I always imagined the Farmer “trembling” was bc of the raw sexual magnetism radiating off of our 5000 year old vampire boyfriend 🤭

I'm a proud Elliott enjoyer, I married him in like 5 different farms cuz it pains me to marry anyone else. My favorite part about him (as a bi woman) is that he's very in touch with his femininity and isn't ashamed talking about his pomegranate shampoo or whatever. He DEFINETELY smells nice. I LOVE all his cringe dialogue, I think it's very charming and endearing

I realize now that he loves the duck feather because he writes with it and the squid ink!!

i love how elliots design seems to be inspired by bodice ripper romance novels, especially fabio. just adds to his extraness even more its great

I always read Elliott as autistic and learning social cues from books, hence why he calls Gus "Bartender" and speaks in such a fancy manner. I also grew up like that so I immediately connected with him. I'm also a writer, so I can relate to his struggle a lot. Also Elliott's just hot. You know this man smells divine.

I love Elliott so much, but sometimes I wish he had been written as a poet instead of a novelist... I think it would've made more sense with the whole "haven't written anything in a whole year" thing, since poetry is more spontaneous and personal...

Personally I kind of read him choosing a genre entirely based on what you say you like as an extension of his desperation. Maybe he has other story ideas and passion projects he'll work on in the future, but for his first book he wants to make it something he knows at least one person will really like!

Elliot as a 5000-year-old vampire is the headcanon I didn't know I needed

Something that I did to amuse myself is I started reading Elliot’s dialogue in the thickest, most aggressive southern accent possible and it’s now a personal headcannon for me. After watching this video, I’m combining this headcannon with the one that says he’s a vampire for added hilarity

Elliott: this is the skin of a killer, farmer...

12:33 Considering none of his dialogue or cutscenes afterwards reinforces the idea that Elliott is a more old fashioned kind of guy and kind of sexist I do think I have a more charitable view of this cutscene. He is a nerdy bookworm! He talks like a character from classic literature, he has grown out his hair to look like a hero from romance novels, and he dresses like a god damn Hobbit! I'd say he views the world through cheesy genre fiction of books. And he isn't malicious, it's just that he doesn't always think through the real life implications of the tropes and book scenes he reinnacts. And kinda comes across as a dick because of that. Let's look at the earlier part of the cutscene. When Elliott goes "Bartender! Two of your finest ales, please!". In a book that would be fine bit of writing, but doesn't that come across as a bit rude considering he knows Gus and visits the bar a few times per week? Which I'd say Gus agrees with considering how annoyed he looks and him responding passive agressively with "... There you go, sir." would indicate that he didn't take it well. I'd argue it didn't even cross Elliots mind how rude he came across, as he didn't even seem to notice that Gus was being passive agressive. He probably never meant to be rude, but he is just the kind of guy who thinks real life is a bit dull and could be spiced up a bit with flowery language, eccentric clothing style and insertion of some genre tropes. I'd argue him ordering wine for the ladies is the same, something he read from a cheesy outdated romance novel he reenacted without considering the real life implications. That being said... Yeah I don't love the female version of the four heart event still, it's understandable for his character. But it is still unappealing >__>

on the "money doesn't buy happiness" topic, there was actually a study done that said that money does buy happiness, but once your basic needs are covered you reach a "happiness plateau" where excess money doesn't do much more for you. So, money does buy happiness to an extent.

I admit, Elliott was the first character I married in Stardew. I chose him entirely based on the fact that I find men with long hair aesthetically pleasing, but his storyline was just so endearing to me. The trembling line during the boat scene, I think, is meant more to reference romance novels. It's very evocative of that particular genre writing style of those old high fallutin romances.

My personal head canon is that Elliot is a genderbent Little Mermaid. This comes from someone else’s head canon that Elliot used to be a sailor. I like to imagine he learned about human culture through old school romance novels. His backstory is very reminiscent of Ariel’s. There’s a crab in his jacket pocket. It also explains why he loves so many beach/sea-related items. Plus, a sandy beach doesn’t seem ideal for his style of dress. I see Elliot and think of a cozy cabin in the woods (like Leah). Edit: Added the crab. I can’t believe I forgot about the crab 🤦🏾‍♀️

5:03 I love how everyone's portrait is normal except for Shane's.

My reasons for being an Elliott enjoyer are simple, really. 1. He's goofy and he knows it. He's happy that way, and some of the townsfolk (and irl people) find him offputting and strange. As an autistic person, same... 2. His life is not utterly derailed by the farmer marrying him! I really value my independence, so the fact that characters like Maru and Alex just... completely give up their goals and mold their entire life around yours, doesn't sit right with me at all. I love that Elliott still goes on to pursue his career as an author as well as being a supportive husband. He's still a weird writer guy; Just now with someone to keep him company, a few more chores to do, and a non-drafty house. It's pretty funny though, a lot of people complain that he's hard to run into and get a hold of because of his hermit schedule. I actually had the opposite experience when I first played sdv, because I kept an army of crab pots by the west side of the beach. I don't know why I fixated on maintaining the crab pots, but because of them I went to the beach a lot, so I saw Elliott a lot, and I always had lobsters on hand. I even made my farmer character a bookworm in my mind before knowing anything about the game, so everything just aligned! 😂

I really love it when the characters moving to the farm is a good thing for them. By the sounds of it with some characters it feels like you’re limiting them? I think one of the nice things about Elliot is that even though he does benefit from moving to the farm, it doesn’t feel like a saviour complex situation like it can with Penny. Like I just get the vibe that he’d be okay figuring things out alone? Yes he was lonely, but he’s social and actively tries to make friends

Elliot sounds like he’s possessed by a Victorian child sometimes i swear 😂😂

Mah husbando.. thank you for not hating on him unnecessarily like a lot of the stardew community does

12:55 With the the woman would like the wine, if u look closely Elliott is the one to drink the wine while u have the beer. Personally i thought it was so silly and it made me rlly like Elliott.

I agree that Elliot’s novel being determined by the player is a bit off. A small change that could have been made is that he’s been going back and forth with three different book ideas - working on one until he gets stuck or bored and then switching. The player then decides on which one he should focus solely on until it’s finished. Great series btw - hope to see more soon!

Since Elliott has such a romanticized view of life and seems to pull a lot from genre books for the way he speaks and acts (like the "bartender" moment and his whole bodice ripper hero vibe), I have always taken his latching onto you in the beginning and writing the genre you chose as him making you his literary muse. It's like this man is trying to be Shakespeare or Keats while writing away in his little shack with the duck feathers and squid ink you gave him. It's just such an over the top and classically romantic trope, and it is especially linked with poetry, which Elliott seems to have a penchant for. I see him as having spent the whole first year struggling with writing and rewriting whatever his original book idea was because he's gotten so into his head that he's overthinking everything while locked away in his cabin with nothing else to do but overthink. Often writers do better with outside stimulus. He may have had an idea but started fresh because making the player his muse gave him direction to get out of the rut he got into after pushing himself too hard to monetize his craft. That's just how I headcanon it because it makes sense to me. His saying that he would have finished the book anyway strikes me as an expression of his determination. Perhaps if the player hadn't become his muse, he would have chosen a different muse like Leah. I could see some degree of ego in it. Not malicious, more like Elliott is still feeling a surge of confidence from his recent success. He seems to see himself as the hero of his own story, which is fine. Nobody should be a side character in their own life. The kiss on the boat scene does have some writing in it that can be questionable. Classic bodice rippers had lots of questionable moments in them. I could see it as a bit of meta commentary on the genre to include that option. His ordering wine for me as a female doesn't bother me the way salad from Alex does. While it's a different drink, it's not something of substantially lesser quality. Myself and all the women in my family would have picked wine over beer, but none of us would have picked a kale salad over a steak. Here, take a cheap plate of leaves while I eat an expensive meal just hits different than a guy ordering me a more expensive drink than he buys for himself. The salad also gives weight shaming vibes to add to the problematic list. (I've seen takes on Alex that help a lot, but I still wish it wasn't a salad.) Meanwhile, Elliott is worried about money but gets the player a drink that is usually twice the cost of what he got himself. That seems more like he was trying to be a gentleman spending more of his limited cash on the player. Giving players a choice would have fixed many things in both scenes, though. I'm going to subscribe and watch your other videos in the series. I'm both looking forward to and nervous about when you get to my husbando, Sam. 😂❤ He would be a ten hour dissertation for me involving information from him, his home, all of his family and friends, and information about ADHD. Plus, the wiki doesn't even have his important lines about Jody and Kent. 😅😂 The SDV fanfic writing is relatable. I've got a 10k one-shot that is also explicit. Lol.

Honestly, as a poet myself, he’s not nearly as pretentious when you see it through a writers lens, specifically poetry and romance. He’s clearly a romantic, trapped writer, and I feel that people often overlook how much that can consume your life. I find him appealing from many ways, especially his long hair. Maybe I just relate to him a lot as a poet myself, but he’s definitely the best character, at least to me. I’ve always loved his enchanting and poetic vibe, and I’d definitely date him if I were given the option in real life. Love him ❤

51:54 oh Elliott’s got dialogue where he will finish two barrels of pumpkin ale. Man indulges.

I've never understood how some people in the fandom disliked Elliot's "creepiness" until I learned you get slightly different dialogue if you play as a male or female character. I've always played as a male character, so nothing seemed weird about Elliot's speech or behavior.

i was NOT ready for the "I like your funny words, magic man" 💀

da vinci felt so burnt out the painting took him 30 years and he took year long gaps between. the same painting. i think i replaced mona lisa but i might have made that up

i didn't register the wine for the lady thing because "oh he called me a LADY :D" and also ".. wait did he just call Gus bartender? huh???" it feels more like he's trying to replicate that romantic persona a bit more. i don't see it as a big deal, but i get why someone would

I love Elliot- from his dialogue and personality, I can imagine that he smells good and doesn't make a mess of the place when you live together. As an aspiring writer, I always loved that aspect of him as well. I'm sure his luscious hair also looks amazing in a bun.

Elliott is currently my favourite! I think what drew me first to him is the "fallen out of time" vibe you mentioned, he seemed gentlemanly and more mature than the other bachelors and he's more extroverted/friendly. While I like him as a character, I felt also a bit let down with how some heart events were handled (I loved your analysis, it put exactly into words what I subconsciously felt about the scenes). But his marriage romance & the letters are too sweet! And I also wondered why he writes books, he truly is more of a poet lol!

this was a great video! you're really well-spoken and i think you analysed Elliott's character perfectly! as a loud & proud Elliott lover, i'm really happy that you warmed up to him. that poem will really do that to you, i think i actually teared up when i first read it. that being said, i married him on my first playthrough that i then left at like 80% perfection for a year and only recently got back to to finish, so i've been stuck in end-game married life for a long time, and revisiting all the early heart scenes in this video did make me agree with you on some of the rather iffy points. i like to think that elliott was kind of living in this romanticised idea of the "suffering artist" when you first meet him and a lot of that flowery language and the "a WiNe fOr tHe LaDy" stuff was a bit of a persona that he put on. and over the course of his arc, he grows out of that and realises that he doesn't actually want to be this starving artist "for the aesthetic", he just wants to live a cute, simple but happy life with the farmer. there's this one marriage line that i like a lot that seems to show this realisation, "I've been taking much better care of myself now that we're together. The bachelor life wasn't particularly healthy for me." what i've always liked most about Elliott is his maturity and his introspective nature, you can really tell that he's one of the older bachelors, and there's a lot of simple but sweet domestic bliss in having him as a husband, which i really enjoy. plus, i think one thing that really drew me to him when i first started playing stardew valley was the fact that i had experienced some really lonely years myself and this "desperate housevibes" hopeless romantic who just REALLY needed a friend and someone who believes in him felt like a kindred spirit. in any case, marrying him was a wonderful decision and i think that he will forever be my favourite bachelor just because of how much i fell for him initially. i'm looking forward to whenever you do the video on Harvey, he's my second favourite and i'm currently waiting for the 1.6 update to come out so i can start a new playthrough where i marry him :)

This man reads as Lactose intolerant to me. That’s what I really love about the likes and dislikes, little things like that give way to so much headcannon territory! Like different characters have different reasons for liking or disliking the same things.

5:09 using that drunk Shane frame is older bachelor SLANDER asdhgadjhgad

Another way to look at the wine cutscene is that by 4 hearts he knows what you prefer to drink (coming from an Elliott defender) 😂

oh! there's a canon forward facing portrait of elliott in the stadew valley board game! he is a handsome fellow at all angles :]

bestie you cant just mention your stardew valley fanfic and then not link it. these videos are so delightful i need extra-credit readings!

I feel like it makes sense that Elliott’s book could get good reviews. The town is small and it’s likely that the genre and prose isn’t for everyone. Whereas people usually only pick up books they think they’ll like, so it might just be appealing to a specific type of person.

not now babe a 1hr+ video essay on a stardew valley bachelor i barely talk to just dropped-

I've never played stardew valley but this video is making me consider it, I find "guy who thinks he's the chivalrous hero of an old novel and is annoying about it" type characters to be a very funny trope in general I enjoy these videos a lot your tone and the way you look into these characters is very chill. even if I'm spoiling the game for myself by watching them lol

I think on whether you enjoy a flare of dramatics or not will impact on whether you like Elliott or not. I love characters that are a little over the top and silly. They can get lost in their own nonsense and not always realize it at first but have their moments of being down to earth and self aware.

My sick ass headcanon for Elliot is that he’s a fuckin vampire that needs to move in order to not be found out but also he’s writing because he was a famous writer under a different identity and now he’s trying to recreate that success but is running into some trouble. “I did it before like this so why isn’t it working >:(“ I also pity the dude because at least Leah has a cute little cottage. Elliot is living in some shack where you can hear the wind blow through. I’m like bro, dude, my guy this mf is going destitute. I mean I guess I’ll be this pretentious prick’s patron. Ngl it’s kinda cute being married to Elliot like it’s sweet. However I will not forgive the fact that he doesn’t have the piano in his room >:( It was upsetting. Like okay babe you learned piano and you don’t even play at our home but whatever thanks for watering the crops. Also I never encountered that line from Elliot where he orders two different drinks. As a nonbinary I use the gender mod so I guess my files have always defaulted to ale. Oh also for that book reading scene I didn’t know it was just one chapter I honestly assumed he read the whole fuckin book which was why people left early

With the theme of “change being okay” being brought up, it made me think of a line of dialogue he has of being a bit depressed that the future feels unclear and that he doesn’t want to spend his days as a lonely beach hermit. In that sense, the post-marriage dialogue feels like he’s alluding to how different his life is from those past feelings of uncertainty; the big change of being able to be in a relationship with you after being unsure if you felt the same and it blooming into something so dear and tender to him in your home together even after accomplishing what he thought would be such an exciting point in his career as an author.

I think what could have fixed the genre issue with Elliot's book is if he told you he was stuck between three genres and the inability to choose was stalling his progress. You telling him which one you personally would pursue would get him out of that mind block and the rest could stay the exact same. As far as my favorite thing about Elliot is the fact that while he is a little weird, he embraces that weirdness. He knows he is the only one who dresses and acts like he does, but he is unashamed of being himself. It's not some act, he just is that way and he is happy that way. It Harkins back to the romance novels of the past, and he has a very Fabio presence, which I think it pretty intentional.

Getting Mr. Qi vibes from the guy at the beginning of Elliot’s book!! I wonder if that was intentional

Elliott ended up my unexpected favorite bachelor. Stardew Valley was a gift from a friend when I was going through a rough time. I was super stressed over my job and so I decided to lean into the 'escaping from a capitalistic hell job' fantasy and take my time through the game meeting everyone before committing. Elliott was one of the last people I started heart events with and I remember going from no real opinions on the guy to needing to become besties and romance him asap. I'm not a writer so I'm not irked by those short comings, but I am an artist and hearing about how he had no support from his family and traveled away to try again on his own struck a little too close to my own situation. I went to school to be a game artist, buuuuuut anyone keeping up with gaming news probably knows how well those jobs are going. As such, I lived with my parents until I was 28 and did retail to pay the bills. I had no support from my parents besides the room I stayed in. It was a constant of them coming into my space, asking me if I sold any art, expressing that I'm not trying hard enough, but also never letting me have the peace to make anything. Hell, can't even count how many times my dad came in to tell me how I LIED to him and used art college as a way to avoid work because I wasn't a head artist in a game studio with my own house and husband yet. Apparently if I really wanted an art job, I would've had it at graduation instead of being a lazy disappointment. So after a year or two of that, I picked up and moved across the country. So even with Elliott being a fake pixel man, I suddenly wanted him to succeed with his book. And the more I got to know him and progress the relationship, the more he kinda came off as a theater kid who is REALLY into being over the top and goofy, careful with his appearance, and stressed about turning his passion into something profitable. And dang, as someone who only did Harvest Moon until this point it was very refreshing to get married and have him do something separate from my character. The book tour was his thing, and my lil farmer is funding this dramatic nugget to keep writing and living his best life. Also I head cannoned him being like 35.

Im a filthy shane enjoyer, but ever since i started the game I always make sure to get Elliot a fish or a crab every time i go fishing at the sea. He's definitely one of my faves. I LOVE characters who are vain but avert your expectations by being generous and kind ❤❤❤

in my first playthrough of stardew valley i thought that elliot was a woman because his sprite has a karen haircut. when i saw his portrait i immediatley started romancing him, but i gave up on marrying him because his loved gifts were too difficult for me to get. but i still think fondly of my early days in the game giving elliot whatever garbage i found on the ground (for a guy who lives on the beach, he didn't seem to care about any of the cool shells i gave him)

Putting shirtless Elliot behind shocked Elliot had to be on purpose

I 100% thought the background was greenscreened in until you put the hearts on! 💀💀 thats some dedication! Im really invested now, you earned a subscriber, ill pop to the alex video after this one! ❤

I still maintain that it's always best to romance players as a guy (*cough* Alex ordering the female farmer salad *cough*). Maybe CA is going to change the unintentional sexist stuff in 1.6, but we'll see. Elliot was my first spouse in game and it set such a high bar for marriage candidates for me - I ended up picking him over Leah because of some dialogue along the lines of him not wanting to grow old alone in his shack. Like, I feel that my guy. Leah seemed like she'd be okay on her own, but Elliot is the kind of guy who needs love in his life. And I'm also the kind of person who needs love in my life, it endeared me to him more, and his marriage dialogue just cemented that I'd made the right choice. I've managed to branch out since then in other files, and I've grown massive love for Harvey, Haley, and Emily as spouses too. The only times I've been fine with divorcing my spouse so far (and not just starting a new file to romance someone else) is with Shane, Leah (surprisingly), and Penny. Abigail is one I'm pretty sure I'll be divorcing soon too, just not quite yet - I do like her marriage dialogue, and it's fun having her around, but I don't really get butterflies for her. It's more like living with a best friend with benefits, if that makes sense? Haven't married the rest yet, so maybe it'll be my goal for 1.6!

Seeing his comment about fate at 8 hearts made me think that his 2 heart scene could be improved like this: when he asks you your favourite genre, his response is "that's the genre of the book I'm working on/trying to write" and his inspiration to continue is feeling like it was fate that he made a new friend who also liked that genre.

“messy one with elliot~!” now lives permanently rent free in my head, i got the scene on my new save and it was all i could think of xD

Me, an Alex, Sebastion and Sam fan, watching this video:.... STOP MAKING ME FALL IN LOVE WITH ELLIOT.

11:33 I also saw some people online not liking him because he calls Gus "bartender", instead of using his name despite having lived in Pelican Town for a year, which could be interpreted as distant, pompous and perhaps classist? Idk, it didn't bother me that much, i love him to death

i love elliott hes my malewife almost every playthrough

I've never romanced Elliot but my bestie married him on our shared farm and I get to experience his romantic shenanigans second hand like some nosey inlaw. Fabulous deep dive! I definitely want to see more, especially if my funky little wife Emily is up next. B)

Based on that mystery novel snippet, I wonder if perhaps it's mildly autobiographical? The "enigmatically omniscient" figure sounds eerily reminiscent of the mysterious Mr. Qi, who is canonically known to enjoy meddling in the lives of the people of the valley... The game implies that Pelican Town is a bit obscure and not commonly known about by folks without any direct connection to it; perhaps Elliott had a run-in with Mr. Qi in the past, and it was Qi's influence that planted the idea of moving to the valley in Elliot's mind? The "Elliott is a secret vampire" theory is extra hilarious to me considering his obvious counterpart in Sun Haven (another farming sim that tries to be an anime-inspired Stardew Valley with magic and fantasy RPG elements, but loses all polish in the process; it's a bit of a mess, but it's a fascinating mess, so I don't really regret giving it a shot).

I chose Elliott at first because he was one of the older coded bachelors and I felt uncomfortable pursuing someone who was straight out of high school. And because of his red hair - just beautiful! 😍😄

I would love to hear someone with a Texas accent read Elliots dialogue X'D

i dont think is old fashioned or sexist or that he is assuming bc you are a girl, my best read of this is that he orders a wine for you as a woman because wine has the perception of being more refined drink.

Elliott's vampire energy is exactly what drew me to him on my first play through, as a writer myself i adore him,

My body is ready

The way I read it, Eliot had the characters and outlines of a plot, and the reader chooses the themes/subplots that finally inspire him to put it together. Idk, I've been writing for a long time and it made sense to me personally

I just binged all of your videos! I loved these so much. As an autistic person, I typically don’t get the subtext on these types of dialogue, so I love having someone explain things to me. Ugh stardew is also my hyperfixation so I get it girl! You are absolutely slaying and I hope you get famous :]

I hate that I saw the mr blobby clip and went :D out loud Elliot is actually one of my favourite sdv romances, his post-marriage dialogue always made me smile uwu

As a messy aspiring writer who picked stardew valley up to procrastinate and was immediately sure I'd marry Elliott, an analysis on this babygirl of a man is the best thing I could body double to! I relate so much to him it hurts. That part about his family's pessimism being sickening?? People bring fatalism to the table on various aspects of life and, even though that is a normal, sort if self-preserving thought process, it's hard to personally want to move on while hearing things like that. That's how I interpret his strong opinion and the contrasting pessimism of his own, especially considering his seclusion. I'm barely a real week into this game and already emotionally relying on the aproximately 20 pixels + nice chin he's made of like the absolute fool that I am. "I think I will do some writing today." "No cuz same. Lemme just finish this day tho."

He gives you coffee!

A 1 HOUR VIDEO ABOUT MY FAVORITE STARDEW VALLEY CHARACTER ??? girl dinner !!!!

so glad to see the next one in the series!! you’ve had me hooked, stardew has been my current hyper-fixation as well and it is just so lovely watching these while i play🤍

Loved this. You did an amazing job with it. Lots of people dislike Elliot, & I can see why, but I've always liked him for some reason. Really liked how you went into all the details & read into everything so well. I have a more concrete understanding of what parts I do & don't like about him now. Thanks. As a creative/creator I definitely relate to his struggles & really like that he has more mature concerns than the "younger" romanceable characters. 💚

Personally, I cannot imagine Elliott as British; he has always been some strange suburbanite from Newark to me LOVE this video, though!! The visuals, the insight!!! 10/10

I've never married him (more platonic feelings) but I feel it's really some unfortunate wording that got most people with his heart event (and forgetting that by that point, you're already in a relationship, if I recall correctly). I really adore him, he's one of the NPCs I often befriend, he's so goofy and sweet. And while I haven't married him, the fact he goes on that book-tour and send letters, makes me ironically enough, think of him as one of the best spouses. He doesn't forget his dream and its not reliant 100% on you either, you become a muse. I think it's very lovely, and some comments I've seen people dislike (him saying he wishes he was farming instead of writing) feels unfair because he apologizes when he realizes how it comes off, and anyone whose been stuck in a project (whether you love it or not) knows that feeling of "man, if i could do anything else rn-", if he had mentioned the mines idk if anyone would have taken it as pretentious, even though the mines are clearly dangerous and requires hard work. Anyway, I will only clown on my good buddy in good fun, but he's a great friend

FINALLYYY!!! A character analysis!! thank you! I'll watch this soon, a good character analysis always gets me so happy & hyped for the character!!! edit 1: I'm starting to watch it, the background is GENIUS!! I LOVE THE PRESENTATION!! Edit 2: tbh I have the same grips with his storyline. Edit 3: I just checked and saw the other 2 analysis, SO HAPPY. I loved the analysis. I have a newfound appreciation for him, reading his letters, I moving on from the weird feeling his 10 heart event gave me and marrying the poet. Thank you so much for creating this

Ill say marrying elliot was so fun with its downsides as a marriage should be. But i did headcannon that we brush each others hair

I am an Elliott lover! When i first saw him I was emediatly wone over because he looks so much like my fiance!! I enjoy his character a lot as someone who's a hopeless romantic. I find him charming and soft. He seems like he struggles with himself in a way that I do, and so i connect to him in a lot of ways.

the way every time i see the thumbnail im sooo excited

oh my god this popped up into my recommended and elliott has always been one of my fav stardew bachelors --- this was SUCH a great video !!!

hey this has been recommended to me and i felt so dang excited cuz hello? deep dive of stardew valley characters !! perfect. then i hear its a series and theres more prior to this so I'm definitely watching those too. this is awesome

I always saw Elliot saying he’s not very good at piano as finally showing how little self esteem he has, not being humble. He tries to overcompensate with his debonair appearance but the guy is a penniless writer who lives alone on the beach. His house and lifestyle do not match the image he tries to present. I think you help him start writing because he’s so afraid to start due to the pressure of succeeding (going back to his low self esteem). He mentions that he moved here just to write. He’s clearly spent every last penny on his dream, and he’s terrified to fuck it up. It’s like an artist that can’t paint when they stare at a blank page even if they’re highly skilled. I think there’s definitely some meta aspect with the development process too like you mentioned. Love your analysis, it made me appreciate the character even more💖 (even if the wine line is a bit creepy😂)

on my knees begging and pleading for you to do Hayley next

The way I interpret the genre choice is that he had a few different concepts that he was struggling to choose from, so he already had ideas in place for all 3, and he ended up choosing the idea that matched the genre you chose. There's more than 3 book genres out there, so I read the fact that we only get 3 to choose from as those are the options he presented to us. Kind of a "out of romance, sci-fi and mystery, what kind of book do you like most?" that way it isn't so much that he writes a book from nothing based on what you like, but rather you help him decide from 3 completely different concepts he has.

I haven't given him much attention, so im here to learn the allure.

32:56 In my head canon we just happen to have the same favorite genre

I always took the wine comment less as Elliot being sexist and women drink wine not beer and more as a want to stay in the farmer's favor. It's definitely my own fannon goggles coming out, but the way he talks about his previous homelife and constantly being shut down for his creative pursuits reads to me as some regressive ideas would have been pushed on him. He's desperate for the farmer's approval as you pointed out, so if with a female partner it tracks he'd default to what is considered "proper" to do with a lady. I think this ties into why he's insistent on making a novel instead of pursuing poetry that he's shown to be so much better at. Making a great novel is a more masculine and therefore more acceptable goal for him to have than being a poet. Throw in the ego, and yeah. It would be nice if there was an option for a female farmer to say make that two ales instead or something to get a better idea of where he's coming from since there're no other implications he thinks like that, and it could work to flesh him out more. Game limitations and everything, though. I do appreciate you not making the boat scene put to be just an irredeemably bad thing to do. There's some issues that can be taken with the writing, but a lot of the critique I see goes straight to character bashing. Lovely video all around! Thank you for sharing!

Honestly, if he asked you what kind of books you like, he could respond with "me too! But they weren't very popular back home," implying that he may have always WANTED to write that type of novel and having someone else confirm they like it as well - a shared interest, someone that appreciates the genre - inspired him to take the plunge. Would've been super easy to help strengthen his own character and doesn't even have to reference your choice until later.

ok but "our little home beside the pond" made me cry fr

I married Elliot my first playthrough since I too am an aspiring writer, but also he’s just??? So sweet?? His marriage dialogue and 14 heart event are so endearing I cannot handle it. Sometimes all you need is a slightly silly lad with great hair

I like to think that when he says he was writing for 8 hours, he could have been coming up with/throwing out ideas he'd previously been writing. Then, he remembered what the player said their favorite kinds of books were, and started from there. I do wish it was fleshed out a bit more, like having his chapter always begin the same way, but ending with an element of whichever choice you made.

this vid just popped onto my recommended feed and idk how i never came across your channel before- don’t mind me, just casually (avidly) binging all of your content lmao

I think it’d be funny if Elliott orders two wines if you’re a girl and a wine and a beer if you’re a guy.

This is so good! I'm binging all of them and subscribing. You made me care about Elliot, I've never even really thought about him. Can't believe the alphabetical orden means I'll have to wait a while for my favorite husbando's turn but oh well, if the videos along the way are as good as this one I'm all for it.

I’ve just found your channel and I love it 😍 As a fellow Brit stardew player who has an English degree I feel right at home here 😅 Also I see so much Elliot hate online so it’s refreshing to see something more positive about him for once!❤

I get the feeling that Elliott means “I now believe in myself enough to say that I would have finished A book regardless, even if it wasn’t THIS book which was inspired by you.”

i always laugh whenever someone calls elliot unrealistic cause I know someone irl who on god is EXACTLY like elliot. even down to the tortured writer in a shack bit. it's hilarious. he's a hoot (and a genuinely good guy). he has recently come out of his writing slump so I'm happy for him

I really love the 5000 year old vampire idea, I don’t think I’ll ever let it go

you did such an amazing job analyzing his character 🥹🩵 thank you for starting this series & i’m so excited to watch them all!! i love elliott so much & i appreciate how deep you went with this. i love the narrative design tangents too!! they really opened my mind to new perspectives about the game itself LOL

"I like your funny words, Magic Man." Clone High was such a good show, lots of great quotes from that one.

I've had so many farms, and in each of them I married Elliott. I tried other characters as well, like Haley, but had to divorce her and marry Elliott, because if it's not him it feels so empty in my farm. Don't know what's on him for that, but I can't marry anybody else lol

god i love elliott sfm. champion yapper, no idea what he’s on about, but i love it. i have a little screenshot folder for his marriage dialogue that i call my elliott cringe compilation, they’re all my treasures. need me a man like this fr edit 44:00 also the way i interpreted it was, to stop saying what elliott says at face value bc he can be kind of melodramatic. i interpreted it more as, he HAD started writing before meeting you, he had half-baked ideas and plots for all 3 genres and was maybe paralyzed by indecision and fear of making the “wrong” marketable choice because the weight of failing when he’s made this huge change becomes so much larger. i like to think that maybe he would’ve taken one of those ideas to fruition at some point and finished writing his book, but what he needed was momentum which is what the player gave him - especially considering they both made such radical changes to their lives to break out of cycles that were stifling them. making the big grand gesture like moving to a small town is nothing - it’s the every day, getting your hands dirty, logging the hours changes that take the most courage and effort, which is i think how the player motivates him. at least that was my kind of take on it - i wish the story as-is was more consistent with this.

Hour and 15 minutes of talking about Eliot Thank you