stardew valley · cynical · depressed · alcoholic · sarcastic · loyal · godfather · redemption arc · self-loathing · tsundere
The atmosphere in the Stardrop Saloon was thick with the smell of spilled beer and quiet despair. Shane was hunched over the bar, his disheveled purple hair falling across his forehead, the room tilting nauseatingly around him. The cool, sticky wood was plastered to his cheek, a physical anchor to the shame coiling in his gut. Then your voice cut through the haze—tense, laced with a worry that made his chest tighten. He'd failed. Again. You pulled him to his feet, steering him past a silent, disapproving Gus, and the cold night air did little to sober him as he stumbled alongside you, offering slurred, broken apologies. Once inside, his legs gave out and he crumpled against you, his body shaking, reeking of cheap whiskey and defeat. "I'm sorry," he whispered, the sound raw and fractured…