Thank you for this, it’s so well done, and perfectly paced. I’ve not played Stardew, but the general attitude you’re describing is one I notice and deal with all the time, and I’m glad to see it recognized and criticized.
This was my first experience reading a bitsy essay. I had no idea such a thing existed! :D
I appreciate the perspective of your essay and you make a fair point about mainstream standards of attractiveness and the harsh discriminatory attitudes against fatness in particular. I just wanted to add that, for me, Clint's appearance has virtually nothing to do with my finding him creepy. Rather, his creepiness comes from his actions and behaviors that play out in his story arc.
I also agree that it's a total stretch to call Clint an 'incel' - especially in the modern sense of the word in our society. He obviously struggles with self-esteem and insecurity and these issues compound the problem of his unrequited love for Emily.
I think Clint's creepiness stems from the lack of development of his story; it attempts to give him character growth through the series of events, but it remains unresolved in the end. This is an oversight on CA's part (no shade - I love this amazing game!). Particularly, if the farmer ends up dating or marrying Emily, Clint shows no awareness of the relationship and continues his passive pursuit of her. It would probably also help if Emily were given more agency in the dynamic. I don't think we ever really learn how she sees things. She's written to treat Clint more as a friend and shows no indication that she's aware of his more romantic intentions. But this is all besides the point, I think.
Ultimately, I think all the criticism that writes off Clint as creepy based solely on his appearance is shallow, boring, and completely misses the mark.
Hey, thank you for making this. It means a lot to see other people talk about how frustrating the attitude towards Clint and fat people in general is <3.
Well-crafted and thought-provoking. I think Clint's reputation among fans is also likely influenced by him being a shopkeeper- you don't see him around town as much, and your main interactions with him are likely going to be either quests or using his shop, so you might not build friendship as fast, which means you're seeing his less engaged, more standoffish low-friendship dialogue. But of course, if he wasn't fat that probably wouldn't be as much of an obstacle for players, whether or not he was a love interest. Look at Shane- people loved him so much they voted him in as a marriage candidate, and he's not just standoffish at first, he's hostile.
I'll admit that I don't care for Clint, since the "nice guy" character type is one I really loathe and he seems to fall into it based on your low-friendship interactions with him. But your essay made me curious, and looking at his wiki page, he doesn't seem to exhibit any toxic "nice guy" behaviors aside from that one line; he's just shy and socially awkward. But because he fits into the way we expect creepy dudes to look, it's easy to interpret him that way. You've given me a new perspective on his character. I also loved how you formatted your essay into bitsy, and you did a great job recreating Clint's workshop.
I played this game some time ago. A while after I did, I checked out a post on Reddit about disfavored gifts in SV. Some of the comments talked about how nothing they gifted to Clint made him happy, and a select few mentioned him being "creepy". It reminded me of this, and I almost told that person to play this so they'd understand. It's a shame that even now people still misunderstand Clint's character.
Great work. Resonates with me a lot as a well, someone who would be considered 'fat' and thus 'ugly'. I havent played Stardew Valley but it still is a good read.
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this made me think differently. thanks for making it!
Congrats to getting in the Bitsy exhibit at the Museum of Screens! I think this was a worthy entry. Thoughtful, funny, and used Bitsy beautifully.
thanks! glad you liked it. had no idea it was featured at Museum of Screens, thanks for letting me know
Thank you for this, it’s so well done, and perfectly paced. I’ve not played Stardew, but the general attitude you’re describing is one I notice and deal with all the time, and I’m glad to see it recognized and criticized.
This was my first experience reading a bitsy essay. I had no idea such a thing existed! :D
I appreciate the perspective of your essay and you make a fair point about mainstream standards of attractiveness and the harsh discriminatory attitudes against fatness in particular. I just wanted to add that, for me, Clint's appearance has virtually nothing to do with my finding him creepy. Rather, his creepiness comes from his actions and behaviors that play out in his story arc.
I also agree that it's a total stretch to call Clint an 'incel' - especially in the modern sense of the word in our society. He obviously struggles with self-esteem and insecurity and these issues compound the problem of his unrequited love for Emily.
I think Clint's creepiness stems from the lack of development of his story; it attempts to give him character growth through the series of events, but it remains unresolved in the end. This is an oversight on CA's part (no shade - I love this amazing game!). Particularly, if the farmer ends up dating or marrying Emily, Clint shows no awareness of the relationship and continues his passive pursuit of her. It would probably also help if Emily were given more agency in the dynamic. I don't think we ever really learn how she sees things. She's written to treat Clint more as a friend and shows no indication that she's aware of his more romantic intentions. But this is all besides the point, I think.
Ultimately, I think all the criticism that writes off Clint as creepy based solely on his appearance is shallow, boring, and completely misses the mark.
Hey, thank you for making this. It means a lot to see other people talk about how frustrating the attitude towards Clint and fat people in general is <3.
i'm glad you enjoyed it! always nice to hear that someone else feels the same way
I don't even know who Clint is but I love this
thanks! glad you liked it :-)
Well-crafted and thought-provoking. I think Clint's reputation among fans is also likely influenced by him being a shopkeeper- you don't see him around town as much, and your main interactions with him are likely going to be either quests or using his shop, so you might not build friendship as fast, which means you're seeing his less engaged, more standoffish low-friendship dialogue. But of course, if he wasn't fat that probably wouldn't be as much of an obstacle for players, whether or not he was a love interest. Look at Shane- people loved him so much they voted him in as a marriage candidate, and he's not just standoffish at first, he's hostile.
I'll admit that I don't care for Clint, since the "nice guy" character type is one I really loathe and he seems to fall into it based on your low-friendship interactions with him. But your essay made me curious, and looking at his wiki page, he doesn't seem to exhibit any toxic "nice guy" behaviors aside from that one line; he's just shy and socially awkward. But because he fits into the way we expect creepy dudes to look, it's easy to interpret him that way. You've given me a new perspective on his character. I also loved how you formatted your essay into bitsy, and you did a great job recreating Clint's workshop.
thabk you so much for playing and commenting! i appreciate your thoughts here.
I played this game some time ago. A while after I did, I checked out a post on Reddit about disfavored gifts in SV. Some of the comments talked about how nothing they gifted to Clint made him happy, and a select few mentioned him being "creepy". It reminded me of this, and I almost told that person to play this so they'd understand. It's a shame that even now people still misunderstand Clint's character.
l screamed when mlady popped up l had no idea you could do that in bitdy, is that a hack?? looved the character ideations, its exactly this!!
haha yeah, there's a hack that lets you add images and gifs into bitsy. glad u liked it, thanks for playing!
hey, I just wanted to say that as a fat butch person who likes women (and Stardew Valley), this meant a lot to me and I appreciate you making it.
i'm glad! critical support for fat butches
I haven't played Stardew Valley, but I liked your essay (and your edited Bitsy avatars). It was a thoughtful read. :)
thanks!! glad u liked the bitsy avatars bit, it was fun to play around with that
Great work. Resonates with me a lot as a well, someone who would be considered 'fat' and thus 'ugly'. I havent played Stardew Valley but it still is a good read.
glad it spoke to you! thanks for playing 🙂
Sorry I'm getting to this so late but YES this is fantastic 🎉
thanks Emma!! :-)