With whom do you relate?

[FoxtrotZero]

I'm mostly Hanako with a little bit of Emi.

I'm kind of an introvert. I get uncomfortable in new social situations and talking to people without knowing them (and therefore how they'll react). I do like spending time alone. And while I haven't had any true tragedies in my life, and nothing on Hanako's tier, I can understand having a past that affects you. I ended up writing two paragraphs of personal history that felt out of place, so I deleted them. But the floodgates broke on some of my issues this year and I was forced to stop thinking I'm fine and fix myself. Due to effort on my part that wouldn't have happened without playing Katawa Shoujo, I'm now in with a group of friends I really like.

I am, on the other hand, slightly Emi-related. Shy-gentle-giant type at first, I have this sort of larger-than-life persona with the people I know and like (which includes shouting, joking, and my personal favourite, uncontrollable laughter. You know, normal.). My friends, namely all the females, have unaniumously declared me a giant teddy bear (and I give more hugs per capita than anyone else in the group because I bloody love hugs). And as of recent (since I started playing KS, actually, and oddly before Emi's route) I've taken a sudden interest in my health. I can feel when I eat grossly unhealthy things and in a few weeks I'm down almost 25 lbs (almost 11-ish kilos).

Yeah. That's me, I guess.

[Dream]

I'm kind of an introvert. I get uncomfortable in new social situations and talking to people without knowing them (and therefore how they'll react). I do like spending time alone. I can understand having a past that affects you. The floodgates broke on some of my issues this year and I was forced to stop thinking I'm fine and fix myself.

It's for this and some other reasons that i feel i can strongly relate to Hanako as well. Those other reasons being a sense of distance and isolation from pretty much all of humanity, i feel that no matter what i'll never be able to connect or really trust in anybody. And i'm also uncertain of the concept of friendship or whether or not i can have friends. Aside from that, the feelings of worthlessness, self-loathing inspired by your own weakness and feelings of being a burden to people (specially those you care about) are feelings all too familiar to me. Plus i also have a pretty shitty past and kinda hopeless life, so i guess i can kind of relate in that aspect as well.

[Xanatos]

I'm kind of an introvert. I get uncomfortable in new social situations and talking to people without knowing them (and therefore how they'll react). I do like spending time alone. I can understand having a past that affects you. The floodgates broke on some of my issues this year and I was forced to stop thinking I'm fine and fix myself.

It's for this and some other reasons that i feel i can strongly relate to Hanako as well. Those other reasons being a sense of distance and isolation from pretty much all of humanity, i feel that no matter what i'll never be able to connect or really trust in anybody. And i'm also uncertain of the concept of friendship or whether or not i can have friends. Aside from that, the feelings of worthlessness, self-loathing inspired by your own weakness and feelings of being a burden to people (specially those you care about) are feelings all too familiar to me. Plus i also have a pretty shitty past and kinda hopeless life, so i guess i can kind of relate in that aspect as well.

Dammit, quit living my life. It's not good for you!

[Dream]

Dammit, quit living my life. It's not good for you!

I suppose it's like the phrase "Birds of a feather" In a way, i think it's a testament to the game's quality/spirit that they can show and give hope to people who never had it in their lives.

Somehow, this also reminds me of two aspects of Hisao in which i can relate to him. One of them is interest/curiosity, for people, and things in general. Being introspective and thinking of things, even to the point of being completely distracted by my surroundings, is not at all a rare ocurrence for me. Then again that's probably common of all introverts. The other one... Is a bit hard to describe, but the only word that comes to mind, is "change", a sort of awareness that one needs to change an aspect of themselves, or something like changing your attitude or thinking because of something or someone else. I don't know, like i said it's hard to describe.

[Xanatos]

Dammit, quit living my life. It's not good for you!

I suppose it's like the phrase "Birds of a feather" In a way, i think it's a testament to the game's quality/spirit that they can show and give hope to people who never had it in their lives.

Somehow, this also reminds me of two aspects of Hisao in which i can relate to him. One of them is interest/curiosity, for people, and things in general. Being introspective and thinking of things, even to the point of being completely distracted by my surroundings, is not at all a rare ocurrence for me. Then again that's probably common of all introverts. The other one... Is a bit hard to describe, but the only word that comes to mind, is "change", a sort of awareness that one needs to change an aspect of themselves, or something like changing your attitude or thinking because of something or someone else. I don't know, like i said it's hard to describe.

I get that too.

Also, just to add a depressing note to this, I was rummaging through my various memories and realized the last really worthwhile experience I had with people (relatives excluded) was about fourteen years ago. That's four more years than I thought it was...

[emmjay]

Me, I can most easily relate to Hanako. I don't have anywhere near her level of social anxiety (although I used to be more shy than I am now), but I am not and have never been what you'd call extroverted. I'm an avid reader and definitely understand the appeal of shutting the world away and losing yourself in a good book. She and I have similar interests (reading, computers, chess and games in general). I can also get pretty focused on a game the way she does.
Side note: Anyone else ever feel the desire to play chess after playing through certain parts of Hanako's route? Or Risk after losing Australia to Shizune?

[YZQ]

Me, I can most easily relate to Hanako. I don't have anywhere near her level of social anxiety (although I used to be more shy than I am now), but I am not and have never been what you'd call extroverted. I'm an avid reader and definitely understand the appeal of shutting the world away and losing yourself in a good book. She and I have similar interests (reading, computers, chess and games in general). I can also get pretty focused on a game the way she does.
Side note: Anyone else ever feel the desire to play chess after playing through certain parts of Hanako's route? Or Risk after losing Australia to Shizune?

I myself go with Hanako, with touches of Rin. I enjoying reading (non-fiction, especially history), and com gaming. And I can lose myself like Rin, although I swear I don't talk like her. (Similarly, my friend will swear that my train of thought is like hers: random carriages.) If you squint, I tend to try and maintain my temper like Lily. I don't see the point in getting angry at anyone. Not many things can make me lose my temper.

[Slerbatus]

I found myself related Hisao and Rin
Hisao cause I have slight heart problem in my family and I'm somewhat idiot as hisao.
And Rin because I don't often show strong emotions and i treat people kind of similiar way.

[Solus]

I find that I share many characteristics with Lilly. Not only do I have similar mannerisms, but I drink tea religiously, and I'm progressively losing my eyesight.

I find myself sharing a fair few characteristics with Lilly as well, I go through multiple cups of tea a day and, perhaps something I wish I didn't share, I slowly appear to be losing my eyesight. I think I can relate more to Emi though, particularly the determination and optimism. Perhaps determination can be just as much linked with Shizune, but it feels different with Emi.

[Antarus]

I'm a weird hoshpot between the shyness of Hanako around strangers and non-friends, and a lot of loud, cheery, hyperness like Misha around my best friend, although I sadly can say I don't really have any other good friends per sé.

In class, I'm usually quiet. There's only one person in my class I consider a friend instead of an acquaintance, and depending on the lesson I can be really quiet even when sitting next to him, although in other lessons I have a less loud cheery hyperness. I take a while to adjust to a new group to be a part of, and as a result the people I haven't known for much longer find it almost more awkward talking to me than it is for me to talk to them.

But around my one best friend, which I spend a lot of time with, I'm laughing almost more than anything else. Either he makes a joke, I do, or I just find something funny that nobody else does. I'm sad I can't show the same cheer around other people, but on the other hand that would be exhausting.

[Katase]

I would just go generic and say I'm all deep like Rin, but that would be a lie. I'm not like Rin. Maybe only a little, but not enough to say we're related in one way or another. Instead, I feel like I want to be more like Rin. I don't know why, she just seems to have this relaxing aura around her. (pun not intended) I like that. I like that a lot.

[Xanatos]

I would just go generic and say I'm all deep like Rin, but that would be a lie. I'm not like Rin. Maybe only a little, but not enough to say we're related in one way or another. Instead, I feel like I want to be more like Rin. I don't know why, she just seems to have this relaxing aura around her. (pun not intended) I like that. I like that a lot.

Implying Rin is deep...

[Denouement]

Rin ,from what we can see, is actually pretty shallow, even she herself admits to that. Of course, she isn't absolutely shallow, but a lot of the time, as the good ending says, she is simply "present". She only can be interpreted as deep because she seems to be hard to understand for most and/or because she occasionally asks "deep" questions and/or states random things, but that doesn't exactly imply that at all. In fact, those consequences can be directly caused by being shallow.

[Banryu]

Hmm. I guess I'd have to say Shizune. I'm not really as driven (read: lazy) or competitive (read: I suck) as someone like her, but I definitely DO have real high standards and strong ideals, and I can sometimes be pretty overbearing in pushing those standards on other people in addition to myself. I actually was let go at my last job for that, more or less. ~__~ (It's frustrating when you feel like you're working hard, but others aren't; still, I was definitely at fault there, it wasn't my place to micromanage my coworkers...) So yeah, I can identify with her there, and the frustration or lack of understanding of others that causes or results from it when you push them away.

Also, unsurprisingly, Hanako. I was definitely that sort of kid in elementary school; not with any physical blemishes or any such thing, no, I was far too fortunate for that and only ACTED like everything was wrong with my life. ~__~ Still, I was definitely the shy, solitary bookish type at some stage in my life, and probably still am to some extent... So I guess part of having such a soft spot for Hanako is because I can relate to her too.

[Dezzy]

I'd probably say Rin most, though not quite to that extent. Part of what through me off was that Hisao couldn't understand anything about her, but a lot of her self-descriptions were closer to the way I try to explain how I think than anything I've ever seen before. A lot of the parts that were meant to be confusing felt perfectly clear.

There's also some Mutou thrown in there