Rin Is NOT Random

[Deimos]

speaking in comical ways and not taking things too seriously may be a way of endearing herself to aquaintances who have reservations about getting to know her better.

That is not necessarily the case. Hisao himself describes her with an odd fascination through his supercomputer comparison. And Lilly, who was able to make Hanako, who also has a bunch of problems, socialise with her, does not feel endeared by Rin's behaviour.

Part of the attraction with Rin is that we are not able to figure her out. Labeling her as random is another term for me that some people do not get her. And I like to believe that is intentional. All girls gain something from Hisao. Hanako needs another friend, Shizune wants some hottie to join her council, Lilly needs a husband to complete her as Yamato Nadeshiko, Emi has a training partner in the mornings but what does Rin gain from Hisao?

She does not strike me as the person to need new emotional bonds or confidantes. She ... seems content the way she is and I cannot help myself to wonder what kind of character development I may expect from her.

[Guest]

What Rin is looking for in friends probably differs from people's general consensus. She mentions she likes to have Emi around when painting because Emi's constant chatter makes it easy to think of nothing. Likewise, she says she likes it if Hisao is just around, even if he doesn't really do anything. What Rin gains from Hisao is simply another person to be around her who isn't weirded out to the point where they get up and leave. I wouldn't be surprised if Rin sees friends as people who stand on the sidelines while she goes about her usual business. That is, they just hang out with her without really "doing anything", but she still likes them being around.

[Bara]

... transalted it to Finnish and back again.

trans-salted? Is that like MSG or something?

[G3n0c1de]

So you took Rin's dialogue and salted it with Finnish salt? I suppose that could be why she sounds as she does.

[GarrettSchwing]

I'm really enjoying the interesting discussions on this topic. Psychoanalyzing the finer things of the characters personalities in the story and people offering their opinions is great I think.

[Deimos]

What Rin is looking for in friends probably differs from people's general consensus. She mentions she likes to have Emi around when painting because Emi's constant chatter makes it easy to think of nothing. Likewise, she says she likes it if Hisao is just around, even if he doesn't really do anything. What Rin gains from Hisao is simply another person to be around her who isn't weirded out to the point where they get up and leave. I wouldn't be surprised if Rin sees friends as people who stand on the sidelines while she goes about her usual business. That is, they just hang out with her without really "doing anything", but she still likes them being around.

The way you describe it makes Rin see her friends as background figures. And that is quite insulting for somebody who wants to be a real friend. I know this word is used in an inflationary way nowadays with everybody calling everybody they've just met "friend" but it is a whole lot different in reality.
A real friend is like a live concert just for you and not some background noise like elevator music.

[Guest]

The way you describe it makes Rin see her friends as background figures. And that is quite insulting for somebody who wants to be a real friend. I know this word is used in an inflationary way nowadays with everybody calling everybody they've just met "friend" but it is a whole lot different in reality.
A real friend is like a live concert just for you and not some background noise like elevator music.

I wasn't insinuating Rin sees her friends as insignificant, but I was suggesting friendship with her might follow different mechanics or patterns. A good example would be Emi's statement prior to you and her reaching the roof to have lunch. She says to hurry, because if she doesn't show up on time, Rin'll just wander off. That's not something I could easily see any of the other girls doing. When following her route, most of the time Hisao spends alongside Rin, he's keeping her company while she's busy doing her thing. (painting her mural or simply hanging out in front of it) It's more of a "sideline" role than the time spent along with Shizune or the chess game Hanako invites you to play. That's not to say Rin doesn't care whether you're there or not, it might just be the case that company is all she really expects without real shared activities.

[Deimos]

That's not something I could easily see any of the other girls doing. When following her route, most of the time Hisao spends alongside Rin, he's keeping her company while she's busy doing her thing. (painting her mural or simply hanging out in front of it) It's more of a "sideline" role than the time spent along with Shizune or the chess game Hanako invites you to play. That's not to say Rin doesn't care whether you're there or not, it might just be the case that company is all she really expects without real shared activities.

Again , keeping company is an activity that is not restricted to friends. Anybody can do it with anybody. And then again Rin does not actively seek your company although she is not hindered in that regard as Hanako for an example. She does not even comment on Hisao expressing interest in joining the art club.
It is hard to determine if she really appreciates the characters who sorround her for their personalities.

I have given Rin some thoughts when I tried to write a fanfiction about her (but failed horribly because I could not portray her "naturally") and I concluded that she seemed quite stagnant in her character. I have this possible scenario lingering in my mind that she is the heroine who needs to be changed the most by Hisao. Who knows, maybe they have an early sex scene but she does not want a deep relationship and the rest of the game consists of Hisao trying to establish a real connection with her as opposed to her normal way of dealing with people.

[Fronzel]

...maybe they have an early sex scene...

I can totally see Rin suddenly saying "wanna do it?" and then never mentioning it afterwards and uncomprehending of why Hisao is acting any differently.

[Tsundere Lightning]

As far as I can tell, Rin has mild autism.

Her speech patterns make me think of her clicking TVTropes potholes because they catch her eye, and then going, "Heh, Beehive Barriers, I never noticed that" a second after talking about dating sims. Sure, her thoughts logically progressed from Visual Novels -> Kawata Shoujo -> Zettai Area (a page on fetishizing what parts of the thighs you can see when a girl wears a skirt and stockings, like people did with Asuka) -> Beehive Barrier (hexagonal energy shields, by way of Zettai Area originally referring to hexagonal Absolute Terror Fields.)

But no, not random. Just hard to parse, difficult to follow the logic chain back to it's point of origin.

Did I mention I love Rin and her speech patterns to death?

[Tsundere Lightning]

...maybe they have an early sex scene...

I can totally see Rin suddenly saying "wanna do it?" and then never mentioning it afterwards and uncomprehending of why Hisao is acting any differently.

I would more than expect this of her, honestly. I would very much like a storyline taking that tack.

"We had sex."

"We made love!"

"Is there a functional difference between those?"

[Deimos]

As far as I can tell, Rin has mild autism.

Please, do not do a diagnosis of such grand nature unless you are a certified professional in that field with some serious quotes from Rin backed with links to psychology essays or books about psychotherapy ... or a developer of KS. You may not know it but tagging medical issues onto people who do not fit the norm just to give an easy explanation of their behaviour is generally seen as an insult.

"We had sex."

"We made love!"

"Is there a functional difference between those?"

Action nr. 1 is the simple act of procreation recreated for pleasure. It serves the body.

Action nr. 2 is a fine art done by normally two people in order to express the aching affection towards the other person(s?) involved. It serves - dare I say it - the soul.

[Tsundere Lightning]

...Every time I type something, I prove that Ignorant Poster is Ignorant (I'm referring to myself). Oy.

I didn't mean to insult you. Or Rin, for that matter. Rin is awesome. Sorry, Rin. I based this assumption on her dialog and friends of mine who have been diagnosed with autism-spectrum disorders.

Also, I love that reply. Exactly what I was trying to say!