thinking about graces memory loss.. do you think he ever remembered something that he did and just went like “i would not do that. why did i say that. that’s not me.” because i think losing ALL of your memory of your life and then having to rebuild it from scratch would change you as a person and he is absolutely not the same person as he was before
like in ch 24 when he remembers how he got there and he’s like “oh. i’m a coward. i wasn’t scared for earth, i was scared for myself. i’m a coward.” does he view old him as a different person. does he hate how he used to be.
and maybe there’s things he will never remember. does he know that his moms voice? can he remember all his students names? what his address was? did he read the wikipedia page on own life and actually learn something? are there are things that are permanently blurry and vague and unknown? is there a show that he used to love and now it irritates him to think about?
ryland died the moment he was drugged and grace was born on the hail mary. can anyone hear me
the Aubrey problem (or how Omori's writing failed her)
Also available to read on Archive of our Own.
I really like video games. If the fanfiction, theory posts, and occasional essays weren’t enough, here’s me saying it—I really like video games! They’re a conversation between writing, art, music, and human interaction, between the player, the game, and the characters in them. Of course, not all games have all of that, some being only text-based, some being lifeless wastelands, but whatever they end up choosing to work with, they often do something amazing.
Sunny is one of my favorite protagonists in any realm of media—video game, movie, book—and he genuinely changed the way I view the world. Not just him, but the entire world built around him, Headspace and its charming inhabitants and the wondrous sights and music, the creative bosses that leave so much insight, the beautiful overworld that is Faraway and a nostalgic look into what we leave behind, and what we return to.
So that’s why I’m so disappointed I don’t like Aubrey.
This game blew my mind away when I first saw it—my first experience with the game wasn’t even my own playthrough, but sitting through a 20-hour longplay!—and I lost so many hours of sleep twisting and turning and trying to make peace with the grief it left me feeling. And after finishing, I realized that its flaws were plenty, but not enough to drag me out of my enjoyment. But Aubrey? Aubrey didn’t make me feel the way I knew she was supposed to.
That frustrated me, especially as I became a bigger and bigger fan of the game. I had no qualms about liking her archetype, the feminine bully with a tragic backstory, and yet I do with her.
As someone who craves literary analysis and in-depth looks into every media I consume, I just needed to know: what made me dislike Aubrey?
And after over two years of being a fan of the game, I’ve finally figured it out: it’s a good mixture of 1) lack of explanation, 2) rushed self-awareness, and 3) lackluster narrative choices. And I’ve found the words I needed to explain these concepts, so please join me on my messy journey to understanding what went wrong with Aubrey.
preface
If you’re an Aubrey apologist, this essay is not for you. I’ve heard plenty of arguments about why Aubrey was actually in the right, not limited to “Basil deserved it,” and, “Aubrey was hurting too,” so I’d like to begin by stating that Aubrey was a bully very clearly.
Rejecting the notion that she actively harmed others is rejecting a core component of understanding her character. Before we dive into her character and how the writing failed her character arc, I would like us all to be on the same page: she physically, verbally, and socially bullied Basil. It was not Basil’s fault, and it will never be a victim’s fault to get bullied. She is not the victim of her own crime, just like how Sunny is not the victim of Mari’s death, and Basil is not the victim of Mari’s hanging. We, as the player, are to recognize their responsibilities in their actions. The same must be extended to Aubrey.
Some people feel the need to deny this aspect of her character to justify her actions and/or justify liking her. Firstly, the purpose of this essay isn’t to villainize anyone for liking Aubrey. I’m simply analyzing what was attempted with her character and why it didn’t strike a chord with me and so many others. Secondly, as Kel wisely said, “Just because you did something bad, doesn't make you a bad person.” I’m not here to say that Aubrey is a bad person—no, nobody in Omori is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and labeling characters as such is taking away the nuance they possess. And I’m certainly not saying liking a character who did something bad makes you bad, either!
Liking Aubrey is in no way a problem (which makes me a tad bit sad that I need to clarify), and I’ll even go as far as to say kudos to you, but if you bend and twist to stop her from holding any responsibility for her actions, that’s when problems arise. Basil is a fictional character and won’t care if you think it was his fault he was bullied, but for the people around you who may have been in similar positions to him?
And lastly, I want to say that if you cite sexism as the reason people don’t like Aubrey… actually, this is the perfect transition into the analysis.
gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss
Femme bullies are not a new phenomenon. Perhaps it’s the break from the stereotypical sweet feminine girl that makes them so fascinating, using their femininity to not sing to animals or wish for a man, but pull down others and advance their status.
I, for one, adore the femme bully trope. Especially if they’re one who used to be extremely kind and underwent some sort of ‘fall from grace’ that led to a bastardization. But, as for all bullies, if they are left without a proper backstory and motivation, I’m turned off from them. Most humans are not mean just because they can be but rather are products of how they were raised. When these causes are ignored, the trope falls flat, and instead of being a good reconstruction, it’s a flat stereotype.
The best way to analyze this is by comparing Aubrey’s character to good examples of femme bullies in the past. Specifically, I’m picking my favorites: Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Nanami from Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Sophie from The School for Good and Evil. I’m going to do a quick (and a bit sarcastic) overview of their characters in their respective media, but a quick warning for suicide in Asuka’s overview, and animal cruelty in Nanami’s.
Asuka is a pilot for one of the mechas, the Evangelion, and she always thought of herself as better than everyone. Well, of course, she would: she studied hard, worked harder than everyone around her, and she’s just naturally talented. And yet, she’s still always threatened by others and how they can ruin her status. Specifically, for the course of the show, she targets Shinji—he’s this nobody from nowhere who could suddenly pilot an Eva, while she had to fight her whole life to get here! How is that fair? And what has that asshole been through anyway? Did he have to see his mother’s corpse after she committed suicide as a small child? Did he fight for his mother’s love his entire life just for her to kill herself? Does he have to fight for male attention just so he isn’t thrown aside? No, of course not! So how is any of it fair?
Nanami is the sister to the wonderful student body president Touga, and she wants nothing more than his attention. And with her being the youngest of the cast, one cannot be mad at her for not understanding the severity of violence and finality of death, so her anger as a small child with a kitten whom Touga adored is also understandable. One simply cannot be mad at her for drowning it. So, of course, you cannot blame her for wanting to punish the ever-elusive Anthy and Utena, who Touga has become fixated on. What does Anthy or Utena have that Nanami doesn’t? They’re stupid girls, not Touga’s sister. No matter what, Nanami is going to win her brother’s affection (and in her pursuit, ignore how horribly he’s been manipulating her the entire time).
And Sophie is the Witch of Woods Beyond, capable of powerful spells beyond the imagination, from a place that few know of. And she wants nothing more than for her own fairy-tale ending—why do all the princesses around her get princes and castles and beautiful dresses, and she’s doomed to being hideous and alone for the rest of her life? Who decided that for her? She’s beautiful, after all, so she should be a princess! It doesn’t matter who stands in the way of her happily ever after; especially not if it’s Agatha, her lifelong best friend. No matter what, Sophie will not end up like her mother who died all alone, with her husband forgetting her and moving on. Sophie will be loved, no matter who she has to hurt.
What do they all have in common? Firstly, they’re all girls. As stated, femme bullies are different from masc bullies, especially as they reveal aspects of femininity and womanhood in general that many people—see, a male audience—will neglect to face, and overall uncover sexism that's still present in both media and society. Secondly, they’re all bullies, and they targeted someone in particular who they saw as detrimental to their happiness. And thirdly, they all had specific upbringings that conditioned them to have their ‘falls from grace’. What is this third, unidentified thing?
Mommy issues!
(Sorry, I know Nanami technically has a brother complex, but I just wanted to say mommy issues.)
A pattern has been developed with all of these girls. They all start fairly, what one can call, ‘feminine’ or at least, per standard stereotypes. They’re gentle and sweet and shine when needed. And they all have a ‘fall from grace’—a moment, or sequence of moments, that leads them to reject traditional femininity and embrace a more vengeful version of it. And a final moment, where they are faced with their opposite, who represents all that they do not have.
Asuka was sweet and kind and bubbly until her mother killed herself. After that, she dedicated herself to her studies and getting adult male attention through means of the over-sexualization of herself. And then, she began to bully Shinji.
Sophie was sweet and kind and bright until her mother died. After that, she idolized her mother’s false display of femininity and became obsessed with becoming a princess. And then, at the School for Evil, she began to bully Agatha.
Nanami was assumedly sweet—she deviates from this pattern slightly, being built off assumptions of a good past rather than showcases—until she was brought into this family and became obsessed with her brother and was manipulated by him. After that, she became desperate for his attention, fighting any other who could take it. And then, she began to bully Utena (and Anthy.)
While Nanami does deviate from this pattern, they all have clear origins. They were not bullies from the start. As aforementioned, in the face of an adversary, the majority of people do not turn to hurting one another. Something in their pasts, their ‘falls from grace’, was the foundation of their actions, what led them to believe what they were doing was okay. It’s not justification—it's a much-needed explanation. After all, if you do not understand, how can you empathize?
Still, you may fail to see my point. The game has lots of hints of Aubrey’s troubled upbringing. And that’s exactly what the problem is. These girls have clear origins while Aubrey’s is muddled.
Of course, I don’t expect Omori to have spoon-fed me details of her past. You can put the pieces together by walking through her home and seeing bottles laid on the ground. But, even in a game dependent on nuance and having the player put certain things together, it’s better to leave things out directly rather than to work a way around.
To build up a good femme bully, we need a good origin story. What happened to her that made her turn to violence? Why should we care? We know Aubrey probably had a troubled childhood. But the game doesn’t supply enough. It leaves too much to fill in the blanks. I know that Asuka saw her mother’s corpse, I know that Sophie was forced into a misogynistic viewpoint upon her mother’s death, and I know that Nanami was manipulated to hell and back. I know what these girls have been through so I know why they ended up walking their paths.
But the game simply doesn’t reveal enough about Aubrey. Fan speculation is not enough. Canon interpretation should not be confused with fan interpretation—according to the fans, Aubrey’s father is a deadbeat, and her mother is an abusive, neglectful alcoholic. According to the game? Aubrey’s dad is “strict”, and her house is an absolute disaster. The house is one of the biggest clues as to Aubrey’s childhood, and while some may praise this as ‘showing and not telling’, the game never tries to make workarounds for the other characters (which I will dig deeper into later). I can assume what happened in her house but it’s not my job to find ways to empathize with the character; that is the story’s job.
This is the first of Omori’s three sins and we haven’t even scratched the surface.
actions speak more than words, or something like that
I recently saw a post that I thought would make a good intro for this section. It’s an apologist post for Aubrey, discussing how the game did treat her with just enough harshness—that because she’s been beating herself up, because she’s suffered a public breakdown, because it took kindness to help her heal, it’s proof of her regret. There’s some good Basil blaming in there too, with a strange turn saying that she refused to leave Basil’s house because of her willingness to turn over a new leaf. And it ends with a weird claim that she was a “good person all along,” (implying an argument otherwise), but I’m not here to rat on that post.
Despite how frustrated the post made me, I am inclined to agree. It’s black-and-white to state that Aubrey didn’t change at all. If you compare her first Faraway appearance to her final scenes, she’s a completely different person. Which would've been nice if the change didn’t take two scenes.
Much like how I compared Aubrey’s backstory to that of other femme bullies, I’m going to compare Aubrey’s redemption to that of my favorite redemption story in all of media: Riku from Kingdom Hearts (the fact that I’m so in touch with his story may also explain some of my disappointment with Aubrey’s).
Riku starts off his journey on Destiny Islands. He’s always wondered what lies beyond his small home and dreamed of taking a sailboat with his best friends, Sora and Kairi. However, jealousy is an awful thing—Sora and Kairi are close. And it seems that Riku has been hearing about how they’re thinking of leaving him behind. So, he does what any teenager dealing with larger-than-life feelings does: he gives in to the magical Darkness and effectively kills everyone on the islands, separating him, Sora, and Kairi (don’t worry—everyone comes back.)
By the end of the game, he’s come to his senses, but it takes a lot of time. He fights with Sora a lot because he just knows, deep down, that he’s right and Sora is wrong, and if Sora would just listen…but no. Sora keeps abandoning him. So he has to work through that and all the feelings that accompany those abandonment issues, he has to work through the question of “What is even making me want to kill my best friend, anyway?”, and he has to work through “Wait…can I kill my best friend?” So, it takes a lot of time for him to get to his senses.
And then, he goes through hell. Literally and metaphorically. He dedicates himself wholly to making up for what he did. How? Well, he first identifies what he did wrong—he separated from his friends, he gave in to his jealousy, and he submerged his home in Darkness. He apologizes for it directly—although he doesn’t have a chance to speak with Sora right away, he's constantly apologizing for the fact that he gave in to the Darkness, so much that it became a running gag to some fans. He put up distance—he didn’t feel like he was owed forgiveness right away (or at all, but that’s a different matter) and didn’t stick at Sora’s side to wait for his best friend to forgive him. He worked hard to show that he’s changed—it would be a much longer essay if I attempted to explain the lengths he went through, but it’s not limited to allowing himself to be possessed, going to literal Hell, forcing himself into isolation, and enduring multiple handicapping injuries.
Long story short? He really, really tries to make it up to Sora. And when he and Sora finally talk (it took three years in real life, took perhaps a year in the game), Sora doesn’t even hesitate to forgive his friend…though it may be in part to Sora just being Sora. Nevertheless, Riku had earned that forgiveness.
And then, after that, Riku continues to give himself hell! He never stops to sweep what he did under the rug. It’s a part of him, after all, an ugly past but his past nonetheless. It does not define him but it cannot be forgotten, otherwise, he hasn't learned anything at all.
Deep breath. We talked a lot about Kingdom Hearts in an Omori essay. But it’s important to understand the sheer depth put into his redemption: identification, distance, and work.
What’s most frustrating about Aubrey’s arc is that fragments of this good writing exist, but that’s what they are: fragments. I would like it to be stated for the record that everything I explained for Riku’s arc wasn’t me creating speculation based on what the games said. It’s what the games literally came out and said. Aubrey however…
Identification—she apologizes to Sunny, Kel, and Hero by saying “I’m sorry, guys… I’ve been acting like such a jerk.” While I may give her grief for the usage of the word ‘jerk’ when perhaps a stronger, more evocative term would’ve done a better job, it’s certainly better than what she said in front of Basil’s door: "I just wanted to say that… I’m sorry for the way I’ve been treating you.” Completely separating herself from the issue at hand.
Distance—none. She's immediately reintroduced to her old friend group, at a rate that ended up giving me whiplash the first time around. The question, “What about the Hooligans?” is never brought up, and things are back to how they always were, with no problems at all.
Work—Aubrey stayed the night at Basil’s house, wanting to make sure he was safe. To which, if you end up getting the neutral ending, you get the most insightful message of Aubrey’s arc (which is technically non-canon): “I'm so sorry, Basil. Please forgive me…” If getting the good or bad ending, her staying the night meant literally nothing, as Sunny’s fight took the reins.
These are fragments of a character arc. These are fragments of good characterization. While I praise Omori for how often it appears realistic, this kind of exponential growth simply isn’t. In what world, does someone who’s been bullying someone for four years, take less than two days to realize she’s been a bully and decide to change the entire course of her life?
While I could rat on Aubrey, this isn’t her problem. This is the game misreading what makes a good redemption. Redemption means work. It means effort. It is not a character simply changing their ways. Those characters feel cheap and empty—there’s a reason, after all, why the majority of fans always characterize Aubrey as the mean girl she’s shown to be when she first appeared in fan works. It’s because the ‘new’ Aubrey, the Aubrey buried under layers of hurt, hasn’t earned the right to exist.
The Riku I love in Kingdom Hearts III has earned the right to be angsty and gay and happy and his new self because he’s put in 17 years' worth of effort to become that person. It’s beautiful, it’s inspiring, it’s hopeful—you can make a mistake and go past it. It doesn’t define you. You can be forgiven. You can have hurt and have been hurt and still be worthy of love and loving.
The Aubrey at the end of Omori has not earned the right to be there, simply put. She’s the product of lazy, or ignorant writing, and it feels harsh to type out, but there’s no other way to describe it. Her self-awareness happened too quickly. She passes by Sunny’s house every day, sees Kel playing basketball every day, and could freely visit Mari’s grave whenever she wants—there were four years for her to change who she was. If Kel wasn’t able to give up his toxic positivity until the bitter end of the neutral ending, it’s quite hard to believe that a few hours of just talking made her change her ways. Especially considering that the Hooligans were characterized as her new, accepting friends, who love her and hear her out.
And again, the best fragment of an arc that could’ve been appears in the neutral ending! While it was not directly Aubrey’s actions that led Basil to take his life, it’s very impactful to see her begin to blame herself. It’s not right for her to blame herself—but that’s perhaps the only scene in the entire game where I really sympathized with her. It’s the only scene in the entire game where I truly saw that she wanted to change.
A quick note I wanted to pull out before finishing: the inclusion of the Hooligans. They were, again, fragments of an amazing arc. While they could’ve been a good way to show how kind Aubrey still is, they are thrown aside and mainly included in scenes where Aubrey is still being a bully. It’s in content outside of the game (see: Aubrey birthday comic) that they contrast Aubrey’s harsh exterior and show her sweet insides. But no, they’re underdeveloped and unutilized to make Aubrey’s arc feel doable.
There seems to be a very clear culprit to both this and the femme bully problem, and a solution that should’ve been considered more deeply.
rome wasn’t built in a day
There’s a loud rumor in the Omori fandom that Omori was originally supposed to take place over ten days rather than three days. While I’m not sure how much merit this rumor has, the fact that it exists leads me to my ultimate point:
Omori should’ve been longer.
Specifically, Omori should’ve taken place over a longer period.
EDIT: Before we continue, I just had an excellent conversation with a friend ( /ᐠ ._. ᐟ\ﾉ ). This solution only applies to if one is unwilling to change Aubrey's core character; essentially, the extent of her bullying. By making her someone who goes out of her way to torment Basil, significant screen time is going to be needed to properly unpack all that's been given. Making the base game ten days is only my opinion of the best choice, but there are other ways to solve this. However, the best course of action would be to change the extent of Aubrey's bullying on Basil—in other words, changing how Aubrey's anger presents itself.
For example, she would simply hold a grudge over what she believed was Basil destroying the photos, being extremely passive aggressive towards him. It would make a reconciliation between her and Basil, much, much more doable as well, perhaps him seeking her out in the first place in a peaceful manner to look for the photos. The lake scene could be an emotional explosion for her, perhaps finding out Basil just gave the photo album to Sunny, who is literally about to leave, and then pushes him into the lake. Then, the reflection she has next would fit what has tonally been established, seeming doable. She had, after all, been on good terms with Basil, even if for a little while.
By ‘lackluster narrative choices’, I am referring literally to the belief that Omori should not have been a game that took place in three days. I’m not here to argue about the game's mechanics—should Headspace have been that long? What is the point of a world created to serve as escapism, which should be fleeting moments of happiness, when it ends up being longer than the real world?—as much as I’m here to argue that this is a flaw of the game’s writing as opposed to a game design standpoint.
I’m not going to pretend I know how to make a video game. I’m enthusiastic about them, I follow their development and creation, and I strive to learn as much as I can about the ones that are dear to me, but I’m not going to pretend I know the first thing about making a video game. Omori’s development is one of the most infamous parts of its legacy, and the notion of extending the game would’ve only been another strain on the extended period between its announcement and its final release.
But, I know how to tell a story. Or, at the very least, I know what makes a good story. Now, the three days format of the game serves its other protagonists amazingly.
Sunny, whose arc mainly develops through the interfering ideas established in the real world and the ones previously established in Headspace, doesn’t need an extended time in the real world. His story takes place in his dreams, and the foundations of Headspace are already extremely insecure, based on the idea of covering up the truth. But when faced with a separate truth in reality, despite only a brief exposure, the lies created to protect Headspace fall apart. So Sunny’s arc does not depend on how long he spent in the real world.
Kel and Hero, on the other hand, have a very small arc. They are not flat and are very much dynamic when you compare how they started and how they ended up. However, the majority of their arc had taken place off-screen. The majority of their characterization does not occur through direct interaction with Sunny—we don’t learn about Hero’s depression because of him having a breakdown, but rather Kel discussing it. And in that same scene, we learn about Kel’s toxic positivity and the strain it’s taking on him, rather than through the game. This recontextualization is perfect for Kel and Hero. The change that occurred after Mari’s death is not easily seen by Sunny, and through it being slowly revealed instead, we learn the nature of their changes. Nonetheless, their changes occurred after Mari’s death and another change will occur most likely after the revelation of the truth—either way, their character arcs do not depend on the length of the three days. No amount of time would’ve changed them without Sunny revealing the truth (and as aforementioned, Sunny’s time was well spent in Headspace).
And finally, Basil. He's in the same boat as Kel and Hero, having an arc that occurs entirely off-screen. The difference is, however, the amount of emphasis the game puts on what happened to him as opposed to a few cutscenes with the brothers (though it is understandable, given his role as the game’s deuteragonist). His arc is a downward spiral, from an already unstable boy to an insecure mess who becomes obsessed with the sole idea of keeping his best friend safe. While it’s a progression of who he used to be, it’s development nonetheless, and it also happens off-screen. Given Basil’s fragile mindset, furthermore, the appearance of Sunny suddenly was enough to throw him off, given he was already planning on taking his own life. His rapid spiral into an even worse mess which leads to the fight between him and Sunny, therefore, is understandable. And, similarly to Kel and Hero, his real change will only occur after Sunny reveals the truth. Basil’s character development does not at all depend on how long the game would be.
The simple fact is that the other characters do not go through a drastic change on the days that Sunny comes out, and Sunny’s change was fueled by the existence of Headspace, not by the real world. The game taking place in three days does not affect the others. That is good storytelling. Using the game’s time frame to properly convey their arcs having occurred off-screen.
Aubrey, however, is not subject to that same praise. Her arc occurs on screen—while she descended to becoming a bully after Mari’s death, the arc we the viewer are supposed to acknowledge is her redemption. And three days just isn’t enough time.
The last two problems I covered, a lack of detailed backstory and a general lack of redeeming actions, lie in the same problem: the game went past those scenes far too quickly, as though Aubrey’s redemption is not essential to understanding her. It’s as though the game is trying to place importance on relationships and the joys of rekindling, rather than having to actually rekindle a relationship, having to put in the work. If the game had been slightly longer, Aubrey’s story could’ve been dealt with in a far more effective manner.
I am not Omocat, nor am I a part of the development team. I do not have the ideal solution for what could’ve been. I do, however, have a few ideas that I’d like you, my audience, to consider. How much do you think the game would’ve changed if it was ten days instead of three?
As already explained, Sunny, Kel, Hero, and Basil would not have had any significant difference if the game took place longer. Perhaps, there would’ve been a more natural awkwardness present that accompanies talking to someone for the first time in four years, but aside from that, the events of the game would’ve just taken longer.
Aubrey, however, would’ve had some actual thinking time. Her fight in the church would be her turning point, and her then isolation would feel like she had time to think things over. For a few days, Aubrey would have to be absent, and given the impression she left on the players, this absence would be heavily felt. It would be her return so much more effective, especially if she returns as someone who is unsteady due to their actions.
For the next few days, leading up to Aubrey deciding to stay the night at Basil’s house, we have the chance to know and forgive her better—perhaps, similar to Kel talking to Sunny about Hero’s depression, Aubrey can explain what it was like growing up in her household. Not as a defense, but as an explanation. She would do things with the rest of the group, and she would at a more natural rate, be integrated once again. And not just anything! She would actively help them with whatever the ten days would have to offer, and it would show that she is hurting over her actions.
And, finally, when she would decide to stay at Basil’s house, it wouldn’t feel like the game was just trying to have the cast together for one last moment, but it would feel like she’s trying to bridge the gap of all the hurt she created. When she would go to Basil’s door, it wouldn’t feel like the game was just trying to convince us to forget about her actions, but it would feel like she’s reflected and attempted a new leaf. And hopefully, the game would offer a more heartfelt apology, given more context and material to work with.
Four years of bullying can’t go away in ten days. But that’s not what the game was trying to argue in the first place—it wasn’t fully erasing Aubrey’s action, but trying to create the stepping stone for a way back. But the three days poorly argued her case, with a rushed and lacking version of redemption, and it made her ‘final character’ feel poor.
At the very least, ten days would have allowed the audience to empathize and begin to understand her. And, more importantly, it would’ve made sense that she understood the weight of her actions. And the Aubrey she became, whoever that girl would be?
She would’ve been so, so loved.
a little love in our lives
This has been on my mind for an awful lot of time. Sunny, as aforementioned, is one of my favorite characters of all time (if not my favorite), but the entire cast has a spot in my heart and is very dear to me. That includes Aubrey, but she benefits from association, which hurts me—I hate when girls in media are defined by their relationships with other guys. I wanted to get to the heart of why I couldn’t get her to stand on her own.
To summarize: Aubrey’s character was criminally mismanaged. Instead of it being a hopeful story of redemption, someone finally breaking the cycle of abuse and breaking free of her toxic household, seeking forgiveness by taking an active part in Basil’s healing, she is let off too quickly and makes all her further scenes feel twice as empty. The ideal solution would have been to have the game take place over a larger period, rather than a rushed three days, to allow the audience to empathize and relate to her.
Aubrey apologists truly astound me. I find so many flaws in her writing, and yet other people manage to see those flaws as perfections. I see people making very absurd, ableist arguments, and it makes me question the humanity of many fans, but I’ve always been intrigued by how many different perspectives there are surrounding her. I’ve seen some who relate to her because they were bullies or because they’ve been abandoned by others; so some valid reasons, and others very concerning. But it’s telling how our own experiences make us relate to different characters and help us understand why someone stands in the places they do.
…do you see what I did there? I started talking about relating backgrounds and how that benefits our understanding and— yeah, I suppose you understand, if you got this far (almost 6k words, you should be proud of yourself). If you’re still unfazed and believe that Aubrey’s writing was splendid, all the power to your fannish behaviors. But if I’ve opened your eyes a bit as to the flaws in her writing or if I’ve been able to explain your dislike of her, then I’m glad. It’s important to discuss things that didn’t stick the way they were meant to so that we can do better and we can learn.
Omori’s writing failed Aubrey. Some fans took that as a challenge. I’ve said before that canon interpretation should be separate from fanon interpretation, but I’d have to be heartless (Kingdom Hearts pun intended) to say that many fan’s interpretations didn’t get me to feel with her. I think Aubrey could’ve been brilliant, and while Omori didn’t fully capture that, a lot of fans did. So to everyone who makes art, whether it’s a drawing, a written work, a video, a song, an edit, or whatever, thank you for sharing it. Thank you for telling your stories.
I feel like writing these analysis pieces without connecting them to our own life experiences is pointless. So, to everyone else, please tell your stories. Tell your stories of redemption and love and forgiveness, because that’s what Aubrey’s story was meant to be about, and that’s what we all need in this world. Tell your stories, no matter what they are, because that is what ties us all together. We are made of stories and we return to them. We learn from them and we become better people. We become kinder—and we could all use a little more kindness in the world.
Doc thoughts :D (I JUST MADE SOME BUUUULLLSHIIIIITTTTTTTT)
(Omega refers solely to the AI, O’Malley refers solely to the factive. Might not be worded properly, or in the best way, but I need to get this out.)
I think Doc might have been a severe neglect victim, on top of the trauma he already canonically has. A child’s needs have to be met in a consistent, organized way in order for the child for form a single, but flexible Self, hence Doc must have experienced some form of chronic abuse for the O’Malley personality to have developed, especially given the scenes where O’Malley fronts. (S13EP10, S16E6). Every time the Reds and Blues forget his existence and/or brush him off as a burden, it throws his mental state in disarray. In the earlier seasons (pre-S13), when O’Malley was not so fully formed, he would feel anger at how easily forgotten and thrown away he was, but didn’t do anything with it and just repressed it after. In the later seasons (S13+), O’Malley fronts to express what Doc cannot. He is purposely not covert — he is the part that wants to be in the spotlight after being neglected for so, so long, and his obsession with world domination is simply a way for them to express that.
On the topic of Omega… Omega inevitably damages all of his hosts, and we see that the most with how Caboose became without him — I think the reason why Doc doesn’t seem to be as affected as Caboose was is that his mind is already used to being “fragmented” and used to having something be “missing” from it. I don’t think O’Malley formed from the damage Omega had on his psyche, rather, O’Malley has always existed with Doc. O’Malley just didn’t have a name or solid way of how he acts before Omega infected Doc. He’s always been a fragment formed from how much the mind strains itself from holding back its more violent thoughts and tendencies. How Omega acted and expressed himself while in Doc just influenced how that part of their mind acted, being a fragment born of similar emotions (albeit, one is an AI and one is part/alter).
When he was stuck in the dimension the future cube sent him to, how lonely he was kept making him remember those traumatic memories, hence the line “For a while I lost my mind, then I found it! Then I lost it again…” (could also interpret this literally — or both, if you want to be evil. Which I do.). I think two things happen when he’s stuck there: (1) Doc realizes that he Might not be a singlet (2) O’Malley fully forms. Both things bother Doc for a while for different reasons, but by the time S13 happens he’s mostly gotten over those feelings.
On a side note… I think what Doc and O’Malley achieve in S17EP12 is more reminiscent of functional plurality than it is fusion/integration. Also O’Malley also speaks here so. Yeah. (#i’mright. half joke.)
Thinking about Doc, and how like… there’s kinda 5 (or 6?) dudes right there, but they only use 2 names; Doc and O’Malley. Like, you’ve got Doc, when he’s being a sarcastic smart-mouth (first arriving in Blood Gulch/dealing with being captured by Wash and the Meta), and then there’s Doc when he’s being EXTRA nice (almost compensating for the times when he’s been mean). You’ve got O’Malley as an over-the-top cartoon villain who is ultimately non-threatening and still willing to help, then there’s O’Malley when he’s just genuinely TICKED-OFF and just kinda pushes back against everybody… but there’s also the O’Malley who was actually the Omega AI. Omega started being a little more vocal and using the name O’Malley openly while possessing Caboose, but he REALLY went off the rails when he found himself with Doc (and the real-life reason for that is, Matt Hullum does a great MWA-HA-HA voice and they just let him go bonkers with it), and there is some back-and-forth there between Omega and the O’Malley that remained part of Doc. How much having Omega allowed that part of Doc to finally find a voice, and how much being with Doc actually softened up Omega (maybe even reminding him if what it was like to have somebody as a companion and not just using them). We joke a lot about how Church is based on Church, who came from the mind of Church, and then there’s also this Church, that Church, and the other Church… but we also have Doc, and Doc, with O’Malley, another O’Malley, and hey- a third O’Malley! Oh, and one of those O’Malleys is also kinda-sorta a Church, too~
i think it’s really amazing how we’re 3/3 on systems in rvb having their own o’malley. omega not only is literally brain-computer virus man serially infecting whole bases of sim troopers, but he committed to the bit so hard that the very concept of o’malley appears to be virally memetic to the point he’s like an inevitable comorbidity with DID in the rvbverse
Structural Dissociation theory, and Basil and Sunny
The Structural Dissociation theory proposes that rather than parts forming from chronic trauma, the chronic trauma keeps them from forming You.
The theory works on the assumption that people are not born with an integrated personality. Instead, infants have separate parts that handle their needs — attachment to a caregiver, survival and basic needs, exploration of the world around them, and expressing their needs. As the needs of the infant are met, they eventually coalesce and integrate into a single, yet flexible Self.
An infant cannot form a single Self when caregivers are inconsistent with their needs. When the needs of the infant are chronically unmet, the integration of parts fails due to their conflicting needs. A single, yet flexible Self cannot be formed, and the parts become ‘separate’ due to a failure to integrate.
This disruption of the integration process of the Self is possible not only in children, however, the extreme disruption of the Self found in Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) can and will only happen before the Self has ever developed. Trauma that happens after integration may not cause full disruption of the self, but can cause traumatic materials (memories, perceptions, learned reactions), to blur and fail to integrate to the forming Self. There are three ‘levels’ of Structural Dissociation. (1) Primary Structural Dissociation (2) Secondary Structural Dissociation (3) Tertiary Structural Dissociation.
Based on the game itself, and in the OMOCAT interview, it is plausible that Sunny experiences Primary Structural Dissociation, and Basil experiences Secondary Structural Dissociation.
PRIMARY STRUCTURAL DISSOCIATION AND SUNNY ── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ──
Primary Structural Dissociation refers to the presence of one Apparently Normal Part (ANP) and one Emotional Part (EP). The ANP is the part responsible for everyday life, social engagement, and basic needs and functions. The EP is the part responsible for holding emotions associated with trauma; the memories associated with the trauma; and the flight, freeze, and submit responses. The EP is dissociated from the ANP because it holds memories and emotions that impedes the ANP from functioning in daily life.
This allows the ANP to remain numb and avoidant towards the traumatizing event for the most part, except for when the traumatizing event and the emotions associated with it is brought to the forefront of the mind by the EP through dissociative flashbacks, nightmares, emotional outbursts, etc.
Primary Structural Dissociation develops as a result of a single traumatizing event happening to the person with a stable life beforehand. We know, from OMOCAT’S words, that Sunny has a very idealized childhood.
While it does not mean that his childhood was perfect, we can assume that his parents were at least consistent with providing for his needs as an infant, and for his needs later on. Any of the hurtful behaviors his parents have are displayed after Mari’s death, and most were when they were still fresh from the grieving process. Like the friend group, they were also deceived into thinking that Mari hung herself, and that they failed as parents.
It has been confirmed that some of the characters in headspace predate the headspace, which can be attributed to Sunny’s tendency to daydream. His tendency to daydream makes it easier for him to create characters in his daydreams that align with what he feels and what he represses, without necessarily being a separate part from himself. The entirety of his headspace primarily exists to hold Sunny’s desires, as well as his memories. Rather than the characters in his headspace being literal people within Sunny’s head, each are a mixture of representations of certain aspects of him (mainly, his perceptions on them and what he wants them to be and/or do), and characters that add to the imagined ‘lore’ of his headspace.
Black Space is the part of headspace that holds the repressed memories from the traumatic event, as well as other memories unrelated to the event, but have been repressed to form Headspace. It is not separate and distinct enough from headspace to count as another EP — it is only a ‘level’ of the headspace, underneath. Multiple headspace characters have also commented on it intruding on Headspace, confirming its existence as something tied to Headspace rather than separated from it.
Omori is more of an idea in the story, than he is a character. The headspace is more an extension of Omori as the EP than he is separate from it and it, separate from him. It holds what Sunny does not want to feel at the moment. Rather than different parts holding different feelings, they count as one because headspace is ultimately part of Omori. At multiple times, the headspace has conformed to what seems to be Omori’s goal — which is, keeping the truth from Sunny. The first moment headspace Basil discovers something tied to the truth, he disappears without any trace of where he could have gone. Before headspace Basil is able to say anything related to the truth, he is killed time and time again, which aligns with the goal of repressing that emotion.
Secondary Structural Dissociation refers to the presence of one Apparently Normal Part (ANP) and multiple Emotional Parts (EP). Same with Primary Structural Dissociation, ANP is the part responsible for everyday life, social engagement, and basic needs and functions. Instead of one EP holding the emotions associated with trauma; the memories associated with the trauma; and the flight, freeze, and submit responses, different clusters of traumatic materials, personal characteristics, etc. are held by different EPs, and each EP may be more formed than that of those who have Primary Structural Dissociation.
Similar to Primary Structural Dissociation, the ANP remains numb and avoidant towards the traumatic event for the most part, except for when that event and the emotions associated with it is brought to the forefront of the mind by the EP through dissociative flashbacks, nightmares, emotional outbursts, etc. However, the ANP in Secondary Structural Dissociation typically presents with self-destructive and/or maladaptive coping mechanisms.
SECONDARY STRUCTURAL DISSOCIATION AND BASIL ── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ──
Secondary Structural Dissociation develops as a result of repeated and/or longer-lasting trauma experienced at a young age, and is usually perpetrated by a family member, and guardian. It is likely that Basil’s needs were not met as a child given the presentation of these EPs, and what Polly said about his parents. Living and growing up with a elderly person (grandmother, grandfather, etc.) as a parental figure is a different experience from living and growing up with an adult (mother, father, aunt, etc.). There are certain things that elderly people can and cannot do.
His grandmother will not have the enough energy to facilitate play, which is an essential need of an infant. His grandmother will not have enough energy to watch over him at all times, which leads to accidental neglect that will still be traumatizing for him as a toddler. He might have also realized earlier on, that he might lose his grandmother early — that she might die before he grows up, like his grandfather presumably did, given the flavor text of this vase, that implies that there are ashes in this vase.
Basil has also shown to be lonely prior to the game. Headspace, while unreliable in characterization, is somewhat reliable with backstories of the characters. Basil has vented to Sunny multiple times, and has been shown to have issues even before the main plot, most notably in his actions in the incident. The knot that Basil did could not have been anything other than a hangman’s knot — if it were a square knot, like what is used to hang flowerpots, it would have broken easily because they are not stable enough, nor are they made to hold the weight of a person’s body.
There is an abrupt shift in behavior and thought displayed in Basil's monologue before, and his words in fight — the cause of that, in the lens of the Structural Dissociation theory, is that his different EPs are interacting. The conflicting needs between each EP causes a disarray inside his head, and shows in his speech.
The EP that holds the Fight response is initially destructive, both to the individual, and to others. It is the part of the Self that is angry with the individual’s situation, and judgemental and mistrustful about the people around the individual. Basil displays this during his breakdown, where he expresses feelings of anger and betrayal over how Sunny abandoned him for years, only to leave when he finally came back. He also expresses similar frustration and anger when Sunny kept fighting back.
The EP that holds the Flight response is avoidant. It is the part that makes the individual distance themselves from others, and the part that makes the individual pull away from others. This is seen through his avoidance of the party. On Day 2, he isn’t at his house, but doesn’t try to interact with them, despite seeming desperate for Sunny not to leave the day prior.
This is also seen through his avoidance of a closer relationship with Polly despite having known her for a while. Polly, herself, is a stressor in Basil’s life, even if she does not intend to be. She is someone foreign to him, whom he does not know intimately but has to live with regardless.
The EP that holds the Freeze Response is fearful. It is the part that shuts down and becomes numb, and does not respond to stimuli. It is the part that locks down as a result of exhaustion. This is seen through Basil becoming unresponsive at the end of the game, after his grandmother dies. He does not even respond to his friends coming back for him, nor does he respond to Aubrey’s apology.
The EP that holds the Submit response is filled with self-hatred, and often makes the individual take on the role of caretaker and protector in order to stop feeling like something shameful. Basil has, on multiple occasions, taken on a caretaking role for Sunny, and has sacrificed his well-being just so that Sunny doesn't take any of the blame for what he did.
(note the way Basil says that Sunny wouldn’t do that. It seems more like he’s convincing himself rather than he is convincing Sunny)
Whenever he isn’t in this role, he feels ashamed, worrying over if he’s selfish for what he’s doing (it also points to there being some selfish intent with what he’s doing, if the feelings of betray expressed by him prior to the fight doesn’t make it obvious)
The EP that holds the attach response is desperate. It wants to be loved, and wants to be able to rely on anyone that isn’t themselves. Basil expresses this through how he calls for Sunny to stay, both in the bathroom after Basil learns that Sunny is moving, and in his monologue before the fight itself.
TERTIARY STRUCTURAL DISSOCIATION ── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ──
Tertiary Structural Dissociation is what is described here. It presents with multiple Apparently Normal Parts (ANP), and multiple Emotional Parts (EP). Tertiary Structural Dissociation is experienced by those with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
An infant cannot form a single Self when caregivers are inconsistent with their needs. When the needs of the infant are chronically unmet, the integration of parts fails due to their conflicting needs. A single, yet flexible Self cannot be formed, and the parts become ‘separate’ due to a failure to integrate.
RELATED LITERATURE ── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ──
Fisher Janina’s model that I used as reference for analyzing Basil’s EPs
and a link to the book where this comes from: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z243BjIPuWcgzeC_rpkudpUYHikVXh3z/view
For further reading: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1u1xobTNUw58x3MiftURLsz1ZlfwBO7O3
Other sources:
When people are not supported in processing trauma, they may struggle to integrate the trauma into their narrative and acknowledge its effec
The goal of the present study is to empirically explore the potential benefits in using a conceptualization lens that contemplates a Structu
