I've been rereading hts lately and the way you described Kyo's feelings about her normalcy and being human in the Before very much reflect my own, especially in the context of death. So did you base those on your own life and experiences, and if so, have you come to any conclusion about emotion and the dreaded "being normal" that you're willing to share?
I did, yes! It's been quite a few years now since I wrote the beginning of HtS.
I think... that normalcy as a concept is incredibly over-rated and a bit of a myth. What is normal? Who decides what is? What's really important is to find something that works for you and how to be happy as well as you can.
The details don't really matter, when it comes down to it. Actions matter so much more than emotions, and yes, you can base your actions on emotions, but that's not automatically a good thing!
So I guess my conclusion on the whole thing, wrapped in some general life-advice, would be... Try to get to know yourself as you move through life, acknowledge your emotions, investigate them, but do it for your own sake, not to be "normal". Be kind, be weird, do what you need to be happy.
No one is nearly as "normal" as the general public would have you believe, and that's alright.
Hope that helps!


















