First of all, I was having a bit of a giggly fit over his profile art having the little caption of head empty because that's a massive mood. Just right off the bat from his profile alone, before I read anything, I was immediately like "Oh this little guy, he's got something more to him." And I was pleased to be proved right!
I think one thing that I also immediately noticed was his age. Maybe it's just uncommon in the spaces I've been in online but OCs that are in the 10-13 age range are somewhat uncommon. Which is a bit of a shame considering how many great coming of age stories/movies/TV shows feature protagonists in that age range! To be honest it made me very curious and excited to read more about him since I see it so rarely.
Quick aside (I'm writing as I scroll through his profile so hopefully this doesn't get long but we'll see lol, but hence the kinda... jumbled stream of thoughts.) but I have a very soft side for comic relief characters who actually have a lot going on in their background. I maybe it just speaks to me specifically, but the concept of putting up a cheerful facade is a familar one, and to see it in a character is always fun (bonus points if they have to go through growth to face what's troubling them, rather than burying it under cheer.)
Okay okay, I just gotta like... blab about this but I LOVE the way Max's MDD is portrayed here. The way you touch on it being something he can't quite make sense of himself, aside from recognizing he feels bad all the time is something that I think is a common feeling, but isn't as well talked about as much as I'd like personally. Much less portrayed well in media at times, so this was so nice to see on his character. Poor guy, btw hope he eventually find the help he needs. BUT that brings up another thing that I was actually very fond of and it's that you don't resolve his issues in his profile. By the time I finished the bio I realized that it was left very open on that front, I'd assume in preperation for The Oddwoods story? Even so, I just thought that was neat in a weird way. Like it's still an aspect of his character to be explored, and I'm curious how you choose to do that!
I know you mentioned asking for criticisms on the forum game, but I can't really think of much, you pretty much nailed the descriptions of depression without explicitly stating what it is, and without Max entirely understanding what it is. It really makes it feel like a much more... idk how to say but real issue for Max. As a reader I can actually see how his depression affects him, rather than being told! I think if I could give anything, is that I noticed you mentioned anxiety somewhere in his profile. (briefly) Anxiety tends to go hand in hand with depression at times, so I think maybe delving into why he's anxious about telling people how he feels could be cool to see, though I think you've covered it a bit with his desire to not become of burden to those around him. More just food for thought than a critque tbh 🤔
ANYWAYS, this was a delight to read, thanks so much for uhhh having me here in your characters comments^^
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