#or maybe i just... only ever read the basil scenes

[yallemagne]

HOT HOT OOO WE GOT IT HOT HOT HEY WE GOT IT HOT HOT SAY WE GOT IT

IT'S DASIL CONFESSION.

How I love "oh come on Basil, that's not even a compliment!"

"It was a CONFESSION. I LOVE YOU."

"Thanks, I guess."

Dorian, I want to punt you out a window.

[grifonecoronato]

A Missed Opportunity in The Acolyte, Episode 6 "Teach / Corrupt"

(spoilers for The Acolyte)

Those who read my blog here know that I'm a big fan of The Acolyte; I see it as part of "Grown Up Star Wars": a kind of thematic "trilogy" of Star Wars shows that dare to explore deeper topics in this universe, which other shows and movies only touch on or hint at.

But speaking as a writer, no work of art is beyond critique. And there's one missed opportunity in Episode 6 that I think requires special mention.

Simply put, Chekhov's Gun was shown, but never fired.

Chekhov's Gun

If you're new to writing, Chekhov's Gun is a principle named in honour of the prolific 19th-Century author and playwright Anton Chekhov, who gave the following advice:

Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there.

Osha Has a Tattoo...

In The Acolyte, Episode 2 "Revenge / Justice", Sol and Osha are reunited after being apart for six years, ever since Osha left the Jedi Order. In that time, she's become a "Meknek" (a mechanic that repairs space ships on their outer hull).

Sol notices that she got a tattoo on her arm, and they have the following exchange:

SOL: "What is that?" (he points) OSHA: "Oh, this is a PIP droid. I'm trying to sync him to your ship so I can get some fuel levels and some vitals, and-- SOL: "I mean, what is that?" (he points to the tattoo) OSHA: "Oh, uh... I got this in CorpSec. It was a crazy night with some of my crew. And you hate it. SOL: "It doesn't matter what I like..."

But what Sol likes does matter, especially to Osha, because Sol prides himself on being a father-figure. He asked the question in part because it's clear he disapproves, and Osha feels the weight of that disapproval.

...That Mae Doesn't Have

Now we come to Episode 6 "Teach / Corrupt," where Mae takes on Osha's identity. Her plan is a little light on the specifics (as Mae's plans usually are, since her defining fatal flaw is her impulsivity), but she has two main goals:

Find a way to deprogram her sister's "brainwashing", which requires first knowing what story Sol has fed her so that she knows how to undermine his credibility in Osha's eyes;

To punish Sol... somehow. Maybe by killing him? But that might interfere with Goal 1...

Just as Mae is figuring out this dilemma, mechanical problems arise on the ship. To keep up her cover, she tries to repair the ship, except that in doing so, both PIP and Basil figure out that she's an imposter, and act together to try and get her caught.

She deals with PIP by wiping the droid's memory, but not before he sprays her in the face with something oily and gross:

Basil, meanwhile, gets away. She tries to hunt him, but Sol calls her for a conversation, interrupting her search.

So the scene comes to its climax when she has a heart-to-heart with Sol, and Mae realises that he didn't tell Osha the whole story of what happened on Brendok... what' more, Mae intuits that Sol probably didn't tell anybody the whole story, and that the Jedi Order is probably as much in the dark about it as Osha herself.

That means that Sol is vulnerable to having his story exposed.

Seizing on this opportunity to hurt Sol, she tries to contact the Republic, but he stuns her into unconsciousness; Basil, it seems, got through to Sol and revealed that he's been talking to an imposter.

How the Scene Should Have Played Out

I don't like this resolution because it misses the obvious opportunity set up in Episode 2.

Instead, here's how I think it should have ended:

The beginning plays out the same: Mae is called away to repair the ship, Basil and PIP figure out she's an imposter and try to thwart her.

But in this version, Mae would have successfully subdued Basil.

Meanwhile, PIP would spray Mae with the gross oil, but instead of hitting her in the face, it hits her on her jacket, staining it.

Feeling disgusted by the oily jacket, Mae discards it, and is now wearing only her tank top underneath, which exposes her bare arms sans tattoo.

When she speaks with Sol, her body is angled in such a way that Sol coincidentally doesn't see her right arm, until it's almost too late.

At the last second, Sol notices the missing tattoo, infers that this is Mae and not Osha, and stuns her.

The end result is the same, but it lets the story offer a payoff to what it set up several episodes ago. And I think that's a more satisfying resolution.

[eversleepings]

disclaimer: i love kel omori

was talking to juno (hi juno!!!!!!!!) last night about something or other and i got on the topic of kel. and i thought about him.

i generally like the interpretation that he's accepted mari's death.

i know some people like to make it so that he hasn't, that he's faking a smile, but i truly believe he did. mostly because my idea of acceptance =/= never grieving. i still think kel is grieving, but he's accepted that mari's dead, and he's accepted how mari died, and maybe he's accepted that there was nothing he (a 12 year old at the time) could've done to help her (or what he thought was happening).

tl;dr: kel is complex (but not in the way most people think) and i would like to read more flawed kel please. a scrap for the desperate.

this is, obviously, a stark difference from the rest of the cast. sunny is directly in denial of her death, and in the first few days, convinces himself she's just in college. aubrey doesn't directly deny her death, but she seemingly is unable to accept that mari would kill herself - and hero moves from being unable to accept mari's death as a whole to accepting her death, and that she killed herself, but not that he couldn't have helped, and not that he isn't at fault (again, all theories)

so kel accepted mari's death. seemingly, this is where most misunderstandings come from over the game. what i want to talk about is one of the bigger ones: (apologies for the bad photo quality)

[in case you can't see - KEL: You know, MARI would be really sad to hear that...]

THIS scene right here.

this is also the scene where aubrey drops the bomb that mari is dead. The "It Means Everything" scene. one of the most iconic scenes in the game. but I never see anyone ever talking about this line of dialogue from Kel and one of his earlier ones, where he brings up how they used to be friends.

kel throwing mari's death in aubrey's face and i don't even think he meant to do it.

he truly believes that because they used to be friends, aubrey should listen to him. he truly believes, and is probably right, that mari doesn't want them to fight. but he throws her (seeming) suicide in aubrey's face in order to try and get her to see things his way, and stop bullying basil, and she lashes out, resulting in the following fight.

i see lots of interpretations where kel is knocking on sunny's door for 4 years. if that's the case, why didn't he talk to aubrey? since we have no knowledge of the 4 years, we can only assume that either 1. he did, and was rebuked (likely if he was 'too late'), or 2. he didn't, period, for whatever reason.

and the thing is, i didn't even like aubrey when i first played omori. i thought she was annoying and a bully, and i thought her "redemption" was underwhelming and rushed, and i hated it. i've gotten over it now but we are framed to see (rightfully) that aubrey is in the wrong - allowing us to ignore kel's part in this.

the game establishes aubrey as an enemy pretty quick. she fights you in her first scene, her hooligang are the obstacles for most of your tasks on the first day, she stole something from basil (someone you likely have an emotional connection to via. headspace, and sunny as our pov character has a connection to) and she's bullying him. the only other people we fight in the rw are all imaginary.

kel is our deurotagonist (secondary protag) for the real world. he's our guiding light, the rock in the shore. he must be right because we have to be right. and he generally is!

it is wrong to steal and bully from basil. and aubrey is in the wrong to attack us. but, while not an excuse, kel hurts her emotionally, and doesn't even apologize or acknowledge it - and this is likely why despite kel's seeming social prowess, it's hero (a neutral third party, who always has deescalated their arguments) who has to step in to stop their feud.

kel tries to get aubrey to see how he feels, and in doing so, says some of the most hurtful shit on the planet. so aubrey says it right back. this is the fundamental misunderstanding that separates them, even though they seemed really close, despite their arguing, as kids.

i just think kel is pretty complex, but not in the way people think he is (the earlier mentioned fake smile stuff). i think he also has his flaws, like the rest of the cast (minus mari and hero) that we miss because we're so focused on aubrey here (esp since her reaction afterwards is again, really iconic) and i wanted to share my thoughts.

also made this post because i want more flawed kel please. please give us more fucked up kel thanks xoxo

[tenebris-lux]

(This post is written very clumsily, because I’m way too distractable today. It starts as an Edward Hyde & Dorian Gray post, then turns into Just Dorian Gray. Tired of dicking around with the draft, though.)

I enjoy comparing Edward Hyde to Dorian Gray and imagining interactions between the two. But there’s a contrast I have as … I dunno, a headcanon, maybe? It’s been a while since I read The Picture of Dorian Gray, so I’m possibly misremembering, or maybe I kinda remember and just think I’m making it up, or … I dunno. I’m not eloquent today. WHATEVER! It’s this:

So, Edward Hyde tends to give off an unsettling vibe when people interact with him. Even if he hasn’t said or done anything unusual, people get … put ill-at-ease around him. They’re thinking, “There’s something off about that guy. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but … I should tread cautiously.” (That’s pretty much the impression I get from the book—the “impression of deformity without any nameable malformation”; “none could come near to me at first without a visible misgiving of the flesh.”)

Dorian Gray, on the other hand, doesn’t give off that vibe. For starters, he’s not “pure evil,” as Jekyll described Hyde to be. Also, he’s damn good-looking—he looks about 19 or 20 and is breathtakingly beautiful. He has charisma, and he doesn’t change. People look at him and DON’T think, “There couldn’t be anything wrong with that guy,” and they DON’T think it, because why would that thought EVER cross their mind? The people who are off-put by him are only the ones who have a history with him, or know his history. If he does give off a vibe, it’s due to charisma and it’s to the positive effect.

Hyde naturally pushes people away; Gray naturally draws them in.

I bring this up, because I’ve seen lots of fanart of Gray (referring, here, to him the person, not the portrait), and most of them are done in a way to give off an unsettling vibe. And, while they’re good pictures, it does irk me a little, because to my understanding, that’s not really the case with him. The guy you saw the day his portrait was finished is what you also see 15 years later. The only ways to know the truth about him are:

- getting his history secondhand;

- interacting with him enough times and staying sharp;

- seeing his portrait.

For the same reason, I’m not the biggest fan of the portrayal of him in the movie League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It’s fine that they aged him up, as … well, it could get creepy if he looked too young. But the portrayal gave off a sinister feeling. I didn’t even know the story or character when I saw the movie, and I was getting that vibe.

So, I REALLY appreciate it when there’s no impression that something’s off with him in art.

(Exceptions would be, say, specific scenes where his behavior shows his true colors. No way would he look pleasant and harmless while murdering Basil.)

[vilelittlecritter]

There's a line I think around halfway or at the start of the game where basil says something along the lines of "Sunny's the baby of the group so we have to make sure to keep him safe!" And when you first read it you think it's Basil doing a little jab at Sunny for being the youngest.

But by the end of the game it's one of the most horrifying pieces of foreshadowing ever...

Everything that Basil did wasn't out of cruelty or anything like that it was out of desperation and misaligned kindness. The poor guy basically has no family at all so when he has one of the only sisterly maybe even motherly figures in his life dead at his feet of course he's going to freak the hell out. At that moment it wasn't even just a desire to protect Sunny and keep him safe it was a desperate attempt to cling to the only real thing he had.

And then after faking her death, enduring some of the most traumatising events for a child to experience nevermind one who already has plenty of issues, he gets left and bullied for years and just takes it because of his guilt.

And then suddenly everything starts coming back, sunny leaves his house but leaves him yet again, he nearly drowns to the hands of one of his former best friend, one of the only real relatives he has dies leaving him completely alone and he's still struggling with the guilt of framing a god damn suicide.

And even after all that he still tries to "save" Sunny, yes he was having a psychotic breakdown but he really did think that something was hurting Sunny. He's been beaten, bruised, spat on, left behind and neglected and yet he still chooses to try and save the guy who basically ruined his life by blaming him for blacking out his photos and just leaving him (I'm not villianising sunny he had his own issues but that doesn't disregard the fact that his actions led to Aubrey's bullying). And we know that Basil understands what Sunny did to him repeatedly asking him to please not leave him again and screaming at him for what he's done. And despite that he does care for Sunny, he considers that Sunny should be the one to keep the photo album which is one of Basil's most prized possessions (that scene is extra heartbreaking with the context that he gave him it because he was planning to commit suicide).

Basil is a genuinely caring soul but is so damaged, broken and hurt that he unknowingly does more harm than good. The boy was just trying his hardest to help in situations he had no real control over. God just thinking about his character too hard actually makes me tear up and I just want to give him a big hug because by god he deserves a hug.

And there's so much more to talk about him like even deeper analysis, his symbolism in the story and URRRRGH WHY ARE THESE CHARACTERS SO WELL WRITTEN!!!!

He's such a depressing character and if I see another mf try to characterise him as some yandere psychopath ima throw hands at a bitch. Respect the complexities of this mf or else.

I don't think people understand what happened when Sunny was fighting Basil. Basil didn't try to commit a "double suicide", he had a psychotic break and genuinely thought that Something was trying to harm Sunny, so he tried to protect him by killing it. He didn't realize that he was actually harming Sunny in the process and I'm sure he regrets taking Sunny's eye out a lot. The fact that people think Basil could just fucking kill his best friend out of nowhere makes me so mad. Sunny's death is like the last thing he wants.

[spirngakawening]

Once again reminiscing over Hamlet in yr12 Lit Studies.

We wanted to properly cast roles and act it out as we read it, so our teacher gave us role preference sheets

I put Hamlet as my top preference because it would've been SO gender. And I was unopposed, so I indeed read for Hamlet! And it was very gender 😎

P sure my second preference was Horatio because - and I don't think this is acknowledged enough - Horatio is ALSO very gender. Like,,, he's a nerd he's the sensible foil to his best friend's chaos he's HORATIO.

The classmate who ended up reading for Horatio happened to be a girl who I thought was v cool and aesthetically attractive agahsjdlmdvsl 💀 I refrained from joking to her about hamratio because I didn't wanna make her uncomfortable*

But like we all saw the hamratio when we watched the David Tenant version of the final scene agshdlf

*(this girl was the only one who hadn't considered that Dorian Gray and Basil Howard might be gay - even the churchgoers thought they were gay!! But also this girl had The Song of Achilles on her bookshelf so idk what to make of that. Regardless, I couldn’t figure out a good way to joke with her about it and was never gonna be shooting any shots anyway. I wasn't out as anything in hs and I've never been too fussed about dating. I didn't fully realise that I probably had a crush on her - I'd never had a non-boy crush at this point. ANYWAY,)

My third preference was Polonius because he's funny and ironically verbose. As someone who is verbose, and existentially contradictory, I can relate. I thought it'd be a fun role to play with if I wasn't Hamlet or Horatio.

But, since I did read for Hamlet, I had the hilarious experience of mime-stabbing a classmate through a blanket and dragging him "off-stage"... his legs still moving to assist in the dragging made for great physical comedy

The guy holding the blanket-tapestry doubled as the actor for king hamlet's ghost, with the same blanket as his ghost costume lol

Fortinbras brought the exact 'okay I just walked in on something here' energy that she needed to at the end

I think Rosencrantz and Guildenstern didn't really wanna be there... which honestly fit their characters! V much 'uhh I'm just here to do my job but I'm not paid for THIS' vibes

Our teacher, legend he is, recited 'to be or not to be' from memory - some classmates kept track and noted like, one minor error in his whole recitation. Slightly disappointing that I didn't get to read that part, but it was hella impressive and fun to witness

I can't remember which section it was, but once, near the end of the day, a classmate I really respected complimented how I read one of Hamlet's sections and I will never forget that, I will remember how that moment felt forever and ever

Very glad we didn't have to read out the full scene between Hamlet and Gertrude before Polonius dies (all the psych students in the room, including myself, were cursing Sigmund Freud after discussing that scene). Also glad we didn't read many scenes between Hamlet and Ophelia. I would've felt so bad talking to my classmates like that 💀

For our final lesson of reading Hamlet, we went to the multipurpose room and our teacher brought props

I clashed broomsticks with Laertes (who was much more focused on the swordfighting than I was, I was just trying to read my lines man), Gertrude had her chalice, I took the plastic crown from Claudius' head after he sipped grape juice from our teacher's 'mug life' mug, and Horatio kinda just stood at a distance reading her lines during our final conversation, maybe coming to kneel beside me as I died?

It was brilliant.

[ventruevitae]

Went back and played nightroad between other responsibilities and it’s always interesting to see some subtle edits made between updates. It’s definitely been over a year since I last read it so ofc I’m sure my memory is fuzzy kinda but there were some small alterations made to a couple things that made me go ‘huh interesting.’ Like I’m pretty sure the malkavian at pattermuster’s morgue believed he was Christ reincarnated last time I read, whereas now it was something like ‘he had met Christ’ or been blessed by him or smth. I played the mobile version so no code diving but I’m curious to see if there’s maybe a note about these minuscule edits somewhere in it. I don’t remember seeing pattermuster or olivecrona’s people at the final scene either.

Anyway Iris/Lettow forever, they’re off in their plane going east and who knows what’s gonna happen. It’s kind of bittersweet with the whole beckoning thing but imo these two seem like they’re probably going to end up blood bonded at some point so I’m not entirely sure anyone cares lmfao. Julian was #disappointed I guess that he got blown off that badly by his ex but Iris is still very staunchly ‘you lied? So much? What did you expect’ about it which is Fair. I think half of his beef was probably just emotional hdjdjd I don’t think he necessarily still has feelings, but it was more of a blow to the ego that she wasn’t just going along with his plans again. She’s Tired okay.

Relationship with the sire was way better here. Pattermuster is on good terms with his childe these days, which was a nice change. St Basil’s stays an abattoir purely thanks to that relationship, which maybe isn’t Iris’ best moment but she’s also just trying to get out of these situations with minimal disturbance. Caul got away and so did the Lampago, but only after some nasty fighting. Ngl that’s probably also another reason she was down to get on that plane, she doesn’t need those headaches in the future. Beckoned or not, being around Lettow offers more protection.

this was definitely the worst relationship I’ve had with Julian lmao. I’ve never played fully through the game with Iris as a Brujah so there might have been some differences in flavour text? On the plus side the camarilla Loved me so real estate was cheap as fuck. No ghoul this time bc I’m also still operating under this being a double courier au & Romina ends up with Raul. Failed the Reremouse mission too, didn’t have enough vitae for disciplines annnd i got the achievement for messy crits 🙃 like I didn’t frenzy but I did fly pretty close to the sun a few times lmao. You Can definitely get though this one with a physical focus for your stats, but having nothing in awareness made some spots trickier. I ended up picking options at the start that were like. I think drive/mechanic stuff so it was an even split between intelligence, drive, and dexterity. We Managed. Romina will probably have a more survival/charisma based build bc she’s not really djjfjf she’s not booksmart like that yk. She’s not the Car Girl TM.

Donati went down so easily tho, like I had maxed out combat skills and just. Sliced her down the middle and that was that hdjfkf like I don’t think that fight has ever been so smooth ever? Wild.

[thisislizheather]

Summer Saturdays Vol. 3

EATING

The patatas bravas at Huertas were the best I’ve ever had.

DRINKING

An unholy amount of iced coffees with vanilla sweet cream.

COOKING

I had a piece of leftover steak, so I made Philly cheesesteak potatoes that were unexpectedly great. It was literally just sliced steak, sautéed onions and provolone atop some cubed, roasted potatoes with a basil dip. Am I entering my era of creating my own (albeit basic) recipes? I MIGHT BE.

BAKING

Absolutely nothing, it’s hot as hell.

CRAVING

Making a mental note to get the incredible Emmy burger cheeseburger dumplings (only available in July) at Mimi Cheng’s.

Above Photo: The cheeseburger dumplings at Mimi Cheng’s, NYC

LISTENING

How have I never heard of the song deja vu before? In love.

WATCHING

I watched the newest season of Black Mirror and my favourite was definitely Beyond the Sea. That scene after Josh Hartnett puts his kids to bed and goes downstairs with his wife? May have watched that scene more than once. I also started the newest season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, which can be pretty corny but can also make you teary? Can’t explain it. Love it.

WEARING

Living in these all-red running shoes.

EXPERIENCING

I took a brutal fall on a sidewalk in the East Village and the wound is… wild. I really didn’t want to pay for a doctor visit, so I just went to a CVS pharmacy and begged a pharmacist to take a look and tell me what to do (is that as sad/cheap as it sounds? yup!) and thank christ for pharmacists.

LOVING

I don’t tend to idolize anyone physically, it’s not really my style. (I mean, except for early-aughts Joshua Jackson, Pennywise-era Bill Skarsgård, Riverdale-era Skeet Ulrich and any-time-he-appears-in-water Jason Mamoa…) Okay, forget what I said, I pine like no other. And I can’t get these outfits on these men (below) out of my mind. Just flawless. And they’re all Gucci?? I’ve gotta start paying attention to the Gucci men’s collection runway shows.

Above Photo: Ryan Gosling in Gucci

Above Photo: Josh Harnett in Gucci

Above Photo: Ryan Gosling in Gucci

Oh my jesus, I’m relooking at those photos and maybe I just like a half-open dress shirt?? Yep, cracked the code. Someone convince Nathan to stop buttoning up to his chin, please?

SHOPPING

Secured my Barbie ticket. Now we wait.

You can read Summer Saturdays Vol. 2 over here, and you can see my summer highlights on Instagram over here.

[woodchipp]

Hello! Nice to see you finally join the conversation!

silent hill is very literal and omori is very symbolic. Those are just the facts.

That sure is one hell of an opener to a post like this.

It is true that SH2's symbolism may be more overt than people once believed. However, if it really was as "very literal" as you think it is, it wouldn't have spawned an entire two decades' worth of examination and analysis. Fans still have discussions about what stuff like "There was a HOLE here. It's gone now." or Angela's flaming staircase or the Prisoners in Toluca Prison are supposed to represent.

All of the things I listed are examples of a work leaving some bits and pieces of symbolism that aren't needed to understand the main story up to interpretation while the symbolic foreshadowing that is needed to understand the main story remains clear enough for the audience to catch onto. This is good writing.

Symbolic doesn't mean "opaque to the point of incomprehensibility", which is what Black Space essentially is.

Speaking of Black Space!

Blackspace didn't have foreshadowing

This is not what I said. I said that Sunny and Mari's argument wasn't properly elaborated on. I said that we weren't shown how hard violin practice was for Sunny. I said that we weren't shown how harsh Mari could get with him while they were practicing. I said that we weren't actually shown Sunny growing tired until he reached the peak of his frustration. I said that Black Space could've been used to show all of that. I've lost count of how many times I had to repeat all of this only for you to consistently misinterpret me each and every time.

Basil's Something is designed to look like mari's body on the floor.

Source that isn't an art post on Reddit?

Again, this is just fanon, and an apparently common interperetation at that. The game never remotely hints at what Basil's Something is meant to represent, which is kinda funny considering that Sunny's Something is the focal point of the game's entire plot twist lmao

- At night we can SEE what looks like a body/mass of black hair in front of the stairs for a second before it fades

For a second.

foreshadowing so peak and symbolic it can only be spotted for 0.005 seconds if you say "Bloody Mary" 666 times in front of a mirror

the way sunny represses an entire room of his house (the one his violin is stored in) to the point where he can't see the door most of the time. It appears briefly at night occasionally. If you interact with the blank wall it says "There is Nothing Here."

I have acknowledged the storage room as an actual hint towards the argument. I said that hint still wasn't enough.

Did you even read the post?

The way he visibly backs away when everyone else is talking about/accepting mari's death in front of the treehouse (again, an obvious sign of anxiety/guilt no one else in the scene is expressing)

That could just be written off as him still not being able to accept her suicide, having spent 4 years walled off in his own house and all.

It (+ sunny's dad leaving after the incident) implies that his parents knew what really happened.

As with the previous point, Sunny's father leaving could be written off as a natural (if very harsh) reaction to losing a daughter to suicide.

The parents would've played a bigger part in the story if they actually knew the truth.

You don't seem willing to consider other perspectives

If I wasn't willing to consider your perspective, I wouldn't have started this discussion in the first place.

My closing statement is that I hope you grow past this and also maybe catch up on some media literacy.

Just a quick question - have you ever happened to notice how people who insult others for their supposed lack of media literacy often lack it themselves? Y'know, just food for thought.

Fortunately, that's where the posts come in.

"In a story where we view everything from Sunny's perspective, someone who's been repressing everything about this incident so deeply"

You know what other work of fiction does this exact "protagonist with repressed memories has to face the truth of having killed their loved one" plot but does it way better? Silent Hill 2.

SH2's plot twist is that its main protagonist, James Sunderland, killed his wife Mary three years before the game's events and repressed the memory of the murder, convincing himself that Mary actually died of a terminal illness she was suffering from at the time he killed her. The terminal illness is a heavy factor in the murder - because it disfigured Mary and made her confront her own mortality at the age of 25, she repeatedly lashed out at James, who tried to take care of her despite his own despair. Eventually, watching his wife wither away and being powerless to do anything about it, Mary's mood-swings, resentment of the burden she put on him and a desire to relieve her of the misery she was in drove James to smother her with a pillow.

The reason I'm bringing it up is because SH2 actually foreshadows its twist - three out of the four characters James meets throughout the game vaguely reference that James' relationship with Mary wasn't as good as James implies it was, the fourth character (whom you fight as a boss and who killed a dog at some point before coming to Silent Hill) alludes to the fact that James must be a murderer too if he is in the town in the first place, Pyramid Head's design being based on a painting of an executioner and him pursuing James over the course of the game implies James is a criminal who wants to be punished, one of the locations James has to go through is literally a prison, etc. The "Hallway" conversation I've linked in the paragraph above is used by the game to show how James and Mary's relationship worsened after she contracted her illness; as I said, the dialogue clearly implies Mary had such mood-swings pretty frequently.

OMORI doesn't have much foreshadowing for the real cause of Mari's death, nor does it have anything similar to the "Hallway" conversation to show how harsh she got with Sunny. A good chunk of the hints the game provides (Omori's Furious emotion showing a single eye similar to Mari's hanged body, Something in the Water's little hanged bodies, Something's general design) would lead the player to believe Mari did kill herself before the story swerves around in its last hour and reveals that Sunny committed manslaughter. The only hints I could call hints are the prevalence of staircases in cutscenes before Sunny fights his fears and maybe the storage room, but even then my point stands - it's just not enough.

(oh, I also remembered the "You did it" poster in Orange Oasis. Which is an optional location, thus making crucial foreshadowing very easily missed. lol and lmao)

That brings me to your next point.

"I don't really see where a direct explanation of the build-up to the fight beyond that would fit."

Black Space.

Since it (ostensibly) represents Sunny's unpredictable subconscious, you could just make it the framing device for Sunny's backstory akin to Bojack Horseman's Time's Arrow, an episode where a character's backstory memories (traumatic and otherwise) are filtered through her emotional perception of the events at the time they happened and her unstable mental state in the present day.

A very good example of how Time's Arrow manages to convey trauma without sacrificing story is its signature scene - a formative memory from the character's childhood, in which she sees her father callously dispose of her beloved toy by burning it in the fireplace while telling her to keep her emotions in check and not to cry lest she ends up like her mother, who was lobotomized some time ago and consequently became a shadow of her former self. Since everything the audience sees in this episode is filtered through the character's emotions, her father's callousness is represented by the aforementioned fireplace behind him becoming a wall of hellfire, while her mother's status as a shadow of her former self is represented by her being a literal shadow with the lobotomy scar highlighted.

That brings me to your next point.

"A lot of the build-up due to that is expressed metaphorically through Headspace and Black Space."

Where? Literally where?

What, am I supposed to see the room with the "Peter Griffin chokes on a rice cake"-like BGM as a representation of the Deep emotional pain Sunny experienced as a result of Mari's scolding? lmao

That brings me to your next point.

Again, I was talking about the game not showing us the deterioration of Sunny and Mari's relationship over the course of their practicing. You seem to have missed that point completely, but just to make something clear

The parallel you're talking about doesn't even work. Mari was dead the moment she hit the bottom of the staircase. Basil was still alive and in active danger of dying, which means that he was able to be rescued.

Mari wasn't.

"Lots of people see spaceboy as a parallel to hero but no one thinks if sweetheart (and her chase of perfectionism all throughout the game) is a parallel for mari."

Actually, a lot of people do. It's the only theory about her I've seen floating around when people discuss the meaning she supposedly has, and I've been lurking around in this fandom for quite a while now.

By the way,

>>"People aren't just filling it in themselves like fanfiction" >>proceeds to use fanon interpretations as an argument

If that style of writing isn't something you like, that's ok! Completely understandable, not everyone wants to pick through the details for things like that

Implying that the work you're defending is just Too Genius™ for your interlocutor to understand isn't a great way to endear them to your argument.

But I wouldn't necessarily call it bad writing. You're allowed to not like something without it being inherently bad or poorly made.

The inverse is also true - you're allowed to like something without it being good! What constitutes a "good" work of fiction is subjective, after all. I have my own fair share of works I'm really fond of despite how shitty they are lol

Just don't get all defensive and insist that the work you like is too Subtle and Intricate to understand when someone points out the very glaring and numerous flaws.

(also bro really said "agree to disagree" and then wrote me a giant reply justifying their opinion lmao)

@welcome-to-grayspace

[mysweetland]

Sunny and Basil 🌻☀

Let’s talk about Sunny and Basil’s relationship. (Because I’m in too deep but I don’t want to get out).

(Heavy spoilers from Omori, if you haven’t played all the routes the game yet, please don’t read this until you do >.<)

With that being said, this is just my humble opinion, I’m open to all interpretations and I do not wish to engage in a shipping battle, that is definitely not my intention. Idk why I decided to write a whole essay but I love them too much, okay? 😂 also, if you like Omori and Sunflower, let's talk. I have so much to say 🙈

(This turned out very long skngfl)

Okay, here we go:

I’ve always thought that Sunny and Basil’s relationship is very interesting. They are each other’s anchors in a way, have been since they met. I do not think that either Sunny or Basil would ever find what they found in each other in someone else. Though they can be close to Aubrey, Kel, Hero and Mari, there’s some sort of chemistry between them both that can’t be unmatched with anyone else.

Now, I do not mean to say that the other relationships they have aren’t important or that they don’t love their friends enough. But I think there’s some sort of unspoken and natural reciprocity between Sunny and Basil. Whether it’s romantic or fully platonic is up to interpretation, but it’s there.

If we’re talking romantically, then I think this reciprocity doesn’t happen between Sunny and Aubrey, for example. I think that they have a great friendship, they understand each other, Sunny used to listen to her talk and vent all the time and, well, he canonically has (had?) feelings for her. But I fully believe she never reciprocated his crush in real life. There’s no doubt that Aubrey appreciates him, but I don’t think she ever fell for him in that way. And, if she ever did when they were kids, I doubt she does now in the future, where she already has a new group of friends and other things to worry about. Everything that happens in Headspace is fully idealized by Sunny. He wanted her to like him, so he made the version of her that he wanted to see.

Though, well, I don’t think Sunny likes Basil back either canonically but some things I will be talking about next might possibly prove this statement very wrong 😂. Still I think that Sunny regards Basil with a lot of fondness and appreciation that only exists towards him and not towards his other friends.

Anyway, let’s talk about Basil for a moment.

Basil

So… It is heavily implied that Basil has feelings for Sunny. There’s no doubt he thinks of him as his best friend and appreciates him so much that it leads to him supporting him the best he can. I truly think he was and is in love with him and maybe, the fact that he’s been so lonely in the past made him attach to Sunny more than he had to.

We know about this already, it is shown in the game openly in a lot of scenes. And well, the perfect evidence is the way he regarded Sunny as perfect and refused to accept that he was the one who killed Mari…………… But let’s not go here.

Or, actually, let’s go there for a moment. Basil idealizes Sunny a lot, he puts him on a pedestal most of the time and tries his best to protect him and save him (even if he does it wrong in a lot of situations, but he was just a child back then). I have a point to make about this at the end of this, so stay tuned? lmao.

What about Sunny, though? He has some sort of strong attachment towards Basil, he can even idealize him in his mind. Basil is not the only one doing this. 

But well… it’s not explicitly told to us. So, for that, let’s dive into the depths of Sunny’s mind.

Headspace

So we know headspace is Sunny’s dream world. The happy place he chose to stay in for 4 years, where everyone loves him and appreciates him, where his sister is still alive and safe. He has not done anything wrong in Headspace, Omori is just a sad boy that has the support of all his friends.

In there, we discover his desires, his dreams and what he thinks of other people. Of course, we see his fears and brief representations of his guilt over Mari’s death.

But why am I bringing this up when I’m supposed to talk about his relationship with Basil? Well… 

It’s always been interesting to me how Basil is different from everyone in Headspace. Everyone else is represented by purple and shades of blue, Basil is emerald, just like his eyes. He stands out the most in his group of friends, as much as Omori does. 

And you could say that it makes sense because, well, Basil knows the truth, he was there the day Mari died, he “helped” Sunny, that’s why he stands out too. But… if Sunny saw Basil the way he sees himself, blamed Basil the way he blamed himself, he would’ve been black and white in Headspace just like Omori is. A thing that doesn’t belong in that happy and comforting place… right? 

Instead, however, he’s pastel. He’s an idealized version of Basil, with no defects whatsoever, a kind soul, always smiling and willing to be there for his friends. It shows after their fight with Boss specifically, when Basil just forgives him and treats him with kindness. 

It’s interesting to me that he’s like this in Headspace, because it shows how Sunny sees him and how much he regards Basil in a shiny light, always wearing a flower crown that I know Sunny found attractive in real life. In a sense, DW Basil is perfect. 

And not only that but… why is Basil the only one of his friends in Headspace that has an actual house? Well, I guess Kel, Hero and Aubrey have Neighbor’s room and Mari her… picnic blanket (?)  but…Hm. I guess Sunny has spent a lot of time at Basil’s house, otherwise he wouldn’t have recreated his house in his dreams, even if it’s a shoe lmao.

Stranger

I wanted to briefly talk about Stranger because of this line specifically: 

"On that day... When you became nothing... I was split in half."

It’s brought to my attention that there are two Basils in headspace. DW Basil, the version of him Sunny likes the most, the one he idealizes and the one he wants to look for and keep safe. And we have Stranger, the part of Basil he doesn’t— I’m not gonna say he doesn’t like it, it’s more like that part of him scares Sunny. Stranger encourages Omori to accept the truth, embrace it and that is something unacceptable in his mind.

Stranger is Basil’s cry of help. It makes me think Basil has asked him to help him a million times, makes me think he’s gone visit him at some point and it all ended up worse than ever. Or not, maybe it’s just Sunny’s guilt in the form of a shadow that doesn’t belong in Headspace.

Stranger is the representation of Basil’s thoughts following Sunny into his dreams. The urge for Sunny to leave dreamworld and Omori in the first place.

Saving Basil

At the beginning of the game, after a basic tutorial about how Headspace operates and the battle system, we finally get to see that, behind all that happy and cozy facade, something is clearly wrong. And, well, Basil is, of course, the catalyst. Actually, since you see Basil at the first cutscene, it is evident he’s someone important and you can’t help but be drawn to him and feel suspicious about it. I know I felt that way at least.

Basil is the objective you have to reach in order to “finish” the game. The whole point is finding him and bringing him back safe and sound. Haha, technically like Mario traveling through all the lands to rescue Peach… only more effed up probably 😂. 

It’s interesting because… even if you choose to go with the hikikomori route, the objective is the same. In fact, you end up “saving” him. You end up bringing back that part of Basil Sunny appreciates and loves, that idealized version. He even ends up sitting with Mari at the picnic, safe and sound, no battles to be fought. He wants to protect and cherish Basil as much as he wants to protect Mari. 

Branch coral said it, Omori confined Mari to a safe space, so nothing and no one could harm her. Not even himself.

I think he sees DW Basil in the hikikomori route in the same way. He puts him there, to protect him against all harm. (Intent to forget about the fact that he’s leaving Stranger, leaving real life Basil alone… And I think he successfully forgets all about it). Bringing DW Basil back is some sort of consolation made up by Sunny’s mind, intent on tricking him into thinking he saved his best friend and never left him alone. That’s… so sad in my opinion?

But well, let’s go back to the true route.

It is implied by the Branch Coral that Sunny has had this dream a million times. It's an endless cycle that has been repeating and repeating over and over again and the goal is always the same: To forget, to never accept the truth. But I think that the breach in dreamworld is always Basil. Something happens to him and Omori has to look for him with his friends.

Whenever he reaches Basil, it resets and goes back. And it happens and happens in a never ending cycle. What I want to highlight here is that, at the back of Sunny’s mind, unconsciously, there’s a desire to save his best friend. Even if the trauma has made him forget about what they’ve done and even if he’s frightened of him and what it means to see him again and embrace the painful truth. He still somehow wants to do it.

We’re not told why Sunny decides to get out of his house, he just does, prompted by Kel. But I’m guessing it’s because, well, he will be moving out soon. He will not see his friends ever again… and he will not see Basil.

Maybe he unconsciously knows this is the only chance he has before leaving. Maybe he unconsciously knows that reaching out to Basil is what he has to do if he wants to finally feel at peace. Face the truth, but with him. 

I would dare to say that Sunny’s goal after getting out of the house is finding him and saving him. Even if getting there is hard as hell… even if he’s terribly frightened and he’s not able to reach him alone (thank god for Kel, Aubrey and Hero).

And, well, just the fact that Sunny dove into the lake, even if he was afraid of drowning, just to save him says a lot about his true intentions. (Hello, the game asks you whether you will do it or not, but no matter the choice you make, Sunny still does it. That says a lot imo).

Omori 

Sooooo…. HUH. Let’s talk about Omori for a second. I’ve heard a lot of people say that Omori hates Basil.

Which… could be true, but not because Sunny hates him in real life or even blames him or anything. Like I said, Basil is the catalyst, the one thing that serves as a crack in the ‘happy’ place that is Headspace. Mari could also be the catalyst, but she’s confined to the picnic blanket… Though we see Hell Mari and various fucked up versions of her in various instances *shudders*.

And Omori, well, he’s Sunny’s caretaker. A caretaker he created to comfort himself because trauma was too much (Makes me think that Sunny has DID (Dissociative identity disorder) in some way, but that is just my headcanon). So, well, since Omori is trying to keep Sunny’s mind at peace, it’s logical that he wants to eliminate what makes Black Space leak into Headspace. 

Actually, the only time Omori tries to desperately eliminate Basil countless times is when Sunny is slowly readying himself to accept the truth. Only because Basil has been about to blurt out words about what happened and that is unacceptable to Omori.

Still, well, at the end of the route, Sunny still chooses to chase after Basil and tell everyone the truth. He even fights Omori, the one thing (person?) that has comforted him for over 4 long years… That says a lot. Omori could hate what Basil means to Headspace, but Omori is also Sunny and I know Sunny does not think Basil is in the wrong here, he does not hate him at all. If anything, he hates himself… 

The leaks…

When I say I freaked out when I saw the leaks would be an understatement lmao. And I want to bring it up here, because… just look:

There’s just something so incredibly intimate in these photos? They look so close. It’s like Sunny’s desire to relive those moments he spent with Basil again and it just kills me sifbfl.

And I’m honestly surprised it wasn’t added in the main game. Well, I guess we will be getting it on the switch version 👀, but I’m not quite sure yet? Also! The fact that an animation of them releasing energy for a fight exists is so surprising to me. Does that mean that you can choose to fight alongside him over Sunny’s other friends? 👀 hmmmm…. Why is it only him you can do that with? My guess (a very biased one and I’m sorry) is that Sunny sees Basil as someone he can be alone with, someone he can spend time with and feel understood and safe. It aligns with what I said at the beginning: their connection is unique, they understand each other the most.

But well, I’m bringing this up specifically because it shows the dynamic of their relationship or what Sunny highlighted and liked the most about it in his mind. It’s so cozy and nice and… sigh, it’s so sad that their relationship got strained like that.

String of fate?

Opening this with: there is no heterosexual explanation for this and I’m so sorry. (Actually there could be, but let me dream.)

"He is special to you. A string of fate ties you two together. He cannon leave that place alone."

But jokes aside, UH…. What even is this phrase the Branch Coral says? And what does it mean for Sunny to be dreaming about it?

Over the years, the only string of fate that has been talked about is the red string of fate, which unifies you with your soulmate, the person you’re destined to be with. And after that, I’ve seen a lot of theories about it and how some strings of fate could be platonic (I’ve heard there’s a yellow string of fate tied to your index finger, but, actually, there really isn’t that much information about this, so… honestly hm). 

But well, see it the way you see it, even if we’re talking about the red one or the yellow one, it is a fact that Sunny thinks of Basil as someone special to him, someone he was destined to meet. Whether platonic or romantically, we might never know, but I choose to believe there’s more to it than just something platonic and Sunny hasn’t seen it yet. Why use the string of fate? Branch Coral could’ve only said Basil is special to him.

And, though they're talking about saving Basil in Headspace, this whole conversation could definitely fit real life as well. "He can't get out of there alone", no, Basil needs Sunny so they can both heal. I remember the Branch Coral ended up that explanation with a: “You know what you have to do, DREAMER” Yeah. Sunny is already somewhat conscious of it, that he has to do something for both of them. It’s his choice and his choice only (and ours but shh). He has to save Basil from Black Space, but also from himself in the real world.

Conclusion

I think there is something characteristically beautiful in Sunny wanting to save Basil even if facing the truth is horrible for him. It shows how much he cares about him. You wouldn’t do that for someone if you didn’t love them. He could’ve chosen not to go and reach out to him (and we’ve seen the consequences of those actions in the bad and ‘neutral’ endings). But I’m glad that the ending where he chooses to find him and help him irl is the true ending. Because, truly, this is probably the only way to go so he can also forgive himself.

Now, by all of that stated before, I’m not saying that Sunny has to be in love with Basil, but I do think that he’s very important to him no matter what, he truly considers him his best friend. And… I also believe that, in the future, he will see this and realize he doesn’t want anyone else. Because, in a way, Basil is probably the only person who truly knows what he’s going through.

Both of them have issues, yes, and they really, reaaaaally need to see a therapist and try to be better people. Mental illnesses are honestly a pain in the ass and if not treated well, they become a ticking time bomb. And trauma? Well… makes everything worse. All of them, Kel, Aubrey and Hero had their issues and ways to deal with their grief as well, but, naturally after what happened, Sunny and Basil do need more help, perhaps. And, honestly, I believe that, at the end of the game, they do get it, they do find a way to be better and find a way to move on. Together.

Both Basil and Sunny idealize each other in some way. Possibly Basil’s case is more evident in game and worrying, you could say. But I think that, when you’re young and get a new crush, it’s kind of impossible not to see them as perfect. When you fall for someone you tend to overlook their flaws and it is only with time that you start to see them and either embrace them or… well, hate them. Overlooking Sunny’s flaws unfortunately backfired on Basil, possibly because he was also mentally ill even before the event with Mari… But there is no way we can blame him for it and I think Sunny doesn’t, either.

Not even about the eye, either, because we all know Basil was going through a phsychotic episode and wasn't conscious of it. If anything, he tried to save Sunny from Something, not realizing Something was him. He split Sunny in half in his mind as well, similar to what Sunny did with DW Basil and Stranger.

I’ve seen a lot of people call Sunflower a bad ship because it’s “toxic” and… yes, it could be. It can definitely be, there are a lot of takes regarding that, oh boy… BUT I want to believe they would get together after going to therapy for years and I want to believe that they can help each other heal. I find Sunflower an interesting ship and an interesting friendship as well because all they have is each other. After all, there’s no way they can get a connection this… beautiful and strong and still somehow let it wither after all this time. There’s so much they have to talk about and they care too much about each other not to at least try.

Like I said at the beginning, they’re each other’s anchors and without the other, I doubt they can fully heal. It would be nice if they could be there for each other even when life is hard and even if their friends take their time to forgive them. (I know they will eventually forgive them, but I also think that it could take time… Especially in Hero’s case, perhaps?)

I like to think that this happened in the future and they were healing together ❤

Anyway, what do you think? Is there something else to add to this extended essay/weird analysis thing? I can’t believe I’m doing this lmao, I’m nervous.

PS: Please be kind? ❤

[whisperlullaby]

In Bloom

Pairing: Florist!Steve x Reader

Warnings: SMUT 18+ only (fingering, unprotected sex), fluff.

Words: 1094

Summary: It's the one year anniversary with the local florist Steve Rogers. He goes above and beyond to make sure he shows you how much he loves you.

A/N: Well, I've been writing on this site for about a year. This is a follow up to my first ever fic Concentrated Sunlight and a huge thanks to @syntheticavenger for giving me a reason to start my writing journey. This fic is dedicated to them because without their follower celebration and encouragement I would have never started posting my writing. A special thanks to @river-soul and @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog for beta reading this and hyping me up to post. The STUNNING moodboard is thanks to @dreamlessinparis and I am obsessed with it. As always minors DNI, if you don't have an age in bio I will block you. Enjoy!

You couldn’t believe you were running late to meet your boyfriend, Steve Rogers. You knew he was closing the shop early so you guys could celebrate your one year anniversary. You insisted it wasn’t necessary, but he was persistent. Since he confessed his feelings to you that day in his flower shop, it had been a whirlwind romance. You always had weekly flowers, all the dinner dates you wanted, and quiet moments in the morning when the sun was just peeking through the blinds gently waking you both up.

As you put your key in the door you smiled, remembering a particular morning when you thought you woke up alone, only for Steve to walk in with a tray and the news you both were taking the day off and spending it in bed. A twist of the knob and you were rushing into your apartment to get ready when you stopped dead in your tracks. Every surface was covered in orange and yellow flowers, and in the middle of it all was Steve. He was smiling as you took in the scene and slowly moved to where he was standing, holding another bouquet.

“Right on time, my flower. Dinner just finished cooking and I ordered dessert from the Maximoff bakery.” Steve handed you the bouquet and kissed your forehead.

“Steve, I thought we were going out to dinner. You said I needed to be home by 7:00 if there was any chance to make the reservation.” You took the bouquet still in awe.

“Did I say that? Hm, well it could be that I needed you home by 7:00 to surprise you. How’d I do?” Steve asked a bit cocky.

You gave him the biggest smile you could manage, tears pricking your eyes. “It’s perfect, I love orange flowers.”

As Steve led you to the table where the dinner was already plated, you breathed in the mouth watering scent of tomato and basil and practically moaned. He watched you, smiling as you took a bite of the pasta.

“You know, when you first asked me for orange flowers I thought it was fitting,” Steve stated as he started to eat.

You looked at him quizzically, “Why do you say that?”

“Well you see, when I first saw you it was like you were radiating sunshine. All I wanted to do was be close to you, you practically glowed. Orange flowers seemed to be the obvious choice, they reminded me of the sun.”

You let out a little chuckle and shook your head before looking down. When you glanced back up, Steve’s eyes were on you and they were full of sincerity. You gave him a smile and leaned in to place a soft kiss on his lips.

“When I first came into the flower shop I was honestly shocked to see someone so, well, massive handling such delicate things,” You took another bite of your food before continuing, “Who knew how deft those fingers could actually be.”

Steve let out a laugh and ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “Well you would have a bit of first hand experience with that now, don’t you?”

You almost choked on your food at the bold innuendo. Once you composed yourself, thighs clenched together, you leaned close to Steve and gave him a smirk.

“Maybe you could give me a bit of a reminder? Show me how expertly you can use those fingers of yours.”

In a flash, Steve was on you pulling you out of your seat and walking you over to the counter. He wasted no time pressing you against the cool granite, and pushing up the skirt of your dress. He ran his fingers over your clothed core, causing you to gasp.

“Already so wet for me sunshine. Gonna be such a good girl for me when I give you my cock, but first, let's get you nice and ready. Need to make sure that tight cunt can take me, right?”

Before you could answer, Steve slipped two fingers into your pussy and curled them to hit that spongy spot that made you see stars. You angled your hips on the counter to allow his fingers to reach deeper inside of you. He circled his thumb on your clit and you felt your stomach start to tighten, his fingers fucking into you quickly.

“Fuck, Steve don’t stop! I’m gonna cum.” You writhed as his fingers continued to take you apart.

“I can feel, sweet girl, really squeezing my fingers ready to cum. Let go love, I got you.”

You let out a wanton moan as the coil in your stomach snapped and you came. Steve’s fingers were unrelenting as he helped you through your high. He pulled them out of you and sucked each one clean with a moan.

“Absolutely divine.”

With that, he led you into the bedroom where his hands softly grasped your waist. He placed you in the center of the bed, which was littered with rose petals, and pulled your dress off. He quickly removed his clothes and climbed over you. He slowly removed your panties with care before unclasping your bra and sitting back looking at you with complete adoration. You smiled up at him, reaching your arms out to pull him close.

“I want to feel you inside me. I’m yours, Steve.”

Steve leaned in to kiss you deeply, every ounce of affection poured into that kiss as he lined himself up with your entrance to slowly sink in. You gripped his shoulders tight, nails dug into the muscular flesh, as he bottomed out. He stilled for a moment groaning as you got used to his size. When you raised your hips to gain some release, he started thrusting into you without abandon.

“God, sweetheart, you feel so fucking good. Made for me, my flower, taking my cock so well.”

You moan as he thrusts harder, feeling your orgasm build again.

“Made for you, only you. Fill me up Steve, I wanna feel you dripping out of me.”

Steve let out a low growl as he quickened his pace and you clenched tight around him, cumming with a cry. His hips began to falter as he pushed deep inside you, spilling into your warm wet walls. He kissed you deeply, chest heaving as he maneuvered you on top of him.

“I love you my sunshine, happy anniversary.” He kissed the top of your head and pulled a blanket over you.

“I love you too, sweetheart. This has been the best year of my life.”

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls, Season 1/Episode 10 ("Forgiveness and Stuff")-PART 2 of 2

Sigh. If only. As of August 2022, this is my fourth time watching the show begining to end and I'm acutely aware that I will have to put up with this fuckstick Dean and Lorelai kissing his ass for another 60 something episodes. AGAIN.

Awww, I missed Luke. We see his disdain for Dean (D4D) for the first time. Luke is generally a good judge of people's character. Lorelai is a terrible one. Lorelai either giggles away a million obvious red flags or sees them where they don't exist. She does not listen to him.

The Lorelai And Dean Affair is officialy off and running, folks. Where is my barf bag?

Sorry Jess, if only you could grow a few more inches, your future Aunt might just give you a chance.

Why yes, I did try to read the teeny tiny print on the back of this menu I succeeded: Basil Pesto Pizza, Meat Pizza, Thai Pizza, Veggie Pizza, Shrimp and Crab Pizza, Macho Nacho Pizza. So Luke serves at least 6 varieties of Fancy Hipster pizzas (it seems very off brand for Luke to be serving pizza. Who's making them? And they're not even like, pepperoni or sausage) yet Lorelai just resorted to depression salad because one pizzeria couldn't deliver to her. As if she would ever decide against any excuse to go to Luke's to get pizza, and eat a salad instead. Maybe his pizza sucks.

I want to travel back in time to tell Luke that he will face a rising tide of resistance to this "no cell phones" business, but that with the advent of texting, public phone conversations will be much more uncommon. Yes children, 20 years ago, cellphones had antennaes, they had jingly little ringtones, using them in public was considered bad manners, and the only thing we could do on them was talk. It's true. Lorelai gets a call that Richard is in the hospital. I think Richard is a great character, and I usually enjoy his relationship with Rory and most of his scenes.

Again, the more times I rewatch the show, the more I get this intense urge to reach into the screen and warn the characters about what their futures hold. Like, I want to warn Luke that in a few years he's going to find out that he has an incredibly annoying daughter (and that his nephew will get dumped on him).

That won't happen until season 5.

So cute.

Teehee! Oh Dean! Someone please stick a fork in my eye, it would be less painful than this. After what happened when Rebecca Pearson turned around to get a candy bar from a hospital vending machine, I don't trust em.

Not to Dean, anyway.

L&L are just too flipping adorable in this episode. It somewhat erases all of those toxic Dean Vibes.

No, no, no, no! Bad Lorelai! Bad! *whacks her with a rolled up newspaper* LG to RG: "Go, talk mushy to each other, then spend an hour arguing over who's going to hang up first." But that's YOUR Dean fantasy, Lorelai.

Awww, the debut of the blue hat! And Luke's hair. I love this scene. Confession: I got a little teary eyed at that scene where she gave him the hat. It was so cute and sweet. I may be extra hormonal today. Who can go from insulting a character one minute to praising them the next.. I can, I can…

And a SantaBurger to close out this review. The Good: The scenes in the hospital were all touching and sweet. Lorelai, Luke, and Luke's hat. Luke is a good judge of people's character. Christmas theme. Santa Burger. Rory looked cute. Richard recovers. A dog. The Bad: Lorelai's exhausting hypocrisy, Creepy Forrester peeping into Lorelai's house, The Lorelai and Dean Affair rears its ugly head, Dean's behavior is forgiven because he's tall, Dean lying when he says he supports Rory's Harvard endeavors, Lorelai is a terrible judge of people's character. The New: The beginning of the Dean & Lorelai affair (DALA). More early signs of life in the Luke & Lorelai relationship. Emily shows emotion. Luke's new hat. First time we see Luke's hair. Nostalgia: Ancient phones and manners.

[sunnysviolin]

Sunny hums when he zones out sometimes, like some random melody, it’s a rare occurrence since most of his “zoning out” times are just him off in another world

Haha this is cute nonnie! Okay this does bring me to my ‘who do I think are good singers’ headcanon! I’m going to bounce off of that idea and combine it with yours a lil bit! 

Hero is good at so many things. Hero is smart, talented, handsome, and has so many different skills

Hero can’t sing. Can’t sing to save his life. Boy can’t hold a tune whatsoever

Aubrey can sing, but she doesn’t really like to. She has a nice voice and when she’s alone she rocks out, but other than that she isn’t really inclined to just randomly start. She doesn’t even hum

Basil is shy babby. No one even knows if Basil can sing (I can tell you secretly he’s not half bad but none of the gang has really heard him) 

Basil likes to hum though, and he does it a lot. 

He hums when he waters his flowers, and if he’s alone (like double checked doors locked absolutely 100% alone) he will sing to them because he read somewhere once it helps plants grow if you sing to them

Kel can sing, and Kel actually isn’t half bad. Not only that Kel actually really enjoys it. He sings to himself a lot, and he makes up a lot of tiny songs

I could totally see during-game as you’re running around town Kel makes up a bunch of tiny jingles that narrates what they’re doing. He’s done this ever since they were little, and it’s usually when it’s him and Sunny doing something

Sunny isn’t super emotive, but he always gives one of his tiny half smiles when Kel sings his little ditties, so Kel keeps coming up with them

*We’re going to finnnnd Basil’s photo ALBUM! Yeah!*

Was this stolen from me making up tiny jingles for myself as I played Omori? Maybe but yk what it’s a Kel thing so I’m giving it to him. LMAO 

Now nonnie this is where your ask comes in :D

So Sunny is another one of those who can sing, but Sunny doesn’t normally at all

They know Sunny has a good voice, but unlike Mari he was never really inclined to sing at all

And then Mari died and Sunny stopped speaking altogether let alone singing. I’m of the headcanon that the first time Sunny speaks after Mari’s death is at the end of the true ending when he says I have something to tell you 

But!! Post-canon his journey has taken a new path

So when I got this ask I had a scene of it in my brain immediately and this is that scene

So post-canon the group of five are spending the night together at Hero and Kel’s house. Their parents went out for the weekend for a long date, entrusting that Hero would keep things under wraps. They put Sally down to bed awhile ago, and now they’re all lounging around the living room. 

Kel and Aubrey are playing Mario Kart, trying to keep their bickering at a dull roar but needing pretty constant reminders from Hero to keep it down so they don’t wake Sally

Hero is chatting with Basil who is telling him all about the aloe plants that Polly helped him to repot. Aloe is apparently the plant that Basil has chosen to represent her.

It is both patience and harmonious strength. Aloe grows slowly, but the plant lasts for generations and becomes part of the family. 

Sunny is reading in the corner of the couch, sitting in the middle between the groups of two. The house is warm from the summer heat, but not humid, his belly is full from the pizza, and his book is reaching an especially interesting point. He’s with his friends, and everything is okay. 

Sunny’s mind drifts away from his novel, sinking into the pleasant calm of being around those he loves. A whisp of a song that Mari used to play on the piano lazily swirls through his mind and he catches onto it, letting it play out in full. 

Slowly the conversations stop and the game is paused. They all turn to look at Sunny who is still lost, humming in his own world. He has an uncharacteristic smile adorning his features, and his book is slipping from his fingers. Hero slowly reaches over, carefully lifting the book out of his friend’s hand and placing it on the coffee table. 

Sunny dozes off before he can finish his melody, but he doesn’t need to. Kel and Aubrey go back to their game, and Hero and Basil continue their conversation, but they all make sure to keep the volume low so as not to wake Sunny.  Everything is okay now. 

[longtimewish]

Continuing my rewatch of The Great s2, here are some of my thoughts about episodes 3, 4 and 5

- I remembered episode three as being the one that I liked the least out of all episodes but on rewatch I enjoyed it way more? Like there were many important things going on plot wise

- For instance Archie gets the idea of the omen in that episode after talking with Father Basil. This is also important bc from that conversation we the audience should have seen coming that he wasn't the progressive priest that Catherine thought he was

- Actually the only reason for Catherine to like Basil it's that he's Leo's cousin. She just trusted him blindly solely because of that (and ofc it ended up firing back)

- Speaking of Leo I legit could not care less about him, I get that having Catherine mourning him was important for her development + her moving on from him it's actually what made Catherine x Peter being an actual thing possible, I get it! But still I only wanted that arc to be over already lol sorry Leo

- SO many interesting things going on with Peter in ep 3, we see him being vulnerable like never before and it's actually kinda heartbreaking. I absolutely love the talk he has with Velementov, the "fuck them" was really endearing

- Also can we talk about this scene right here? The first time I watched it kinda went over my head but now I realized that Peter actually implied something very interesting: that deep down Catherine didn't really want to save Leo because she already loved Peter. I don't think he is entirely right, but I do think that Catherine did love Peter even back then (the "you're my husband" while she tenderly holds his hand scene from s1 lives rent free in my mind). But since after this ep everyone collectively forgets about Leo we never really see I follow up to this idea lol

- I never liked how in s1 Orlo's lack of interest in sex was a running joke, so when in ep 3 we have him openly talk about how he really just can't enjoy it and for the first time it isn't treated like a joke I was SO happy! In s1 I already thought that Orlo was likely ace, so I loved that the show actually explored this. HOWEVER saddly they just never adress it again. Later on he does have sex that seems not to hate but it is also implied that it's not the act itself what he's enjoying but doing it with someone that he likes while she reads him lol. Maybe they didn't knew how to adress that he's ace without using modern language? Weird given that this it's the least historically accurate thing ever nothing was stopping them from having Orlo invent the word "asexual" in the alternative universe the show it's set

- Was the actress that plays George working on something else while they shot this season? Because the way they wrote her off the rest of the season it's kinda weird to me. She wants to be exiled because... of some reason? Like she looses faith in Peter getting back the throne so she just decides to abandone him to go to Paris on vacation? And Catherine's like "sure go have fun in Paris just don't be a slut" and let's her go as if nothing?? ALSO how is she even affording being in Paris anyway? Is Catherine paying? Did she went pennyless? Idk it felt lazy to me

- Or maybe the reason for the way the wrote her off it's that the writers just had no idea what to do with George this season given that she would've gotten in the way of our fav disfuntional marriage getting together. And Grigor and Marial becoming a thing also ended up being super important for the plot, which could not have happened with George around. Still lazy writing tho

- Also are we going to keep pretending that they didn't retcon Catherine's nationality and now she's German? Or am I the only one that remembers that she was Austrian in s1?

- Ep 4 it's just really funny, it's the first episode that's just shenanigans at court and nothing too heavy happens (ok so I guy did ended up with his head off his shoulders by the end of the ep but in this show that's just a monday)

- Catherine my dear WHY on earth you refuse to listen to EVERYONE'S ADVICE?? What is the point on having advisers if you'll ignore them?? It absolutely drove me insane, like yeah I'm all out for female empowerment but Orlo should have been the one the led the negotiations, or at least he should've worked closely with Catherine. She was lucky that the ambassador liked her (tho pointless anyway since he got killed before he could report back anything)

- Grigor and Marial was so random, did they mention in s1 the thing about them loosing their virginities together? Because I can't remember if they ever even shared a scene back then. That being said I think their storyline surprisingly works pretty well! I never liked Marial but I did found her more bearable this season and I think her being with Grigor, a character that I do like a lot, was one of the reasons for it

- We need to stop sleeping on Tatyana and Arkady, they are the actual murder couple of the show AND they are hilarious, I love them

- EPISODE FIVE MY BELOVED. From this episode onwards the season dives full into ao3 territory. This is the moment I realized that they were going to give us enemies to lovers, there was no going back

- Peter being extremely good at eating pussy becoming a key plot point it's the funniest thing ever and one of the many reasons why I love this insane show

- As I said Catherine's reluctance to actually work with the people that are helping her to stay in power drove me insane the previous ep so when she agrees to work with Archie I was like FINALLY!!

- The POWER that a good hand holding scene has... the scene in which Peter and Catherine stroll around the palace holding hands it's more intimate that the scene in which he goes down on her like !!!!

- The dance scene????? the dance scene. THE DANCE SCENE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-No but for real I actually never watched the full trailer of s2 so I had not even the slightest idea that there was going to be a dance scene heavily charged with romantic and sexual tension aka one of my favorite period drama tropes ever when I realized what was happening I ASCENDED. THE WAY THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER. THE CHEMISTRY. THE INTIMACY OF IT ALL!!! Catherine's face at the end!! The confusion in her expression!!! She acted like her coming back to Peter it's just convenient and a physical thing but the truth it's that one look from him and she comes undone

[unbridgeabledistances]

hello! <3 once again will not have a new full-chapter update of ✨ian and mickey take over the alibi✨ fic for a day or two, but wanted to post this little fluffy preview featuring the first appearance of our girl bazooka gallagher-milkovich!!! hope u enjoy:’)

—

“Hey, Mick. C’mere. Look at this one.”

Mickey glanced up from where he was elbow-deep in a series of sudsy dishes in their too-small kitchen sink. Once again Ian had made some sort of pasta dish for dinner, with tomatoes and basil and some fancy fresh mozzarella (that he was surprised the little dingy grocery store on the corner even carried)— and even though Mickey grumbled about “fucking gourmet bullshit” and “I’m fine with ramen, man,” he’d still helped himself to multiple scoops of second servings while they’d eaten their first meal at the little circular table from Ikea they’d assembled earlier that afternoon.

Now Mickey was on dish duty— Ian was trying to get the two of them to divvy up household shit equitably, since the usual rule at the Gallagher house was “leave dishes in the sink until they start to smell, then blame someone else for them”; and Ian was leaning back in his chair at the table, scrolling through pictures of various dogs on the websites of the local shelters— when one listing caught his attention.

Pit Bull Puppies, Chicago area NEED HOMES FAST, 8 months old

He clicked on the link—there were a series of images of dogs from the same litter, most of them already claimed. Ian scrolled to the last available listing, holding up his phone for Mickey to see as Mickey strode towards the table, wiping his hands on a dish towel.

“Look, she’s got blue eyes. You guys match.”

Mickey rolled his eyes. “Stop being soft. Gimme your fucking phone.”

This friendly pittie comes from a troubled past and needs a loving home. She was found in a barn outside the city that is well-known for illegal dog fighting along with her brothers and sisters. She isn’t trained yet, and needs someone patient to give her a loving and active environment. She’s a sweetheart, and because she isn’t trained we would love for her new family to give her a name!

Ian saw a crease form between Mickey’s brows as he read the listing. “Sounds like a lot of fuckin’ work.”

Ian could sense Mickey’s hesitation, his gut impulse to immediately put a barrier between himself and this new, fragile thing to take care of, especially after their conversation the other night— but beyond that, he could also see that Mickey didn’t even believe himself as he said it. It was an impulse response, for Mickey, to immediately put up walls— and it was getting easier and easier for Mickey himself to be the one to tear them down.

“Yeah, but it’ll be fun. We can go see her if you want, decide if we think she’s a good fit.”

Mickey swallowed, his eyes still fixated on the picture on the phone screen. “Yeah, but it’s got, like… y’know. Trauma and shit. What if we fuck it up even more?”

Ian smiled. “We won’t fuck her up, Mick. We’ll give her a loving home with two dads and a shit ton of dog toys.”

Ian saw the gentle worry creeping into Mickey’s eyes at the word “dads”—and, okay, maybe that was too soon. Mickey had said he’d be fine getting a dog, and was excited about it the whole time they’d been furniture shopping—but in a weird way this did feel like a trial run for a kid, in a way they were both hyperaware of. There was so much there—this was Mickey’s first real try of taking care of someone that was totally dependent on him, after years of shutting out and pressing down those dark chapters of unwanted fatherhood.

Except it wasn’t just Mickey taking this on; it was both of them, together. Ian tried to show him that, as he reached a hand out to press against Mickey’s lower spine in a grounding touch, pulling him closer.

“Hey. Wanna just visit, to see if we click with her? It’s just a fucking dog, and an excuse to see some adorable puppies.”

Mickey rolled his eyes, then pursed his lips. He stared at the picture again. “Yeah, whatever.”

**

“Thank you so much for coming by—this sweetheart is the last of the litter, I’m so glad you both saw the listing so quickly!”

The dog shelter employee, a caricature of a kind-faced middle-aged midwestern woman wearing a cardigan and khakis, led them through the well-lit hallways, turning them into room filled with scattered dog toys and two folding chairs.

“This is our little meet and greet area, we’ll bring her in just a moment.” She shut the door behind her, leaving Ian and Mickey in the mostly-empty room.

Mickey’s eyes darted around curiously. “This doesn’t look like a fucking dog shelter, man. It looks like a preschool.”

Ian smirked, settling into one of the chairs while Mickey remained standing. “It’s a dog rescue center, I guess. Probably run by lots of people who are way too into the dog thing.”

Mickey shrugged, capturing his lip between his teeth contemplatively. “Whatever. And they’ll just let us take it home? If we want it?”

“Yeah.”

Just then the door creaked open—and in came the shelter worker once more, carrying a bundle of grey wrapped in a worn towel. She placed the puppy down on the floor.

“Like the listing said, she doesn’t have a name yet—but here’s our girl!”

The puppy rose to stand on her four legs— a little grey pit bull, with ice-blue eyes and a too-skinny frame, the lines of her ribcage jutting out through her thin fur. She was tiny—definitely smaller than Ian had realized from the pictures, and definitely smaller than an 8-month-old pit bull should be based on the bits of googling he’d done on the L ride over.

The puppy stretched her limbs out long, then stumbled over her too-big feet slightly to race towards one of the dog toys in the corner of the room. Once she captured it in her mouth she circled back contentedly and flopped down on the floor in the middle of the room, starting to chew on the corner of the bone sleepily.  

“She’s so little.” Ian crouched on the ground— and he could tell he was doing that little baby-voice thing he always did, where his voice went up ten pitches and went all fuzzy around the edges that Mickey always gave him shit for, but in this moment he didn’t particularly care.

“Hey there, girl. You’re such a sweetheart, aren’t you?”

Ian could tell Mickey was rolling his eyes behind him. He reached out a hand to pet the puppy’s fur—it was soft, velvety and warm. Slowly, the dog inched closer and wriggled herself to sit pressed against Ian’s lap, letting the bone fall out from the corner of her mouth and nestling her chin to rest on Ian’s upper thigh.

“She’s a little sleepy,” the shelter worker added. “She’s been pretty mellow since we received her, but we think with some good nutrition and some exercise she’ll have loads of energy. It’s just a matter of getting her back into good health.”

The scrawny puppy was sleeping now, her chin still tilted on Ian’s leg and her eyelids drooping shut.

“Mick, d’you wanna pet her? Her fur is so soft, it’s ridiculous.”

Mickey bit his lip again, staring at the scene from where he was still standing a safe distance away, a few paces behind where Ian was perched on the floor.

“Yeah, guess so.”

He kneeled beside Ian, tentatively reaching a hand out to stroke the dog’s head— almost like he was scared he’d hurt her, like he was scared he’d do something wrong. The corner of Mickey’s mouth ticked upwards a bit at the contact with the puppy’s soft fur— and then he rubbed her head again, giving her a gentle pat. The puppy’s eyelids lazily opened, her tail starting to sweep side to side against the linoleum floor.

“Uh. Hey there.” Mickey chuckled uncomfortably, but his uneasiness was starting to melt away. “Do I gotta, like, talk to it?”

Ian grinned. “You can do whatever you want.”

Mickey ran scratches against the dog’s scalp, then down her sides.

“She’s kinda skinny. I can feel her fucking ribcage.”

Responding to the touch, the puppy lazily rolled over onto her back, exposing her tummy to welcome belly-rubs. Mickey grinned, and reached out to scratch at the puppy’s tummy.

“You’re a pretty girl, aren’t you? That’s right. Yes, you are. Such a good girl.”

Ian smirked—and filed Mickey’s puppy-talk away in his mind as something to make fun of him for later; but not right now, when Mickey was still learning to do this, when the defensiveness and self-judgement had only just drained from his system and he was still second-guessing his every move.

The puppy nudged her wet nose into Mickey’s hand and licked at his palm; and Mickey laughed, almost jolting in surprise. His eyes crinkled as he looked over at Ian.

“This is the friendliest fucking dog I’ve ever met, man.”

Ian felt his lips curve into a smile. Of course Mickey hadn’t met dogs that were this bubbly and friendly; half the dogs he’d had exposure to were chained in Southside front yards, trained to rip each other’s throats out and bark viciously at people walking by. Ian hadn’t really been near many dogs either; but seeing his husband immediately melt in the presence of a puppy, the innocence and awe seemingly radiating off of him, made something warm pool in his stomach.

“Yeah, she’s pretty special.” Ian reached a hand out to try and pet at the puppy’s head, and she turned her neck to nip at Ian’s wrist with her pointy puppy teeth.

“There’s some of that feisty energy we’ve been hoping for.” The shelter worker smiled knowingly. “Are you two interested in taking her home?”

Ian lifted his gaze from the squirmy puppy rolling on the ground between them to meet Mickey’s eyes.

“Mick?”

**

They called Debbie to pick them up from the shelter, since the logistics of taking a brand-new puppy on the L with them without a leash or collar seemed like too much to handle, even if she would probably just sleep the entire time. Debbie had spread an old towel in the back next to Franny’s car seat and Ian plopped the puppy into the middle seat, opting to sit shotgun next to Debbie while Mickey kept Franny and the puppy company in the back.

They were almost back at the Alibi now, and Ian was half-listening to Debbie prattle on about what slobs her new roommates were, and how she had half a mind to U-Haul with Heidi— when he tuned in to Franny and Mickey’s conversation in the backseat, the puppy sleeping soundly between them.

“What d’you think, Little Red— what’s the best dog name you can think of?”

Ian noticed Franny furrowing her brows from where he could see her in the rearview mirror. “Hmmm. How about… Queen Justice? That’s the name of my favorite wrestler. And the name I gave the fish Mommy got me.”

Mickey chuckled, and Ian raised an eyebrow at Debbie, cutting her monologue off mid-sentence. “Wait, you got Franny a fish?”

Debbie sighed. “Yeah. I felt bad about the move, and Monica and Frank never gave us shit like that when we were little. Figured I’d try to be a good mom or whatever.”

Ian smiled, reaching out to softly punch her in the upper arm. “That’s actually kinda cool, Debs.”

In the backseat, Franny was still thinking out loud.

“We have to name her after something you like, Uncle Mickey. That’s what Mommy told me about naming Queen Justice. What are your favorite things?”

Ian twisted in his seat to turn towards Franny and join the conversation. “Probably beer and guns, but neither of those things make good dog names, Fran.”

Mickey raised his eyebrows. “Oh yeah? Here’s a fucking relationship quiz then, lover— what’s my favorite type of gun?”

Ian rolled his eyes, contorting even more in his seat to twist and face Mickey. “I don’t fucking know, Mick.”

“A bazooka, bitch.” Mickey ran his hand over the sleeping puppy’s silky fur, scratching behind her ears. “Bazooka Gallagher. Or Milkovich. Or whatever. That’s a pretty good fucking dog name if you ask me.”

Ian felt a smile creep onto his face. Bazooka. “That’s honestly kinda perfect.” He reached his arm into the backseat to reach at the puppy. “Hey there, Baz. You like your new name? You ready for us to take you home?”

Bazooka’s eyelids drifted open, her tail starting to drum against the back of the car seat in a reaction to all of the attention. Franny reached down from her car seat and gave Baz a little peck on the head, and immediately Baz started licking all over Franny’s face, making her squeal and laugh and wriggle in her car seat as Baz shifted to stand on the seat and leaned closer to Franny’s face.

“It tickles! Uncle Mickey, she’s licking me!”

“Allllright.” Mickey reached to scoop the puppy off of Franny, wrapping Bazooka back in the discarded towel on the carseat and holding her like a baby in his arms. He scratched at Baz’s head again, then smoothed down her fur.

“We’re gonna take you home real soon, Bazooka Gallagher-Milkovich.”

[coreyww]

Omori Fic Recs: In Which Sunny is Bad at Naming Things

(Link to AO3. Written by @enby-peep )

So ... I say this without exaggeration ... this is the funniest fic in any fandom I've ever been in that I have ever read. Ever. I'm about to go into detail but I'm just going to put the most important thing at the top: if you have played Omori and enjoyed the characters in it, and you like comedy, please read this.

... okay so now that we got that out of the way, let me elaborate.

So this fic is a chatfic that takes place after the events of the True Ending. (I want to emphasize I don't typically prefer chatfics THAT much but this is so good that honestly it doesn't even matter. Besides, it has some extended prose passages later on as well). It is mostly episodic funny slice-of-life stories, but there is an ongoing plot running through it at the start where it is Kel, Aubrey, and Hero dealing with finding out The Truth and coming to terms with all that, while Basil and especially Sunny sort of ... avoid talking about it much for a while. Which SOUNDS really dramatic, and it is, but most of the drama and heavy elements happen in the background, while the focus is just ... REALLY fun banter and great characterization for everyone in the cast (and not just the main cast, because other characters get fleshed out later, especially the Hooligans, and especially the Maverick who is just ... just so entertaining every time he's around). The drama is always present, but rarely is it something the characters themselves choose to focus on for very long simply. And it works, it gives it a lot of depth in addition to the hilarious writing.

We could be here all day if I went into everything the author does right for all the characters, but the best example and one that kinda gives you a good impression of what this fic is ... is how Sunny is characterized. So Sunny in the games is a silent protagonist and most of his characterization is kinda open to interpretation to some degree. In this fic, he is not silent, but he talks very rarely, often in very short sentences and even MORE often with single words. He comes off as blunt sometimes, and is very very VERY clearly dealing with a lot that he chooses not to talk about most of the time, and his way of covering that up is to often be .... eccentric, I guess is the best way to put it. One behavior you see very early on is Sunny sending Basil funny memes unprompted. And after Basil outright asks if they should talk about, you know, EVERYTHING that just happened during The Plot of the Game, and Sunny is basically like "yeah. Not right now though" and just sends more memes.

He also gets attached to the mice in his new house and later gets eyepatches with goofy designs on them. And also always says "good morning" whenever he's greeting someone after waking up, which is often at noon ... or five in the afternoon ... or three in the morning. Basically any time that's not actually morning.

He also likes bluntly stating things that ... make sense to absolutely no one he's speaking too but make perfect sense to anyone who has Played The Game and seen into Sunny's head a bit, which never fails to be amusing.

It is the most fun characterization of Sunny ever. Not that he never gets heavy because HE DOES, but he tries his best to avoid it even when he is being social which fits how I would picture him after the events of the game a lot.

But anyway ... if any of that sounded interesting to you, trust me, every character has that level of stuff going on, where they just have hilarious eccentricities that seem in character, but doesn't sacrifice the depth they have. And when the fic DOES focus on heavier moments, it does them really well (there is only exactly one scene where I thought Hero's dialogue was maybe too harsh even though the circumstances justified it and that's literally the only criticism I have of the entire fic and it's a minor nitpick in a largely really great scene that's a highlight of the whole thing.)

I cannot say enough good things about this fic. It has 25 chapters so far and I chewed through them in a couple days (and that was honestly me going slow due to Work and Childcare), and I'm still hungry for more.

If you like Omori, please read this if you haven't yet. It's amazing and I love it.