[SPOILERS] Penny's Two-Heart Event: Well Intentioned but Questionable

[aworldwonder]

Hello,

I would like to preface that I am coming from a place where I have become more aware of the struggles wheelchair users face, as I am in a relationship with someone who uses a wheelchair and have been for a few years now. I have learned that many wheelchair users view their wheelchairs as an extension of their bodies and not just a mobility device. Within that perspective, I have come to better understand that when you move a wheelchair user without their permission in order to 'help' them, you are disrespecting their autonomy and violating their boundaries (since a common view I have learned is the wheelchair being an extension for their body).

I have been an avid Stardew Player since 2018 and have played my fair share of saves. As more time has gone on, I have become increasingly bothered by Penny's two-heart event that occurs between her and George and the message/dialogue associated with it. I know that this event is about Penny and the friendship with her and the way she is seeing/feeling things as they take place, but the choices at which the player is given and the consequences of said choices are distasteful. For context, the event starts with George attempting to reach for a letter that is stuck in the back of his mailbox, but given that he is in a wheelchair he is struggling to reach them. Penny takes notice to this and moves to George's aid, pushing his wheelchair aside in order to retrieve the letter for him. Given that Penny pushed his wheelchair out of the way without asking, it upsets George quite a bit. The player then walks in and is then met with a set of dialogue options after being questioned about whether they witnessed the event or not:

"[Player]? You were watching us?"

1. "I was. You did a kind thing there, Penny."
2. "I was. You should've asked instead of assuming George wanted help."
3. "I'm just taking a walk, minding my own business."

I used to choose the first option when I was younger because to me, Penny really was doing a kind thing to help George. However, as I have gotten older the second option is what I choose. One of the notable differences between the first and second option that I have noticed (and later confirmed with the Stardew Wiki) is that the first option increases your friendship with Penny while the second option decreases it (the third has no effect on your friendship with Penny). I find this problematic because in choosing the first option, Penny is basically let off the hook for violating George's autonomy and he apologizes to her over it, before cutting off into the next set of dialogue choices and rewarding you with friendship. If you choose the second, Penny apologizes and says that the player was right and that her actions were rude to which George's response is the same as the first (he apologizes to her for reacting poorly to her actions). Again, it cuts away to the next set of dialogue choices but then decreases your friendship with Penny. While I do think George's apology is somewhat reasonable given the personality of his character, I don't think he should be forced to just appease to Penny's character given the way she acted (and regardless of what dialogue choice the player decides to pick). If I could change the dialogue George were to use in response to Penny after the player made their choice, it would be the following:

*Sigh* "No no, sorry miss. I shouldn't have gotten so angry. It was actually very kind of you to help me out. However, please ask if I need help before doing so next time."
(Followed by a smile emote bubble from Penny to acknowledge his response)

This is an important learning moment for Penny when it comes to respecting the autonomy of wheelchair users, and I think an important learning moment for players both young and old. Aside from a dialogue adjustment, the only other change I would like to see has to do with the friendship rewards/penalties. The second option should not cause a decrease in friendship as the player calling Penny out on her actions toward George wasn't out of malice, but out of awareness. The player is helping Penny understand that what she did was wrong even though she had good intentions, and to have the player's relationship with Penny get penalized over it is misguided because the player is not at fault. Honestly, I don't think anyone is at fault and that includes Penny. Anyways, that is my extra large two-cents on the matter. I hope it makes sense and if anyone has additional comments to make I am more than happy to read them.

Thank you!

 

[Bawby]

Wow, well said! 2nd option should increase friendship with George if it causes a drop with Penny. Only fair right? But, if I understood you correctly, that's missing the point enirely. Should not be this person vs. that person. Does definitely feel like the entire point of that cutscene with resulting rewards/consequences was "old man yells at cloud".

 

[REtroGeekery]

I'm always bothred by Penny's actions in that scene (my mother has had to rotate between cane/walker/wheelchair for decades so I'm well versed in wheelchair etiquette). I would like George's dialogue (or a player response to it) to be altered/added to further acknowledge that what she did is inappropriate (and frankly, rude) as well. However, I don't mind the loss of friendship points as it just shows Penny as a character doesn't like being told she's in the wrong despite her good intentions. It would be nice if she showed some character development where she's more thoughtful of others later on though. Most of the other characters that start off with less than desirable character traits have a lot of growth as you gain hearts with them.

 

[boyliker]

I completely agree!! I usually marry Penny every single save file that I have (and have been doing so since the game released) and this scene has always bothered me.

On one hand, George getting grumpy the way that he does in this specific scene makes sense for his character and his development of becoming less cynical/angry at everything as you continue friendship with him, but on the other hand, he's angry for a good reason!! Nobody should be touching a wheelchair user's chair without their permission and denying them their personal autonomy.

I wish, like what you said, there was a dialogue option that both tells Penny that she's doing a kind thing (because she really is trying to, she's just going about it poorly) but that she needs to ask people before she does things like that next time. It would make sense for both George's development and Penny's- that George apologizes for reacting like he did, but that he has good reason, and that Penny would apologize for touching his chair without permission.

 

[aworldwonder]

I'm always bothred by Penny's actions in that scene (my mother has had to rotate between cane/walker/wheelchair for decades so I'm well versed in wheelchair etiquette). I would like George's dialogue (or a player response to it) to be altered/added to further acknowledge that what she did is inappropriate (and frankly, rude) as well. However, I don't mind the loss of friendship points as it just shows Penny as a character doesn't like being told she's in the wrong despite her good intentions. It would be nice if she showed some character development where she's more thoughtful of others later on though. Most of the other characters that start off with less than desirable character traits have a lot of growth as you gain hearts with them.

Hello,

You make a valid point when it comes to maintaining the decrease in friendship to represent an aspect of Penny's character that should be expanded upon. I am honestly 50/50 on wanting to maintain the decrease in friendship, but also not having any impact on friendship points in this cut scene (positive or negative). I think the reason why I leaned more towards having no effect on friendship initially is because I see it as a real world teaching moment just as much as it is an in-game teaching moment. However, it isn't a bad thing to have those negative reactions so long as there is character development later on (a HUGE lesson and storyline that can be seen with many NPCs in the game as you are well aware ). Overall I think we can both agree that there does need to be a revamp in the dialogue used in this cutscene, as it does ignore a pretty important reality that many wheelchair/mobility device users face every single day. Thank you for giving me a little bit more to consider with your response! I hope this resonates with others just as much as it has with me.

 

[aworldwonder]

Wow, well said! 2nd option should increase friendship with George if it causes a drop with Penny. Only fair right? But, if I understood you correctly, that's missing the point enirely. Should not be this person vs. that person. Does definitely feel like the entire point of that cutscene with resulting rewards/consequences was "old man yells at cloud".

Hi there,

I appreciate the approach you have over what you think would be the most ideal if there was a reaction change for the second option, given the parties that are involved in the cutscene and the subject at hand. While it definitely shouldn't be a this person vs. that person type scenario in the way it feels that it is, I honestly don't think it is a bad idea to consider your idea on adjusting the way friendship is rewarded/penalized. The reason why I say that is because REtroGeekery brought up a great point that it honestly isn't a bad thing for Penny to react poorly to the player pointing out that she should have asked George if he needed help first, as it can lead to character development for her later on as you progress in her storyline. Plus, it validates what George is feeling and also his experience as a wheelchair user. Love, love, love what y'all are sharing here! So many great points that I hope can be considered.

 

[LRangerR]

Imo penny has always been inconsiderate, but it's almost never ill intetioned from what I can tell.