Tinfoil hat theory time!

[Wakazu]

No, not about Aby and Wizard, that's been done to death ==

Lets talk everyone's darling basement dweller instead.
Seb is odd. Like, actually odd once you start reading and piecing stuff together. Here's some weirdness I managed to hoard:
1) He's the only townie not in the Guild who is canonically armed and regularly does mine runs on his own accord. And Marlon doesn't have anything to say on the topic, which means either he doesn't know or for some reason he is fine with a (formally) untrained civilian being down there alone, which is... you know
2) You can actually pinpoint exactly WHERE Seb is going in the mines based on the gemstones he can sometimes gift you if you are married to him and his own interest in obsidian and frozen tears. He's going all the way down to lava caverns. Which is an impressive feat for us, the player, wearing enchanted rings, protective boots, and all that. Seb is going there with just his mace in hand, and returns reliably without so much as a scratch. He is either a natural combat genius (which would make his interest in Combat Quarterly book look kinda weird), or there is something else going on... (more on that later)
3) If you gift him a piece of obsidian, his immediate reaction will be to fashion it into a dagger. Which wouldn't be odd for a goth or emo... Except Seb is NEITHER. Abigail is. Seb, despite his preferences in darker colors, never expresses any allegiance to any subculture, as well as any interests typical of such cultures. He does DM a DnD-like campaign for his friends, but that's a geek hobby, not goth \ emo one, and his preferred role is a wizard, not a necromancer or vampire, that would've suited a goth \ emo. So where is this obsidian-crafting interest comes from? Also mind that he specifically mentions a DAGGER. Obsidian is a very interesting mineral. Also commonly known as "volcanic glass", it forms when lava is cooled rapidly, and its two most known features are: being hell-of-a-piece to work on and forming EXTREMELY SHARP edges, which made it a beloved material of civilizations like aztecs to make ritual knives from. Case in point - Seb knows exactly what obsidian is best used for and how to work it, which is, again, NOT a common skill. And again, ties back to volcanic levels of the mines. Also the exact quote has him admitting he was LOOKING for it, as in - deliberately searching for a specific mineral. It's not just him seeing a pretty rock and getting an idea to make something cool with it in the moment, that obsidian dagger project has been in the works for at least for some time prior.
4)“Whoa... This egg speaks to me... I'll put it on my desk. Thanks!" - that's his reaction to a void egg. Which is... I mean, this is straight up "WTF?!" on so many levels. First of all - "SPEAKS"?! That's definitely an interesting choice of words right there. Why not say it is cool, or he digs it, or something like that? But ok, it can be chalked to just a manner of speech. However if you talk to him again directly after, he expresses his plans to try and hatch it. Which, again, is a major "WTF?!!!" moment, because here's the thing - the only other being in the entire game with similar disposition towards those eggs is Krobus, who sells them. A shadowfolk. Literally every other human in the game is very obviously repulsed and weirded out by both the eggs itself, the mayo made from it and even the chickens that it hatches into. Even Abi and Rasmodius are, despite being an actual goth and a genuine wizard. Yet Seb is somehow fascinated with those and is genuenly excited about perspective of hatching one.
5) Seb is the only one to mention his father. Literally nobody else ever mentions the guy or whatever happened to him, which is kinda uncharacteristic of a small somewhat isolated community. I used to live in a rural countryside, village people gossip like magpies, and you even see some of that in other townies cutscenes. But Seb's father is a taboo topic for some reason? Almost like something really bad happened to the guy. Something anyone would rather forget...
6) He hates clay. Not just dislikes, like most townies, but specifically HATES. And while he's not the only one with that specific antipathy, he's the only one for whom its kinda unexplainable - kids naturally hate it because they would be regularly scolded by their parents for dirty clothes, Haley and Abigail also don't like getting dirty (but both also regularly have to), Mulners are also easily explainable - George is wheelchair-bound, clearing clay out of tires is a royal pain, and Evelyn's hobby is gardening, so again, understandable. But why Seb would be annoyed by clay? His engine isn't a dirtbike, it's a HD-like motorcycle built for asphalt, and Seb himself states he sticks to roads on his nightly rides, so that's not because of the cleaning reasons, and he doesn't have a hobby or work that would have him digging in clay, so again - no reason here for him to hate it, right?
7)“Hey, thank you. I'll drink this when the sky gets dark.” - reaction to the Stardrop Tea. Again, nothing interesting in itself... until you remember that he's often out at night, either on a bike or in the mines.
8) Pumpkin Soup is another item he likes that is inconspiquous on its own, but becomes really sus when you remember that its yet another favorite he shares with Krobus. Add to it the quote of this soup "bringing back memories" - like, that's a simple seasonal soup that is readily awailable every fall, yet Seb talks about it like there is something else tied to it that he can no longer experience.
9) There is an interesting commentary you might catch if you're married and you talk to him at ice-fishing festival - he'll say he "never gets cold". And it isn't just him bragging - his winter outfit is a scarf over his biker jacket, and that's all. He will even continue working on his bike in winter, despite the snow. Yet he's also the only one in the entire town who stays dressed on the beach (wearing white t-shirt). If you don't know - temperature tolerance is a slider, if you have high tolerance of the cold - you'll have equaly low tolerance of the heat. He should've caught a heatstroke staying in the sun dressed, yet somehow he's fine not even staying in the shadow. Almost like he doesn't feel the temperature altogether...

Ok, I'm done pulling legs. I believe Seb is half-shadowfolk.
Way too many things align way too well. Same preferences as Krobus, same reaction to the void oddities literally every human character is repulsed by, him galivanting extremely dangerous lower levels of the mine like his own backyard, knowing how to work materials that are native to said levels, not being bothered by temperature difference, odd comments here and there... There is just too many coincidences for it all to be coincidental.

...or I'm just out of my marbles XD Your choice~

 

[NextXander]

@Magically Clueless what do you think about this theory?

 

[Lothengriol]

I am going to respectfully say you have departed from your rocking chair on this one. Taking things point by point:
1) Abigail is most definitely canonically armed, she has a sword she's practiced with. And more than practiced with. She can be found at Level 20 in the mines on rainy days after you see her 10-heart event.
2) Marlon doesn't say anything about the Farmer, the Dwarf, Abigail, Linus, or anyone else we know goes in the Mines. He's just not a chatty guy.
3) Having sharp edges is obsidian's most renowned property. Not everyone is a geologist, a knapper, or familiar with Aztec culture, but DMs often do a lot of cultural research to base parts of their fictional settings on, and playing D&D makes someone ask questions such as "can I make knives from rocks like those cavemen did?" Or it makes you throw random objects at your party members to annoy them, but let's stick to the more productive examples.
4) "This speaks to me" means that you find it inspiring, such as if it makes you feel a certain way or gives you an idea for something. And most people don't like void eggs because void energy is evil. It "twists" salmon into void salmon, it makes a really gross-tasting egg (and gross-tasting mayonnaise), and it's somehow tied to void spirits and serpents. Yes, Krobus is a good one. But that's one out of a limitless supply of ones that try to kill you on sight. This is more evidence that Sebastian is evil, in my opinion.
5) Sebastian being the only one to mention his father is just another limitation of the game's dialogue. Not everyone talks about everything that they're even canonically known to know. It's not really that there's some secrecy around Sebastian's father. When a parent leaves early in a kid's life, sometimes they learn not to ask questions about them before they even know the most basic things about who they were.
6) Sebastian is a huge hater. He hates nearly all artisan goods and dislikes or hates all flowers. He is pickier than Jas and Vincent, actual children, who at least like Honey, Jelly, and Daffodils.
7) He just likes being outside at night because there are fewer people and he's antisocial.
8) Pumpkin soup brings back memories for him in the same way any seasonal food brings back memories for other people. Seasonal holidays are perfect for seasonal foods, like pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving or eggnog on Christmas, or lobster on Independence Day (which might be a little more specific, but it's still a seasonal food!).
9) Temperature tolerance isn't a slider, really. I've experienced a lot of -40ºF and a lot of 100ºF and while I wasn't exactly happy at either temperature, I was always lot more comfortable than everyone else around me. Winters in Pelican Town can't be very cold since even the pond and lake don't freeze (rivers take more to freeze due to the moving water), so it can't be all that much lower than the freezing point. Snow can last quite a while a couple degrees above too, so it's possible that a good number of winter days in Stardew Valley are slightly above freezing. And on a tropical island in the summer, the ocean does a pretty good job of regulating temperature so it doesn't get all that hot. Usually it's around 80ºF. Add in a bit of wind and some water to cool off in (not to mention Gus' drink stand... when he decides to show up!) that's the kind of weather you can wear a t-shirt in just fine. Plus, Sebastian is pale. He might just be trying to keep his skin from getting sunburnt without using up as much sunscreen! All that adds up to around a 50-degree Fahrenheit temperature difference, which isn't a lot over a full year.

All in all I like the theory and the idea, and it would be fun to have as a mod or something, but I don't think it quite works given the standard Stardew Valley lore. It was great fun thinking about it though, thanks for sharing your thoughts!

 

[Wakazu]

1) Abigail is most definitely canonically armed, she has a sword she's practiced with. And more than practiced with. She can be found at Level 20 in the mines on rainy days after you see her 10-heart event.

Practice sword isn't a weapon, lvl20 isn't far from the surface and is easily reachable by elevator. By her dialogue you can also discern she took the elevator, not fought her way down there

2) Marlon doesn't say anything about the Farmer, the Dwarf, Abigail, Linus, or anyone else we know goes in the Mines. He's just not a chatty guy.

Marlon DOES says things about you going into the mines, you literally have multiple cutscenes with him discussing your adventuring progress. Also you're a member of the Guild. The point was that Seb isn't, yet somehow is allowed in the mines. Dwarf is literally living there, so even if Marlon knew about him (and Marlon canonically doesn't) he'd still had no say in dwarf being there, and Linus is a weird case of "a citizen that isn't really a citizen" - he doesn't formally live in the valley, as in having a proper registration, papers, taxes, all that shubab. He just put his tent there. Technically is living there illegally, but people are just too nice to kick him out. Not like he's that big of a nuisance.

3) Having sharp edges is obsidian's most renowned property. Not everyone is a geologist, a knapper, or familiar with Aztec culture, but DMs often do a lot of cultural research to base parts of their fictional settings on, and playing D&D makes someone ask questions such as "can I make knives from rocks like those cavemen did?" Or it makes you throw random objects at your party members to annoy them, but let's stick to the more productive examples.

Knowing something and actually doing something are two very big differences :\ And while DnD might bring you into some unconventional hobbies, it won't make you an expert unless you really stick to it, and when people do stick to something, you'd usually see evidence of that around, like things they made sitting on shelves.

4) "This speaks to me" means that you find it inspiring, such as if it makes you feel a certain way or gives you an idea for something. And most people don't like void eggs because void energy is evil. It "twists" salmon into void salmon, it makes a really gross-tasting egg (and gross-tasting mayonnaise), and it's somehow tied to void spirits and serpents. Yes, Krobus is a good one. But that's one out of a limitless supply of ones that try to kill you on sight. This is more evidence that Sebastian is evil, in my opinion.

I'm sorry, but how old are you? "Good" and "evil" is nothing more than human-made abstractions, and SDV of all places shows it very clearly. Krobus is there to provide exactly that point - there is no "evil", only different opinions and points of view. Shadows in the mines aren't trying to kill you because they just like killing humans - they are defending their homes of what they perceive as a dangerous deadly invader. And given who typically goes into the mines - why would their opinions of humans be any different?
Also - is Krobus evil by your standards? Cause you know - he likes void things too.

6) Sebastian is a huge hater. He hates nearly all artisan goods and dislikes or hates all flowers. He is pickier than Jas and Vincent, actual children, who at least like Honey, Jelly, and Daffodils.

This is straight up not true :\ His hate-list is a total of 5 items, 3 of which are egg-based dishes and 1 is alcohol.

7) He just likes being outside at night because there are fewer people and he's antisocial.

Not the point I was making. Yes, he doesn't like crowds and he pretty much tells you this himself. My point was that its kinda hard to drink a cup of tea speeding down the highway, which means he's going to take it on his trip down to the mines.

8) Pumpkin soup brings back memories for him in the same way any seasonal food brings back memories for other people. Seasonal holidays are perfect for seasonal foods, like pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving or eggnog on Christmas, or lobster on Independence Day (which might be a little more specific, but it's still a seasonal food!).

Maybe, but your typical reaction to these foods eaten outside of season won't be nostalgia, no? It's not like you reminisce of your last family gathering every time you see a turkey.
Also do note that SDV doesn't have holidays that are tied to a certain cookable food. Sure, there is Luau, but you can't cook a potluck soup any time you want, that's the point. And Valley Fair doesn't have any particular food tied to it, if anything it would be Gus's burgers that he grills there.

Ok, here are my counterpoints :) (Those I didn't quoted I either agree with or have nothing to rebuke with)
Will wait for your response

 

[Cuddlebug]

Also you're a member of the Guild. The point was that Seb isn't, yet somehow is allowed in the mines.

I don't think he is allowed to be there and neither is Abby. Or maybe they are, bc Marlon gave both of them a rusty sword (like he does with the player) and asked for killing ten slimes to enter the guild...
Another upcoming question for me is, according to all that's been said about these two, how do they get down? They don't have any equipment and the Elevator is broken before you start mining... What if the player refuses to enter the mines and the Guild with all consequences, but romances/marries Seb or Abby. Will he gift minerals to the player? Will she appear at Level 20? And if yes, how do they do so?
Questions over questions...

 

[Terdin]

I don't think he is allowed to be there and neither is Abby. Or maybe they are, bc Marlon gave both of them a rusty sword (like he does with the player) and asked for killing ten slimes to enter the guild...
Another upcoming question for me is, according to all that's been said about these two, how do they get down? They don't have any equipment and the Elevator is broken before you start mining... What if the player refuses to enter the mines and the Guild with all consequences, but romances/marries Seb or Abby. Will he gift minerals to the player? Will she appear at Level 20? And if yes, how do they do so?
Questions over questions...

I think the guild controls what floors someone is allowed to access, and that scene when the farmer gets a rusty sword is part of the initiation that everyone gets. Sebastian could well have gained entry to the guild sometime before the farmer arrived, and Abigail joining after the 10 heart event.

 

[WanderingWendaline]

I once saw a theory that suggested Krobus specifically was Seb's dad. I thought that was kinda silly, but him maybe just being part shadow creature in general seems more plausible. I'm not sure how that would work biologically, but I guess in Stardew Valley anything can be possible! Now, to add to some of the points...

Knowing something and actually doing something are two very big differences :\ And while DnD might bring you into some unconventional hobbies, it won't make you an expert unless you really stick to it, and when people do stick to something, you'd usually see evidence of that around, like things they made sitting on shelves.

Welllllll, tbf he doesn't claim to be an expert. He could be trying it for the first time for all we know, and as a fellow nerd, I can confirm I have tried similar things before. You don't really need a special background to do so.

Not the point I was making. Yes, he doesn't like crowds and he pretty much tells you this himself. My point was that its kinda hard to drink a cup of tea speeding down the highway, which means he's going to take it on his trip down to the mines.

I never thought of this! I always assumed he would just drink it by the lake since that's kinda one of his spots

Maybe, but your typical reaction to these foods eaten outside of season won't be nostalgia, no? It's not like you reminisce of your last family gathering every time you see a turkey.
Also do note that SDV doesn't have holidays that are tied to a certain cookable food. Sure, there is Luau, but you can't cook a potluck soup any time you want, that's the point. And Valley Fair doesn't have any particular food tied to it, if anything it would be Gus's burgers that he grills there.

Sebastian is pretty nostalgic in general (at least the way I see it), talking about things like running up to the bathhouse area to watch trains pass by when he was a kid. Also, you get the pumpkin soup recipe from Robin, so the soup is specifically nostalgic for him because his mom used to make it in the fall (he sort of mentions this after marriage during fall, saying "my mother used to always make this delicious pumpkin soup in the fall.")

 

[Maher]

I think the guild controls what floors someone is allowed to access, and that scene when the farmer gets a rusty sword is part of the initiation that everyone gets.

Farmer Bupkis is married to Haley. He got knocked out in one of the Lava levels and found himself rescued by Haley. So, I don't think the adventurers' guild controls access to the mines.

Marlon's presentation of the rusty sword is less "here's your license to go mining" than it is, "well, the mine is open now, don't get yourself killed."

 

[Wakazu]

I don't think he is allowed to be there and neither is Abby. Or maybe they are, bc Marlon gave both of them a rusty sword (like he does with the player) and asked for killing ten slimes to enter the guild...
Another upcoming question for me is, according to all that's been said about these two, how do they get down? They don't have any equipment and the Elevator is broken before you start mining... What if the player refuses to enter the mines and the Guild with all consequences, but romances/marries Seb or Abby. Will he gift minerals to the player? Will she appear at Level 20? And if yes, how do they do so?
Questions over questions...

You need to unlock the mines in order to see Aby's 10h event AND get down to floor 20, which unlocks the elevator, only after both those conditions would be met will she begin appearing on floor 20 - which is why I said she uses the elevator to get down there.
As for Seb - yes, he will bring you minerals even if you never visit the mines, meaning unlike Aby, he DOES actually gets around without elevator somehow. Also he is armed - if you get a mod that lets you check NPC inventories, you'll see him carrying a mace.

 

[Wakazu]

Marlon's presentation of the rusty sword is less "here's your license to go mining" than it is, "well, the mine is open now, don't get yourself killed."

I think it's even more of "I can see it in your eyes that regardless of what I say, you'll get your a$$ down there anyway, so at least take a sword with you"

 

[Wakazu]

Also, you get the pumpkin soup recipe from Robin, so the soup is specifically nostalgic for him because his mom used to make it in the fall (he sort of mentions this after marriage during fall, saying "my mother used to always make this delicious pumpkin soup in the fall.")

And that's specifically why it sounds weird to me. Like, why all the past tense? "Used to", "brings back memories" - it sounds like she did before, but no longer makes it.
But then again, that might be due to difference in language logic (english isn't my primary). Maybe it only sounds weirdly somber to me :\

 

[LRangerR]

I like the theory, but you're making a lot of conjecture here out of things that can be explained one way or another, as well as inserting your own beliefs and opinions into things that never canonically happened, like the above 2 posts. It's like you want him to be that way, so therefore you're going to see him that way, even if other explanations present themselves.

First rule of ghost hunting: Be a skeptic.
I think that applies here as well.

 

[Lothengriol]

Practice sword isn't a weapon, lvl20 isn't far from the surface and is easily reachable by elevator. By her dialogue you can also discern she took the elevator, not fought her way down there

Abigail's sword has to be a weapon, and at least a decent one, considering (in her 14-heart event) she kills a Wilderness Golem with it in a couple whacks. When you give her a Monster Compendium she says "I'll have to study this before going into the caves... Thanks!" Also, the game itself considers Level 20 to be pretty deep. In a Lost Book, it says this: "Apparently, there are three distinct areas in the mine, each with unique monsters and treasures. Some adventurers speak of gigantic underground lakes and strange creatures... But none of these claims have been proven." It is likely that she at least sometimes takes the elevator, but she does say she goes exploring in the Mines, and going down to the same empty floor where no monsters spawn isn't much of an exploration. Especially since it's not much of an achievement to fight no monsters where no monsters spawn. I'll someday try getting Abigail's 10-heart event without reaching Level 20 of the Mines, but that will be a long way off.

Marlon DOES says things about you going into the mines, you literally have multiple cutscenes with him discussing your adventuring progress. Also you're a member of the Guild. The point was that Seb isn't, yet somehow is allowed in the mines. Dwarf is literally living there, so even if Marlon knew about him (and Marlon canonically doesn't) he'd still had no say in dwarf being there, and Linus is a weird case of "a citizen that isn't really a citizen" - he doesn't formally live in the valley, as in having a proper registration, papers, taxes, all that shubab. He just put his tent there. Technically is living there illegally, but people are just too nice to kick him out. Not like he's that big of a nuisance.

Thanks for catching me on that, Marlon does say stuff to us about our going into the mines, but probably not to others is what I was thinking of. I didn't say it right, though. I consider Sebastian going into the mines at most on par with Abigail going into the mines, since Abigail *has* a weapon while Sebastian's replica mace is canonically lost (yet somehow he sells it to you without it being 'found'... it's an odd game). Sure, he's said to have other "medieval replicas" but it's never known whether or not he uses any of them. Also, we don't know what kind of replicas they are, they could be unsuitable for combat. Seb's Lost Mace does the same amount of damage as Maru's Wrench, Penny's Fryer, Harvey's Mallet, and Sam's Old Guitar. But if Sebastian has a weapon, and since we know he goes into the Mines, he (as well as Abigail) might be a member of the Guild, as Cuddlebug mentioned. Another worthwhile point is that other villagers can save you in the Mines too.

And finally, I think it's a bit much to assume that Linus is illegally residing in Stardew Valley. We don't even know if income tax exists in Stardew Valley, though it probably doesn't if the Farmer never has to pay any despite making millions. It's perfectly possible for Linus to be living there legally, and seeing as no one minds him doing so (though Robin is a bit wary at first) and he shows up to every feastday, including the Luau with the Governor, I doubt he's on the wrong end of the law.

Knowing something and actually doing something are two very big differences :\ And while DnD might bring you into some unconventional hobbies, it won't make you an expert unless you really stick to it, and when people do stick to something, you'd usually see evidence of that around, like things they made sitting on shelves.

Sebastian did say "I'm gonna see if I can shape it into a dagger", and not that he was going to make a dagger out of it, which would imply more confidence and expertise. WanderingWendaline said something similar with her response.

I'm sorry, but how old are you? "Good" and "evil" is nothing more than human-made abstractions, and SDV of all places shows it very clearly. Krobus is there to provide exactly that point - there is no "evil", only different opinions and points of view. Shadows in the mines aren't trying to kill you because they just like killing humans - they are defending their homes of what they perceive as a dangerous deadly invader. And given who typically goes into the mines - why would their opinions of humans be any different?
Also - is Krobus evil by your standards? Cause you know - he likes void things too.

I wasn't speaking on my personal beliefs here (discussing them is beyond the scope of this forum), only what the game shows and how it shows it. The Farmer can't kill any of the villagers, for one. So already there's more of a baked-in "code of conduct" per se than there is in Minecraft. And Void Spirits (as well as bats, slimes, golems, and serpents) will invade the Wilderness Farm at night, so it's not always a case of self-defense. The "twisting" comment about Void Salmon was to show that void energy changed them in unwholesome ways, and that's the position of the game itself. The comment about Sebastian being evil was a joke, he's moody and emo, but not evil.

A library book even mentions witches, warlocks, and necromancers as "unsavory types". I think there's enough clues in the game pointing to it to say that there is a moral paradigm in Stardew Valley, and the Farmer is presented as on one side of it.

I said before that the game presents Krobus as good, or more specifically, friendly to the Farmer and humans.

This is straight up not true :\ His hate-list is a total of 5 items, 3 of which are egg-based dishes and 1 is alcohol.

It is straight-up true. In addition to those five items you've mentioned, his list of hated items includes:
- All Universal Hates
- All Artisan Goods (except Coffee, Green Tea, & Oil)
- All Eggs (except Void Egg)
He also dislikes all flowers except Poppy (which everyone but Penny hates).

Not the point I was making. Yes, he doesn't like crowds and he pretty much tells you this himself. My point was that its kinda hard to drink a cup of tea speeding down the highway, which means he's going to take it on his trip down to the mines.

He could drink the stardrop tea while he's lighting up at the mountain lake or by the train station. If he is waiting for the sky to darken, he probably wants to be outside rather than inside. Otherwise he could just drink it in his room. But Sebastian does say "I'm glad the path to the railroad tracks is open again. I like going up there when I feel like being alone... which is often."

Maybe, but your typical reaction to these foods eaten outside of season won't be nostalgia, no? It's not like you reminisce of your last family gathering every time you see a turkey.
Also do note that SDV doesn't have holidays that are tied to a certain cookable food. Sure, there is Luau, but you can't cook a potluck soup any time you want, that's the point. And Valley Fair doesn't have any particular food tied to it, if anything it would be Gus's burgers that he grills there.

WanderingWendaline answered this one pretty well too; she found the quote I was looking for where Sebastian says his mother made that same soup for him. Also, many holidays in Stardew Valley have special foods associated with them. The Egg Festival is the most obvious, but other gatherings as well have tables with food out that you can interact with to learn what seasonal foods are on there (and, of course, it says that you eat them too). The villagers will talk about the food with you as well. The Farmer can't always make those recipes, but that just means they have something to look forward to as well!

 

[Terdin]

And that's specifically why it sounds weird to me. Like, why all the past tense? "Used to", "brings back memories" - it sounds like she did before, but no longer makes it.
But then again, that might be due to difference in language logic (english isn't my primary). Maybe it only sounds weirdly somber to me :\

What if Demetrius noticed how much Sebastian likes it, and told Robin that he doesn't like it (despite actually liking it), so she stopped making it.

 

[Wakazu]

as well as inserting your own beliefs and opinions into things that never canonically happened

Exact examples on this, would you kindly?

 

[Wakazu]

Sebastian's replica mace is canonically lost (yet somehow he sells it to you without it being 'found'... it's an odd game

He lost it, got himself a better replacement, returned and found his lost mace, but didn't needed it since he already got a replacement, so he sells it to you. It's "lost" not in the sense it was lost permanently, but in the sense it was lost once previously.

he (as well as Abigail) might be a member of the Guild

ABIGAIL IS NOT A MEMBER. Her whole questline is about getting into the guild and it ends with her being on trial run for it, not an accepted member.
Seb could be a member tho, that I have to admit. Altho it would be kinda weird for literally noone to ever mention it, including himself, seeing it's kinda big deal.
Also I just remembered his reaction to caged monsters on Halloween - "Would be cool to have one of these on the farm" - like, whaaaaaat... Not only is he not scared, he's outright friendly towards these things, that's a tone kids can ask "Can we keep him?" about some stray puppy.

And finally, I think it's a bit much to assume that Linus is illegally residing in Stardew Valley.

That's not an assumption, he literally tells you this. That he just plopped his tent there and have been living there ever since. Like, sure, it's another world and maybe Ferngil government isn't as draconic to its citizens, but the basic control mechanics have to exist for there to be ANY government, such as registration, medical appointments, etc. The latter is actually another point of Linus being an illegal \ semi-legal settler there, as he never visits Harvey's clinic - sure, he might not believe in power of modern medicine and would probably refuse to take any, but he still has to attend annual checkups, since an ill citizen is as much of a liability to others as they are to themselves, and Linus isn't a selfish guy. He's also quite smart and educated, so he would've known that.

Sebastian did say "I'm gonna see if I can shape it into a dagger", and not that he was going to make a dagger out of it, which would imply more confidence and expertise. WanderingWendaline said something similar with her response.

Good point.

I wasn't speaking on my personal beliefs here (discussing them is beyond the scope of this forum), only what the game shows and how it shows it. The Farmer can't kill any of the villagers, for one. So already there's more of a baked-in "code of conduct" per se than there is in Minecraft. And Void Spirits (as well as bats, slimes, golems, and serpents) will invade the Wilderness Farm at night, so it's not always a case of self-defense. The "twisting" comment about Void Salmon was to show that void energy changed them in unwholesome ways, and that's the position of the game itself. The comment about Sebastian being evil was a joke, he's moody and emo, but not evil.

A library book even mentions witches, warlocks, and necromancers as "unsavory types". I think there's enough clues in the game pointing to it to say that there is a moral paradigm in Stardew Valley, and the Farmer is presented as on one side of it.

Oookay, that's a whole other can of worms :\ I disagree hardly, but I don't know how fitting a dispute on nature of good and evil will be here per se, seeing as this is the topic about tinfoilhat theories XD

It is straight-up true. In addition to those five items you've mentioned, his list of hated items includes:
- All Universal Hates
- All Artisan Goods (except Coffee, Green Tea, & Oil)
- All Eggs (except Void Egg)
He also dislikes all flowers except Poppy (which everyone but Penny hates).

The universal groups aren't called universal just because it's a nice word, you know :\ Pretty much everyone hates those. If we will count those, then literally every other townie can be described as "extremely picky", because they all have the same 100+ items in their hate list. It's like just because you have 1 guy that likes the smell of smoke doesn't suddenly make smoking a good and healthy habit, you know?

He could drink the stardrop tea while he's lighting up at the mountain lake or by the train station. If he is waiting for the sky to darken, he probably wants to be outside rather than inside. Otherwise he could just drink it in his room. But Sebastian does say "I'm glad the path to the railroad tracks is open again. I like going up there when I feel like being alone... which is often."

Also a good point, I tend to forget about railroad area. Weird that you never see him there tho, probably he goes at dead of night.

WanderingWendaline answered this one pretty well too; she found the quote I was looking for where Sebastian says his mother made that same soup for him. Also, many holidays in Stardew Valley have special foods associated with them. The Egg Festival is the most obvious, but other gatherings as well have tables with food out that you can interact with to learn what seasonal foods are on there (and, of course, it says that you eat them too). The villagers will talk about the food with you as well. The Farmer can't always make those recipes, but that just means they have something to look forward to as well!

Again, not the point I was making, my point was that pumpkin soup is both unremarkable (not to slander Ro's cooking here, I meant the recipe itself isn't some extravagant dish made with 100500 rare ingredients and a gold leaf or whatev) and readily available, there is no reason to be all wishy-washy about it. Also the "brings back memories" reply you get when you gift him soup BEFORE you marry him, and in marriage he will reply that Ro used to make it, so that's why it sounds unusually somber to me - like the soup you make reminds him of the soup Ro used to make, but for some reason doesn't anymore.
Like, picture yourself in this - if I invite you out to dinner and treat you to a turkey, you'd probably say something like "oh, that tastes almost like my granny's!" - as in, like the one your granny makes every family gathering and would probably make it again for the next gathering. Buuuuuut if your granny have already passed, THIS is where the "used to make" construct would turn up, because, you know, it would be past tense and there won't be any future turkeys on gatherings for you.
This is what I mean, that he talks about the soup all in past tense, as something that USED TO be there but ISN'T anymore.
Granted, its probably tied more to his dad disappearing into the sunset than to anything else (Ro doesn't love pumpkin soup, so she most likely learned to make it for Seb's father, whom he inherited the love for it from, and probably stopped making it after whatever happened between them).
But that's the thing with theories. You gather a mountain of things that can all be explained individually, yes - or can all be explained with one common reason, there is non-zero probability that this common reason is indeed the root of it all. Occam's razor and all that.

 

[Wakazu]

What if Demetrius noticed how much Sebastian likes it, and told Robin that he doesn't like it (despite actually liking it), so she stopped making it.

I'm not sure whether this is a joke or genuine suggestion, so I'll be treating it as the latter just in case.
It's highly unlikely. First Demetrius has a friendly disposition towards Seb, it's just the guy extremely lacks in socioemotional intelligence to properly convey it. I mean, the tomato and hardwood bed scenes, for crying out loud :\ Dem is all science brain and zero human brain, if you know what I mean, but he is not malicious or jealous.
Then again, cui prodest, as in what would be his gain from it? Just antagonise the guy for... what, exactly? (not a sarcasm, genuine quetion)

 

[Terdin]

Also a good point, I tend to forget about railroad area. Weird that you never see him there tho, probably he goes at dead of night.

He goes there on Thursdays, and have busted more than a few of my mushroom logs. Also lost a few crystalariums because they didn't have trees to make him go around them. Goes there in the afternoon and leaves sometime after nightfall.

 

[Terdin]

I'm not sure whether this is a joke or genuine suggestion, so I'll be treating it as the latter just in case.
It's highly unlikely. First Demetrius has a friendly disposition towards Seb, it's just the guy extremely lacks in socioemotional intelligence to properly convey it. I mean, the tomato and hardwood bed scenes, for crying out loud :\ Dem is all science brain and zero human brain, if you know what I mean, but he is not malicious or jealous.
Then again, cui prodest, as in what would be his gain from it? Just antagonise the guy for... what, exactly? (not a sarcasm, genuine quetion)

Friendly disposition towards Sebastian by never mentioning him unless the farmer marries Sebastian, and then it's a congratulation, and a comment about being able to expand the lab since the cellar is unoccupied? Forcing Sebastian to destroy the snowman he made while letting Maru's snowman stand? Demetrius is so doting on Maru that all it would take is a stray comment from her like "Pumpkin soup again?" to do it.
What I see from Demetrius is not a friendly disposition. He's mostly ignoring his bonus son to avoid getting on Robin's bad side, and that if he could get away with it he'd take more active steps towards making Sebastian leave the household so he can't be a bad influence on Maru. Sebastian definitely notices Demetrius' dislike of him, and I see it as a big factor in his personality and why he wants to save up and leave.

 

[Cuddlebug]

What I see from Demetrius is not a friendly disposition.

Agree to that, and he's also way too overprotective with Maru. (No wonder that she's hanging around with Penny so much) He gives the farmer some weird comments when you befriend and later on romance her. Can't understand why Robin felt for him, but yeah, maybe she doesn't know all about his parental affections.