That said, Demetrius has his flaws, much like the rest of the characters in Stardew Valley. While he’s no doubt a skilled scientist, he seems to struggle with his family life, and this can be seen in his scripted events and dialogue.
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Demetrius and Robin’s Relationship in Stardew Valley
Demetrius lives with his wife, Robin, in the mountain area of Pelican Town. With him are his children, Maru and Sebastian. Demetrius is Robin’s second husband as Stardew Valley’s Sebastian is her child from an earlier relationship. Maru, on the other hand, is his biological daughter. This is suggested by the books “Maximizing Your Second Marriage” and “Practical Tips For First-Time Step-Dads,” which can be found on the couple’s bedroom shelf.
While the family may seem unproblematic, the player can spot a few issues when going through some of their scripted events. For instance, his events with Robin suggest that the two have trouble communicating effectively. During his Six-Heart Event in Stardew Valley, the two get into an argument about how tomatoes aren’t what Robin meant when she asked Demetrius to get fruits. They then ask the player how they’d classify a tomato — vegetable or fruit.
If the player chooses vegetable, Demetrius will say, “I figured a farmer would know the correct answer…” This also decreases Demetrius’ friendship points. Alternatively, choosing fruit will increase the player’s friendship with him. After this, Demetrius will explain to Robin that he has trouble knowing what assumptions to make when she speaks to him, but that he’s working on it. Robin seems pleased by this, and the event ends.
There’s another scripted event that showcases the couple’s communication problem, and it triggers after the player completes Robin’s special order in Stardew Valley. In the cutscene, Robin shows off her newest woodworking creation — a four-poster hardwood bed. Demetrius reacts with confusion, stating that the four posts seem to be an inefficient use of resources. To this, Robin replies that they’re there for aesthetic purposes, which people find enjoyable. Demetrius acknowledges this but then goes on to say that aesthetics shouldn’t outweigh the bed’s usefulness.
This sets Robin off, and she accuses Demetrius of “being deliberately obtuse” just to irritate her. Before Demetrius can reply, the player character walks in and can either compliment the bed’s aesthetics or comment on its inefficiency. Complimenting it will cause Demetrius to storm out of the room, annoyed. Commenting on the posts, on the other hand, will get an annoyed remark from Robin, but she’ll quickly brush it off and talk about putting the deluxe beds up for sale in Stardew Valley.
Many players don’t appreciate Demetrius’ backhanded comments and petty behavior. Though one can say this stems from his difficulty communicating, it’s no excuse for his generally unpleasant behavior. Plus, this behavior seems to really annoy Robin, showing the strain on this Stardew Valley relationship, and in the long run, that isn’t healthy.
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Demetrius’ Relationship with His Kids in Stardew Valley
Aside from Robin, Demetrius also has some questionable scripted events involving his children in Stardew Valley. For example, in Maru’s Two-Heart Event, the player helps her and Demetrius while they handle samples in the lab. Maru steps out to grab more samples, and Demetrius uses the time alone to tell the player that Maru is his special little girl, immediately following up with: “I wouldn’t want anything getting in the way of her bright future, know what I mean?”
Demetrius then brushes the comment off as Maru returns to the lab. When Maru asks how they were doing, the player is then given an option between staying silent or saying that Demetrius was being weird in Stardew Valley. Should the player choose the latter option, Demetrius will be annoyed but still apologize to Maru. Though this will also result in a sizable deduction to Demetrius’ friendship points.
This heart event rubs plenty of players the wrong way as Demetrius plays heavily into the overprotective dad trope, which isn’t a healthy dynamic in any family. Some take this as Demetrius thinking the farmer isn’t “good enough” for his daughter, which is why he acts the way he does in the Stardew Valley heart event. Additionally, it hints that Demetrius may prefer Maru over Sebastian, which isn’t fair for either child.
This supposed favoritism is also hinted at in the characters’ dialogue lines. Demetrius has no lines referencing Sebastian. Neither can the two be seen together at any time during their daily schedules in Stardew Valley. While the same can be said for Robin and Sebastian’s relationship, she at least has dialogue about how she’s worried for her son and appears in some of his heart events.
Meanwhile, Sebastian has one line in Stardew Valley’s winter season, where he complains that Demetrius had him get rid of his “snowgoon,” but let Maru’s snowman remain. He also has a line that goes, “Who does Demetrius think he is, telling me what to do? He’s not even my real father.” It’s even more telling if the player marries Sebastian as he will sometimes say, “I often felt unappreciated at home…but here I feel like I really belong.”
Stardew Valley: In Defense of Demetrius
With all that said, it’s easy to point the finger at Demetrius and say that he’s at fault here. However, things just aren’t that simple. Raising a family — especially one with stepkids and second husbands — is a tricky ordeal. While Demetrius certainly has his quirks, it isn’t fair to put the blame solely on him, as it should be a team effort. Robin should also be helping him foster a relationship with both the kids. Additionally, Sebastian’s potential social anxiety in Stardew Valley is likely hard for Demetrius to navigate, which could be why he is struggling so much to make a connection with Sebastian.
Moreover, it’s already been established that Demetrius has trouble communicating. There are some community theories that put him on the autism spectrum, but this is never confirmed in the game. Regardless, communication is something that he and the rest of the family should be working on. This is to ensure that everyone in the house feels welcome and heard. At the end of the day, raising a family in Stardew Valley or even real life, is a team effort, and if those involved don’t try to work through their issues, things just won’t work.
Stardew Valley is available on Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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