My incredible hot take is that people only hate Flowery because he's right and doesn't express his beliefs in a way that doesn't try to appeal with the fun gang.
Oh he's mean to them? Kris made the dark world and gave them consciousness and sentience with the intent of taking it away in less than a day. Ralsei thinks that he and other flowers shouldn't try to act human even though they have the right to be whatever they want because they're PEOPLE. The game tells you time and time again that Darkners are PEOPLE TOO. Because it doesn't 'follow the rules of the game/prophecy/whatever'. And they all want to seal the fountain to HIS and HIS FAMILYS home that would take away their rights and ability to exist in the frist place while THEY keep their own fountain. He gave a chance to leave at the very beginning and they didn't. He has a right to antagonise the people that want to take away his home🤷 I wouldn't be nice about it either.
The only thing he really did wrong was trying to keep Asgore in the Dark World. But he didn't outright force him to. There was some manipulation happening sure. But Asgore got carried away too. At least he didn't take him prisoner and forced him to stay in the way Queen did to Noelle and Tenna did to Toriel.
And my other incredible hot take? He needed to be a jerk in the first place. Let's be honest. Ralsei wouldn't had cracked if he hadn't. People make it seem like he treated him worse than he actually did. He actually gaves him fairly good advice in their cut scene together.
I'd even go as far as to say tha I like him better than I liked Tenna tbh. At least Flowery is a Honest Jerk who in the end, just wanted to save his friends. Tenna might come across as funnier/more sympathetic but it's only cause he appeals to the player. I think he's a worse person than Flowery with even more selfish intentions.
I don't want to turn this into a Tenna Vs Flowery debate because I do love both of them dearly, but I do think it's interesting how ego (even if its fake) can make or break a character. Attitude and context as well.
Tenna was allowed to be sassy because he was a TV host, he was valid in feeling abandoned because he was, but he still often disregards others feelings like its nothing. He had funny memorable quotes and a unique aesthetic, he had a cat boyish charm.
Flowery is... well an anime rival, he's smarmy, condescending but mostly objectively correct. He's there to help OTHERS grow, where Tenna was the one who had a solid arc and had to change.
I think some people are right to feel disappointed in Flowery's lack of an arc, but I personally find it fascinating. I'll go deeper into it in a different post because this is already quite long, but thank you for your input and take! 💛