crazy for thinking otherwise. You scoundrel, I'll have you institutionalized for this

[@Beanz-on-Toast]

I hate Clint because I knew someone like Clint. What they're feeling isn't love, it's infatuation, obsession and wrongful entitlement. They view you as a prize or a possession that they deserve and not a person and nothing hurts more than realising the person you thought was a friend viewed you as property.

[@AdelardRen]

I think your missing an option here. Though unlikely, it _is_ possible Clint ignores Emily after she's married out of respect for the player character. Depending on how he was raised it may be a, "she's taken, PC knows I have feelings for her, so the proper thing to do is to cut ties." I'm not saying that's what it is, but I feel it's an important possibility that was completely overlooked.

[@l0remipsum991]

A bit late but Emily has the dialogue of Clint outright ignoring her. I married Leah in-game and she's still friends with Elliott and they're hanging out just fine, usually during festivals.

[@lazer_kat_4673]

Personally, i can't find an ounce of sympathy in my body for clint, but that may be just bc of the fact that i have a friend on a multiplayer farm who got married to emily before the "Clint's Attempt" side quest happened so my first impression of him was basically "wtf this guy is trying to get my friend to make a move on his own wife for him"

[@lazer_kat_4673]

I also just find him really creepy too tho

[@sal23246]

Im married Emily and I hate This Guy he's really weird not in a fun way and it makes me really angry, he's like the only NPC I hate

[@Leapalot]

That's fair. The dialogue is still kind of wonky if you marry Emily and raise hearts with Clint. But mostly I just wish he would grow.

[@dinofluid7949]

RTGAME sitting in the corner after he hit on his wife

[@oxxeyss]

Do you think you'll do a video on Harvey? I haven't seen too much content on him in a while :

[@Leapalot]

I will! My original plan was to do non marriage villagers first. We'll see though! 🤔

[@oxxeyss]

@@Leapalot ooohhh my bad, that's a fair goal... there's a lot of them to get through 0-0

[@kekamao]

also watching the whole playlist rn (actually more like listening while playing stardew) and i really want to see an episode about elliott. specifically because he's literally the character i fell in love with at first sight and i was really surprised when i learned that many people dislike him. from their points of "why i dont like him" it looks like they just never look into his character and it makes me kinda sad that he's a pretty misunderstood character :(

[@jarl_jake2329]

I like Clints character in the game because even though everything you said about him is true, we all know someone like him and it’s realistic that he exists. I appreciate Concerned Ape not making every character in the game flawless. Everyone has their shit. I don’t think Clint is a bad guy though, I wish our character helped him grow a bit more.

[@Leapalot]

Yes. Give me my redemption arc! But people don't necessarily get those in real life.

[@jarl_jake2329]

@@Leapalot Maybe at 10 hearts with Clint you set him up with an online dating profile or something, and he apologizes to Emily? For that matter it would be cool if you had a 10 heart cutscene with every villager and try in some small way to help them with one of their fatal flaws.

[@dweebicusmaximus]

@@jarl_jake2329 Nah, just straight up have the ten hearts be "Apologize to Emily for being a creep". He shouldn't need a potential future woman in his life to treat the one he did have a friendship with like a person

[@jarl_jake2329]

@@dweebicusmaximus The problem is a lot of the things the video touches on about Clint aren’t inherently obvious to every player. If you rush to 10 hearts and marriage with Emily before you befriend Clint, you won’t even see 2 of his cutscenes. And the one line about Emily being sad about Clint not looking at him could also very easily be missed. I think it would be jarring for a lot of players to just walk up and confront Clint about apologizing to Emily without realizing he’s done anything really wrong. I think if we help him find a girl, he’ll realize on his own he was kind of a jerk to Emily and want to apologize without us guilting him into it. Maybe its better than he deserves but I still think it makes for a better story.

[@dianagreene4257]

I don't usually get my friendships up to the higher levels with villagers (except Linus), so I haven't seen most of these cut scenes. What I had seen previous to this video led me to believe that Clint and I shared the same social awkwardness and I would have pursued him if he was marriageable. Now I'm not so sure...

[@annesophie4037]

I think the "I'm a nice guy" part in the saloon actually isn't a red flag but to a lot of people it feels like one because of nice guy's and incels. Emily even mentions in her dialogue: "Are you friends with Clint? He's a nice guy, if you get to know him. He gets lonely working in his shop all day. But he's so shy he has trouble making new friends." The hiding in the bush (or more running away) thing is actually something i saw people in real life do when they get startled, you know fight or flight. Clint with his extreme shyness and social anxiety was probably overwhelmed with the situation since it took him probably all his energy to even get to the point to visit Emily. And the farmer handled the situation rather poorly in my eyes. I also see the congratulation to the farmer part different he doesn't see's Emily as a prize but more that it's unexpected, he's embarrassed and is feeling down so he just want to get out off the situation and doesn't want Emily to see how much it affects him. And let's be honest i'm not sure how many people would congratulate their crush when they get into a relationship right in front of their eyes xD And another thing is that Clint does know his boundaries if the farmer and Emily get married then none of his Emily even'ts trigger. So in conclusion: he's depressed, lonely, shy, has social anxiety, nobody talks to him or is interested in him in any way, his father pushed him to do work a job he doesn't want in a profession nobody really needs anymore, he's getting older and lonelier with every year. he's pretty much invisible to the villagers and he knows it's his own fault. Aside from that people victim shame him all the time and say he's creepy and a stalker, he's a poor guy and the game gives you no possibility to help him >.

[@Leapalot]

I think those are good points, but they don't excuse some of his actions. Emily doesn't break off their friendship, Clint does when he thinks she's no longer a romantic option. Even if you don't end up giving her a bouquet. And even the most generous interpretation of the movie theater scene would be concerning.

[@annesophie4037]

@@Leapalot I agree with the movie theater. But I mean i think with the Emily situation it is looked at from the wrong side. People look at Emily and how she is affected by it because he doesn't talk to her but that's in my eyes unfair because what about Clint and his feelings? I think he still loves her and i can imagine he would be miserable and sad all the time when he talks to her which would in turn make feel Emily miserable and sad because she (as well as some people xD) can't see the problem he should be happy for her, right? He is her friend he should support her, right? But Emily isn't the person who suffers from her getting together with someone else, it's Clint. He is already depressed and feels invisible, alone and unloved so seeing his crush getting together with someone else would surely demolish the tiny bit self esteem he had left. Forcing him to talk with her to keep her happy is the wrong approach because that would only make him feel worse while Emily continues to be happy because nothing changed for her. And due to his shyness he won't tell her that because he doesn't want her to feel sad so it's easier for both to break the friendship off. And even if you don't give her a a bouquet then, it feels more like he got the point that he doesn't have a chance which would have the same result as above. This is a situation where no one can win. One side will always be unhappy. Either way in my eyes if feels wrong to suggest that people continue a friendship when one person harbors romantic feelings while the other one doesn't, while yes it could work out there is also a high chance that it doesn't and ends in a fallout with both sides feeling even worse in the end^^" (Pfew, that was a lot xD)

[@boorah12]

I really want(ed) to like Clint, as he is a very relatable character. At the same time, he has to take personal responsibility for who his is and the things he says/does. For experience being *that* guy, no one owes you a relationship, a fulfilling life, or happiness in general. When life doesn't go your way, you don't get to just blame everyone and everything else, because you still have to be yourself. I pushed away several good female friends with the kinda of attitude Clint has, but they were lessons I learned and I improved to be a better person because of it, not cast myself as a pure victim. It's a shame the only real positive characterization of Clint was during the Joja Blue commercial for Shane's (6/7?) Heart event. Awkwardness aside, he genuinely seemed to have fun...sans the whole..."turning blue" part. Lol Even Stardew Valley Expanded has an event where Clint finally confesses, gets shut down and pulls the "I can't just be friends" card. TL;DR: Clint gets a bad break, but it's his lack of personal responsibility and growth that gets him the hate.

[@sophiathefurbst]

I don’t see how it’s victim shaming, he isn’t the victim. He’s an adult, he doesn’t have to be a blacksmith if he’s unhappy. He could socialize with the townsfolk. It might be scary for him to do this stuff, but that doesn’t make it anyone else’s fault. And he really does seem to only see Emily as romantic material, like the (unoriginal but I don’t remember where it’s from) quote “being friend zoned isn’t so bad if you value someone as your friend” (paraphrased). I understand wanting some space from an unreciprocated crush that you wish to stay friends with, so you can get over them, but dropping all ties from someone because they’re getting closer to another friend? And then getting upset that you guys aren’t close? That’s all him.

[@keyisplayingminecraft.2772]

@@Leapalot I think that it's not that he suddenly doesn't love her or doesn't want to hang out but it's that he doesn't really have the courage to really be friends after that moment and does not really know how to cope with what he feels because of his social anxiety. I mean it would be pretty hard to be talkative human being when your cramped up into a house and have never talked to anybody.

[@SleepySeal121]

I just find Clint exhausting. He lives in a perpetual pity party.

[@creatorofhell6352]

I use to thought Shane was the worst character but when I got his hearts up he became one of the best so Clint became my most hated character dude is straight up weird and creepy I'm married to Emily and he says to stuff to me and I'm just there like bruh she's my wife wtf

[@insertname7325]

That's not really a good indication of his character since that's actually an oversight. Like how you can get Mayor Lewis as a Secret Santa despite the letter coming from Mayor Lewis.

[@Dan55888]

So do you think if Clint was a marriageble candidate he would stay exactly as he is? You are comparing apples to oranges

[@cofeejoe2882]

Shame that Clint stops talking to Emily if you have hight friendship with her. Like that's on you man, I'm married to the town doctor (?) pfff. Like Clint could benefit of Emily as a friend with how repressed he is, and even find some one better for him when coming out of his shell. Tho i think it's always important to clarify, that even if Clint did make the attempt there is no guarantee that Emily would return his feelings. And he should be fine with that, relationships are a two way street and not everyone is compatible. the fact that some one doesn't like you the same way is probably the biggest sign of incompatibility. It can feel like a rejection of character but it's not as personal as people think it is. It's like how maybe you wouldn't do a group project with a really busy friend, you live them for chilling out with and being there for you, but that doesn't mean they are the best fit to work with. Some people are not good fits for relationships and that's absolutely fine. If he told her, even if she didn't reciprocate, she would probably be mindful of his feelings for sure, maybe understand why he is no longer comfortable around her and such. (Even tho to me is silly i get how it can be awkward). (Bit of a wordy comment but I've met people like this, a lot. it always comes of as pushing boundaries which makes you less compatible in my opinion, i find these character archetype interesting because it is I think a very normal experience, being rejected. But it's what we do with that what makes us seem creepy or not.) Also great video as always!!

[@Leapalot]

I think if you ask someone out and they say no, sometimes you have a hard time remaining friends. But Clint hasn't gotten there. He's maybe done it in his head and been disappointed by his own imagination. Now he's built Emily up as this unattainable trophy that he'll forever pine after. And maybe she would say yes! But he won't ever know because he'd rather pretend to be friends in order to spend time with her.

[@cofeejoe2882]

@@Leapalot exactly! And like i get how remaining friend can totally be awkward. But it truly is closer to what you describe. He has no real interest in her friendship in the first place. :/

[@aprilhelm518]

@@Leapalot I mean I have had experiences like this with actual friends. O_o' I have stopped talking to friends because I feel I'm the only one is interested in the friendship or trying to keep up; THAT feels creepy and one-sided. I don't know, have you ever tried directly breaking up with a friend? Do friends do that? I have simply stopped being the one who keeps in contact, thinking if they bother to get in touch with me, then I will likewise bother to keep in touch with them, but otherwise I'll take it as they are not interested. I've since realized that some may interpret that as wrong behavior on my part, but imo, you have to see both sides. Clint has his own view that you can't judge him for not having yours.

[@aprilhelm518]

@@cofeejoe2882 And gawd as for not wanting to be friends and only wanting romance, frankly to some people that is just awkward or inappropriate/impossible. That doesn't mean he treats Emily as an prize or something. I mean he's already not the world's best communicator, yet you expect him to suddenly have everything he never had before? It's plain unrealistic.

[@aprilhelm518]

@@cofeejoe2882 Actually, I'd like to add that I've spent time around tons and tons of the type of person you describe, and as a FEMALE interacting with them, I don't get that impression from Clint at all. When you play as a female farmer, he treats you like literally anyone. Save for the movie and phone scenes, which frankly I'm suspicious were only added for the fans who already hated Clint's guts and treated him like an incel at that point anyway. Imo, he treats Emily like a human as well, minus emotional finess... which a lot of people can relate to. At any rate, I wish people could get their sick kicks and self-esteem in some other type of way than harping on characters who are already at a disadvantage and didn't need any more.

[@l0remipsum991]

"Any guy who calls himself a nice guy is no true nice guy" - Lywin Tannister, probably

[@hexinthelilypond4213]

Clint always creeped me out tbh. My first time playing Stardew Valley, I romanced Emily, and Clint immediately struck me as a stereotypical "nice" guy.

[@frankisnot1148]

emily's 8th heart event is somehow even more uncomfortable to me if you're not pursuing her. i mean i was already married when i got that cutscene, and clint HAD to know bc he was to our wedding. for all i knew, emily coming up to me at the end of the scene could just be a 100% platonic thing. yet clint still is like "wow congrats i guess" idk. its like. you KNOW im married and you KNOW i have no interest in emily. what the hell is your problem.

[@brodiecooper4986]

Yeah I hate nice guy syndrome because of two reasons. First I used to be like that when I was a kid, and it wasn’t until I dropped it I got a girlfriend. Second too many of my friends have been taken advantage of by ‘nice guys’, or they’ve been flat out toxic.

[@akihikosakurai4013]

"Maybe Clint has social anxiety" it's not a maybe, he literally does. It's clear as day

[@aeroscantsee1665]

Clint needs help to get out of his shell but he doesn't want. He refuses to try. Clint, you really suck because the town's drunk gets along with your crush better than you do and he develops to be better. He also reminds me so much of how I used to be which makes me hate him even further.

[@Occhii_Docchii]

I haven’t watched the full video so idk if this was mentioned but… Fun fact: if you invite Clint to the movies he’ll flirt with you🤢 Edit: yh he did mention it and because I have a female farmer I almost wanted to throw up

[@OllieV__nl]

Thanks, I'm going to try that now.

[@asterdisaster3064]

Ew

[@Leapalot]

Not only does he flirt with you, he gets drunk in a movie theater to get the courage to make a move...

[@bringmethatcoffee5235]

to be fair, when you realize that what you wished to get from other person isn't going to happen - no matter how much you got along - will hurt and sometimes ruin the relationship. that's normal. bc you wish for sth else. something more. and i think it's cruel to be like "no, i don't feel that way about you, but let's just continue being close like before, bc i liked it that way". feelings have already developed. it's like being on a diet and having cake in front of you. you WILL need distance. and sometimes you can't deal with close proximity. i think it is absolutely ok to break contact - yes, even needed in some cases - when you realize that you won' be able to pursue what you wish for. my former male best friend fell in love with me and we stopped talking and gaming daily. but we liked each other and got along. and bc we dealt with it like adults and put some distance between each other, we can talk and game again nowadays. but it won't ever be like before. sure, that's saddening, but i don't want to fuel his sadness. and bc another comment said sth about how alex and hayley stop being so close once you pursue either of them... that's normal too. *I* want to be the best friend of my spouse. i would feel uncomfortable if my beloved would be this close to another. friends? sure. close friends? yeah. but BEST friends? no. that's my spot.

[@TheFatestPat]

The ultimate question is, if you're actually nice once people get to know you, then why are you not nice otherwise?

[@charadreemur7990]

As someone who has trust issues with men in general, Clint makes me very uncomfortable. He's one of the NPCs I don't have max friendship with in any of my saves because I really don't like talking with him. That's just my opinion though, everyone is free to have different ones.

[@neiltheblaze]

Clint knows he's sort of dorky and has no confidence about himself. He knows he's no hunk. He has to work himself up just to ask Emily to go to the fair - which, I think should be pointed out, she seems to accept quite happily. On one level, I feel sorry for Clint. He's a self-conscious shlub who gets cold feet easily because he can't get over himself - and that's a tough way to navigate the world. Again, he's yet another character who could use a session with Shane's therapist. Come to think of it, everyone in Pelican Town could use that. They could give out coupons.

[@sped325]

6:18 I went through something similar to that recently at university where I had feelings for a classmate and we were pretty much friends, after I confessed to her she told me she doesn't have those things and doesn't like to be involved in such a thing, then she told me that she respects me for telling her and that we would be back like old times just friends. I was relieved that I got it off my chest and we could go back being the same... although that didn't happen she changed her seat in class from being behind me to far away and just grew more distant and disturbed from me being visibly uncomfortable from talking with me and never looking me in the eye again. I started feeling horrible like I was bothering her in one way or another so I asked her if I was bothering her and she laughed it off as no there's nothing and everything is fine, more days passed and she stopped responding to my messages without few days passing from each message and I was feeling like shit being confused whether should I trust her that everything is fine or I am just over thinking things in a bad way and whether to believe her or my doubts. Last day I saw her she pretended she was on the phone the moment she saw me and walked off the hallways to a completely different wing in the building. I was talking with a friend then I had to see the dean who was at the same wing she went to, I told myself the doubts are wrong and not to over think things. I walked past her and she put on a fake smile we talked a bit like things were fine and how we did on the exams then her friend whom she was waiting for came and she immediately rushed to her and then was like oh my dad is waiting for me to pick me up so I have to go. I was like fine and continued on my way then half an hour later saw the two of them hanging around in the building and avoiding me. Later on I was looking for one of the professors with a friend and we stumbled upon her and her friend on the building so I asked them if they saw the professor and she immediately closed her eyes looked down on the floor and showed an annoyed smile telling me she doesn't know. I was done with this instability between us so I sent her a message that we need to talk, and she replied to me with one final message telling me how I didn't respect her wishes that she doesn't want anything between us romantic and how just me trying to talk with her like old times as a friend was me trying to pursue her for a relationship, she said she doesn't want to talk with me on phone or real life again and never sent a message again. I told her my side of things on how I was conflicted about her boundaries especially after when I asked her personally if I was bothering her she told me everything was fine and how I wanted to believe her over my bad thoughts .I tried to talk about the same things as old times where with other guys she had no problem and laughed with them too but with me she saw anything after the confession as an attempt of pursing her for a relationship, but she never responded to me after telling her my side of things. It's not like I get to choose those feelings in my heart for her, I tried my shot and got rejected yet I was more than happy to be just friends, although for her she never saw me the same way again and tried to pretend everything was fine while feeling uncomfortable with me until finally snapping cutting all ties between us. I feel betrayed, I wanted to trust her and I would have respected her boundaries if she was clear about feeling uncomfortable from me and told me so instead of lying about it. I am not going to hold a grudge against her because I sympathize with how she felt and I would had felt awkward too in her situation although I do think both of us did mistakes, she should have been clear with me from the start even though she could have been afraid from how I would react, and I should have trusted the dozens of cues I was seeing that things aren't fine and given her room where I should have left her to interact with me if she wanted and not talk with her when she was noticeability avoiding me. Anwyays I started a new stardew valley farm to help me cope and forget because I got depressed from the whole thing and this is why I am watching these videos now

[@sunflurrie5513]

Apparently Clint is 40-59 years old. Emily is 19-24…

[@cobaltprime9467]

I think everyone is too harsh on Clint. He’s just a shy guy. And it’s better if he moves on from Emily, it’ll only hurt him more if he stays in the friend zone. I wish he had a quest where he finds someone new like from Zuzu City who visits during holidays. Or maybe the traveling merchant is looking for a man, and she sticks around if we set them up. Or the concession stand girl who mysteriously has no name or dialogue.

[@bluejubbles5671]

I absolutely adore this series! It might just be me but I've been noticing additions in editing and its soso good!

[@Leapalot]

Thank you so much! That's awesome to hear! I like to think I'm learning more every video. 😁

[@SolarBlyze]

The creepiest part of Clints movie theater thing for me is when i was literally married as a female in the game. He still assumed it was a date, like i was gonna cheat on my husband. Like wtf dude, i'm trying to be nice here cause i had you break like 80 geodes today. I avoided him for awhile after that cause it made me so uncomfortable (personal stuff below) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- i am a victim of being molested so clints behavior really just put me on edge. The idea that he was drunk and possibly trying to make out with my character in the theater just put the image in my mind of her running back to sebastian crying after the whole ordeal. Kind of wish i was enough of an artist to draw out a comic of that and sebastian chewing out clint.

[@SolarBlyze]

i tried to have it go into "Read More" but it refused to do so -.-;

[@SolarBlyze]

@@Leapalot I've got a lovely girlfriend now and my best friend who have both helped me through dealing with it. I am also seeing a therapist. Thank you for replying, but don't worry about me, I'm doing alright

[@toniotrussardi8126]

sorry to hear you went thro that,wish the best for you and your gf hope ya both are happy and well

[@Allexa110]

It would be nice if he had any character growth like Shane for example. Shane gets help from a specialist with his depression and alcoholism, Clint could get help with his social awkwardnes and anxiety, maybe that would make him into decent person..

[@barboraklepalova3886]

So I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this but in his hearts scene, Clint goes to the jukebox and puts on sad music. Wen i first realized it, I started laughting so hard.

[@LRio27]

Clint is just so annoying with limited to zero development as compared to everyone else. Shane goes through a solid 180, Haley becomes a whole new person with a new perspective on life, but Clint is just an awful person that needs a deep evaluation on life.

[@cmcrisp42]

I know this is years late, but your example isn't universal, my dad met my mom by constantly going to the bar she bartended at, until she finally when up to him and asked if he'll ever ask her out.

[@tsarfox3462]

For me the problem with "I'm a nice guy" is what that actually means. It actually means "I'm nice to attractive people because I want something from them" (to keep it PG I won't get specific). Newsflash, everyone is nice to attractive people; it's evolutionarily programmed into us. That's like saying, I am a sapient being so why wouldn't this person like me/give me a chance? True relationships, platonic or otherwise, are based on more than two people existing near one another. People who are actually kind-hearted, compassionate, etc. beyond what is normal and without an expectation of something don't go around proclaiming that and acting confused why people don't acknowledge that. They might even come off as gruff because their kindness was taken advantage of too many times but, their actions speak louder than any façade can.

[@Dan55888]

Keep assuming. It's real intellectual of you to make up entire sinister personalities of people from a single 4 word line....

[@Gamesaucer]

I never hated Clint... but I do pity him. And good grief, his scenes are by far the most awkward in the game. It makes me cringe to sit through them. That said, when he says he's a nice guy, I do think that's probably true. It's just that he never actually opens up to anyone about who he is as a person. That's not just to Emily, but also to the farmer. So he clearly has anxiety issues that extend beyond just his interest in Emily. On top of this, Clint also just... misunderstands how to be social in general, and how relationships work. And I think he's definitely aware that it's his own fault. Just how often he can't bring himself to act should clue him in to that. So I don't think his "terrible luck" remark is an indication that he thinks relationships are all luck... but perhaps it's more that it's a roll of the dice whether or not he succeeds in actually asserting himself, and they're weighted against him. I also think that the best option for giving Clint a tip on how to interact with women being "treat women like men" is a sign that he's acting in good faith. He doesn't _just_ want to get her attention. Telling him to impress her or act crazy is something I think he inherently understands is not going to solve his problem. He wants sound, basic advice, even though it doesn't end up helping him in the end. It's interesting that telling him to "act natural" gives zero friendship, and I think this could actually be because it's such a non-solution for someone with no clue how to act around other people, which is another sign that he's aware of his flaws and actually seeking to fix himself in some way. On top of his anxieties, I also think Clint has self-esteem problems. He's letting his failures define him, and it makes it tougher and tougher for him to _do_ anything as time goes on. The only thing he's confident in is his blacksmithing. No wonder he hates it if it feels like it's the only thing he can even _do._ When your entire identity is "blacksmith" it must feel like a ball and chain that limits you wherever you go, but is in fact also the only thing keeping you from drifting off into the void. Guy's pretty miserable, that much is clear. Clint inviting Emily to the carnival is the one scene that makes me a bit happy, actually. After so many failures, he's finally succeeded in asking Emily out, and his beaming smile speaks volumes about how much he needed a little success in life. Perhaps he's thrilled for the date as well, but at that moment he's riding the high of a simple, successful interaction with the woman he loves... and it's hard to begrudge him that feeling, even if the way he got there wasn't perfect. You're correct that the clothing therapy scene is very sad, though. Perhaps Clint needs this sort of thing more than anyone, yet he's the first to come running back in. I also think he's probably misconstruing what's going on. Getting to 8 hearts is something that doesn't automatically imply a romantic relationship. It just makes one _possible._ I think this also ties back into his anxiety and self-esteem problems, that he automatically assumes the worst. I do agree with your comments that he likely sees getting a girl as an achievement of sorts. Perhaps this is because an achievement is the opposite of a failure, and he's been sort of... conditioned by his past failures to see the world in only those terms. I don't think this necessarily indicates that he doesn't care for Emily, he just doesn't see it as an achievement for her (which now that I think about it reflects poorly on the farmer, haha). That Clint doesn't talk to her afterwards is something that I think is Clint trying to give her and the farmer some space. Cutting out his attempted romantic interactions with Emily cuts out _all_ his interactions with Emily. Alternatively it could be heartbreak and he's just unable to face her. One thing that Clint seems to not understand is that a romantic relationship with someone doesn't manifest out of thin air. You have to get to know someone, but just as importantly, you have to let _them_ get to know _you._ And this applies just as much to platonic relationships as well. Additionally, it's not really exclusive. Ideally you want to appreciate someone on multiple levels, not just one, and that's something that simply seems to never have occurred to him. And perhaps that's because he's lonely and touch-starved and therefore fixated on this one thing that excites him: seeing the person he loves. That's the one thing he wants to accomplish, the one thing that could set him free from his chains. Finally, the movie scene... I actually think this one isn't so bad. He's not _forcing_ you to lean on his shoulder, in fact he still seems quite shy considering the disinhibiting effect of alcohol. That's what I take the "or not!" part to mean, at least. The way it's framed doesn't strike me as one of those "unless??" moments. Moreso the other way around, where he let something slip out and immediately thinks it's a mistake and wants to walk back on it. Without an outright rejection though, it's still a success of some sort, which is probably why he's so happy afterwards. He may not be good with people, but to him he just hung out or went on a date with someone, and it went okay! That's a big step up from the usual for him. I really do think he means the best at the end of the day, truly. But even so, his behaviour is quite creepy. Not because he has a creepy personality, but because it just... comes out wrong, due to everything above. His anxiety, failures, lack of self-esteem, inability to socialise, etc... it all contributes. So really what I think is that, like many others in the valley, he's just someone with issues, rather than a bad person.

[@EvenAngelFall1]

yesssss finally someone said it >.

[@artur6912]

Agreed. People in the comments make him sound almost like he's Eliot Rogers and not just a guys stuck in a job he doesn't like who's too shy to ask the girl he likes out. It probably helps that I don't really like or care for Emily that much.

[@Rayslasagne]

Clint really badly reminds me of someone I used to be friends with, he'd always be going on about how he couldn't find a date, but he would also constantly be making remarks that made me and some of the other women in the group feel uncomfortable, or just generally being creepy towards us. Doesn't help that he kinda looks like him as well. Tbh I doubt Emily isn't aware of Clint's feelings, but guys like that can be very difficult to say no to, so sometimes it's easier to just ignore.

[@evilpompom]

I always thought Clint was awkward and a bit annoying, but when he asked me to give Emily a gem for him it started to feel a bit weird. And yes, the congratulation in the clothes therapy-scene is definitely a red flag. Also the thing where you tell him to treat women the same as men, as ordinary people, implying that Clint doesn't see women as ordinary people. I think Clint sees Emily as some kind of 'ideal woman' to put on a pedestal, and I also think that, if she was to actually turn him down, the b-word would come out pretty quickly. Just my opinion though. Also Mumps! 😆

[@Wickedy]

Ah Clint, the classic Nice Guy. At least he's one of the nice nice guys, not the super toxic ones I've come across from time to time. I do think he has a hard time reading social cues though, sad that that gives him the "nice guy" attributes.

[@Leapalot]

True. I don't think he had many opportunities in his youth to flex that social muscle, and it's definitely not going to get any easier for him.

[@fabianguerrero4331]

I mean, he congratulates you probably as not to be jealous, which is cool

[@fabianguerrero4331]

don't bully clint hes special

[@psych2460]

Rhymes with Stumps Ahhh yes Mumps

[@renniekinnie]

i married emily in fall of year 1. in winter the same year, clint sends me a letter with an amethyst asking if id give it to emily and say it was from him. if i werent already aware of his crush on my wife, i wouldve perhaps chalked it up to him being busy with work or having social anxiety, but considering i AM aware that hes romantically interested in emily and he SHOWED UP TO OUR WEDDING i was so upset! he is such a creep!! thats my WIFE hes still trying to go after!!!