I came back after beating the game a second time just to share my thoughts and gush I guess? It might be pretty long & cringy so just be warned lol
It was really cool to experience this, truly. After I finished the game the first time, I immediately bought the dlc. It was nice to feel loved by my parents, have friends, excursions and feel so loved and cherised. It was something I never had growing up and that basically didn't change into adulthood. The crazy car ride with Kyra was something I absolutely adored. I found myself smiling and laughing from all of the dlc but that one memory stands out to me. She tried so hard to be the cool mom while still being a disciplinary figure. Same with MCs mom. It was nice to not be belittled but instead to have things explained to you. Not only that but to also try to understand it from your point of view. They were kids once. With the runaway dlc moment, when Mom finds you and she's clearly very mad and worried she still tries to get you to understand why she feels that way without yelling. Im sure theres plenty of people who think "well no duh, of course" but I have never experienced that. My personal mom was always yell first and only yell. Cliff was such a good example of someone trying whats best for their kid and it not always working out. His and Kyra's relationship was so nice. They didn't hate each other they just couldn't be together and did what was best for their family. I liked seeing them get along as the game progressed, I liked that their split wasn't entirely horrible and that they really did try to fix it. They weren't always perfect but that's what makes them relatable.
And Cove. My sweet Cove. I didn't think I would come out of the experience loving him as much as I do. I loved that he wasn't afraid to show his emotions, I loved how close we got over the course of the game. Seeing the self centered boy grow up into a shy pre-teen and then an outgoing teenager was so...different and I loved it. Noticing everything he remembered about me over the years was wonderful. It was so nice to be so cared for and loved. Not just from Cove but everyone else as well. Gosh Lee, I love Lee. She's such a sweet girl and I wish we got more time with her as well as Miranda and Terri. I actually really enjoyed Liz's teenage phase too. Looking at it from an older persepctive, of course she's like that, she's just being a kid. It was hard to ever really be upset with her. Especially since you could tell she did still love you even if she didn't say it. The diversity in the cast was fantastic. I got to see myself in a character! And it wasn't played for jokes or laughs! She wasn't a token character! That means so much to me.
As much I absolutely love Cove and can't wait for his dlc, Im also very fond of Baxter and Derek and can't wait for their dlc either. This is the first game in a very very long time to make me feel so emotional and connected. I cried both times I beat it. I cried when Cove told me he loved me, I'm crying now as I reminse. It resonated so much to me because for once im my life I mattered to people. My thoughts, opinions and feelings mattered. And they loved me unconditionally. I'm sorry about this post being so long, I haven't had anyone to talk to about this game or express my feelings about it.