Shane Sobering Up and Gift

[jcp011c2]

So Shane is now sobering up with the last few heart events (6-7) and I feel kind of guilty about giving him beers, which are my go to gift for romancing him.

I don't THINK that there will be negative consequences to continuing to gifting him beers but I still feel a litle bad. He's worked so hard to get sober. Any other suggestions on what to give him, or just feel okay with enabling him with his addiction?

Also does anyone else feel guilty about it as well?

[Vroomi]

Chilipepper, or whatever that crop was called.

[Shrub]

i give him pizza

[jcp011c2]

Great suggestions, thank you. It would be interesting if CA gave him a negative hit for offering beer at this point, but I guess changing likes and dislikes is not a real priority (understandably so). Pizza and hot peppers it is. I just always enabled his drinking habit so I didn't even think what else would work.

[YetiChow]

I like the story of Shane's relationship with booze, actually. When you first meet him, beer is the obvious choice for bonding -- easily available at his favourite hangout in the Saloon, it's like... what else are you supposed to do?

And the first time Shane makes an overture of friendship, or at least something warmer than "I don't know you, go away", what does he do? He returns your kindness by offering you a drink. That's the first time you get a glimpse into his drinking habits, and the hint that he's aware he's drinking an unhealthy amount. In fact, he goes so far as to warn you off the path he's on; and his seemingly self-deprecating but light-hearted remarks might actually be the start of something much more serious.

Now, I'm a guy living in a country with a very strong drinking culture; and I identify all too readily with this situation. It's one of the go-to forms of introduction -- buy someone a beer and talk about nothing until the booze has warmed things up. In theory, and in moderation, it works ok. If it becomes too relied-upon, however, then things don't go so well. We're seeing a lot of that in my area now. Laws are being brought in to limit the amount of alcohol available late at night; and club owners are crying out that this is killing their clubs... but really, take away the booze and what's left in those clubs? Every time I've been out drinking with friends, the alcohol is expected to provide the driving force and the social lubricant.

Call me crazy, but I'd prefer an old-fashioned conversation. I like Shane's 1-heart scene because it lets me see his character... but I prefer Sebastian's or Alex's 1-heart scenes because they're an actual conversation.

However, as Shane's life brightens up and he finds a reason to stop drinking, he begins to engage more and share more of his real character -- his hopes, his values and so on. In fact, I'd go so far as to argue that Shane drinks becaues his values cut against the grain of his dead-end job in JojaMart, and his feeling of being a burden. Again, it's an attitude I see all too regularly and identify with all too readily; so I like that CA has taken this opportunity gently pose a question... particularly when the conversations around this topic are so polarised and politicised.

One other thing I should probably note: I'm not against alcohol in the slightest. In fact, I'm annoyed by how often alcohol is painted as the Bad Guy. In both Pam's and Shane's cases, it's being used to try and replace something lost/missing from their lives; and that's never healthy. They could be turning to any number of other things -- and not just substances (under which category I would also include "comfort food"), it could be daytime TV re-runs, gambling, romantic novels... staying up until 4am posting on gaming forums

In fact, speaking of romantic novels subject, it's interesting to compare Penny to Pam -- whereas Pam drowns her sorrows as a sign of defeat, Penny runs to a fantasy world out of a novel as her form of escape. That might not seem so harmful as a drinking habit; but unless the player comes to whisk her away to a better life on their farm, she doesn't do anything for her future by waiting for Prince Charming. None of the characters really do much to fix their problems -- after all, that's where the player comes in; breathing new life into the Valley and its inhabitants... but it's really only Shane and Pam whose methods for avoiding their problems are labelled "unhealthy". Maybe Linus too, but he's considered odd or abnormal regardless of his more unusual/not-socially-accepted habits.

So, I'm getting off topic and rambling here; but my overall point is this: Stardew Valley is a game about getting back to a "real" life, connected to nature and the local community. It's not just the alcoholics in Pelican Town who are dealing with difficulties; most of the residents have one thing or another weighing them down. But I'm glad that, in Shane's case at least, a way for him to break out of his alcohol dependency is shown. To me, it's a believable character arc -- Shane's problem isn't just "a drinking problem", rather, the drinking is a symptom of his other problems and his inability to deal with them. I like the way that Stardew Valley lays all this on the table without getting preachy on the matter.

As to that last part, about suitable gifts: I think Pepper Poppers are the ideal choice -- they're a recipe Shane gives you, so they're something you share; they have a "comfort food" element (and while that could be abused just as much as alcohol and have similarly dire consequences; as part of a well-balanced diet of food fresh off the farm, they're a pretty nice treat), and since they're a stat-boosting meal they even help Shane adapt to his new life beyond Joja Mart. Whether he moves in at your farm, or stays with Marnie, those extra levels in Farming could be put to good use with either animals, or maybe a veggie patch; so in that sense Pepper Poppers are actually a "productive" treat that help Shane get his life back on track

However, if you do go the full Happily Ever After route with Shane, then I think that the odd beer (especially one shared after a hard day's work), drunk in moderation, would be a sign that Shane has conquered his demons.

Personally, I go the Penny route (in spite of all her stereotypical literary heroine traits, which I complain so much about...); and as such I make sure to plant crops suitable to make gifts from for Pam. I produce wines, beer, pale ale and I'll set up for mead now too; but I won't be gifting any of those things to my virtual mother-in-law... unlike Shane, she has no prospect for a dramatic improvement in lifestyle, so it feels like letting Penny down indirectly by enabling her mother's addiction. To me, that's a sadder story -- while I can see Shane getting his life together; I can't see Pam kicking her habit.

[Rhapsodos]

He still drinks, though I guess you could say it's only on a special occasion like the festivals.

[I Kinda Fail]

To be fair, two beers in a week isn't bad at all. (Or eight beers per season, depending how you see it.)

It's when he downs 6 in a row that it's a problem.