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the characters

  • 15

    Maya Ilagan

    Maya is the main character who narrates the story from their perspective as they navigate their college life and changing family dynamics. They are caring individual with an optimistic personality, and is the only child in the Ilagan family.

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  • 16

    Ricardo Ilagan

    Ricardo is Maya's father and the Ilagan family's main provider. Despite his blunt demeanor, he does his best to be a supportive father to Maya and a loving husband to Jennifer.

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  • 17

    Jennifer Ilagan

    Jennifer is Maya's mother, and is a stay-at-home parent who keeps the Ilagan family together. While she can be stern at times, she's the sweetest person Maya knows. Incredibly hard working and diligent, she makes the Ilagan household truly feel like home.

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  • 18

    Ethan Cruz

    Ethan is Maya's closest friend and college classmate. He is a very thoughtful person and is an exceptional student who enjoys learning new things (and annoying Maya every chance he gets).

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19

Maya Ilagan

Maya is the main character of the story. In the past, Maya used to be a confident and outgoing person. Their parents often listened to them, so Maya felt comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings. Because of this, they became friendly, social, and respectful toward others.

 

However, in the future, Maya slowly becomes more quiet and introverted. Since they often feel ignored at home, Maya begins to keep their thoughts to themself.

 

Over time, Maya becomes socially awkward because they no longer feels comfortable talking to people like they used to. Sometimes Maya may act rude, but this behavior often comes from their desire to get attention. For Maya, even negative attention feels better than being completely ignored.

21

Ricardo Ilagan

Ricardo is Maya’s father. In the past, he was calm, supportive, and always tried to guide his child. He believed that being present for his family was important, and he was able to balance his work and home life.

 

However, in the future, Ricardo becomes very focused on work and constantly checks his phone for messages or notifications. Because of this, he often becomes impatient or easily irritated. When Maya tries to talk to him, Ricardo sometimes sees it as a distraction instead of a moment to connect with his child. This causes him to appear distant and dismissive, even though he is actually dealing with pressure from his job.

22

Jennifer Ilagan

Jennifer is Maya’s mother and was once the emotional support of the family. In the past, she was caring, observant, and always paid attention to the feelings of the people around her. She tried to keep the family close and peaceful.


In the future, however, Jennifer becomes more distant and distracted. She often spends time on her phone, scrolling through social media to escape stress and anxiety. Because of this, she sometimes gives short replies like “mm-hmm” or “later,” but rarely follows through. Even though she is physically present, her attention is often somewhere else, which makes her seem emotionally unavailable.

20

Ethan Cruz

Ethan is Maya’s best friend and plays an important role in the story. He acts as someone who helps explain the issue of phubbing to both Maya and the player. Ethan also experiences problems at home, which helps him understand what Maya is going through.


Unlike Maya, who sometimes reacts with frustration, Ethan tries to help and warn his friend about how phone use can affect family relationships.

Throughout the game, Ethan supports Maya and encourages them to face the problem before it becomes worse. However, if Maya continues to ignore him or refuse his help, Ethan begins to feel hurt and distant, which may affect their friendship later in the story.