Katawa Shoujo Forums

Merlyn_LeRoy wrote:I'm fine with Vienna as a setting, too. And I forgot to include a cutter as a possible character type (the cutter probably wouldn't be the suicidal character).

Well... what does cutter do then? Is it a kind of axe-crazy / knife-nut people with tendency to slice someone?

Merlyn_LeRoy wrote: A Freud expy might be too obvious/trite. Is there a particular reason for one?

I kind of looking for a "School Counselor/in-house Psychiatrist" character type in the likes of Nurse-kun of KS and somehowe while browsing for inspiration, Freud struck the right note with me. It's a chemistry thing and the design might change in future.

Merlyn_LeRoy wrote: A possible story dynamic for one character could be that she constantly lies to her therapist, and tells the MC this, so the MC sort-of becomes her therapist by proxy (Liza Minnelli has said how her mother Judy Garland would lie to her therapist and laugh about it with Liza).

That's a fine possibility - can you write up some example character? Maybe I can try to come with some visualization to go along with it.

Merlyn_LeRoy wrote: Great art style there, Imperial.

Thanks I look up to Pimmy for style inspiration for this VN actually. I hope this is fine.

imperial.standard wrote:

QbertEnhanced wrote:Chief! Please draft the above person - we haven't got a musician on our team...reverbnation

Hehe, thanks for that, I am now in talks with the boss

Some things:

1) No rape as backstory. Just don't. Trust me on this.
2) Your male character design attracts me more than your female one. Don't take it personal.
3) I feel your female characters look beautiful albeit a bit plain. I would recommend trying to have some girls that look a bit more "normal" but with their own charm. In fact, I feel "charm" is something missing in most of the girls. I think I see some from the eyepatch one, she looks believable to me or something.

Maybe I'm not good with this. Just some thoughs.

imperial.standard wrote:

Merlyn_LeRoy wrote:I'm fine with Vienna as a setting, too. And I forgot to include a cutter as a possible character type (the cutter probably wouldn't be the suicidal character).

Well... what does cutter do then? Is it a kind of axe-crazy / knife-nut people with tendency to slice someone?

By a cutter, I mean someone who cuts themselves, but it's not a suicide attempt, it's self-punishment. For example, Maggie Gyllenhaal's character in the movie Secretary was a cutter. Someone who is suicidal may have cut themselves in a suicide attempt (e.g. the usual wrists), but the motives are entirely different. A VN delving into the psychology of all this would bring these differences out.

imperial.standard wrote:

Merlyn_LeRoy wrote:A possible story dynamic for one character could be that she constantly lies to her therapist, and tells the MC this, so the MC sort-of becomes her therapist by proxy (Liza Minnelli has said how her mother Judy Garland would lie to her therapist and laugh about it with Liza).

That's a fine possibility - can you write up some example character? Maybe I can try to come with some visualization to go along with it.

I could really see a sociopath doing this noooo problem -- in her opinion, there's nothing wrong with her and she has no compunction not to lie, but she might also want to "brag" about pulling the wool over her therapist's eyes with someone, to show how smart she is. It could present an odd possibility to the MC about starting to date her, since he'd realize that she could be lying about anything during their relationship. But maybe going into a relationship knowing that could help make it work.

Without sounding too much like Shizune, what about a character who experienced some shattering trauma that developed a psychological block that prevents her from speaking. (Like a sibling was dying in her arms, but no one was around to hear her scream for help as they slipped away. She screamed and screamed until she lost her voice, and it never came back)
The end result would be her overcoming her block to respond to your confession with an "I love you too"

Bix wrote:Without sounding too much like Shizune, what about a character who experienced some shattering trauma that developed a psychological block that prevents her from speaking. (Like a sibling was dying in her arms, but no one was around to hear her scream for help as they slipped away. She screamed and screamed until she lost her voice, and it never came back)
The end result would be her overcoming her block to respond to your confession with an "I love you too"

I think that fits to my "selective mutism" a few pages ago. In this case actions would speak louder than words.

If those character designs are first drafts, I see real promise for a finished product.

Should we try to find a forum to move to soon, before silentcook or Suriko locks this thread?

Now this sounds like a excellent project. Of course as long as its done tastefully I think something like this could be just as eye opening and meaningful as KS is.

Alot of people try to ignore others with some sort of mental disorder or act like they are nearly invisible. Kinda like how Hisao didn't know what was PC to say or do when first arriving at school but far far worse. I think it be good to show people how to deal with those types of situations and still be able to treat others with some sort of problem like they are still human and still matter.

Mirage_GSM wrote:If those character designs are first drafts, I see real promise for a finished product.

I was a bit harsh before, but I do agree.

Woo! That's a cool idea. Really nice art there aswell imperial.standard, awesome. It could totally work.

But... It must be seriously hard to imagine what a character with a mental disability thinks like, no? Atleast if you go in-depth with it, which I suppose you would in this VN. No doubt it depends on the disability though, and how realistic you'd want to make it. I mean, what REALLY goes on in the head of a person with schizophrenia for example?... Hm, maybe it doesn't matter too much, since you'd only be looking at and talking with such a character. You only *observe* that character, and I guess that's easier to write about.

A character with actual schizophrenia that you PLAY AS... Now that would be something weird to try and write. The inner monologue of a schizofrenic, yea.

While it might be interesting - and probably also fairly unique to have an autisic or shizophrenic Main Character, it is probably something you should avoid doing for your first project. At least your PoV character should be someone with fairly normal thought processes. Remember that his view of the world will be what the reader of your VN gets for the whole of the VN!
There are still enough conditions that qualify as mental disabilities to choose from.

Harlequin13 wrote:A character with actual schizophrenia that you PLAY AS... Now that would be something weird to try and write. The inner monologue of a schizofrenic, yea.

"schizophrenia most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction. The onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood." I'd vote for auditory hallucinations (hearing voices), which I think is a common type. The voices could be a weird counterpoint to the MC's thoughts and feelings.

What about a character with addictive personality disorder? Or a hoarding disorder for that matter?