Elliott is one of the few characters from the beginning who actually refers to you by your name and not as “farmer,” which gave me the impression that he tried harder than everyone else to remember your name. So I don’t think he was trying to be disrespectful to Gus and it could also be because Elliott is supposed to be new to the town just like the farmer is. I never read Elliott as snobby, overdramatic yes, cares a lot about vanity, yes, but never a snob. To me he comes off more dorky because of how comedic and over the top his dialogue is and it makes his company that much more amusing. And while he is dramatic, he’s actually very positive with how reacts to things, like for instance he’s always excited about events, while some of the other marriage candidates might complain. He’s also one of the few bachelors who actually seem ready for marriage and one who I don’t feel like I annihilate his dreams after marrying. I do find him to be one of the sweeter and romantic spouses. His 10 heart might be little awkward, but I do think he has one of the better 14 heart events and one that definitely feels more immersive. Elliott seems to be more of a character that can be interpreted differently depending on how you’re reading his dialogue. For me, he comes off sweet and dorky, so I just can’t see what other people view as condescending
glad that you mentioned his dorkiness because that's 100% what he is and I love him for it. I mean just look at the "iridium bar" post-marriage dialogue
@tundra cactus lol yes, definitely one of my favorite dialogues from him, along with the one where he freaks out about the nightmare about the farmer cutting his hair 😂
This right here. Elliott might be kinda over the top in his 2 heart, but I feel like his love for the farmer is so genuine. His way with words is a mix of genuine and sincere, and just being an adorable oddball.
And it kind of goes both ways! He spends a lot of time writing, but that also leaves him plenty of time to take care of the house and the farm. He's one of the more helpful spouses. I once divorced him for Penny's furniture, and my fences were in a shambles within weeks.
Not a bartender, but if somebody came up to me in that situation and said “I’d like two of your finest ales“ I would just laugh and think they were being performative. I think he’s showing off for the farmer.
I personally think that either Gus was offended and Elliot took his roleplay too far or he was just trying to think up how to respond to Elliot's typical immersive roleplay. Gus may not be the best at improv so that's why he needed a moment? (also I think Elliot is on the spectrum and wrote a big comment on it, but I agree with you that Gus probably was fine with it)
@@TendoASMR And while it doesn’t ever excuse making people feel trapped or unsafe (I never honestly thought about the kiss thing being inappropriate but it definitely would be if you weren’t showing any indication of being interested in that happening), the fact that he seems really worried that he misread the situation came off to me as someone who has experience frequently misreading social cues.
As someone who is a s/a victim I think a lot of people are being a bit too freaked out by the boat scene, especially because he is one of the only characters you can voice consent too and I feel like its super double standards that no one says anything about Harveys ten heart scene or that he's creepy. Especially because when you persue Maru you can see he makes her uncomfortable and that when you marry her his lau dialogue still asks if he should sunscreen her. I feel like there's a lot of biased hate towards him based off of his character model tbh :/
To be fair this happens because the game dosent update the events in the town so when you marry someone the person who has the crush on them will not say the same stuff as before. As a harvey lover, he would stop flirting with Maru when n finds out she is married. And same with shane he kissed out of nowhere but no one talks about that its crazy.
@@Lattethai I agree, I think the reason he still offers to rub sunscreen on Maru is because Concerned Ape didn't go in and change the event dialogue to be different post marriage. I try not to hold it against the characters.
At least Elliot stops when you say no to him. He knows there is boundaries and if he sees you aren't comfortable with him he lets you go. That's far different from an actual case of S.A.
I am big dumb and a) never really noticed how /why people could find the boat and balloon scenes creepy in the wrong scenarios, and b) never found the sunscreen thing weird, since hes a doctor and sunburns are bad. Just thought he was doing cancer prevention lol
I never played this game and just came across these videos so I have zero bias (or knowledge) in this comment but players find the one scene where you can consent or refuse a romantic interaction with no negative repercussions as the creepy one? And most other interactions don’t have this choice? But this is the creepy one? Maybe it’s bc players are normalized to not having a choice they view this free will stuff weird and that may hint at something else. I just came across these vids but I had to voice my thoughts why is the ideal dialogue choice seen as creepy. I def agree that this character type seems to be preemptively hated which I get
I think one of the things that can make Elliot look like a snob is his portrait, you know, the way he keeps his head to the side like he's got his nose in the air and doesn't want to look at you, but the dialogues are nothing like that and if you see the same lines with a portrait mod the feeling is quite different...
@@madeline569 The way he closes his eyes to make a happy expression is very sweet with this mod that appears in the video, completely different from the original.
Elliot was my first ever spouse, and now years and so many play-throughs later, he still remains my favorite spouse just because of how romantic and loving he is. BUT! In the beginning of my first ever play-through, I definitely had a moment where I super hated him. I didn’t know how the request board worked. he’d posted a request for seaweed, and I gave it to him after the request had expired and got a negative reaction so I 100% hated him for a WHILE! But his awkward flowery disposition eventually won me over in the end and to this day he’s been my favorite spouse I’ve ever had
@@carolinehatcher7908 that happened to me too but with a different character and Joja cola. Except I thought, ok you wanted one Joja cola, how about a second, and they hated the second haahaha
I definantly think the 4 heart event isn't Elliott meaning to be rude or putting himself above Gus. Because Elliott is a writer, I think his character and events are all written as though he's trying to live his life like a book. Yelling for a "barkeep" or "bartender" isn't uncommon in fantasy books and shows, so he was just doing the same. I don't think it was right of him, but I don't think he means anything by it. Gus saying "sir" is probably his way of expressing his frustraition at Elliott's behavior, which is fair. I think a lot of people hate Elliott based only on his 10 heart scene, which is straight out of an Edwardian romance novel. As far as I know, his scene in the only one where the player can express being uncomfortable after the kiss has taken place, and I think it gives the wrong vibes to a lot of people. My problem with people critiquing his scene is that they never apply the same level of thought to the other marriage candidates. Harvey and Sebastian both have scenes where you are alone in a compromising position with them. An air balloon for one, and out by a cliff all alone with the other? Those are scary scenes when you think about it from a certain perspective. If you wanna leave but those characters are being pushy, what are you gonna do? Fall from the sky? Run from a guy with a motorcycle? Not likely. I think Elliott, despite being oblivious to how his actions look to others, still respects everyone. He comes across snobby to some people, but I think he's just a theater kid who takes the saying "the world is a stage" too literally.
Yes I agree. I think it's unfair to say, oh you asked for a kiss on a boat, when the farmer asks to date Elliot. None of the npcs thinks "oh they want us to be a couple so I can just lean in and kiss them"
@@GlenCocoon I'm a bit confused as to what your saying here. My original response was a bit aggressive(sorry), but I've reread your comment and understand better what you're saying. I agree. I don't think in real life, any if these characters would force anything on the player.
@@GlenCocoon Exactly! I feel like people forget that in order to get to this event, you have to actively persue him. Elliott has been given clear signs that the player is romantically interested in him, and I think it's weird to get mad at him for trying to take a more active role in the relationship. Could he have been more patient and given clearer signs of his intentions? Yes, definantly. But he wanted to do something romantic for his partner, and I think that's cute.
That and how he treat spiders. He literally told you(if married) to not squash them and he will escort those lil 6 legged creatures out of the house unharmed, that's so cute and sweet of him 😭
Ooooh controversy! I think you're both correct. Elliot addressing gus as "barkeep" or "bartender" makes him put himself higher than Gus. He probably didn't realise it and was lost in his flamboyance. It's not good and he could have said it in another way, still being flamboyant but also not dragging anyone down at the same time 🥀
@@Leapalot with all due respect, I think you’re moving the goalposts. You said in the video that you think Elliot was being pretentious. I never said what Elliot said was appropriate, I’m just saying it wasn’t malicious. All of his other dialogue in the game supports this too; even before you befriend him, Elliot is very polite to the player.
I think that Eliot is mostly just overdramatic and a bit self-absorbed, but otherwise a nice guy. I find his writing to be kind of cringy at times, but his comments after marriage are super sweet and I love his 14 heart event. One of my complaints about marriage is that most of the time, the characters hardly ever leave the farm after marriage and it feels like I´ve stifled their character growth, so it´s nice that Elliot gets to leave and do his thing for a few days.
Because Leah is my go-to girl, and the fact that Elliot is one of the later villagers for me to get heart scenes with (just due to paths not crossing), my personal head cannon is that he's my wife's "gay best friend" who i grow close to after we start dating. And on the topic of Elliot and Leah, i was thinking how i wish something would happen with their houses after they move in with me. I like to imagine Leah converts her place into a full art studio
If you marry Elliott he tells you that we can use his place as a beach house. Of course nothing really happens with it, but it’s cool that he mentions his place
@@BreakofDawn He also mentions coming back to get some ink on the day before the Luau, so he's obviously using it for storage. He does often stand beside his house after marriage, but I do wish he'd go inside again. My house doesn't have a piano and it has a few tables, but not really a proper writing desk for him (Robin doesn't really sell anything like what he has). I wish he'd go back in his house like some of the other spouses. Similarly, he doesn't go to saloon, Pierre's, or the library after marriage, but I wish he did.
I married Elliott to my first farmer, so now in every new game I start, he will always be 'Mirko's husband' to me and is not to be hit on by anyone else, even though he's still pretty much my favourite character :P
As a gay guy who always marries Elliot or Harvey, I concur. I know he's mostly popular with women, but like... Come on. That man is a flaming homosexual
@@thetaaaaof course he is and marrying him always gives me a sense of guilt. But I'm just so in love with him I can't help it. He and Leah are tied for my two favorite people to marry and it's the same for her too. She's clearly a lesbian. She gives off that vibe very strongly plus in her 2 heart scene, if you're playing as a girl and you try to make a move on her like a creepo she kind of says it without saying it. Your forward gesture tells her that you're a gay woman and she admits to being one as well even if she doesn't actually say the words. So I always guilty about being with her if I play as a boy.
I don't know if this is something that anyone talked about before, but as someone with autism I can relate to Elliott's reactions to a negative response from the player, and his apparent inability to read a room. He quickly backtracks in these scenarios, and in the 6 heart scene, clarifies what he actually meant, as if he was scared of people misinterpreting him, which is something I do a lot more than I'd like to admit. It makes me feel more validated and I've grown a stronger liking to him because of that. I happen to find it quite interesting that the things that make Elliott autism-coded are also some of the things that alot of people dislike about him and misinterpret as pretentious. Hm. OH! And he's also canon queer, so that's very cool.
This is my big thing with Elliott. He comes off as autistic to an autistic person, which is part of why I love him; but neurotypical players often don’t see him the same way and read him as stuck up, so I think he gets an unfairly bad rap in the community as a whole
I hv Elliott as a hyperlexic autistic guy who managed to get a career in his special interest of writing. Had to move to a quiet sensory friendly environment to do that obviously.
I can see where the idea that he's pretentious comes from but I think Elliott is just super invested in his book and has a particularly flowery way of talking. I almost always end up marrying him and one thing I did notice is Elliott is nice to the farmer from the get go. Other candidates like Shane (obvious one), Alex and even Sebastian can be kind of blunt or rude towards the farmer until you gain some hearts but Elliott's dialogue towards the farmer focuses on wishing them well and how farming must be rewarding, which definitely endeared him to me!
I thought the same. I remember playing for the first time and talking to Shane, Sebastian and Alex and felt rude. But when I talked to Elliot I fell in love with him immediately because he was the only man that treated me well. With only his first dialogue I was planning to marry him, and now I am xD
I love elliot, he was the main reason I got stardew valley. As a writer myself, I was drawn to him. It makes me sad when ppl openly hate him and call him boring for writing. It makes me wonder if those ppl are generally boring and uneducated themselves and hate writers irl
As a writer, being called boring for writing is actually one of my largest pet peeves. People used to call me boring all the time because my hobbies were mainly writing and drawing. It's probably why I'm more drawn to Elliot in general, tbh. I get his frustrations even if I don't always agree with them. Plus, he is my favorite spouse in Stardew Valley by a very large margin.
Agh, fr man, I was always overcompensating by using more interesting language and holding myself in certain ways so people would like me lol; once someone said I that I was "so anime;" it was the best compliment I'd been given
I feel like a lot of the characters, and marriage candidates, have awkward moments. It makes their characters a little more well rounded. If these characters didn’t have flaws we’d probably be bored with them fast. I feel like Elliot incorporates a lot of his writing style in his speech. Or that he feels he’s supposed to have a certain persona as a writer, hence some of the pompous or vain sounding comments. Those comments honestly don’t bug me that much. And I do feel he has the sweetest 14 heart event. I did marry him on a couple of game files that I have and I love having him as a spouse.
Elliot is best bachelor and that's a fact. He has zero baggage, he worships the ground the player walks on, helps around the farm, makes you coffee and crab cakes, and writes you poetry. If you hate him, you're weird
All the bachelors have similar affection displays, helps around on the farm, and makes food for the character. TF are you talking about? Elliot is for the boring people who don't want someone with complexity, depth or any challenge in life. The "oooh I'm a romantic, artistic, author with no real problems in life." Such a meh option. All the people I know who like him are "artistic" straight white girls in their 20s.
@@itsgonnabeanaurfromme 🤣🤣🤣 someone sounds bitter You're right, I don't want to deal with man children that come with immature cutscenes and emotional baggage. I'm here to enjoy a game, and I do. But you can be mad that the rest are trash and you clearly have a savior complex 🤣 Also, not straight, and not in my 20s. But go off babe.
@@itsgonnabeanaurfromme Doesn’t matter if you hate or love Elliot, it’s just a game.. but the first thing you said isn’t true. You can read the dialogue differences between bachelors after marriage on the wiki, and Elliot literally just is the most romantic and over the top with it. There’s a noticeable difference in his dialogue in comparison to other bachelors, so they weren’t lying when they said he worships the ground you walk on 🤷🏻♀️
Sure, Elliott is not very complex character as Sean or Sebastian. But that's what makes him a good partner, because he have no emotional baggage behind his back. Elliott is sweet and caring around Farmer. Elliott's dialouges is optimistic and soft as wind, or show his passion to his job as a writer. Being with Elliott doesnt fell like you rip him off from his life. Elliott is happy with Farmer and often talks about it, he appreciats Farmer and Farmer's hard work. He is mature, doesn't seems like a teenager as most of all spouses. And Elliott don't push on Farmer with his emotinal problems. Yes, Elliott is lonely and not very succesfull as a writer. But he won't die if Farmet not marry him. Elliott is his own person with his own home and his own passion. He is not suffering of depression and doesn't stuck with carless family. If Farmer not chouse him, Elliott just will live on, Farmer don't need to save him. But if Farmer chouse Elliott, it's an easy relationships with a lovable and carring romantic. And that's why I love Elliott as a batchelor and can't see my Farmer with someone who is not Elliott. When you all day long on your feet, doing hard work - it's nice to come home to someone who surrounds you with love and warm, and you can just relax and forget about all of your problems. Also, if you have no beach farm, marry Elliott means you now have a beach house as a little resort! Nice bonus to good marriage.
this was the worst day to post this i just got obsessed with stardew valley again and i did it just to romance elliot again i love him to death hes perfection personified hes never done anything wrong in his life
enjoy the boat scene from a non consensual perspective. elliots scenes are only tolerable if you go in liking him, otherwise he just stirkes me as so fukn creepy
Funny story about Elliot: I basically never go to Elliot's cabin. In my most recent playthrough it rained on his birthday for both years 1 and 2, meaning that since I didn't have two hearts with him yet (since I basically ignore most villagers outside their birthdays) I couldn't give him his birthday gift since he never leaves his cabin when it rains. I wound up getting him from 0 to 8 hearts extremely quickly since in year 3 I not only was able to give him his birthday gift that year, but I was also his gift giver in the Feast of the Winter Star, both of which were iridium pomegranates from my fruit bat cave. I then got his 8 heart event, where he does his book reading in the library. He had written a sci-fi book, which he claimed I had given him the idea for, except I hadn't because I never saw his 2 heart event.
I love Elliott because of a few reasons: 1. He is obviously an older candidate. I'm 27 and a lot of the times, the marriage candidates feel like they're teenagers or early twenties adults. I've been around my fair share of young adults and sprouting adults since I'm a teacher and GOD I feel so gross dating the younger candidates! It's like I'm dating one of my students and I just cant do it. Harvey, Leah and Elliott with a possibility of Shane feel like they're old enough for marriage and relationships. Shane is different but we're not talking about him. 2. Elliott is a writer. I also write stories and fanfictions in my spare time. I completely understand his struggles as a writer and him not having a finished product after tears of work. Have you ever tried writing a novel? It's a lot of work! You have to establish characters, setting, you need to comb out plot holes, make sure your characters make reasonable decisions, balance out the conflict and so on. And guess what? Sometimes we completely scrap a draft we have been working on for a year because we looked at it again and realised it wasnt good. So meandering and trying to find the right thing to write is completely understandable. His issues are relatable as well as I too have had thoughts about throwing my life away and trying something new somewhere else. I know what it's like to put such high goals onto myself and being disappointed that I'm not good enough to fulfill them. All in all, I can relate to him so much! 3. His personality. People seem to keep acting like he's a snob or he condescends a lot... I dont see it. To me, hes just a dork who loves being dramatic! My husband is the same way, he loves to act out movie scenes, he loves to put on voices and put on a facade for fun. I see my husband in Elliott a lot, like the bar scene. My husband would say something like "ah yes, my good sir! A bottle of wine for the wife and I!" And he would act like a high society man while still wearing his farmer's getup! Elliott to me in that scene was being playful and I saw Gus as being either slightly amused or exasperated that Elliott was being weird again. And the book reading? It made me smile so much since my husband writes a lot too and we are always so excited to share things with each other and gush over the others stuff. And having a book dedicated to me? OH MY GOD. I love it! 4. He doesnt come with any baggage. Let's be honest here, so many candidates are basically broken objects that the farmer has to fix. Shane has severe depression, Haley is a horrible brat that needs someone to chill her out, Alex is a young man with no direction, Abigail has no idea what she is doing and had no goals, Penny is coming from an abusive household, Sebastian has some dark issues about his dad and so on. Elliott though? Sure he has some issues like anyone else would but he doesnt need fixing. He just needed some inspiration and a good friend. And when he gets married to the farmer, his life isnt put on hold like other candidates. He doesnt expect the farmer to fix him or anything, ge is a sweet guy who treasures the farmer no matter what. He is thoughtful and really feels like he loves the farmer, especially with his letters home during his 14 heart event. Hes on tour and is surrounded by people who love his work and want his attention... but all he can think about is home and you. So yeah, Elliott to me is one of the best marriage candidates, and not just because he reminds me of ky husband a lot lol
His 14 heart event…wow. I may not really care about the rest of his heart events but out of all the ones I’ve seen, that event is the pinnacle of 14 heart events. It’s sweet, it’s romantic, it lets you be apart of his world for once. I remember being somewhat disappointed with the first 14 heart event I saw, but this one is very very cute.
Elliot is so clearly a particular type of Romance Novel trope. He looks a lot like Fabio who was THE male model for romance Novel covers back in the day (the 90s? Possibly the 80s). He's the artistic rich dude who needs to learn to trust people. I like him but I grew up reading romance novels. Also I have very long hair and if I don't brush it every day it's awful (i know because I've had weeks I'm too sad to brush it). I think he's just being honest about liking having long hair.
This was the point I was going to make, but held off in case someone else said it. He's definitely meant as something of the quintessential romance novel love interest (or at least the type I'm most drawn to) and how much a particular person might like or dislike him is entirely dependant on if you can get behind that archetype.
As someone who reads a lot of old books, i think that can be a reason why Elliot talks in that way. If you are used to reading it, you need a few moment to step back and realise, that "Hey, if you say this irl, you will look like an idiot" Thats the part when he fails a bit
I find his over the top goofiness charming. He's awkward but finds himself falling naturally into step once someone accepts him and he looses up. He's my favorite out of all the candidates, as I feel like I'd get along with him really well since I'm a creative goofball nobody, too. I was naturally drawn to him on my first playthrough, and I've gone after him another one or two times, too.
Thumbnail alone I need to say Elliott is so sweet He's not condescending or pretentious like people make him out to be, he's just super melodramatic and I'd say flamboyant. He strikes me as someone who'd be great friends with Robert E.O. Speedwagon, he's just a great homie C:
Maybe people who work in academia can be more forgiving of Elliot, too, because we're constantly searching for external validation and recognition of what we worked so hard on. How you speak, groom yourself, where you're published, it can all mean a great deal in some circles. So, to me, I can tease apart what's just elevated affectation and what's genuine with him pretty easily, because I've met the people who absolutely want to grind you under their heel for their own benefit. But hey, in a dating game, one person's struggling artist is another person's snobbish prat, to each their own!
I feel like to get Elliott you have to be a hopeless romantic type bc I absolutely am and in all my play throughs I simply cannot marry anyone else 😭 Edit:I will note that on my very first play through I didn't realise his and leahs sprites where 2 entirely different people until the flower dance when I spot them standing side by side
I always took the Gus thing as them being friends and Elliot just doing a dumb little thing for fun and Gus playing along. But I also don't go for Elliot ever so I generally only see his heart events in a vacuum rather than spending a lot of time with him in the game. I dunno, he looks and acts like he's supposed to be a romance novel cover dude so I'll stick with that perception (since I have other marriage candidates that I prefer cx)
Personally I really like him. The way he talks is funny and I found it very sweet that he dedicated a book to me, because I'm not only a bookworm but wanted to become an author as a kid too and even wrote a whole thing (not published though, luckily). The boat scene was kinda awkward, but still sweet. I'm currently waiting for spring to be over because I'd like to get married in summer 🥺
Elliot's 4 heart scene always struck me as him being dramatic. It says somewhere he has a knack for it, and I think he's just playing into it. Gus responding coldly is how anyone in customer service would respond. I've spent years in it myself; I completely understand Gus' reaction. I'd probably give a worse one. But I agree with you on everything else in the video. He's specifically mentioned to be an older bachelor, so I think a lot of his behavior is just a result of that mixed with his flamboyance.
I think Elliot comes from a richer family and he left them to try fulfill his dream of being a writer. I think he talks down to people out of habit and him apologising for being insensitive shows he just doesn't realise and he's been told BEFORE that he's being insensitive. It's something he needs to work on, definitely. But I don't think that would make him bad if he works on it but if he was just rude to others constantly, it's not good on him... I wish there were more interactions between the npcs rather than just the farmer..
I still think Elliott is a spy sent from Gotoro Empire to try to find a mysterious artifact that was stolen by dwarves the year before the war began when ambassadors were visiting the tiny village for the yearly soup festival. He knows Haley and Emily are also spies working for the Ferngill Republic for the same mission so he stays mostly on the beach but uses a secret tunnel entrance hidden under his piano to sneak out and spy on everyone. In Gotoro they are famous for being a bit rude by nature but also very artistic and somewhat good lovers. It's no surprise that he falls for the farmer as in Gotoro Farmers are held in high esteem as they are thought to commune with the gods and bring life to the land.
I'm so so so in love with Elliott he is literally perfect I'm scared to watch this I'll edit this comment with my thoughts once I finish the video. EDIT: ok I'm so glad you were nice to him 😭 pretty sure he was just being his usual theatrical self, and gus was just playing along lol. Also, you might not have felt anything when he kissed the farmer on the boat, but oh boy I sure did. I was swooning like a schoolgirl with a crush. I loved the fact that he, for once, couldn't find the right words to tell you how he feels, so he said it with a kiss. The kiss, at least to me, was so perfect and romantic. Maybe it helps that I find it really attractive when someone takes the initiative and makes the first move. Oh, and I loved the little line about "I wasn't sure you'd feel this way about another man". In comparison to some of the other characters same-sex exclusive dialogue, where they are just realizing they are gay/bi, it makes Elliott feel more mature. He's older, and, like Leah, knows what he likes in that regard, already having his sexuality figured out. It's a small thing, but I like it.
exatamente!! as pessoas odeiam tanto o Elliot e eu fico sem entender porque existe um ódio tão grande com um personagem tão legal. é o jeito que ele fala que incomoda as pessoas? só porque ele usa uma linguagem formal? bom, se as pessoas lessem mais em vez de ficar em redes sociais o dia todo elas também falariam de modo mais formal. é então o "jeito esnobe" dele? o rapaz é normal, tão educado, nunca tratou ninguém mal, não entendo de verdade todo esse ódio. eu me caso com ele em todos os saves, as vezes faço saves novos só para me casar com ele de novo e ver tanto hate nele me faz ficar triste.
YESSS! I loved that scene. I’ve always found it weird how he wasn’t able to say he loved me though. Don’t most usually love the people they date? Maybe I’m just to young to understand.
What makes Elliott a difficult character to get a lock on, for me, is whether he's supposed to be a representation of the "starving artist" archetype (lives in a lonely cabin in the beach, spends all of his time writing, etc etc etc), vs him being someone who romanticizes the starving artist archetype and how that is causing detriment to his life. It's hard to tell whether it's meant to be played straight or to be viewed as a critique, because in the end he DOES succeed. A big part of other characters' progression, like Alex, is them realizing they've created an unrealistic goal with unrealistic expectations for themselves and that they need to learn to love life, and themselves, for what it is. As it stands, I feel Elliott isn't fleshed out enough, ironically despite having the same number of events and dialogue as all the other characters. So he kind of exists in this limbo where you just take him at face value, which is a foppish and standoffish, and turns a lot of people off. I think I'd rewrite Elliott as such: he's obsessed with the starving artist schtick, and despite not being the best writer (he's been working this long and hasn't had any success), he continues to double down to the detriment of his life, both physically and socially. He loves to play piano, and is really talented at it, but denies himself that pleasure because it doesn't fit into his self-imposed ideal. Make his 6 heart event a 4 heart event, then make his 6 heart event where he gets a publishing review back on his book which he is rejected. You then convince him to focus more on his music, and retool his writing passion into writing music. Then the 8 heart event is him playing for everyone at the Saloon, and he becomes a permanent part, playing every night from 8-10. Boom, it develops into a critique of that "starving artist" cliche, and it shows that it's possible to be successful at life by following your passion, even if you don't initially succeed. Idk, it's hard to talk a lot about Elliott as he IS, because there just doesn't feel like there is a lot to him.
ok, first of all, i absolutely love your alternate version of his character arc, and i totally see where you're coming from, but just for the sake of discussion out of genuine interest, i kinda have to disagree: i think he actually does go through a development of character. he starts as this "starving artist" kinda guy, like you said, who romanticises that whole archetype and just wants to be successful with his book, but then he actually finishes the book (while having gotten closer to the farmer at the same time) and publishes it, and it's only mildly successful. it's not bad by any means, but it's not a bestseller either, and elliott actually seems okay with that, maybe because throughout his growing relationship with the farmer, he has realised that his art isn't about being successful in the end, it's about passion and real emotions, and maybe that's why he dedicated his book to the farmer, because they inspired him (2-heart event) and then he ended up writing something that he's actually happy with despite only earning mild fame and success, because it came from a genuine passion of his. ok, and if you're still willing to listen, i think his character development is shown even more strongly if you marry elliott and there are two things in particular that prove this to me. for one, there's his 14-heart event, which really straightup shows that, though he's enjoying the little bits of fame and attention he's getting from his art, what ultimately really matters most to him is to come back to his partner and continue their everyday normal life together. that's what now makes him happiest. the second thing that speaks for elliott's character development is one of his marriage lines where he says something like "i've been taking much better care of myself, the bachelor life really wasn't healthy for me", so he actually physically seemed to have moved on from his romanticising of the "starving artist" lifestyle. he still writes (he mentions at some point during marriage that he's working on his next novel or that he's just writing in general) but it seems to come from a much more genuine place of expressing his feelings about his life and his partner just for the sake of it, not for fame or attention. and i think that's really sweet 🥺 i still wouldn't mind pianist!elliott either, though. idk, just some thoughts i spontaneously had while reading your comment :)
@@sincerelyparand omg i love this analysis, i never understood why people find it "creepy" that Elliott is inspired by the farmer to write in a specific genre/dedicates it to the farmer. I think it's just a demonstration that Elliott *is* considerate of people because he took the time to consider a genre that the farmer likes. Sure, Elliott has some social flaws (ex. the 4-heart cutscene and his interaction with Gus) but a small detail some fail to notice is that during Elliott's 8-heart cutscene a lot of people leave but one person that does stay is Gus. We can theorize that maybe Elliott and Gus became friends at some point between the four heart scene and eight heart scene or maybe Gus didn't think ill of Elliott during/after the cutscene because why would you stay or even show up to an event for someone you don't even like? (ALSO IK THIS REPLY IS PROBABLY VERY UNRELATED BUT I JUST LIKE TALKING ABOUT ELLIOTT LMAOO)
@@falcononthesax NO I TOTALLY GET THAT, I LOVE TALKING ABOUT HIM TOO, it's actually quite a problem because i always get carried away and then it just turns into me writing huge essays about this fictional video game character 🤣 but alas, i'm glad i'm not the only one! and awww i never even noticed that gus stays for his reading! i like that thought, i really believe that elliott doesn't mean any harm with his behaviour, i think homeboy is just not the best at social contact (he's just like me fr) 💀 like i feel like he just wanted to be dramatic and maybe impress the farmer, not actually disrespect gus. hopefully gus just kinda went "lol look at this big ole goof" and called it a day HAHA
but elliott says himself he's not good at piano... and writing music is much different than writing stories. this would just be another character with sam's interest. elliott's fine the way he is.
i can’t watch this video because i’m an “elliott is perfect and did nothing wrong” truther sorry 😞 edit: but i can see why people would dislike him. elliott’s main problem is a lack of real social skills and the ability to read how others feel about him and what he’s doing, which makes him seem ignorant and condescending in conversation when he almost definitely doesn’t mean to be. characters who’s speech is off putting in some way are almost definitely the ones who get hated on the most, since dialogue is the #1 way we pick which bachelor we like, leaving elliott with a real short end of the popularity stick. he does improve the more you befriend and romance him, but most players don’t even bother after that initial bad impression in his first set of cutscenes, leaving him a perma-hermit. justice for elliott lmao
Same my friend sent this vid to me and I can’t bring myself to watch it so I’m just going through the comments (also I myself am planning a video essay on why Elliott is a great character 😭)
Being honest, Elliott was love at first sight when I picked up the game. I saw him on the bridge and immediately needed to know what his deal was. The fact that he was a writer? My dream career is an author, this guy was perfect. I personally love all his weird flowery speech patterns, because that's how a lot of my friends talk around each other. The point isn't really to be snobby or condescending - it's just to be dramatic as like an in joke. Like I won a card game once and the runner up dealt an insulting monologue worthy of being included in a monty python bit. So Elliott's 4 heart scene was really familiar to they way we spoke to one another, as well as Gus's reaction since I got the impression that Gus didn't see it as rude, more just weird. Like "Elliott wtf you've been here a year you know my name why are you talking like that", and matched his energy with the 'sir'. He's a bookworm and a romantic, so he's treating the people around him like character archetypes in a story. It's probably a bit off-putting for strangers except they're also creatives (Leah) or loners (Willy). He says his family/people at home thought he was crazy to try and be a writer, so he went off to go it alone. Problem is, he's in probably the worst possible situation to be a creative. Everyone he knows has put him down, he's relatively isolated since he doesn't seem to have many friends in town and he's got very little money left. So yeah, he made the choice to leave, but that shack is probably all he could afford and he's not got enough to make it back even if he wanted to, his survival pretty much depends on his book at the very least being published. He's friends with Willy and knows how to fish, so I imagine half of his diet is just made up of stuff he caught himself, like with Leah's foraging. That's what I think he means when he said he wasn't taking care of himself before the farmer, he was literally a starving artist. But he's cheery and optimistic, so plays it down and sugar-coats things to keep motivated. Like he seems happy to find a crab in his shirt pocket, when really he should be worried that a crab managed to get into his house in the first place. As a closing note, as someone with very long hair (reaching the ol' thighs at this point) his whole hair thing is super relatable. Once it gets to the max length you need to take good care of it because it's length is also it's age, the ends have been around for a long time and gets stupidly easily damaged. I have to go through a lot of work to get it to look decent. But again, for it to get that length it's got to be there a long time, so you grow attached to it like that. There are days you want to chop it off, but it's been around so long it's now part of your identity. At least that's how it is for me. Given how he has a nightmare about the farmer giving him a buzz-cut, it's probably more fear of losing a body part than simple vanity (he won't admit it though). I've been loving these character analyses btw. I'm not really involved in the Stardew internet spaces so it's nice to find out more from another perspective (for example, I used to like Pierre - I never read into what he said too much. My opinion has since changed)
as another long-haired person (though mine "only" reaches my bottom lol), I also relate so hard to that line... often even if I just brushed it, if I don't braid or bun it, it ends up a tangled mess again >_
Oh yeah, he’s insensitive. But it’s also implied that other that he still feels like an outsider. He gives me this feeling of both being guarded and eager to please. I find him awkward but endearing once close. Truly like a love interest in the kind of romance novels I read as a tween. Usual my go to male marriage candidate because of it.
So funny thing I started an Elliott play through for the first time last week, and as of last night I was getting his 14 heart cutscene last night. He defiantly has some of the most interesting marriage dialog, and he is a bit of a sweetheart once you are married to him. I do feel like other mirage candidates feel like they develop a closer relationship with the player before the 10 heart scene, where I feel like Elliott's comes off as a bit abrupt. I would say I feel closer to Shane after his heart scenes than I do to Elliott, and I've never married Shane in a game. I do feel Elliott is really cute post marriage. I love the detail that he is bad with plants, and bows to the farmer's expertise. I also enjoy how corny his poems are. I empathize with him a bit, because I also spend a lot of time writing fiction, and I get excited if even one person likes a story I wrote, and sad if a story gets no comments. That being said he's not my favorite, but I would say if I were single and he came onto me in real life I would probably at least go out with him.
Honestly out of all the candidates, Elliott is my go-to. His story isn't too dramatic or highly emotional, rather, just something easily relatable to. Never once has the boat scene crossed my mind as being something weird, honestly I found it to be quite romantic. His room also fits nicely with how I decorate, so that's a plus.
I always got the sense that Elliott came from a wealthier background and moved to the valley to pursue his passions and make his own way in life through more unconventional means (I mean, how else could he afford real estate like that 👀). Looking at it through that lens helped me to understand why he may come off as pretentious sometimes or why he cares so much about writing his novel and works himself so hard. His 14 heart scene is really what sells me on him, though; it always made me so happy to "see him succeed" and go on his book tour and the little notes that he sends home absolutely melt me 🥺Definitely my favorite bachelor for vanilla Stardew, but I also totally get why some people aren't a fan!!
The one way I could see the bar scene as okay is if they're actually really close and the barkeep-sir thing is an inside joke 🤣 Also tbh I never considered him because he comes off as a snob when you aren't close. Seeing his heart scenes, though, makes me reconsider him.
I've never really felt anything about Elliott, but I find it hilarious that over half the audience got bored and left during Elliott's book reading, and Gunther had already left the library/museum as soon as he heard Elliott was doing a reading.
hilário deixar um cara lendo sozinho? você deve ser uma pessoa sem coração. ele é apenas um cara seguindo os sonhos dele, sendo educado e gentil, porque as pessoas odeiam tanto ele?
"Bartender, two of your finest (whatevers)!" is just a movie/literay trope to say. Hell it was just in a pirate show this year from an awkward, flamboyant, but well-meaning main character. It doesn't mean he's trying to be condescending, it means he's a nerd who hasn't actually done this before, picking someone up at a bar. The fact that he gets goofy off one drink immediately after supports this. A lot of this sounds like taking someone being a little awkward and flamboyant as personal judgement that I never once get he actually intends or realizes...
I think what people also overlook is that in the 10 heart cutscene, you’re already dating Elliott! Obviously just because you’re dating doesn’t equal consent but like… I feel like the player would know that was coming
After thinking about it, Elliot was returning to the bar after *8 HOUR WRITING SESSION* so Id imagine him being tired and not having any sleep or heading outside once in awhile. So he probably wasnt right in the head at the time and abit too active Not the first time I experience a wild sleep withdrawal
2:45 I interpreted it as him talking in a theatrical way. I think a lot of it comes down to interpretation because there’s no voice acting, and people have different personal experiences. I think he’s a pretty fun character, and I just interpret him as lacking social awareness more than thinking he’s better than others. His portrait might also play a role in his interpretation because when I first saw Elliot, I assumed that I would hate him. I definitely don’t lol. I view him as more dorky than snobby now.
Elliott is my favourite because I can relate to him on many levels. Although he writes and I draw, I relate to his struggles, awkwardness and impulsive decisions and opinions. I see his mindset reflects my own, and even though it isn't perfect and definitely has some flaws, characters like these help me improve myself, if that makes sense.
Ngl I dont really see how the ten heart scene comes off as weird other than just the fact the player can express discomfort, to me it reads more like Elliot misread signs and made a move which totally happens in relationships all the time, the fact he even backs off if you do suggust you don't like it really proves he didn't mean any harm
On my first playthrough, my go to villager was Haley. I didn't even notice Elliott and when I did I didn't care for him. I remember briefly remember thinking "he's probably the last dude I'd pick he seems so boring." But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and I listened to Campusanis' song for Elliott "To Your Doom!" (A nod to one of the choices when you toast with Elliott) and suddenly Elliott was the most interesting dude in Stardew. I was catching lobsters, making crab cakes, risking my ass for Iridium and creepily standing outside his cabin for hours, like wtf was going on here.
Elliott is the only character the out right tells a female farmer she's pregnant after you decide to have a baby. That made me feel a bit bad for going to skull cavern while i was waiting.
Elliott is definitely pompous and theatrical, hands down, but I love that about him! I may have artist bias, but I think that this is what gives flavor to his character. He got me pretty early on in my Stardew ventures, and became the second character I married. I have no regrets, and find it very hard to not come back to him constantly after this. I don’t know, I’ve never seen what he says as mean-spirited or malicious in any way, and find a lot of charm in how much this sweetheart loves his S.O. and in how rich his creativity is.
he's melodramatic, not snobbish. And he cares about his looks and his success. This doesn't necessarily translate to looking down on everyone else and thinking everyone else has to fail for him to succeed. If you look at more of his dialogue, you can actually see that he is quite humble towards others, and WILL put aside his pride to absolutely demolish some festival food. It is fair to question the Gus thing, and the issue of consent with the 10 heart cutscene, but I think the way that everyone reads into the little bits of imperfection (aka, what makes us all human) of his character and blows those little moments out of proportion to overshadow his genuinely sweet character does him a massive disservice. He is my favorite character, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Consider this! Elliott and Gus are the best of friends and enjoy improv theatre together! Everytime Elliott comes to the Saloon he starts with a different greeting and sometimes he pretends to don't even know Gus. Sometimes he plays an old trucker, weary from the road, or he comes in as a restaurant critic from the local newspaper or as a reporter or.... I don't know, just a little headcanon ^^"
5:24 Maybe he has some of these traits from the way he lived, we don't know much about his family life, maybe deep down he really just wants to prove to them that he was right and strayed a bit from the path, managing to keep his passion for writing but the real reason is his personal revenge against his family, even because the way he talks sometimes he could very well give up but he doesn't have the courage to go back and face those who said he was crazy and he couldn't do it...It can be a self destructive thought, but Elliot manages not to go too far with it in my vision, he still has passion for what he does and some of his dialogue shows that he likes the beach and likes to have his cabin there.
Maybe Elliot calls Gus a bartender out of politeness or because it's a special order? I don't know, I always found it strange how Gus has such a serious portrait at this time and he also calls Elliot not by his name, so maybe Elliot doesn't talk to him as much to be considered a friend and prefers to be polite and not bother Gus when he's working or something.
So, I 100% understand what you and other people are talking about with the "bartender" thing, but the interaction came off to me as a very creative/theatrical neurodivergent (likely autistic) guy just getting too into his period roleplay hyperfixation and Gus either trying to figure out how to play along or that he was, like you said, offended, and Elliot had unintentionally taken it too far but since sometimes neurodivergents don't pick up on social cues, Elliot didn't realize it. This doesn't mean that if the latter was the case, Elliot wasn't in the wrong, but to me, from the moment I talked to Elliot, he immediately came off to me as a very creative person on the autism spectrum (ASD). I have ADHD-PI and it's actually pretty common for ADHD folks and autistic folks to click well because we have a lot of similar traits, but work off each other well. At least 75% of my friends are autistic and most of my friends growing up were autistic or undiagnosed autistic. Obviously there's a hugee variety, but when you have ASD (and/or ADHD tbh), it's very common to get hyperfixations that are extremely consuming. That's why in my experience, so many cosplayers are neurodivergent---and the people who get very into roleplay and their D&D characters can get carried away with it. I was a theater kid in school and still am involved in theater and I can tell you right now that even fully grown, otherwise mature adults will occasionally slip into their characters or personas. Elliot doesn't dress like everyone else (in the most recent version his outfit actually looks sorta Regency, Edwardian, or something like that) and seems to have kinda an immersive cosplay going on. Gus could just be trying to think of a way to play along with it since it's not usually something Elliot does and he wasn't prepared with improv on the spot. Again, not going to discount the possibility that Gus found it offensive instead of just "typical Elliot" thing, but I didn't sense any malice in it. I even think Gus might be one of his only friends other than Leah. Elliot lives alone in a shack and his closest friend is as also an artist who lives alone in a shack. Leah probably has more experience with eccentric artsy types and understands Elliot isn't as pretentious as he comes off. He just ultimately has what most would consider bad social skills. EDIT: I wrote this before watching the rest of the video because I wanted to reply, but after seeing his outfits in the previous version, I'll admit his clothes look less dramatic, but they're still old-fashioned for a guy in his 30's Again, I don't want to use autism as an excuse for behavior that hurts people or makes them feel unsafe. I never thought about the boat thing since I saw my character totally giving clear physical consent and him being concerned he misread that consent, but if it's the other option...yeah, that's bad. I still feel like it's just him not being able to read social cues and acting inappropriately instead of him feeling entitled or uncaring. The concern that he misread the situation kinda confirms that to me. I'll repeat, it's NOT a valid excuse and it's one of those things that isn't an acceptable neurodivergent "quirk". It's something you desperately need to get under control, just like when I used to accidentally interrupt people or snapping at someone when I'm having sensory overload. All I'm saying is that I don't believe Elliot thinks he's better than everyone else or that he doesn't care about the others in Pelican Town. He's an introvert and has a small group of
I hate the 4 heart cutscene but not because of Elliot calling Gus "bartender", that's just him acting as a novel protagonist, I think he has a main character syndrome. No. What I hate about it is how he forces you to drink. I personally don't drink alcohol, this is mostly for health and financial reasons. Plus, it tastes awful. Now imagine you're going to a bar for some sweet artisan chocolate milk. But then an an acquaintance barges into the bar, forces themselves next to you and orders something you hate for you. Now for most people this would be a very awkward situation: the bartender is already pouring you a glass, there are people around and worst of all, the acquaintance thinks they're doing a good thing, so now what are you supposed to do? I imagine people with little confidence wouldn't know and might begrudgingly drink it. Now, I'd probably joke about how they want two drinks, "two drinks? Thirsty are we?" And when they say it's for me, depending on how well I'd be able to control my emotions either politely tell them no or scold them for not asking first. Now I relayed the story with you as a layperson... But imagine this scenario with a recovered alcoholic. Yeah, that's not a good image. In short: if you think you're doing someone a favour, make sure they actually appreciate what you're doing. And don't force alcohol upon people. It's actually really irresponsible of ConcernedApe. He should have realised that children and/or recovering alcoholics may play his game and should not have put this scene in the game.
Elliot is a difficult one for me. Because on the one hand, I'm autistic and I can be really socially awkward sometimes. I also read a LOT as a kid, and have a pretty extensive vocabulary as a result, and I struggle with adapting that to my surroundings, if that makes sense? For instance, even if I'm out grabbing post-bar food at a diner with friends, I will always sound like I'm writing an essay or giving an academic presentation, because I can't just "turn off" the part of my brain that thinks "Sisyphean" is a perfectly reasonable word for everyday conversation regardless of setting or who I'm speaking with. Which can be off-putting for some people, or make it seem like I'm "just trying to show off how smart I am" (yes, I have been told this to my face repeatedly). And I see some of that with Elliott. On the other hand, I can't stand that sort of over-the-top performative behavior and would be just as annoyed, embarrassed, and put off by it irl as I am when I see it in game. The way he speaks to Gus in his 4-heart scene especially. Do I think Elliott was being actively malicious or intentionally speaking down to Gus? No. Would I have apologized to Gus for Elliott's behavior then walked out on him in mortification if he behaved that way in front of me? Absolutely. Because I just feel like.. there are more than one kind of social boundary, and while unintentionally breaking one can be understandable, there are also some that are just unacceptable? For instance, I might ask someone an insensitive question, not realizing how insensitive it is until someone points it out to me. That isn't great, and I should absolutely apologize. But using language that dehumanizes someone (especially someone you KNOW and see frequently like Gus) is never ok. Gus isn't just his job title. He's Gus. A person, and theoretically a friend; or at least a friendly, familiar face. So just calling him "Bartender" or whatever should always be off-limits. Also? At the risk of being overly pedantic, Bartender isn't even Gus' actual job title. He owns the Stardrop Saloon, so if you were going to be a dick and reduce him to his title like that, "Proprietor" would be more accurate.
As an introvert and artist, sometimes people just pin you as a snob if you're quiet too. I don't think I'm mean, I think I'm just awkward haha. I think that might be the case with this character too, maybe he's just awkward.
A lot of the time I notice people's "issue" with him comes from real life experiences with people who are actually standoffish and arrogant. They then project that onto Elliott when they see anything remotely close to what they've experienced, Yet the reality of the actual in-game Elliott encounter isn't that deep nor is it as malicious. So I think people should just stop projecting their irl icks into characters that ... Are not that deep. Take the cut scenes at face value and not relate it to your real life experiences cuz Elliott or Shane or any of these innocent characters are NOT that a-hole u encountered a few months ago etc. Even Leapalot saw the bad encounters he had in the scene with Gus when really it's literally just Elliott being flamboyant because that's how it's written. And don't get me started on the ridiculous "he is in charge of my transportation it's hard to say no to him" 10 hearts discourse. Yes that in irl will be dangerous, bit this is in game and it is written as either you say no and he backs off and apologizes or you say yes and it's romantic. Nothing else. Games are meant to be a escape, or a whole other world from reality, why are you guys trying to put these weird intentions, malice and other in-game-non-existent context into these fictional game characters?
I love Elliot but I can see why others don't like him. He can come off arrogant and above others but I chalk that up to him feeling like he has to be that way to get respect from others. But when he starts being himself like after he's married to the farmer he's the sweetest
I absolutely adore Elliott and he is by far my favorite. I never thought of his behavior as snobby or inappropriate at all. I also read (and write) a lot, and my way of talking is similar, sometimes a bit over the top maybe, und I love that. I had zero issues with the 10 star event - we are expressing clear interest and there's always the option to decline the boat ride, so what's the fuzz? I prefer this beautiful man with his smooth talking and his love for books and solitude over the unnecessary inner drama of all the other bachelors. 🎀
Great video! Since you're going to talk about Haley sooner or later, can you please be kind to her in your judgment? Many people don't like her but she really changes as a character. Her heart scenes may not be as deep as other character's heart scenes, but she actually changes in her dialog. Her attitude towards you, Emily and the town changes as you progress in your friendship, and she starts having a more positive look on things. She still has some cute heart scenes though
As a middle aged player of the game, marrying Alex or Sam seems a little icky to me. Goth boy is slightly more mature but I usually marry Elliot or Harvey and befriend Shane.
5:13 oh this hits close to home, I still feel like this sometimes, I want to be successful out of spite, to prove I am not a failure. I don't think this is an immoral thing tho, I know a lot of people who think like that as a coping mechanism.
elliot is the best bachelor imo, I've always seen him as articulate and polite rather than condescending he's well spoken due to his work as an author I've adored him ever since I decided to marry him on my 2nd save file after marrying Sam and never went back
I kind of figured the “bartender two of your finest ales please” dialogue was supposed to be kind of a joke. It sounds like something someone would say in a fantasy tavern or something like that
one playthrough i had where i was gifting every villagers with whatever valuable on hand, i got elliot to 8 hearts without realizing and went to museum one day without realizing i had any hearts with him. boy wrote a dang space opera before listening for my opinions on what to write i dont know if game picks a random book on what to write or if it's set to the scifi. hope someone finds this useless info interesting, i guess
I think Elliott is one of this people/characters that you will enjoy if he is your type, but you will feel uncomfortable if he isn't. I don't know if I explain myself but what I mean is that he is literally the personification of *my* type, so all the scenes and dialogue are just perfect in my opinion, but I understand why for someone who prefer other type are just boring/too much or just uncomfortable
As a published author and artist, I fell in love right off the bat. He's just as eloquent as I am in my day to day life (not joking), and the fact that he also plays the piano just completes him as the literal best character in the game. [This is all, of course, a matter of opinion, and if you don't like Elliott, I suppose we shall have different views. Such is life. *sigh*]
I like Elliot. And I think the hate he gets for the boat scene is unwarranted. It happens after the bouquet, at max relationship levels (so you're boyfriend and girlfriend). Normally, people force seggs after first date but Elliot is bad because he kissed the farmer? He doesn't even hate you if you say it wasn't ok, he apologizes.
whenever you upload one of these "Dark Side of Stardew" it reminded me of last year when I was still at my boarding school, but right now I'm going to college and have to make new friends.. what beautiful time last year is
I HC Elliott as coming from a rich, materialistic family. Probably ad executives living in a suburban McMansion. He could go home to them any time he wants, but he doesn't want to. They don't understand his ~*~Bohemian soul~*~ and would keep pressuring him to give up his writing dreams for a high-paying corporate job. They'd probably warm to his writing career once he starts making real money at it, but he would still not be happy with that because he wants them to care about art more than money. A rich background would also explain why he makes some impractical choices, like bringing an upright piano to a beach cabin. He grew up with more money than sense!
I’m married to a struggling author with a romanticized view of his craft and life in general IRL, so marrying Elliot isn’t really an escapist fantasy for me as much as it is just marrying a guy who isn’t quite as good as my actual husband. I’ve never really attempted to go very far down his route for that reason.
I fell in love with Elliott the moment I saw him. I have a huge weakness for redheads and his hair is so fabulous. I actually married red-headed author in real life and the hopeless romantic in me is just smitten with this "oh so talented, charmingly bohemian, tragically impoverished" writer.
Surprisingly Elliott kind of grew on me after my friend and I got into a weird competition to see who could romance him first and I learned more about his storyline. I think why I never took him seriously when I first played the game when it first came out is his portrait. His side portrait and overall vibe he gives in the picture is condescending so all the comments he makes just pushes more into interpreting him as a condescending individual instead of being someone who is trying to impress the farmer and awkwardly trying to find ways to be your friend. Honestly after giving more thought of his dialogue and cutscenes I started to see him as more of an awkward individual who takes social ques from novels and tries to translate that to real life. The boat scene is a prime example of this thought process. In movies/novels taking a row boat out together is seen as a romantic moment (this sort of scene even played out in the animated movie 'The Little Mermaid'), however IRL it can be seen as a scary situation, especially if your a woman, to be stuck on a boat with a guy who suddenly started to kiss you without warning and you have no method of escape other than jumping into the water (not as scary if you're dating or engaged to the guy, but if you have past trauma it could be triggering). However with that being said I'm the type of person who craves some level of romanticism from my partners so I can see why he's appealing. If I met a guy who wrote a book in record time based on a genre I like, who wrote me letters and poems when he was out of town, etc., I'd be so smitten.
recommended Elliot to a friend, after they had two unsatisfying marriages and subsequent divorces to Shane and Sebastian, mostly because I knew my friend enjoyed Jane Austen kind of romances and Elliot the (soon-to-be-)author did not disappoint in bringing my friend a feel-good romance with poetry tend to view Elliot as a naive fish-out-of-water rather than a classist snob, as he is still a very good friend to you even after you've ultimately bouquet-gifted someone else, he just needed a friend to ground him in reality when he's wrong and motivate him during his writer's block
i played stardew valley for a long time before joining the community, penny and elliott were my immediate favorites and it shocked me to see they were some of the least liked marriage candidates 😅
Okay so I kind of look like Elliott(not that much) and am a writer. So my friends always say I’m actually just Elliott in real life. Which means that when people criticize him there is a small part of me that feels personally offended.
I always saw Elliot as a person who learned his social skills by reading, not by actually socializing. The over the top dialog, grand gestures, and frequent mentions of his writing came off to me as a sheltered, socially awkward person who reads things like "talking to people for dummies " so they can fit in.
I always thought the deal with Elliot was more so the idea of a lonely author somewhat a trying to put on the aire that he regrets less about his life than he worries he does - he is living alone in a shack on the beach that doesn’t scream “social” but a successful author who is too busy writing and signing autographs sure is a less sad image than an author who writes various things of middling quality and is too awkward or shy to nurture any social life. As one of if not the most heavily queer coded character in SV this makes sense - small rural towns have a bit of a stereotype for being “othering” especially for those more educated, urban, “artsy”, or queer - and Elliott certainly fits that trope. In another layer it isn’t even necessarily that Wlliot feels discriminated against but could even be his background as a writer trying to apply common short-handed cheesy writing tropes for the world around him. maybe Elliot’s written stories the featured insular and homophobic rural towns before - or has read books that did, and now he’s making assumptions. I think Elliot might even be leaning into this idea to justify his loneliness - he’s one of the “older” bachelors and Willy even comments that he doesn’t really know much about him despite being neighbors. Elliot puts on a little show acting like a silly snob half hoping that people will either be impressed and like him and half hoping that he will intimidate/annoy people away enough for people to still assume that his bachelor status could be the conduit of his success, rather than evidence of gossip-worthy social shortcomings.
Elliot reminds me of Ayame and Shigure from the anime Fruits Basket! Can be dramatic at times and yet enjoys being a writer sequestered in a snuggly home. And as a writer myself, I connect with him. A story needs to be written or else you can go crazy with too many ideas.
I can come off as condescending when I talk, because I'm not good at regulating my tone of voice when I'm going for subtle sarcasm. (I also tend to default to fancier-than-average words.) So I'm predisposed to being fond of Elliot. That being said, said, some of his dialogue really rubs me the wrong way, and I appreciate you laying it all out.
It hit me when he felt so isolated and feared dying alone in his musty cabin when I pursued him out of sheer curiosity and I fell for him instantly, never wanting him to feel alone again so of course I married him. ^-^
I don't hate Elliot, I hate that is door is locked every time I try to make a move.
Me too i literally wait in front of his house until 10 am😀
@Happy Mustache Man And it's always raining that day.
@Happy Mustache Man i hate when that happens 😑
@@Asherdio Same! I began to just plan my day out so I would get to his house before he left.
I just fish in front of his place until he comes out. 💀
Elliott is one of the few characters from the beginning who actually refers to you by your name and not as “farmer,” which gave me the impression that he tried harder than everyone else to remember your name. So I don’t think he was trying to be disrespectful to Gus and it could also be because Elliott is supposed to be new to the town just like the farmer is.
I never read Elliott as snobby, overdramatic yes, cares a lot about vanity, yes, but never a snob. To me he comes off more dorky because of how comedic and over the top his dialogue is and it makes his company that much more amusing. And while he is dramatic, he’s actually very positive with how reacts to things, like for instance he’s always excited about events, while some of the other marriage candidates might complain. He’s also one of the few bachelors who actually seem ready for marriage and one who I don’t feel like I annihilate his dreams after marrying. I do find him to be one of the sweeter and romantic spouses. His 10 heart might be little awkward, but I do think he has one of the better 14 heart events and one that definitely feels more immersive. Elliott seems to be more of a character that can be interpreted differently depending on how you’re reading his dialogue. For me, he comes off sweet and dorky, so I just can’t see what other people view as condescending
glad that you mentioned his dorkiness because that's 100% what he is and I love him for it. I mean just look at the "iridium bar" post-marriage dialogue
@tundra cactus lol yes, definitely one of my favorite dialogues from him, along with the one where he freaks out about the nightmare about the farmer cutting his hair 😂
Thank you
youre a legend this is 100% why hes the best
This right here. Elliott might be kinda over the top in his 2 heart, but I feel like his love for the farmer is so genuine. His way with words is a mix of genuine and sincere, and just being an adorable oddball.
For me like Elliott because it fulfills that niche "let me take care of you while you do what you love" fantasy. That and im jealous of his hair
Haha, Elliott is a sugar baby whose sugar consists of poems and grand romantic gestures :P
And it kind of goes both ways! He spends a lot of time writing, but that also leaves him plenty of time to take care of the house and the farm. He's one of the more helpful spouses. I once divorced him for Penny's furniture, and my fences were in a shambles within weeks.
Not a bartender, but if somebody came up to me in that situation and said “I’d like two of your finest ales“ I would just laugh and think they were being performative. I think he’s showing off for the farmer.
Yeah, I saw that too. But still get that Gus didn't take it well
Maybe, Gus and Elliot are friends and are able to joke like that with one another!
I personally think that either Gus was offended and Elliot took his roleplay too far or he was just trying to think up how to respond to Elliot's typical immersive roleplay. Gus may not be the best at improv so that's why he needed a moment?
(also I think Elliot is on the spectrum and wrote a big comment on it, but I agree with you that Gus probably was fine with it)
@@MajiggerRose I ALSO think he’s on the spectrum. Doing stuff he thinks “normal” people do like take them for a boat ride and profess love.
@@TendoASMR And while it doesn’t ever excuse making people feel trapped or unsafe (I never honestly thought about the kiss thing being inappropriate but it definitely would be if you weren’t showing any indication of being interested in that happening), the fact that he seems really worried that he misread the situation came off to me as someone who has experience frequently misreading social cues.
As someone who is a s/a victim I think a lot of people are being a bit too freaked out by the boat scene, especially because he is one of the only characters you can voice consent too and I feel like its super double standards that no one says anything about Harveys ten heart scene or that he's creepy. Especially because when you persue Maru you can see he makes her uncomfortable and that when you marry her his lau dialogue still asks if he should sunscreen her. I feel like there's a lot of biased hate towards him based off of his character model tbh :/
To be fair this happens because the game dosent update the events in the town so when you marry someone the person who has the crush on them will not say the same stuff as before. As a harvey lover, he would stop flirting with Maru when n finds out she is married. And same with shane he kissed out of nowhere but no one talks about that its crazy.
@@Lattethai I agree, I think the reason he still offers to rub sunscreen on Maru is because Concerned Ape didn't go in and change the event dialogue to be different post marriage. I try not to hold it against the characters.
At least Elliot stops when you say no to him. He knows there is boundaries and if he sees you aren't comfortable with him he lets you go.
That's far different from an actual case of S.A.
I am big dumb and a) never really noticed how /why people could find the boat and balloon scenes creepy in the wrong scenarios, and b) never found the sunscreen thing weird, since hes a doctor and sunburns are bad. Just thought he was doing cancer prevention lol
I never played this game and just came across these videos so I have zero bias (or knowledge) in this comment but players find the one scene where you can consent or refuse a romantic interaction with no negative repercussions as the creepy one? And most other interactions don’t have this choice? But this is the creepy one? Maybe it’s bc players are normalized to not having a choice they view this free will stuff weird and that may hint at something else.
I just came across these vids but I had to voice my thoughts why is the ideal dialogue choice seen as creepy. I def agree that this character type seems to be preemptively hated which I get
I think one of the things that can make Elliot look like a snob is his portrait, you know, the way he keeps his head to the side like he's got his nose in the air and doesn't want to look at you, but the dialogues are nothing like that and if you see the same lines with a portrait mod the feeling is quite different...
So true! I wonder if he had a more humble/friendly portrait if people would think of him differently
@@madeline569 The way he closes his eyes to make a happy expression is very sweet with this mod that appears in the video, completely different from the original.
True true. He doesn't appear super approachable!
Elliot was my first ever spouse, and now years and so many play-throughs later, he still remains my favorite spouse just because of how romantic and loving he is. BUT! In the beginning of my first ever play-through, I definitely had a moment where I super hated him. I didn’t know how the request board worked. he’d posted a request for seaweed, and I gave it to him after the request had expired and got a negative reaction so I 100% hated him for a WHILE! But his awkward flowery disposition eventually won me over in the end and to this day he’s been my favorite spouse I’ve ever had
@@carolinehatcher7908 that happened to me too but with a different character and Joja cola. Except I thought, ok you wanted one Joja cola, how about a second, and they hated the second haahaha
I definantly think the 4 heart event isn't Elliott meaning to be rude or putting himself above Gus. Because Elliott is a writer, I think his character and events are all written as though he's trying to live his life like a book. Yelling for a "barkeep" or "bartender" isn't uncommon in fantasy books and shows, so he was just doing the same. I don't think it was right of him, but I don't think he means anything by it. Gus saying "sir" is probably his way of expressing his frustraition at Elliott's behavior, which is fair.
I think a lot of people hate Elliott based only on his 10 heart scene, which is straight out of an Edwardian romance novel. As far as I know, his scene in the only one where the player can express being uncomfortable after the kiss has taken place, and I think it gives the wrong vibes to a lot of people. My problem with people critiquing his scene is that they never apply the same level of thought to the other marriage candidates. Harvey and Sebastian both have scenes where you are alone in a compromising position with them. An air balloon for one, and out by a cliff all alone with the other? Those are scary scenes when you think about it from a certain perspective. If you wanna leave but those characters are being pushy, what are you gonna do? Fall from the sky? Run from a guy with a motorcycle? Not likely.
I think Elliott, despite being oblivious to how his actions look to others, still respects everyone. He comes across snobby to some people, but I think he's just a theater kid who takes the saying "the world is a stage" too literally.
Yes I agree. I think it's unfair to say, oh you asked for a kiss on a boat, when the farmer asks to date Elliot. None of the npcs thinks "oh they want us to be a couple so I can just lean in and kiss them"
@@GlenCocoon I'm a bit confused as to what your saying here.
My original response was a bit aggressive(sorry), but I've reread your comment and understand better what you're saying.
I agree. I don't think in real life, any if these characters would force anything on the player.
@@ascarletmoon17 yes! The farmer is the active one and after all of that courting it's fair to think the farmer is interested... In my opinion
@@GlenCocoon Exactly! I feel like people forget that in order to get to this event, you have to actively persue him. Elliott has been given clear signs that the player is romantically interested in him, and I think it's weird to get mad at him for trying to take a more active role in the relationship.
Could he have been more patient and given clearer signs of his intentions? Yes, definantly. But he wanted to do something romantic for his partner, and I think that's cute.
@@ascarletmoon17 they just don't like him because of how his pretentious ways, in my opinion...
Honestly what sold me on Elliot was how chill he was with a crab in his shirt-pocket. How’d it even get there without you noticing dude???
It probably crawled in when he was sleeping. 😅
That and how he treat spiders. He literally told you(if married) to not squash them and he will escort those lil 6 legged creatures out of the house unharmed, that's so cute and sweet of him 😭
spiders have 8 legs
I think Elliot’s four heart cutscene is probably just him being flamboyant, rather than talking down to Gus.
That’s what I thought too! Elliot in my opinion is just the perfect bi himbo lmao
If your flamboyance requires addressing a worker by their job title instead of their name, maybe your flamboyance actually is a problem? 🤔
@@Leapalot I agree, but I think the point they're trying to make is that he's just an idiot and isn't intentionally doing it to be a dick.
Ooooh controversy! I think you're both correct. Elliot addressing gus as "barkeep" or "bartender" makes him put himself higher than Gus. He probably didn't realise it and was lost in his flamboyance. It's not good and he could have said it in another way, still being flamboyant but also not dragging anyone down at the same time 🥀
@@Leapalot with all due respect, I think you’re moving the goalposts. You said in the video that you think Elliot was being pretentious. I never said what Elliot said was appropriate, I’m just saying it wasn’t malicious. All of his other dialogue in the game supports this too; even before you befriend him, Elliot is very polite to the player.
I think that Eliot is mostly just overdramatic and a bit self-absorbed, but otherwise a nice guy. I find his writing to be kind of cringy at times, but his comments after marriage are super sweet and I love his 14 heart event. One of my complaints about marriage is that most of the time, the characters hardly ever leave the farm after marriage and it feels like I´ve stifled their character growth, so it´s nice that Elliot gets to leave and do his thing for a few days.
There's a mod for that called immersive spouses
Harvy doesn't. I was so nervous he would stop working if married him like everyone else does. He goes out almost everyday day actually.
Because Leah is my go-to girl, and the fact that Elliot is one of the later villagers for me to get heart scenes with (just due to paths not crossing), my personal head cannon is that he's my wife's "gay best friend" who i grow close to after we start dating.
And on the topic of Elliot and Leah, i was thinking how i wish something would happen with their houses after they move in with me. I like to imagine Leah converts her place into a full art studio
If you marry Elliott he tells you that we can use his place as a beach house. Of course nothing really happens with it, but it’s cool that he mentions his place
@@BreakofDawn He also mentions coming back to get some ink on the day before the Luau, so he's obviously using it for storage. He does often stand beside his house after marriage, but I do wish he'd go inside again. My house doesn't have a piano and it has a few tables, but not really a proper writing desk for him (Robin doesn't really sell anything like what he has). I wish he'd go back in his house like some of the other spouses. Similarly, he doesn't go to saloon, Pierre's, or the library after marriage, but I wish he did.
I married Elliott to my first farmer, so now in every new game I start, he will always be 'Mirko's husband' to me and is not to be hit on by anyone else, even though he's still pretty much my favourite character :P
As a gay guy who always marries Elliot or Harvey, I concur. I know he's mostly popular with women, but like... Come on. That man is a flaming homosexual
@@thetaaaaof course he is and marrying him always gives me a sense of guilt. But I'm just so in love with him I can't help it. He and Leah are tied for my two favorite people to marry and it's the same for her too. She's clearly a lesbian. She gives off that vibe very strongly plus in her 2 heart scene, if you're playing as a girl and you try to make a move on her like a creepo she kind of says it without saying it. Your forward gesture tells her that you're a gay woman and she admits to being one as well even if she doesn't actually say the words. So I always guilty about being with her if I play as a boy.
I don't know if this is something that anyone talked about before, but as someone with autism I can relate to Elliott's reactions to a negative response from the player, and his apparent inability to read a room. He quickly backtracks in these scenarios, and in the 6 heart scene, clarifies what he actually meant, as if he was scared of people misinterpreting him, which is something I do a lot more than I'd like to admit. It makes me feel more validated and I've grown a stronger liking to him because of that. I happen to find it quite interesting that the things that make Elliott autism-coded are also some of the things that alot of people dislike about him and misinterpret as pretentious. Hm.
OH! And he's also canon queer, so that's very cool.
i would eat this comment if i could, and i mean that as the highest praise
This is my big thing with Elliott. He comes off as autistic to an autistic person, which is part of why I love him; but neurotypical players often don’t see him the same way and read him as stuck up, so I think he gets an unfairly bad rap in the community as a whole
THIS.
I hv Elliott as a hyperlexic autistic guy who managed to get a career in his special interest of writing. Had to move to a quiet sensory friendly environment to do that obviously.
As a chronic foot-in-mouther with adhd I too want to eat this comment.
I can see where the idea that he's pretentious comes from but I think Elliott is just super invested in his book and has a particularly flowery way of talking. I almost always end up marrying him and one thing I did notice is Elliott is nice to the farmer from the get go. Other candidates like Shane (obvious one), Alex and even Sebastian can be kind of blunt or rude towards the farmer until you gain some hearts but Elliott's dialogue towards the farmer focuses on wishing them well and how farming must be rewarding, which definitely endeared him to me!
I thought the same. I remember playing for the first time and talking to Shane, Sebastian and Alex and felt rude. But when I talked to Elliot I fell in love with him immediately because he was the only man that treated me well. With only his first dialogue I was planning to marry him, and now I am xD
I love elliot, he was the main reason I got stardew valley. As a writer myself, I was drawn to him. It makes me sad when ppl openly hate him and call him boring for writing. It makes me wonder if those ppl are generally boring and uneducated themselves and hate writers irl
As a writer, being called boring for writing is actually one of my largest pet peeves. People used to call me boring all the time because my hobbies were mainly writing and drawing. It's probably why I'm more drawn to Elliot in general, tbh. I get his frustrations even if I don't always agree with them. Plus, he is my favorite spouse in Stardew Valley by a very large margin.
Agh, fr man, I was always overcompensating by using more interesting language and holding myself in certain ways so people would like me lol; once someone said I that I was "so anime;" it was the best compliment I'd been given
as a non writer, i love writers you guys are interesting 💓
I feel like a lot of the characters, and marriage candidates, have awkward moments. It makes their characters a little more well rounded. If these characters didn’t have flaws we’d probably be bored with them fast.
I feel like Elliot incorporates a lot of his writing style in his speech. Or that he feels he’s supposed to have a certain persona as a writer, hence some of the pompous or vain sounding comments. Those comments honestly don’t bug me that much. And I do feel he has the sweetest 14 heart event. I did marry him on a couple of game files that I have and I love having him as a spouse.
His 14 heart scene is absolutely amazing!
i marry elliott almost every save lol i simply dont get how people hate him
Sameee
just a funny little guy imo
100% agree
Because he seems a bit arrogant to me. He feels a bit snobby as well
He seems arrogant, and I don't like the boat scene,, it feels, strange, and I don't like it
Elliot is best bachelor and that's a fact. He has zero baggage, he worships the ground the player walks on, helps around the farm, makes you coffee and crab cakes, and writes you poetry.
If you hate him, you're weird
I don't think I've ever agreed with a youtube comment more than i do this one
All the bachelors have similar affection displays, helps around on the farm, and makes food for the character. TF are you talking about?
Elliot is for the boring people who don't want someone with complexity, depth or any challenge in life. The "oooh I'm a romantic, artistic, author with no real problems in life." Such a meh option. All the people I know who like him are "artistic" straight white girls in their 20s.
@@itsgonnabeanaurfromme 🤣🤣🤣 someone sounds bitter
You're right, I don't want to deal with man children that come with immature cutscenes and emotional baggage.
I'm here to enjoy a game, and I do. But you can be mad that the rest are trash and you clearly have a savior complex 🤣
Also, not straight, and not in my 20s. But go off babe.
@@itsgonnabeanaurfromme Doesn’t matter if you hate or love Elliot, it’s just a game.. but the first thing you said isn’t true. You can read the dialogue differences between bachelors after marriage on the wiki, and Elliot literally just is the most romantic and over the top with it. There’s a noticeable difference in his dialogue in comparison to other bachelors, so they weren’t lying when they said he worships the ground you walk on 🤷🏻♀️
Exactly! Like he tells us we’re hot every day, has a whole book dedicated to us, and honestly so much more. What else could you ask for.
Sure, Elliott is not very complex character as Sean or Sebastian. But that's what makes him a good partner, because he have no emotional baggage behind his back. Elliott is sweet and caring around Farmer. Elliott's dialouges is optimistic and soft as wind, or show his passion to his job as a writer.
Being with Elliott doesnt fell like you rip him off from his life. Elliott is happy with Farmer and often talks about it, he appreciats Farmer and Farmer's hard work. He is mature, doesn't seems like a teenager as most of all spouses. And Elliott don't push on Farmer with his emotinal problems.
Yes, Elliott is lonely and not very succesfull as a writer. But he won't die if Farmet not marry him. Elliott is his own person with his own home and his own passion. He is not suffering of depression and doesn't stuck with carless family. If Farmer not chouse him, Elliott just will live on, Farmer don't need to save him.
But if Farmer chouse Elliott, it's an easy relationships with a lovable and carring romantic. And that's why I love Elliott as a batchelor and can't see my Farmer with someone who is not Elliott. When you all day long on your feet, doing hard work - it's nice to come home to someone who surrounds you with love and warm, and you can just relax and forget about all of your problems.
Also, if you have no beach farm, marry Elliott means you now have a beach house as a little resort! Nice bonus to good marriage.
nossa, sim!!
você resumiu tudo oque eu penso, ele é o melhor NPC e ninguém vai mudar isso!
this was the worst day to post this i just got obsessed with stardew valley again and i did it just to romance elliot again i love him to death hes perfection personified hes never done anything wrong in his life
and if he did do anything wrong he didn't and youre lying
@@WickedMarkio lol
enjoy the boat scene from a non consensual perspective. elliots scenes are only tolerable if you go in liking him, otherwise he just stirkes me as so fukn creepy
Elliot best boy
@@bluerabbit7683 isn't the boat scene when you're already dating him?
Funny story about Elliot: I basically never go to Elliot's cabin. In my most recent playthrough it rained on his birthday for both years 1 and 2, meaning that since I didn't have two hearts with him yet (since I basically ignore most villagers outside their birthdays) I couldn't give him his birthday gift since he never leaves his cabin when it rains. I wound up getting him from 0 to 8 hearts extremely quickly since in year 3 I not only was able to give him his birthday gift that year, but I was also his gift giver in the Feast of the Winter Star, both of which were iridium pomegranates from my fruit bat cave. I then got his 8 heart event, where he does his book reading in the library. He had written a sci-fi book, which he claimed I had given him the idea for, except I hadn't because I never saw his 2 heart event.
Really? I thought heart events couldn't trigger unless you'd seen all previous ones :0
@@CorinneStephens Nah, they can come in any order if they occur at different places.
So, the default is Sci-fi then. Never pinned him as that, but also not surprised.
I love Elliott because of a few reasons:
1. He is obviously an older candidate. I'm 27 and a lot of the times, the marriage candidates feel like they're teenagers or early twenties adults. I've been around my fair share of young adults and sprouting adults since I'm a teacher and GOD I feel so gross dating the younger candidates! It's like I'm dating one of my students and I just cant do it. Harvey, Leah and Elliott with a possibility of Shane feel like they're old enough for marriage and relationships. Shane is different but we're not talking about him.
2. Elliott is a writer. I also write stories and fanfictions in my spare time. I completely understand his struggles as a writer and him not having a finished product after tears of work. Have you ever tried writing a novel? It's a lot of work! You have to establish characters, setting, you need to comb out plot holes, make sure your characters make reasonable decisions, balance out the conflict and so on. And guess what? Sometimes we completely scrap a draft we have been working on for a year because we looked at it again and realised it wasnt good. So meandering and trying to find the right thing to write is completely understandable. His issues are relatable as well as I too have had thoughts about throwing my life away and trying something new somewhere else. I know what it's like to put such high goals onto myself and being disappointed that I'm not good enough to fulfill them. All in all, I can relate to him so much!
3. His personality. People seem to keep acting like he's a snob or he condescends a lot... I dont see it. To me, hes just a dork who loves being dramatic! My husband is the same way, he loves to act out movie scenes, he loves to put on voices and put on a facade for fun. I see my husband in Elliott a lot, like the bar scene. My husband would say something like "ah yes, my good sir! A bottle of wine for the wife and I!" And he would act like a high society man while still wearing his farmer's getup! Elliott to me in that scene was being playful and I saw Gus as being either slightly amused or exasperated that Elliott was being weird again. And the book reading? It made me smile so much since my husband writes a lot too and we are always so excited to share things with each other and gush over the others stuff. And having a book dedicated to me? OH MY GOD. I love it!
4. He doesnt come with any baggage. Let's be honest here, so many candidates are basically broken objects that the farmer has to fix. Shane has severe depression, Haley is a horrible brat that needs someone to chill her out, Alex is a young man with no direction, Abigail has no idea what she is doing and had no goals, Penny is coming from an abusive household, Sebastian has some dark issues about his dad and so on. Elliott though? Sure he has some issues like anyone else would but he doesnt need fixing. He just needed some inspiration and a good friend. And when he gets married to the farmer, his life isnt put on hold like other candidates. He doesnt expect the farmer to fix him or anything, ge is a sweet guy who treasures the farmer no matter what. He is thoughtful and really feels like he loves the farmer, especially with his letters home during his 14 heart event. Hes on tour and is surrounded by people who love his work and want his attention... but all he can think about is home and you.
So yeah, Elliott to me is one of the best marriage candidates, and not just because he reminds me of ky husband a lot lol
Harvey, Elliot and Shane are indeed older bachelors, it is stated in a secret note. Leah is a young bachelorette.
I think he's just socially awkward. I think he's been sheltered and has self-esteem issues. I rarely marry him, but I do like his character arc.
His 14 heart event…wow. I may not really care about the rest of his heart events but out of all the ones I’ve seen, that event is the pinnacle of 14 heart events. It’s sweet, it’s romantic, it lets you be apart of his world for once. I remember being somewhat disappointed with the first 14 heart event I saw, but this one is very very cute.
Oh yeah, it's muuuuuuch better than Shane's... 😬😬🥴
@@VaryaEQ literally all of Shane's heart events are amazing except his 14 heart event.
Elliot is so clearly a particular type of Romance Novel trope. He looks a lot like Fabio who was THE male model for romance Novel covers back in the day (the 90s? Possibly the 80s). He's the artistic rich dude who needs to learn to trust people. I like him but I grew up reading romance novels.
Also I have very long hair and if I don't brush it every day it's awful (i know because I've had weeks I'm too sad to brush it). I think he's just being honest about liking having long hair.
This was the point I was going to make, but held off in case someone else said it. He's definitely meant as something of the quintessential romance novel love interest (or at least the type I'm most drawn to) and how much a particular person might like or dislike him is entirely dependant on if you can get behind that archetype.
Fellow member of the long hair club, and I’m right there with you, he probably does just like having it this way.
I have hair down to my arse abd it takes an hour to brush it well. I love my long hair and compliments on it! Elliott has every right to be proud
Why do I feel a bit sad? 🥺
Maybe because for me Elliott is a pure being and means well and no one will make me think otherwise
You are 100% correct!! i adore him so much, he is only NPC i marry.
sim!!!
As someone who reads a lot of old books, i think that can be a reason why Elliot talks in that way. If you are used to reading it, you need a few moment to step back and realise, that "Hey, if you say this irl, you will look like an idiot" Thats the part when he fails a bit
I find his over the top goofiness charming. He's awkward but finds himself falling naturally into step once someone accepts him and he looses up. He's my favorite out of all the candidates, as I feel like I'd get along with him really well since I'm a creative goofball nobody, too. I was naturally drawn to him on my first playthrough, and I've gone after him another one or two times, too.
Thumbnail alone I need to say Elliott is so sweet
He's not condescending or pretentious like people make him out to be, he's just super melodramatic and I'd say flamboyant.
He strikes me as someone who'd be great friends with Robert E.O. Speedwagon, he's just a great homie C:
r/unexpectedjojo
Bless your soul, fam
Maybe people who work in academia can be more forgiving of Elliot, too, because we're constantly searching for external validation and recognition of what we worked so hard on. How you speak, groom yourself, where you're published, it can all mean a great deal in some circles. So, to me, I can tease apart what's just elevated affectation and what's genuine with him pretty easily, because I've met the people who absolutely want to grind you under their heel for their own benefit. But hey, in a dating game, one person's struggling artist is another person's snobbish prat, to each their own!
I feel like to get Elliott you have to be a hopeless romantic type bc I absolutely am and in all my play throughs I simply cannot marry anyone else 😭
Edit:I will note that on my very first play through I didn't realise his and leahs sprites where 2 entirely different people until the flower dance when I spot them standing side by side
I always took the Gus thing as them being friends and Elliot just doing a dumb little thing for fun and Gus playing along. But I also don't go for Elliot ever so I generally only see his heart events in a vacuum rather than spending a lot of time with him in the game. I dunno, he looks and acts like he's supposed to be a romance novel cover dude so I'll stick with that perception (since I have other marriage candidates that I prefer cx)
Personally I really like him. The way he talks is funny and I found it very sweet that he dedicated a book to me, because I'm not only a bookworm but wanted to become an author as a kid too and even wrote a whole thing (not published though, luckily). The boat scene was kinda awkward, but still sweet. I'm currently waiting for spring to be over because I'd like to get married in summer 🥺
Elliot's 4 heart scene always struck me as him being dramatic. It says somewhere he has a knack for it, and I think he's just playing into it. Gus responding coldly is how anyone in customer service would respond. I've spent years in it myself; I completely understand Gus' reaction. I'd probably give a worse one.
But I agree with you on everything else in the video. He's specifically mentioned to be an older bachelor, so I think a lot of his behavior is just a result of that mixed with his flamboyance.
I think Elliot comes from a richer family and he left them to try fulfill his dream of being a writer. I think he talks down to people out of habit and him apologising for being insensitive shows he just doesn't realise and he's been told BEFORE that he's being insensitive. It's something he needs to work on, definitely. But I don't think that would make him bad if he works on it but if he was just rude to others constantly, it's not good on him... I wish there were more interactions between the npcs rather than just the farmer..
Easy. He's a socially inept (right word? idk?) hopeless romantic with exquisite tastes (see loved gifts)
I still think Elliott is a spy sent from Gotoro Empire to try to find a mysterious artifact that was stolen by dwarves the year before the war began when ambassadors were visiting the tiny village for the yearly soup festival. He knows Haley and Emily are also spies working for the Ferngill Republic for the same mission so he stays mostly on the beach but uses a secret tunnel entrance hidden under his piano to sneak out and spy on everyone. In Gotoro they are famous for being a bit rude by nature but also very artistic and somewhat good lovers. It's no surprise that he falls for the farmer as in Gotoro Farmers are held in high esteem as they are thought to commune with the gods and bring life to the land.
Top tier lore right here thank you fam 🙏
This is my canon now, thanks!
Where did you look all this Gotoro stuff?
I don't think he's a spy but I 100 percent think he's from the Empire.
I'm so so so in love with Elliott he is literally perfect I'm scared to watch this I'll edit this comment with my thoughts once I finish the video.
EDIT: ok I'm so glad you were nice to him 😭 pretty sure he was just being his usual theatrical self, and gus was just playing along lol. Also, you might not have felt anything when he kissed the farmer on the boat, but oh boy I sure did. I was swooning like a schoolgirl with a crush. I loved the fact that he, for once, couldn't find the right words to tell you how he feels, so he said it with a kiss. The kiss, at least to me, was so perfect and romantic. Maybe it helps that I find it really attractive when someone takes the initiative and makes the first move. Oh, and I loved the little line about "I wasn't sure you'd feel this way about another man". In comparison to some of the other characters same-sex exclusive dialogue, where they are just realizing they are gay/bi, it makes Elliott feel more mature. He's older, and, like Leah, knows what he likes in that regard, already having his sexuality figured out. It's a small thing, but I like it.
You can love Elliott no matter what anyone says. 😊
EXACTLY THIS i love the boat scene
exatamente!!
as pessoas odeiam tanto o Elliot e eu fico sem entender porque existe um ódio tão grande com um personagem tão legal.
é o jeito que ele fala que incomoda as pessoas? só porque ele usa uma linguagem formal?
bom, se as pessoas lessem mais em vez de ficar em redes sociais o dia todo elas também falariam de modo mais formal.
é então o "jeito esnobe" dele?
o rapaz é normal, tão educado, nunca tratou ninguém mal, não entendo de verdade todo esse ódio.
eu me caso com ele em todos os saves, as vezes faço saves novos só para me casar com ele de novo e ver tanto hate nele me faz ficar triste.
YESSS! I loved that scene. I’ve always found it weird how he wasn’t able to say he loved me though. Don’t most usually love the people they date? Maybe I’m just to young to understand.
What makes Elliott a difficult character to get a lock on, for me, is whether he's supposed to be a representation of the "starving artist" archetype (lives in a lonely cabin in the beach, spends all of his time writing, etc etc etc), vs him being someone who romanticizes the starving artist archetype and how that is causing detriment to his life.
It's hard to tell whether it's meant to be played straight or to be viewed as a critique, because in the end he DOES succeed. A big part of other characters' progression, like Alex, is them realizing they've created an unrealistic goal with unrealistic expectations for themselves and that they need to learn to love life, and themselves, for what it is. As it stands, I feel Elliott isn't fleshed out enough, ironically despite having the same number of events and dialogue as all the other characters. So he kind of exists in this limbo where you just take him at face value, which is a foppish and standoffish, and turns a lot of people off.
I think I'd rewrite Elliott as such: he's obsessed with the starving artist schtick, and despite not being the best writer (he's been working this long and hasn't had any success), he continues to double down to the detriment of his life, both physically and socially. He loves to play piano, and is really talented at it, but denies himself that pleasure because it doesn't fit into his self-imposed ideal. Make his 6 heart event a 4 heart event, then make his 6 heart event where he gets a publishing review back on his book which he is rejected. You then convince him to focus more on his music, and retool his writing passion into writing music. Then the 8 heart event is him playing for everyone at the Saloon, and he becomes a permanent part, playing every night from 8-10. Boom, it develops into a critique of that "starving artist" cliche, and it shows that it's possible to be successful at life by following your passion, even if you don't initially succeed.
Idk, it's hard to talk a lot about Elliott as he IS, because there just doesn't feel like there is a lot to him.
I really love this rewrite 👀
ok, first of all, i absolutely love your alternate version of his character arc, and i totally see where you're coming from, but just for the sake of discussion out of genuine interest, i kinda have to disagree: i think he actually does go through a development of character. he starts as this "starving artist" kinda guy, like you said, who romanticises that whole archetype and just wants to be successful with his book, but then he actually finishes the book (while having gotten closer to the farmer at the same time) and publishes it, and it's only mildly successful. it's not bad by any means, but it's not a bestseller either, and elliott actually seems okay with that, maybe because throughout his growing relationship with the farmer, he has realised that his art isn't about being successful in the end, it's about passion and real emotions, and maybe that's why he dedicated his book to the farmer, because they inspired him (2-heart event) and then he ended up writing something that he's actually happy with despite only earning mild fame and success, because it came from a genuine passion of his.
ok, and if you're still willing to listen, i think his character development is shown even more strongly if you marry elliott and there are two things in particular that prove this to me. for one, there's his 14-heart event, which really straightup shows that, though he's enjoying the little bits of fame and attention he's getting from his art, what ultimately really matters most to him is to come back to his partner and continue their everyday normal life together. that's what now makes him happiest. the second thing that speaks for elliott's character development is one of his marriage lines where he says something like "i've been taking much better care of myself, the bachelor life really wasn't healthy for me", so he actually physically seemed to have moved on from his romanticising of the "starving artist" lifestyle. he still writes (he mentions at some point during marriage that he's working on his next novel or that he's just writing in general) but it seems to come from a much more genuine place of expressing his feelings about his life and his partner just for the sake of it, not for fame or attention. and i think that's really sweet 🥺 i still wouldn't mind pianist!elliott either, though.
idk, just some thoughts i spontaneously had while reading your comment :)
@@sincerelyparand omg i love this analysis, i never understood why people find it "creepy" that Elliott is inspired by the farmer to write in a specific genre/dedicates it to the farmer. I think it's just a demonstration that Elliott *is* considerate of people because he took the time to consider a genre that the farmer likes. Sure, Elliott has some social flaws (ex. the 4-heart cutscene and his interaction with Gus) but a small detail some fail to notice is that during Elliott's 8-heart cutscene a lot of people leave but one person that does stay is Gus. We can theorize that maybe Elliott and Gus became friends at some point between the four heart scene and eight heart scene or maybe Gus didn't think ill of Elliott during/after the cutscene because why would you stay or even show up to an event for someone you don't even like? (ALSO IK THIS REPLY IS PROBABLY VERY UNRELATED BUT I JUST LIKE TALKING ABOUT ELLIOTT LMAOO)
@@falcononthesax NO I TOTALLY GET THAT, I LOVE TALKING ABOUT HIM TOO, it's actually quite a problem because i always get carried away and then it just turns into me writing huge essays about this fictional video game character 🤣 but alas, i'm glad i'm not the only one! and awww i never even noticed that gus stays for his reading! i like that thought, i really believe that elliott doesn't mean any harm with his behaviour, i think homeboy is just not the best at social contact (he's just like me fr) 💀 like i feel like he just wanted to be dramatic and maybe impress the farmer, not actually disrespect gus. hopefully gus just kinda went "lol look at this big ole goof" and called it a day HAHA
but elliott says himself he's not good at piano... and writing music is much different than writing stories. this would just be another character with sam's interest. elliott's fine the way he is.
i can’t watch this video because i’m an “elliott is perfect and did nothing wrong” truther sorry 😞
edit: but i can see why people would dislike him. elliott’s main problem is a lack of real social skills and the ability to read how others feel about him and what he’s doing, which makes him seem ignorant and condescending in conversation when he almost definitely doesn’t mean to be.
characters who’s speech is off putting in some way are almost definitely the ones who get hated on the most, since dialogue is the #1 way we pick which bachelor we like, leaving elliott with a real short end of the popularity stick. he does improve the more you befriend and romance him, but most players don’t even bother after that initial bad impression in his first set of cutscenes, leaving him a perma-hermit.
justice for elliott lmao
Ikr, me too 😔. "He's wholesome and deserves the world"
YOURE VALID!! ELLIOTT CAN DO NO WRONG IN MY EYES!!
Same my friend sent this vid to me and I can’t bring myself to watch it so I’m just going through the comments (also I myself am planning a video essay on why Elliott is a great character 😭)
@@falcononthesax PLS link me when u finish it i want to watch it
@@lord_ozymandias I GOT U!!
Being honest, Elliott was love at first sight when I picked up the game. I saw him on the bridge and immediately needed to know what his deal was. The fact that he was a writer? My dream career is an author, this guy was perfect. I personally love all his weird flowery speech patterns, because that's how a lot of my friends talk around each other. The point isn't really to be snobby or condescending - it's just to be dramatic as like an in joke. Like I won a card game once and the runner up dealt an insulting monologue worthy of being included in a monty python bit. So Elliott's 4 heart scene was really familiar to they way we spoke to one another, as well as Gus's reaction since I got the impression that Gus didn't see it as rude, more just weird. Like "Elliott wtf you've been here a year you know my name why are you talking like that", and matched his energy with the 'sir'. He's a bookworm and a romantic, so he's treating the people around him like character archetypes in a story. It's probably a bit off-putting for strangers except they're also creatives (Leah) or loners (Willy).
He says his family/people at home thought he was crazy to try and be a writer, so he went off to go it alone. Problem is, he's in probably the worst possible situation to be a creative. Everyone he knows has put him down, he's relatively isolated since he doesn't seem to have many friends in town and he's got very little money left. So yeah, he made the choice to leave, but that shack is probably all he could afford and he's not got enough to make it back even if he wanted to, his survival pretty much depends on his book at the very least being published. He's friends with Willy and knows how to fish, so I imagine half of his diet is just made up of stuff he caught himself, like with Leah's foraging. That's what I think he means when he said he wasn't taking care of himself before the farmer, he was literally a starving artist. But he's cheery and optimistic, so plays it down and sugar-coats things to keep motivated. Like he seems happy to find a crab in his shirt pocket, when really he should be worried that a crab managed to get into his house in the first place.
As a closing note, as someone with very long hair (reaching the ol' thighs at this point) his whole hair thing is super relatable. Once it gets to the max length you need to take good care of it because it's length is also it's age, the ends have been around for a long time and gets stupidly easily damaged. I have to go through a lot of work to get it to look decent. But again, for it to get that length it's got to be there a long time, so you grow attached to it like that. There are days you want to chop it off, but it's been around so long it's now part of your identity. At least that's how it is for me. Given how he has a nightmare about the farmer giving him a buzz-cut, it's probably more fear of losing a body part than simple vanity (he won't admit it though).
I've been loving these character analyses btw. I'm not really involved in the Stardew internet spaces so it's nice to find out more from another perspective (for example, I used to like Pierre - I never read into what he said too much. My opinion has since changed)
as another long-haired person (though mine "only" reaches my bottom lol), I also relate so hard to that line... often even if I just brushed it, if I don't braid or bun it, it ends up a tangled mess again >_
Oh yeah, he’s insensitive. But it’s also implied that other that he still feels like an outsider. He gives me this feeling of both being guarded and eager to please.
I find him awkward but endearing once close. Truly like a love interest in the kind of romance novels I read as a tween. Usual my go to male marriage candidate because of it.
So funny thing I started an Elliott play through for the first time last week, and as of last night I was getting his 14 heart cutscene last night. He defiantly has some of the most interesting marriage dialog, and he is a bit of a sweetheart once you are married to him. I do feel like other mirage candidates feel like they develop a closer relationship with the player before the 10 heart scene, where I feel like Elliott's comes off as a bit abrupt.
I would say I feel closer to Shane after his heart scenes than I do to Elliott, and I've never married Shane in a game. I do feel Elliott is really cute post marriage. I love the detail that he is bad with plants, and bows to the farmer's expertise. I also enjoy how corny his poems are.
I empathize with him a bit, because I also spend a lot of time writing fiction, and I get excited if even one person likes a story I wrote, and sad if a story gets no comments.
That being said he's not my favorite, but I would say if I were single and he came onto me in real life I would probably at least go out with him.
Honestly out of all the candidates, Elliott is my go-to. His story isn't too dramatic or highly emotional, rather, just something easily relatable to. Never once has the boat scene crossed my mind as being something weird, honestly I found it to be quite romantic. His room also fits nicely with how I decorate, so that's a plus.
I always got the sense that Elliott came from a wealthier background and moved to the valley to pursue his passions and make his own way in life through more unconventional means (I mean, how else could he afford real estate like that 👀). Looking at it through that lens helped me to understand why he may come off as pretentious sometimes or why he cares so much about writing his novel and works himself so hard. His 14 heart scene is really what sells me on him, though; it always made me so happy to "see him succeed" and go on his book tour and the little notes that he sends home absolutely melt me 🥺Definitely my favorite bachelor for vanilla Stardew, but I also totally get why some people aren't a fan!!
The one way I could see the bar scene as okay is if they're actually really close and the barkeep-sir thing is an inside joke 🤣
Also tbh I never considered him because he comes off as a snob when you aren't close. Seeing his heart scenes, though, makes me reconsider him.
Elliot is my favorite and as a helpless romantic, his 14 heart scene caught me hook, line, and sinker.
I've never really felt anything about Elliott, but I find it hilarious that over half the audience got bored and left during Elliott's book reading, and Gunther had already left the library/museum as soon as he heard Elliott was doing a reading.
It's not hilarious, it's sad u.u
hilário deixar um cara lendo sozinho?
você deve ser uma pessoa sem coração.
ele é apenas um cara seguindo os sonhos dele, sendo educado e gentil, porque as pessoas odeiam tanto ele?
"Bartender, two of your finest (whatevers)!" is just a movie/literay trope to say. Hell it was just in a pirate show this year from an awkward, flamboyant, but well-meaning main character. It doesn't mean he's trying to be condescending, it means he's a nerd who hasn't actually done this before, picking someone up at a bar. The fact that he gets goofy off one drink immediately after supports this.
A lot of this sounds like taking someone being a little awkward and flamboyant as personal judgement that I never once get he actually intends or realizes...
I think what people also overlook is that in the 10 heart cutscene, you’re already dating Elliott! Obviously just because you’re dating doesn’t equal consent but like… I feel like the player would know that was coming
You don’t have to do the boat scene though. If you say no, he is totally fine with it, and you don’t lose any friendship points
After thinking about it, Elliot was returning to the bar after *8 HOUR WRITING SESSION* so Id imagine him being tired and not having any sleep or heading outside once in awhile. So he probably wasnt right in the head at the time and abit too active
Not the first time I experience a wild sleep withdrawal
I'm an unadulterated Elliot simp and I shall NOT take slander for it.
2:45 I interpreted it as him talking in a theatrical way. I think a lot of it comes down to interpretation because there’s no voice acting, and people have different personal experiences. I think he’s a pretty fun character, and I just interpret him as lacking social awareness more than thinking he’s better than others. His portrait might also play a role in his interpretation because when I first saw Elliot, I assumed that I would hate him. I definitely don’t lol. I view him as more dorky than snobby now.
Elliott is my favourite because I can relate to him on many levels. Although he writes and I draw, I relate to his struggles, awkwardness and impulsive decisions and opinions. I see his mindset reflects my own, and even though it isn't perfect and definitely has some flaws, characters like these help me improve myself, if that makes sense.
7:32 Well that was a surprise! I've actually been on that bridge!
Ngl I dont really see how the ten heart scene comes off as weird other than just the fact the player can express discomfort, to me it reads more like Elliot misread signs and made a move which totally happens in relationships all the time, the fact he even backs off if you do suggust you don't like it really proves he didn't mean any harm
On my first playthrough, my go to villager was Haley. I didn't even notice Elliott and when I did I didn't care for him. I remember briefly remember thinking "he's probably the last dude I'd pick he seems so boring." But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and I listened to Campusanis' song for Elliott "To Your Doom!" (A nod to one of the choices when you toast with Elliott) and suddenly Elliott was the most interesting dude in Stardew. I was catching lobsters, making crab cakes, risking my ass for Iridium and creepily standing outside his cabin for hours, like wtf was going on here.
Elliott is the only character the out right tells a female farmer she's pregnant after you decide to have a baby. That made me feel a bit bad for going to skull cavern while i was waiting.
Elliott is definitely pompous and theatrical, hands down, but I love that about him! I may have artist bias, but I think that this is what gives flavor to his character. He got me pretty early on in my Stardew ventures, and became the second character I married. I have no regrets, and find it very hard to not come back to him constantly after this. I don’t know, I’ve never seen what he says as mean-spirited or malicious in any way, and find a lot of charm in how much this sweetheart loves his S.O. and in how rich his creativity is.
he's melodramatic, not snobbish. And he cares about his looks and his success. This doesn't necessarily translate to looking down on everyone else and thinking everyone else has to fail for him to succeed. If you look at more of his dialogue, you can actually see that he is quite humble towards others, and WILL put aside his pride to absolutely demolish some festival food. It is fair to question the Gus thing, and the issue of consent with the 10 heart cutscene, but I think the way that everyone reads into the little bits of imperfection (aka, what makes us all human) of his character and blows those little moments out of proportion to overshadow his genuinely sweet character does him a massive disservice. He is my favorite character, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Consider this! Elliott and Gus are the best of friends and enjoy improv theatre together! Everytime Elliott comes to the Saloon he starts with a different greeting and sometimes he pretends to don't even know Gus. Sometimes he plays an old trucker, weary from the road, or he comes in as a restaurant critic from the local newspaper or as a reporter or....
I don't know, just a little headcanon ^^"
Oh my god yes. Gus honestly gives some flamboyant vibes so I could totally see that. Headcanon adopted.
5:24 Maybe he has some of these traits from the way he lived, we don't know much about his family life, maybe deep down he really just wants to prove to them that he was right and strayed a bit from the path, managing to keep his passion for writing but the real reason is his personal revenge against his family, even because the way he talks sometimes he could very well give up but he doesn't have the courage to go back and face those who said he was crazy and he couldn't do it...It can be a self destructive thought, but Elliot manages not to go too far with it in my vision, he still has passion for what he does and some of his dialogue shows that he likes the beach and likes to have his cabin there.
Maybe Elliot calls Gus a bartender out of politeness or because it's a special order? I don't know, I always found it strange how Gus has such a serious portrait at this time and he also calls Elliot not by his name, so maybe Elliot doesn't talk to him as much to be considered a friend and prefers to be polite and not bother Gus when he's working or something.
I thought the 'bartender two of your finest ales' was him joking around
So, I 100% understand what you and other people are talking about with the "bartender" thing, but the interaction came off to me as a very creative/theatrical neurodivergent (likely autistic) guy just getting too into his period roleplay hyperfixation and Gus either trying to figure out how to play along or that he was, like you said, offended, and Elliot had unintentionally taken it too far but since sometimes neurodivergents don't pick up on social cues, Elliot didn't realize it.
This doesn't mean that if the latter was the case, Elliot wasn't in the wrong, but to me, from the moment I talked to Elliot, he immediately came off to me as a very creative person on the autism spectrum (ASD). I have ADHD-PI and it's actually pretty common for ADHD folks and autistic folks to click well because we have a lot of similar traits, but work off each other well. At least 75% of my friends are autistic and most of my friends growing up were autistic or undiagnosed autistic.
Obviously there's a hugee variety, but when you have ASD (and/or ADHD tbh), it's very common to get hyperfixations that are extremely consuming. That's why in my experience, so many cosplayers are neurodivergent---and the people who get very into roleplay and their D&D characters can get carried away with it. I was a theater kid in school and still am involved in theater and I can tell you right now that even fully grown, otherwise mature adults will occasionally slip into their characters or personas.
Elliot doesn't dress like everyone else (in the most recent version his outfit actually looks sorta Regency, Edwardian, or something like that) and seems to have kinda an immersive cosplay going on. Gus could just be trying to think of a way to play along with it since it's not usually something Elliot does and he wasn't prepared with improv on the spot.
Again, not going to discount the possibility that Gus found it offensive instead of just "typical Elliot" thing, but I didn't sense any malice in it. I even think Gus might be one of his only friends other than Leah. Elliot lives alone in a shack and his closest friend is as also an artist who lives alone in a shack. Leah probably has more experience with eccentric artsy types and understands Elliot isn't as pretentious as he comes off. He just ultimately has what most would consider bad social skills.
EDIT: I wrote this before watching the rest of the video because I wanted to reply, but after seeing his outfits in the previous version, I'll admit his clothes look less dramatic, but they're still old-fashioned for a guy in his 30's
Again, I don't want to use autism as an excuse for behavior that hurts people or makes them feel unsafe. I never thought about the boat thing since I saw my character totally giving clear physical consent and him being concerned he misread that consent, but if it's the other option...yeah, that's bad. I still feel like it's just him not being able to read social cues and acting inappropriately instead of him feeling entitled or uncaring. The concern that he misread the situation kinda confirms that to me.
I'll repeat, it's NOT a valid excuse and it's one of those things that isn't an acceptable neurodivergent "quirk". It's something you desperately need to get under control, just like when I used to accidentally interrupt people or snapping at someone when I'm having sensory overload. All I'm saying is that I don't believe Elliot thinks he's better than everyone else or that he doesn't care about the others in Pelican Town. He's an introvert and has a small group of
I hate the 4 heart cutscene but not because of Elliot calling Gus "bartender", that's just him acting as a novel protagonist, I think he has a main character syndrome.
No. What I hate about it is how he forces you to drink. I personally don't drink alcohol, this is mostly for health and financial reasons. Plus, it tastes awful.
Now imagine you're going to a bar for some sweet artisan chocolate milk. But then an an acquaintance barges into the bar, forces themselves next to you and orders something you hate for you. Now for most people this would be a very awkward situation: the bartender is already pouring you a glass, there are people around and worst of all, the acquaintance thinks they're doing a good thing, so now what are you supposed to do? I imagine people with little confidence wouldn't know and might begrudgingly drink it.
Now, I'd probably joke about how they want two drinks, "two drinks? Thirsty are we?" And when they say it's for me, depending on how well I'd be able to control my emotions either politely tell them no or scold them for not asking first.
Now I relayed the story with you as a layperson... But imagine this scenario with a recovered alcoholic. Yeah, that's not a good image. In short: if you think you're doing someone a favour, make sure they actually appreciate what you're doing. And don't force alcohol upon people.
It's actually really irresponsible of ConcernedApe. He should have realised that children and/or recovering alcoholics may play his game and should not have put this scene in the game.
His poem is very Yeats-ian. Reminds me of The Lake Isle of Innisfree.
Option three: a dramatic sweetheart
Elliot is a difficult one for me. Because on the one hand, I'm autistic and I can be really socially awkward sometimes. I also read a LOT as a kid, and have a pretty extensive vocabulary as a result, and I struggle with adapting that to my surroundings, if that makes sense? For instance, even if I'm out grabbing post-bar food at a diner with friends, I will always sound like I'm writing an essay or giving an academic presentation, because I can't just "turn off" the part of my brain that thinks "Sisyphean" is a perfectly reasonable word for everyday conversation regardless of setting or who I'm speaking with. Which can be off-putting for some people, or make it seem like I'm "just trying to show off how smart I am" (yes, I have been told this to my face repeatedly). And I see some of that with Elliott.
On the other hand, I can't stand that sort of over-the-top performative behavior and would be just as annoyed, embarrassed, and put off by it irl as I am when I see it in game. The way he speaks to Gus in his 4-heart scene especially. Do I think Elliott was being actively malicious or intentionally speaking down to Gus? No. Would I have apologized to Gus for Elliott's behavior then walked out on him in mortification if he behaved that way in front of me? Absolutely. Because I just feel like.. there are more than one kind of social boundary, and while unintentionally breaking one can be understandable, there are also some that are just unacceptable? For instance, I might ask someone an insensitive question, not realizing how insensitive it is until someone points it out to me. That isn't great, and I should absolutely apologize. But using language that dehumanizes someone (especially someone you KNOW and see frequently like Gus) is never ok. Gus isn't just his job title. He's Gus. A person, and theoretically a friend; or at least a friendly, familiar face. So just calling him "Bartender" or whatever should always be off-limits. Also? At the risk of being overly pedantic, Bartender isn't even Gus' actual job title. He owns the Stardrop Saloon, so if you were going to be a dick and reduce him to his title like that, "Proprietor" would be more accurate.
As an introvert and artist, sometimes people just pin you as a snob if you're quiet too. I don't think I'm mean, I think I'm just awkward haha. I think that might be the case with this character too, maybe he's just awkward.
Is the 4 heart scene different if you play as a girl? I feel like he didn't get me an ale but I might be mixing it up with one of Alex's cut scenes?
yep! if your farmer is female, he orders you a glass of wine instead.
A lot of the time I notice people's "issue" with him comes from real life experiences with people who are actually standoffish and arrogant. They then project that onto Elliott when they see anything remotely close to what they've experienced, Yet the reality of the actual in-game Elliott encounter isn't that deep nor is it as malicious. So I think people should just stop projecting their irl icks into characters that ... Are not that deep. Take the cut scenes at face value and not relate it to your real life experiences cuz Elliott or Shane or any of these innocent characters are NOT that a-hole u encountered a few months ago etc. Even Leapalot saw the bad encounters he had in the scene with Gus when really it's literally just Elliott being flamboyant because that's how it's written. And don't get me started on the ridiculous "he is in charge of my transportation it's hard to say no to him" 10 hearts discourse. Yes that in irl will be dangerous, bit this is in game and it is written as either you say no and he backs off and apologizes or you say yes and it's romantic. Nothing else. Games are meant to be a escape, or a whole other world from reality, why are you guys trying to put these weird intentions, malice and other in-game-non-existent context into these fictional game characters?
I love Elliot but I can see why others don't like him. He can come off arrogant and above others but I chalk that up to him feeling like he has to be that way to get respect from others. But when he starts being himself like after he's married to the farmer he's the sweetest
I absolutely adore Elliott and he is by far my favorite. I never thought of his behavior as snobby or inappropriate at all. I also read (and write) a lot, and my way of talking is similar, sometimes a bit over the top maybe, und I love that. I had zero issues with the 10 star event - we are expressing clear interest and there's always the option to decline the boat ride, so what's the fuzz? I prefer this beautiful man with his smooth talking and his love for books and solitude over the unnecessary inner drama of all the other bachelors. 🎀
Great video!
Since you're going to talk about Haley sooner or later, can you please be kind to her in your judgment? Many people don't like her but she really changes as a character. Her heart scenes may not be as deep as other character's heart scenes, but she actually changes in her dialog.
Her attitude towards you, Emily and the town changes as you progress in your friendship, and she starts having a more positive look on things.
She still has some cute heart scenes though
I've hit subscribe not because of Elliott, but because I really like your approach to Stardew videos
As a middle aged player of the game, marrying Alex or Sam seems a little icky to me. Goth boy is slightly more mature but I usually marry Elliot or Harvey and befriend Shane.
5:13 oh this hits close to home, I still feel like this sometimes, I want to be successful out of spite, to prove I am not a failure. I don't think this is an immoral thing tho, I know a lot of people who think like that as a coping mechanism.
elliot is the best bachelor imo,
I've always seen him as articulate and polite rather than condescending
he's well spoken due to his work as an author
I've adored him ever since I decided to marry him on my 2nd save file after marrying Sam
and never went back
I kind of figured the “bartender two of your finest ales please” dialogue was supposed to be kind of a joke. It sounds like something someone would say in a fantasy tavern or something like that
elliott is a condescending snob but that’s why i love him
one playthrough i had where i was gifting every villagers with whatever valuable on hand, i got elliot to 8 hearts without realizing and went to museum one day without realizing i had any hearts with him. boy wrote a dang space opera before listening for my opinions on what to write
i dont know if game picks a random book on what to write or if it's set to the scifi. hope someone finds this useless info interesting, i guess
I think Elliott is one of this people/characters that you will enjoy if he is your type, but you will feel uncomfortable if he isn't.
I don't know if I explain myself but what I mean is that he is literally the personification of *my* type, so all the scenes and dialogue are just perfect in my opinion, but I understand why for someone who prefer other type are just boring/too much or just uncomfortable
As a published author and artist, I fell in love right off the bat. He's just as eloquent as I am in my day to day life (not joking), and the fact that he also plays the piano just completes him as the literal best character in the game.
[This is all, of course, a matter of opinion, and if you don't like Elliott, I suppose we shall have different views. Such is life. *sigh*]
I like Elliot. And I think the hate he gets for the boat scene is unwarranted. It happens after the bouquet, at max relationship levels (so you're boyfriend and girlfriend). Normally, people force seggs after first date but Elliot is bad because he kissed the farmer? He doesn't even hate you if you say it wasn't ok, he apologizes.
whenever you upload one of these "Dark Side of Stardew" it reminded me of last year when I was still at my boarding school, but right now I'm going to college and have to make new friends.. what beautiful time last year is
I HC Elliott as coming from a rich, materialistic family. Probably ad executives living in a suburban McMansion. He could go home to them any time he wants, but he doesn't want to. They don't understand his ~*~Bohemian soul~*~ and would keep pressuring him to give up his writing dreams for a high-paying corporate job. They'd probably warm to his writing career once he starts making real money at it, but he would still not be happy with that because he wants them to care about art more than money. A rich background would also explain why he makes some impractical choices, like bringing an upright piano to a beach cabin. He grew up with more money than sense!
Gus dialogue "....." this is already a redflag to me
I’m married to a struggling author with a romanticized view of his craft and life in general IRL, so marrying Elliot isn’t really an escapist fantasy for me as much as it is just marrying a guy who isn’t quite as good as my actual husband. I’ve never really attempted to go very far down his route for that reason.
I fell in love with Elliott the moment I saw him. I have a huge weakness for redheads and his hair is so fabulous. I actually married red-headed author in real life and the hopeless romantic in me is just smitten with this "oh so talented, charmingly bohemian, tragically impoverished" writer.
Surprisingly Elliott kind of grew on me after my friend and I got into a weird competition to see who could romance him first and I learned more about his storyline. I think why I never took him seriously when I first played the game when it first came out is his portrait. His side portrait and overall vibe he gives in the picture is condescending so all the comments he makes just pushes more into interpreting him as a condescending individual instead of being someone who is trying to impress the farmer and awkwardly trying to find ways to be your friend.
Honestly after giving more thought of his dialogue and cutscenes I started to see him as more of an awkward individual who takes social ques from novels and tries to translate that to real life. The boat scene is a prime example of this thought process. In movies/novels taking a row boat out together is seen as a romantic moment (this sort of scene even played out in the animated movie 'The Little Mermaid'), however IRL it can be seen as a scary situation, especially if your a woman, to be stuck on a boat with a guy who suddenly started to kiss you without warning and you have no method of escape other than jumping into the water (not as scary if you're dating or engaged to the guy, but if you have past trauma it could be triggering).
However with that being said I'm the type of person who craves some level of romanticism from my partners so I can see why he's appealing. If I met a guy who wrote a book in record time based on a genre I like, who wrote me letters and poems when he was out of town, etc., I'd be so smitten.
make a video about the bath house!! it's my favorite building in the valley, i wish i could interact with it more
recommended Elliot to a friend, after they had two unsatisfying marriages and subsequent divorces to Shane and Sebastian, mostly because I knew my friend enjoyed Jane Austen kind of romances and Elliot the (soon-to-be-)author did not disappoint in bringing my friend a feel-good romance with poetry
tend to view Elliot as a naive fish-out-of-water rather than a classist snob, as he is still a very good friend to you even after you've ultimately bouquet-gifted someone else, he just needed a friend to ground him in reality when he's wrong and motivate him during his writer's block
i played stardew valley for a long time before joining the community, penny and elliott were my immediate favorites and it shocked me to see they were some of the least liked marriage candidates 😅
Okay so I kind of look like Elliott(not that much) and am a writer. So my friends always say I’m actually just Elliott in real life. Which means that when people criticize him there is a small part of me that feels personally offended.
Obviously Elliot is the wizard's daughter 😹
I always saw Elliot as a person who learned his social skills by reading, not by actually socializing. The over the top dialog, grand gestures, and frequent mentions of his writing came off to me as a sheltered, socially awkward person who reads things like "talking to people for dummies " so they can fit in.
I always thought the deal with Elliot was more so the idea of a lonely author somewhat a trying to put on the aire that he regrets less about his life than he worries he does - he is living alone in a shack on the beach that doesn’t scream “social” but a successful author who is too busy writing and signing autographs sure is a less sad image than an author who writes various things of middling quality and is too awkward or shy to nurture any social life. As one of if not the most heavily queer coded character in SV this makes sense - small rural towns have a bit of a stereotype for being “othering” especially for those more educated, urban, “artsy”, or queer - and Elliott certainly fits that trope. In another layer it isn’t even necessarily that Wlliot feels discriminated against but could even be his background as a writer trying to apply common short-handed cheesy writing tropes for the world around him. maybe Elliot’s written stories the featured insular and homophobic rural towns before - or has read books that did, and now he’s making assumptions. I think Elliot might even be leaning into this idea to justify his loneliness - he’s one of the “older” bachelors and Willy even comments that he doesn’t really know much about him despite being neighbors. Elliot puts on a little show acting like a silly snob half hoping that people will either be impressed and like him and half hoping that he will intimidate/annoy people away enough for people to still assume that his bachelor status could be the conduit of his success, rather than evidence of gossip-worthy social shortcomings.
Elliot reminds me of Ayame and Shigure from the anime Fruits Basket! Can be dramatic at times and yet enjoys being a writer sequestered in a snuggly home.
And as a writer myself, I connect with him. A story needs to be written or else you can go crazy with too many ideas.
I can come off as condescending when I talk, because I'm not good at regulating my tone of voice when I'm going for subtle sarcasm. (I also tend to default to fancier-than-average words.) So I'm predisposed to being fond of Elliot.
That being said, said, some of his dialogue really rubs me the wrong way, and I appreciate you laying it all out.
It hit me when he felt so isolated and feared dying alone in his musty cabin when I pursued him out of sheer curiosity and I fell for him instantly, never wanting him to feel alone again so of course I married him. ^-^