So, is Hanako a Nerd?

[YZQ]

Well, Reconciliation has Hanako working as a novelist. I've seen many novelists who are more reclusive than she was in that fic.

[Guest Poster]

What I think Dream was getting at is whether it'd be a good idea for Hanako to pick a job that would be catered to her shut-in tendencies rather than one that challenged her to address them.

[YZQ]

It's her internal debate/struggle. She does have a desire to challenge herself, otherwise we won't have the Bad End. It really is up to her.

At least, out when you're working, you'll be treated as an equal as long as you pull your weight.

[Guest Poster]

At least, out when you're working, you'll be treated as an equal as long as you pull your weight.

Not necessarily. Bullying does take place on the workfloor. It's just more subtle than the childish name-calling you see in elementary school.

[pandaphil]

Let me rephrase that. She'd work in a field where she could work from home 'when she chose to'. Really, a lot of people work from home, yet that doesn't make them reclusive shut-ins.

[YZQ]

At least, out when you're working, you'll be treated as an equal as long as you pull your weight.

Not necessarily. Bullying does take place on the workfloor. It's just more subtle than the childish name-calling you see in elementary school.

It's more subtle, and more unforgiving. If you say you don't want to run away anymore, this is the crucible to test it out.

[pandaphil]

I was just re-watching Hanako's bad ending, and one thing bothers me a bit. Hanako makes the comment that she can tell everyone thinks shes broken, and that Lilly dotes on her like a child. I have to wonder if she thinks this way even in her good path, but just never works up the courage to say it. It would suck to find out she really resented her friends all this time.

[KeiichiO]

I was just re-watching Hanako's bad ending, and one thing bothers me a bit. Hanako makes the comment that she can tell everyone thinks shes broken, and that Lilly dotes on her like a child. I have to wonder if she thinks this way even in her good path, but just never works up the courage to say it. It would suck to find out she really resented her friends all this time.

I personally believe that Hanako said those things out of pure annoyance with Hisao. I don't think she completely meant those hurtful words she said, but I can see where's she is coming from. She was subject to, "white-knighting" throughout her entire route, though, I think that if those feelings were true, they were completely resolved by the time of her good ending.

[Guest Poster]

I was just re-watching Hanako's bad ending, and one thing bothers me a bit. Hanako makes the comment that she can tell everyone thinks shes broken, and that Lilly dotes on her like a child. I have to wonder if she thinks this way even in her good path, but just never works up the courage to say it. It would suck to find out she really resented her friends all this time.

I think that completely depends on what mood she's in. During her better days, Hanako's probably giving Lilly and Hisao the benefit of the doubt as much as she can. After all, during her good route during the "date" in the city where Hisao gives Hanako that phone accessory, Hanako admits she loves Lilly very much and she seemed to be sincere about that. During her bad days, on the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised if Hanako secretly resented Lilly's and Hisao's worrying and feels they see her as nothing but a broken person. And during her bad end, she was in a VERY bad place emotionally. And then Hisao told her he just had a phone call with Lilly about her and they were both oh so worried about her and that probably kicked Hanako's latent shreds of resentment into full gear.

Hanako's rather misanthropic, even though she doesn't really want to be. She doesn't like those pangs of distrust for her friends and tries to supress them, but she still has them from time to time. She doesn't completely trust Hisao and Lilly's motivations for hanging out with her although she works through that issue with Hisao at the end of her good route.

For short; Hanako doesn't hate her friends. She loves them and on her better days is willing to admit as much, but still distrusts them on her bad days. Throughout her route, Hanako is trying to figure out Lilly and Hisao and is trying to break through her own wall of cynicism.

[YZQ]

"Good times, bad times, give me some of that..."

Someone should introduce Hanako to the Doctor.

[Oddball]

I was just re-watching Hanako's bad ending, and one thing bothers me a bit. Hanako makes the comment that she can tell everyone thinks shes broken, and that Lilly dotes on her like a child. I have to wonder if she thinks this way even in her good path, but just never works up the courage to say it. It would suck to find out she really resented her friends all this time.

I firmly believe that Hanako does feel Lilly treats her as a child, but most of the time she's fine with that. She's gotten to the point where she really doesn't expect anybody to respect her or treat her as an equal and is mostly okay with that. Lilly might look down on her some, but at the same time, it's obvious that Lilly seems to care about her. Lilly is the only real friend she's had in about a decade. Deep down, Hanako really does want friends, maybe not a lot of friends, but a few would be nice, so he's going to take what she can get.

[muliebrity]

Oddball, that sounds a little cynical to me. I think there's a bit more complexity to it than her resigning herself to Lilly's maternally-charged friendship. Don't you have some things that your friends do that bother you? I know one of my friends can be very mean to people because he thinks he's being funny, and sometimes it pisses me off, but we're still close. She would say the things she did about Hisao and Lilly because she does feel that way, and girls people suddenly remember everything they're mad about when in an argument with someone.

[Selim Bradley]

Oddball, that sounds a little cynical to me. I think there's a bit more complexity to it than her resigning herself to Lilly's maternally-charged friendship. Don't you have some things that your friends do that bother you? I know one of my friends can be very mean to people because he thinks he's being funny, and sometimes it pisses me off, but we're still close. She would say the things she did about Hisao and Lilly because she does feel that way, and girls people suddenly remember everything they're mad about when in an argument with someone.

While you make a good point, Oddball is correct too. Hanako would be very cynical, even though she doesn't show it openly like some do. All her close "friends" abandoned her after the accident and everyone saw her as either a burden, a freak, or many other negative things. You tend to lose hope in the goodness of people when that happens so when someone is nice to you, while you are appreciative of it, you do harbor doubts about the sincerity of their intentions.

[Guest Poster]

Nah, I think Oddball's pretty on the mark. Lilly doesn't conciously look down on Hanako, btw, this is just the way she comes across due to her mothering attitude towards others. (she also mothers Akira and I'd be very surprised if she looked down on her own elder sister) I too think that Hanako deep down would like her friendship with Lilly to be more than it is yet at the same time doesn't feel like she's entitled to complain...seeing that Lilly's the only person who has treated her well (if a little too nurturing) over the last decade.

[YZQ]

In that case, something is being lost along the way. We know Lily and Hanako aren't friends for very long, but I would have expect Hanako to pick up the fact that Lily appreciates honesty, and tell her own side of the story. If you are truly okay about being alone, why not lay the cards on the table, and clear up expectations, even if that may drive Lily away?