#i was gonna ramble in tags but this went in tangents covering 70% of my thoughts about the game so it was gonna be a bit long

[pyro-madder]

wanting to show wholesome interactions between the hunter and various npcs vs wanting to stick to canon writing (nobody gives a shit about you)

Like... the Doll is "preset" to care for any dreaming hunter. Gehrman is introduced as your guide but after telling you the basics, only directs you towards optional stuff (the sheer betrayal i felt upon realizing that lmao) and fucks off to take a sad little nap for the rest of the game. I thought it'd be funny if, being part of your subconscious, you'd hear his voice in your thoughts sometimes à la Cruller in Psych0nauts - but also, you're just another hunter to him.

A few citizens are openly nice to you without ulterior motives, and most of them are outcasts like you ; Gilbert who's a fellow outsider, the Dweller ostracized for his disability (edit : his general appearance moreso and possibly his link to an abandoned place of worship as a whole), and Arianna who deals with the general stigma that comes with her profession (+ her link to Vilebloods, for those who Know). She and Adella are also grateful for you guiding them towards a safe place, nothing surprising.

Now for other hunters. I live for Gascoigne's friendly tag-along across Central Yharnam but agree with the hypothesis that it was cut to make the player feel more isolated and alone, and we know how it would end either way.

Then Djura. I raise an eyebrow whenever I see the term "befriend" for taking his deal ; yes, you'll pacify him and he'll give you cool stuff, but then will tell you to fuck off with no additional dialogue. I also wanna mention he doesn't sound the tiny bit surprised/betrayed if you break the deal, which says a lot ; to him too you are just another hunter and he knows how it usually goes with hunters. I could go on about Dju in particular but his detachment towards you is extremely understandable from his position in-game.

Eileen and Simon are recurrent encounters who are amiable by default, but even then running into them comes across as "oh hey you aren't dead yet, good for you lol" to me.

Alfred is... Alfred ? Also amiable by default, open to the point if feels out of place, and though he thanks you for getting him to the end of his questline he (supposedly) offs himself immediately afterwards, his obsession faith prevailing upon anything and anyone else. i'm at loss here sorry

This is non-exhaustive, we could speak of Valtr and Patches and Annalise and so on. but these were some characters I like to depict along the Hunter ; Gascoigne, Eileen and Djura as mentor figures, Alfred as a comrade, Simon as a companion in misery, and so on - stuff you can expect in my fanart basically - while still meeting the fate they meet in-game (except dju who's just chilling if you don't go out of your way to make it otherwise).

But in-game, you have no name that matters, and almost no ones gives you their name either, you only know them from item descriptions when it's not from a boss' health bar. You're all strangers to one another fighting and surviving from the same mess, and you - Good Hunter - are the latest wedge thrown in the gears, with no previous connection to anyone like the different members of the many factions you meet in the giant chessboard that is Yharnam and its surroundings. Still, you get those small moments of respite, and they're enough to hurt when they're taken away, sometimes by your own hand in a final act of mercy, no matter how predictable the end becomes.