Summary

• Stardew Valley has plenty of romance candidates living in Pelican Town, but their dialogue isn't always sweet.
• Some characters, like Emily and Shane, make uncomfortable remarks that end up being cringe-worthy.
• Many of Stardew's most cringe lines are intended to be compliments, but come out awkwardly.

The possible romantic partners in residents of Pelican Town try to flirt with the player, but instead just end up saying something undeniably cringe-worthy.

This isn’t true for all Stardew Valley romances. Characters like Sam and Abigail manage to flirt with the player without making their skin crawl. Then there are characters like Shane or Harvey who seem to have a bit harder time not putting their foot directly in their mouths. Even charming characters like Leah are known to let the odd bit of awkward dialogue slip. Sometimes these quirks are endearing, but in many instances, these lines are just uncomfortable.

10 "I Came Here To Smell The Fruit."

Emily Says This To The Player At The Store

On its own, this line from Pierre's shop, where residents come to buy food and other supplies.

When buying produce from a store, customers already have to ignore the fact that people have likely been there before them, and touched some of the fruit they are going to buy. It’s one of those things people just don’t think about. However, Emily’s ission evokes images of her walking around and sniffing all the fruit that’s out for sale. This isn’t just strange behavior, but also an uncomfortable reminder that the fruit at the store may be subjected to sniffing or other strange behaviors before being bought for consumption.

Emily's favorite gifts include Amethyst, Aquamarine, Cloth, Emerald, Jade, Parrot Egg, Ruby, Survival Burger, Topaz, and Wool.

9 “You Always Look Great, Even After Slopping Around In The Yard All Day.”

Sebastian’s Attempt At A Compliment

Sebastian is a quiet, generally sweet guy. Out of the six men available to romance in the game, he is far from the worst option. However, that doesn’t mean he is always on his game when trying to flirt with the player character. This quote is an instance of Sebastian trying to be genuinely nice, but the compliment comes off a bit too backhanded. Also, no successful romance was ever kicked off with the word “slopping.”

The player in Stardew Valley is a hard-working farmer, spending large chunks of their day working their crops, often by hand in the earlier parts of the game. Sebastian’s description of this as “slopping around” is seriously dismissive of the work the player character does. This type of compliment comes off like Sebastian just read The Game and is trying to neg the character instead of expressing genuine appreciation for them. Apart from that, focusing on the player character’s looks while being dismissive of their profession does not score Sebastian any points.

Sebastian's favorite gifts include Frog Egg, Frozen Tear, Obsidian, Pumpkin Soup, Sashimi, and Void Egg.

8 “You Really Have A Short Memory Span, Don’t You?”

Shane Ruins A Sweet Moment

Shane isn’t exactly the most appealing romantic option in Stardew Valley. Part of that is because he is going through a lot, and it just seems like he really needs to sort himself out before jumping into a romantic relationship. This isn’t helped by the fact that he has a pattern of saying things that are meant to be cute, but come off either insulting or uncomfortable.

After players have romanced Shane, they can get this dialogue after an intimate moment with him:

“Huh… You’re wondering why I have this goofy grin on my face? You really have a short memory span, don’t you?”

This could be taken as cute banter, but after many lines from Shane where he seems to be trying to make the player character insecure, it doesn’t land. Instead, players may be left wondering why they chose Shane over the other available bachelors when this guy keeps ruining cute moments with rude little comments. Of course, this is fine for a fictional romance, and some players may enjoy that type of dynamic.

Shane's favorite gifts include Beer, Hot Pepper, Pepper Poppers, and Pizza.

7 “Be Careful Out There! I Have Nightmares About Your Limp Body Being Wheeled Into The Emergency Room.”

Harvey Is Warning The Player About Going To Dangerous Areas In The Game

Harvey isn’t always the smoothest when it comes to using his words. This can be seen when he warns the player about going to dangerous areas of the game, like the mines.

A simple “be careful out there” would have been enough to show that Harvey cares about the player character. There isn’t really a need for him to go into greater detail about how he has vivid dreams about their lifeless body. This line is also a little cringy because it makes the player feel a little bad about the anxiety they’re causing their partner. It’s the kind of cringe one feels when someone is being brutally honest.

Harvey's favorite gifts include Coffee, Pickles, Super Meal, Truffle Oil, and Wine.

6 “Sorry If I'm Wet To The Touch... I Was Sweating All Night In The Heat.”

Leah Warns The Player About Touching Her When She’s Sweaty

Leah is an artist who, like the player, has moved to Pelican Town for a fresh start. Unlike some of the game’s other cringy lines, this line isn’t really embarrassing for Leah. If anything, it shows a lot of self-awareness and concern for others, two things that are typically antithetical to creating cringe. Reading this line doesn’t so much make the player cringe at Leah, but just more at the imagery it evokes.

To be clear, there is nothing gross about Leah or anyone sweating, it’s natural. However, few things in life create an instant cringy feeling than touching something wet that one expects to be dry. This is especially true when the person experiencing this unexpected moistness isn’t sure what the source of it is. This line from Leah conjures up memories of shaking hands with a new acquaintance and hoping that their palm is wet because they have just finished washing their hands, and not for another reason.

Leah's favorite gifts include Goat Cheese, Poppyseed Muffin, Salad, Stir Fry, Truffle, Vegetable Medley, and Wine.

5 "*Sniff*... *Sniff*... Mmm... What's That Wonderful Fragrance You're Wearing? Eau De Pepperoni?"

Shane Attempts To Compliment The Player’s Smell

One thing Stardew Valley players romancing Shane will learn is that he loves pizza. A lot. It seems that, in Shane’s eyes, comparing someone to pizza is considered a fine compliment. Now, comparing a romantic partner to food can already be a tricky area to do without coming off insulting in one way or another. This is especially true when the food in question is less-than-flattering.

Perhaps Shane’s worst sin with this line is that he isn’t even attempting to make a metaphor. Instead, he is just bluntly telling the player character that he thinks they smell like pepperoni. Not only does this not come off as romantic because of how insulting it is, but it’s also a little creepy how excited it seems to make Shane. Telling someone that they smell like pepperoni is bad enough, but it reaches cringy territory when the person tacks on that they’re into it.

4 "My Skill With Words Is Unmatched, Yet I Can't Find a Way To Properly Describe Your Beauty."

Elliott Tells The Player Character What He Thinks Of Their Looks

Elliott is a writer who has come to Pelican Town to work on his novel. His long flowing hair and flair for the dramatic make him a distinct character. Players romancing him can expect lots of flowery language and melodramatic descriptions of his feelings for them. That said, some of his compliments come off more like a first draft than a finely crafted bit of dialogue.

This compliment from Elliott comes off way more like he’s congratulating himself than really saying anything about the player character. He gets very specific about what he thinks his positive attributes are, while choosing not to say anything specific about what he finds appealing in his romantic partner. This is the type of cringe one feels when seeing someone thinking they’re doing something very well, while utterly failing at their attempt. It’s easy to see what Elliott is trying to do with this line, but it just isn’t working.

Elliott's favorite gifts include Crab Cakes, Duck Feather, Lobster, Pomegranate, Squid Ink, and Tom Kha Soup.

3 "Mmm, It Tastes Like Someone's Been Nibbling On Pizza Rolls."

Shane’s Response To Kissing The Player

Shane’s response to kissing the player character is easily the most cringe-worthy example of his love for pizza being taken too far. The cutesy playful tone of the dialogue juxtaposed with the actual words that he’s saying are enough to make any player cringe when reading it. This is likely the point where some players will decide they’ve had enough of Shane and look for another option.

Aside from the awkward nature of Shane’s pizza-themed flirting, his actual word choice is also disconcerting. The image of someone “nibbling” on a pizza roll is strangely abhorrent. The idea of someone taking tiny bites of an already bite-sized food sounds more like the behavior of a small rodent. Also, in general, commenting on the taste of someone’s kiss immediately after breaking apart is creepy. There would be no way that the player wouldn’t know every time they kiss Shane going forward that he is both very aware of how they taste and hoping it’s like pizza.

2 "Your Feminine Allure Is Irresistible Today. I Can't Keep My Eyes Off You."

Elliott Using His Extensive Vocabulary To Flirt With The Player

Sometimes it isn’t what someone is trying to say that is uncomfortable, but how they choose to say it. Had Elliott simply said he thought the player looked nice today, then this line wouldn’t be an issue. As it stands, Elliott’s choice of words makes the compliment sound overly formal. It feels like he’s trying way too hard, or else suddenly landed a starring role on The Big Bang Theory.

Elliott’s strange word choice in the first sentence here also makes the second one a bit more awkward. His talk of “feminine allure” sounds a little too detached or pseudo-scientific. When he follows this up by saying he can’t stop looking at the player, it can’t help but sound like he’s studying them. Being looked at by an irer to whom one has a mutual attraction can be exciting, but being leered at like some sort of specimen is not.

1 "Let's Put Aside Our Doctor-Patient Relationship."

Harvey Proposing He & The Player Take The Next Step In Their Relationship

Since Harvey is the only doctor in Pelican Town, romancing him means the player is also romancing their physician. This means that there is a little bit of a strange power imbalance between the player and Harvey, since they have to rely on him for his medical care. While this is the type of thing that could be easily brushed aside or ignored while romancing a character in a video game, the uncomfortable nature of the situation is brought front and center by this line from Harvey.

Aside from the possibly uncomfortable dynamic going on here, Harvey’s wording doesn’t do much to help. This phrase is probably the last thing anyone going to the doctor in real life wants to hear, especially if it’s in the context of the doctor flirting with them. Of course, Stardew Valley isn’t real life, and the messy and sometimes cringy relationships are all a part of the fun when it comes to the game.