#sunflower rant

[uzi-x33]

SUNFLOWER RANT :pp bc I feel like it

imo sunflower is one of the least toxic Omori ships, NOW BEFORE YALL ATTACK ME‼️ ppl always say their biggest problem is co-dependency, which I think becomes less of a problem after the good/true ending, yk with therapy and them being able to keep in touch and talk abt things. Another thing ppl say is how basil stabbed Sunny’s eye and yea, thats obviously a bad thing, but based on the secret ending Sunny seemed to have forgiven basil already. Basil wasn’t trying to hurt Sunny, he was trying to protect Sunny from “something” and missed, Sunny knew Basil’s intentions weren’t malicious. Also a problem I have with suntan is Sunny and kel were almost bothers, like- Mari and hero were DEFINITELY gonna get married, and I Js feel like it would’ve been weird, also personally the ship is kinda toxic, like it’s basically just kel comforting Sunny I feel, and idk but that’s Js sad to me🙁 so yes sunflower is my favorite silly little Omori ship, I love these silly gays:33

oh also this tweet from omocat’s official twitter acc:

[ideasarestuckinmyhead]

♟YUURIVOICE TWITTERRRR♟

RIP Angel's wallet. Al is coping. Doll is changing Seth. B! Finn def thinks this sometimes.

Love loves him dw. V! Auron def thinks this. Sunflower just likes their man (real). Star has no rizz fr

[why-bless-your-heart]

My mom sent me a watercolor she just did and I’m going a little crazy over it, tbh.

[not-5-rats]

Finn: *rambling abt flowers in a public garden*

???: damn do you ever breath?

Finn: Oh! Ehm...sorry-

Sunflower: do you ever mind your own fucking business??? Honestly, fuck off!

[mari13606]

Oh nothing, I'm just thinking about how Scar started secret life with his poncho showing sunflowers, which symbolize loyalty, longevity, and the sun. Y'know, the sun like the way we equate Grian to being due to him living and winning in the desert and being a disastrously bright person. And the loyalty he pledged and kept to Scar even after his debt was repaid. The longest standing players. I'm just thinking about the way it switched to lilacs and poppies when he went red. Y'know, like the lilacs and poppies he offered to Grian when he turned red hoping they could stay a team. Lilacs, which symbolize love, rebirth, and new beginnings. And poppies, which symbolize peace, sleep- and death. And I'm thinking about how he won Secret Life once he turned red, when he threw off the sunflowers and donned lilacs and poppies to pave a bloodstained path.

And I don't think that was an accident.

[br0-k3n-sch00lb01]

BAM!!

appeases the peasants with art because i dont post art as much

First is sunflower doodel… and the second is my fpe ocs (not in the fandom) Tako and Luka…

rar

im gonna draw more but im so artblocked rn its mostly basil and sunny

[fermiomoriblog]

The pitfalls of every Sunny ship

Diving straight into the hot coals with the first post. But it has been on my mind lately.

The setup in Omori is naturally quite mentally (and in some cases physically) taxing on every main cast character, and a shipper can very easily be overenthusiastic about getting a "happy ending" for their preferred pair, glossing over inconvenient problems and dynamics. I think that it really is rather contrary to the game's themes that this occurs, but it is also understandable that not everybody does a full psychoanalysis of every plot point in their story. I'll list some "common" problems I've personally encountered with people making content about sunburn, suntan and sunflower. I'm more familiar with the dynamics common on ao3 than elsewhere, so if you have any other observations or things to add, please feel free to do so.

# OMORI SPOILERS BELOW #

Sunburn

The "canon" ship. The fact that the ship is explicitly mentioned in game means that the ship is viewed as the "default", and it can lead to some lazy dynamics or lack of justification. You have to remember that no matter what headspace says (and headspace says a lot of things that aren't true), the first thing Sunny and Aubrey did after four years is beat the shit out of each other. Sunny knows nothing about the Hooligans, even though we do, and Aubrey thinks Sunny abandoned her (which is a feeling unlikely to abate after the truth). There needs to be basis for the ship as well - they aren't going to just pick up where they left off (presuming they had anything to leave off in the first place) right away. Which leads us to the first common problem:

Basing the relationship entirely on the past

This is the default reaction and requires the least writing creativity, so it is not surprising that it is common. Simply porting the HS dynamic or the swing scene to the future and copy-pasting is fun and cute and all, but it ignores the fact that both Sunny and Aubrey have changed massively. There's a lot of guilt that is going around, both with Sunny for obvious reasons and Aubrey for pushing Basil in the lake, and Aubrey has a bunch of new, closer friends whom depending on your interpretation are either theatre kids or delinquents. This is not really just going to get talked away on the swing set - they involve third parties.

I would venture to argue that this is actually a very problematic pitfall, despite it being generally not a very serious transgression in real life. Omori, as a game, is about moving on from the past. If you write a fic where the characters forget about bad things in the past but hang on like hell to the good things... that's Headspace. You've just put Sunny in a new Headspace.

Getting Basil out of the way

Even among sunburn/suntan shippers, it is pretty generally accepted that Basil was somewhat attached to Sunny even before the accident. So if you don't want to do sunflower, how do you deal with that?

You can write angst, where Aubrey and Basil end up fighting over Sunny. Weirdly, I've never seen this actually happen (probably because it's too heartbreaking). You can have Basil go to therapy, and get rid of an unhealthy attachment. You can also go the seriously angsty route of Basil hating Sunny for abandonment, Sunny hating Basil for his role in the incident, or a less intense version which just puts a barrier between the two. You can also have Sunny reject Basil. Or you can argue that the attachment was platonic, which is entirely fair.

What you cannot do is have Basil be romantically interested in Sunny, but "get out of the way" for Aubrey "so that Sunny can be happy". Or, well, you can do that, but you can't frame it as anything but serious angst from Basil's POV.

Unfortunately, many, many "pure fluff" Sunburn fics do this, because "pure fluff" fics don't want to untangle the whole thing as most methods involve some degree of emotional turnmoil. This is no ordinary infautation - Basil has waited for Sunny for four years. Nursing unrequited love like that is really, really painful. It is certainly not something that someone with Basil's character and history can do with a smile on their face. If you need any further convincing, I point you to Note to Self: Don't Be Gay in Faraway Town by witheredahlia.

A version of this which I think is a lesser sin (because it is at least framed with some nuance), but a sin regardless, is Aubrey getting annoyed at Basil for "stealing" Sunny's attention from her. This gets dangerously close to the reddit comments you see about "the friend group will be better off if Basil never joined".

Suntan

Despite sunburn being the "canon" and sunflower being the natural alternative, I actually think that this is the default. After all, Kel was the one to bring Sunny out, generally saving his life, and is his first friend, etc. Kel is also a clean slate character, with nothing anyone can particularly hold against them, and as a result suntan is the "healthiest", "least questionable" ship. This commits the customary mistake of believing Kel's parents when they say "eh, it's Kel, he'll be fine".

"Kel's fine"

No, he's not. He's spent the better part of four years trying to forget the happiest times of his childhood, and has been going around doing nothing but fixing and saving other people, putting others' needs far above his own, for the entirety of pre-canon and foreseeably for a good part of post canon as well. Suntan, especially with Sunny still in a vulnerable state post-canon, can very easily be written into Kel being Sunny's unpaid, untrained therapist, and his mood/health being Kel's only/majority source of validation. Kel's self-worth independent of his friends needs addressing and development, and without a lot of development, Sunny alone is not really equipped to provide that.

In all fairness, while I would be somewhat confident in saying that the majority of canon-compliant sunburn fics run into the problems above, suntan fics do usually handle it better. That might just be because there aren't that many suntan fics though.

Sunflower

It goes without saying that sunflower has the highest potential to be unhealthy. But precisely because of that fact, people writing sunflower are usually very careful to address it. Either the fic is written as a work exploring codependency/attachment/trauma/other general unhealthiness (which you can make your own judgement on whether it's a legitimate art form or problematic), or there is at minimum an attempt at pacing, therapy and general juggling of the various mental issues the game leaves Sunny and Basil with (for a shining example, see These Days Without You by Smitty1899, my go to answer for when anyone says "but sunflower toxic!!1!").

The issues that can make sunflower unhealthy and problematic are generally pretty obvious - shared crime, codependency and attachment, commitment and abandonment issues, and the whole "getting together before their friends forgive them" thing (which can still be done well, but from the POV of especially Hero can be kind of eh, and unlikely to be conducive to a healthy relationship given that it kind of depends on their friends' pending "approval".) As a result, there aren't a lot of works that don't address them in one manner or another. However, I do think there is one major pitfall that some fics fall into in the other direction:

Having everything in the relationship be dependent on someone else's approval.

In an attempt to make sunflower as healthy as possible, some authors make it so that Sunny and Basil effectively never make decisions on their own. There's always a third party present to psychoanalyse them, tell them what's fine and what's not, etc. and every step they make in their relationship is with the express blessing, support and help of the rest of their friends. The problem is, that's not healthy either.

I feel that the value of sunflower is greatest in the context of the themes of the game of moving on and forgiveness. Making it so that Sunny and Basil hang on to their guilt forever and robbing them of any "right" to decide for themselves what makes them happy is very much contrary to that - they're on crutches for the rest of their lives, and the point of the good ending is the hope that they won't need to be. It also is just not a good thing for any third party to intervene so extensively in a relationship.

Conclusion

Omori is emotionally deep, with many, many themes to explore. Ships in Omori have unique meanings and themes, which in a canon compliant context is quite hard to simply wipe away. Rushing into a ship with insufficient pacing and development, which works in "cute" fandoms, generally leaves lots of outstanding holes in Omori.

This post doesn't necessarily mean that I think less of any particular ship mentioned - to reiterate, every ship has unique meanings and themes which is interesting to explore and form a part of the message of the game. It is however true that some pitfalls in some ships are easier to fall in, and overlooked, than others, and the obvious problems get a lot more bashing than the non-obvious ones. (Yes, sunflower bias. Sue me.)

And of course, in a plotless or AU context, cute art is cute art.

[theokusgallery]

Reference sheets !

Alright more random info I couldn't fit on there

Nick's sibling is actually Sunny's friend, and the one who introduces Nick to him. Sunny's friend group is just Sunny, Nick's sibling, and one other friend.

Sunny is a demiboy/bigender; Nick is demisexual but has no idea the label even exists.

Nick's first shirt button always being opened is because he feels suffocated really easily, not just because I'm gay. It's kind of his kryptonite.

Literally every single one of Sunny's friends hate Nick. It's kind of a race for who cuts him off from the other first.

They both have very similar mental issues, they just have very different attitudes about it.

Sunny is Nick's first time actually being in love with his partner. He's had previous partners but was never emotionally invested in the relationship aside from extreme possessiveness. He's never dated one of the people he's stalked before.

Nick is Sunny's first partner, period.

Nick is very physically strong ! A lot more than Sunny, at least. Though Sunny has rage in him that could kill someone.

Sunny is constantly, and I mean constantly listening to music. If you start talking to him while he's listening to music, he will kill you. If you are a classmate who isn't a close friend and you try talking to him outside of school, he will also kill you! If you tell him to remove his earmuffs, start running.

Sunny naturally has a resting angry face. To counter that, he's trained himself to smile in public. If you catch him while he thinks no one's looking, he looks like a completely different person.

Nick has almost the exact same thing, except he consciously smiles in an attempt to look friendly, but his smile looks very unnatural and ends up looking creepy instead. (Him being... the way he is also doesn't help.)

Neither Sunny nor Nick have a good grasp on what's considered socially acceptable vs. what's considered creepy. For that reason, Sunny tends to excuse a lot of Nick's creepiness as "everyone thinks like this, it's just that no one says it out loud because it's not socially acceptable".

Nick is an introvert because he hates most people, but he's socially competent and somewhat charismatic. Sunny is an introvert because he is so socially incompetent that talking to people is just more trouble than it's worth.

[m0thwinged]

[r0si-e]

Punkflower

Am I the only one that gets a bit annoyed when scrolling through Punkflower edits that are clearly shipping Miles and Hobie romantically only to look at the comments and everyone is like "Best sibling bond" or people are just completely invalidating the ship? Like I have no issue with how people view certain ships especially if it's not a canon one but I find it's just a bit weird to comment the complete opposite of what the video was about on a video that clearly meant to portray something as this one specific thing. It just really irks me because poc mlm (more specifcally black mlm) is not really represented in media and now they finally have something that they as the audience can work on and relate to but then you get people who love to slightly ruin the experience and it just makes them (poc mlm/ black mlm) feel like they can't have anything for themselves.

[yuri-the-boxfox]

so Omocat made far away / real world omori plushies

they are so cute and I want a basil and a sunny (totally not for sunflower reasons)

However people are mad at omocat for not including Mari

Which is stupid because

Mari is dead

You can't change the fact that she's dead

Not to mention I'm pretty sure omocat has made two something plushies (and something is basically Mari)

Like a little keychain something and a jumbo something (I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure I remember that)

Not to mention as said before the plushies are adorable so why doesn't even matter

I just think it's stupid to get mad about Mari not being included when she is literally dead

[kid-az]

I don’t ship Sunflower and consider Basil and Sunny’s dynamic to be platonic but if you not only virulently hate the ship but consider it’s fans to be “evil” or “a menace to society” I suggest you leave this blog and never come back with that rude af attitude!

No shipping hate allowed (Or atleast not hating the fans of a ship you dislike) here only respect is allowed buckaroos! Not that I’m saying this abt all ships, so if u have a ship you dislike you better respect other peoples opinions!

[ideasarestuckinmyhead]

👡YUURIVOICE TWITTERRRR👡

Rook loves tormenting Faust, Charlie n Casper r so silly, Sunflower actually being nice to themselves, and Auron is done w so many people

Silly Listener things, and Seth n Al argue

[nerdy-arty]

I dont get why some people are so put off by me drawing Basil with prominent arm muscle. Like,, y'all he can still be soft and flowery and wear skirts if he wants while being a lil bit jacked. Making him muscular doesn't rob him of his androgynous aesthetic and soft demeanour.

Plus, he needs those strong arms to bridal carry Sunny to bed when he's sleepy like the ever caring boyfriend he is.

[sheasshovel]

HEAR ME OUT

Scar as Apollo and Gem as Artemis…

Starting with Gem;

-HER ANTLERS!! Deer are sacred animals to Artemis and she is also the goddess of the moon and thats so shiny duo crumbs (pearl as the moon).

-Pearl could also work as a follower of Artemis though because of her disastrous double life relationship with Scott. Followers of Artemis swore off love and lived a life of chaste, which aligns well with Pearl having forgiven Scott after she won but never having the same relationship with him that she had in Last Life.

-Artemis herself also swore off love of any kind.. and guess who wasn’t there for Double life for a soul bound?

-Her only Allies in sl, besides the moon herself, were Scott and Impulse. Both of which could work as devout followers of Artemis because of their rejection of their own respective soulmates. Scott acknowledges his past lovers as his exes and never (to my knowledge) expresses wanting to get back with them. Impulse, too, never hesitated to attack the mounders even if they had Bdubs on their side. Impulse and Bdubs had a great relationship in Double Life but I like to think that, for this theory to work, they’ve just decided to keep that relationship in Dl.

-Besides the moon, Artemis is also a symbol of the hunt which is exactly what she did in sl sessions 7-8; hunt people down with the aid of the moon. Imagine moonlight illuminating her path as she stalks her prey….

Scars turn;

-Now, Apollo isn’t the god of the Sun (that would be Helios… or Grian in this case) but rather of sunlight, but the sun is still a huge symbol of him. Not to go all desert duo on you but the crumbs are there. Scar also covers himself in sunflowers in sl, a flower known to always be facing the sun, basking in its light. It’s worth mentioning that Scar was only close to winning when he and the Sun were inseparable in 3rd life, and he actually won when he was faced with the symbol of the moon and the moon herself.

-This is more silly but Apollo is highly connected with musical arts (specifically the lyre) and could you imagine if that scene where Grian and Scar were singing together wasn’t just Scar being oblivious but instead Apollo using any chance he can get to showcase his musical talent to the Sun?

-Apollo’s gift of Prophecy… Scar “we all die in the end” would be more prophetic if we all collectively gaslight ourselves into believing that he died after hitting succeed on his task. But in these death games, everyone knows by now how it ends. I think Scar acknowledging this is somehow foreshadowing how he wins though; by murdering everyone who stands in his way, not accepting sacrifices and turning on his temporary allies the second its clear that it would benefit him. When he said everyone would die he truly meant EVERYONE would die, and a majority will die to him or his twin (Artemis).

-Apollo and Artemis are both known for using Archery, but Scar is literally Hotguy come on now. His last kill was an arrow to Pearl that knocked her off of a cliff, an ARROW at the MOON. Scar is an incredibly skilled bow user and I would include this in Gem’s part too but I’m pretty sure she’s gotten more kills on sl by sword.

-Lastly, the Muses. Apollo, being the god of arts and music, was the choir leader of the 9 muses on Olympus. Now, Scar was never friends with more than 2 people at a time in the life series but lets look at his kills instead. In session 9 alone, he got 6 Permakills and 2 assists (Big B and Skizz) which brings us up to 8. Not enough but he lasted for 9 sessions, which is pretty cool if you interpret every session as a muse. Each session’s task being a huge influence on how Scar acts, even if he fails the task.

I think the 9 muses, Gem’s preferred weapon, and Apollo’s connection to medicine and Scar’s lack thereof are the weakest parts of this delusional rant but I still love the idea of the final battle in sl featuring the moon rejecting Artemis and a battle between the Twins. Apollo winning only after destroying the moon herself, who lost her will to win after the events of Dl. Apollo having once been allied with the Sun, and the Moon once having her win handed to her by her soulmate. Anyways Shinyduo Desertduo and Scar/Pearl narrative foils real and true.

[braind3adbeetle]

Hey guys uh mini rant but I’m so upset about the whole pvz3 thing. Like this is not the pvz I know and love literally what is direction being taken, idk why I feel personally offended by it, I mean I’ve been a fan since 2012 WHEN I WAS 5 I grew up with this game and it means so much to me, and seeing the quality drops really hurts like I don’t want the franchise to go down into the dirt even more. This may be a little dumb that I’m so sad about it cuz it’s not like all the games are being deleted or something but this just doesn’t sit right with me :/