anxious_songbird | Why I Headcanon Basil (OMORI) As Aromantic

Here's my old DeviantArt post about my Basil Headcanon

Here's the decription with some typos fixed:

I'm aro-spec; I get to make the aro headcannons!!!

short answer: IDK man, I just think it's neat!

long answer: I thought it be great to have a aro headcannon where the aro character cared a lot for his friends (not that loveless aros are bad! they're great!). The more I thought about it the more it felt like a non-loveless-aro story. Basil is seemingly (at least emotionally) abandoned by his parents & mainly taken care of by his grandmother, and it's implied that he has trouble making friends. After Mari's death he is basically abandoned by all his friends (including the one he did a awfull thing for). While OMORI doesn't deal with amatonormativity, it is based on the IRL world, does likely having amatonormativity. Amatonormativity doesn't place high value on friendships, and by extension, the hurt of friendship break ups. Basil seemingly had to deal with the loss of all his friends to grief all while likely dealing with the trauma of not having his parents, thus worsing his already existing attachment issues. While he is not my favorite character, I do think he is intressting and, in my opinion, he´s made more intressting as an aro person.

even shorter answer: aro feels go brrr

more thoughts below;

Basil still isn't my fav, but I do still know he's objectively an intressting character. I still agree with the thoughts above. Basil has clearly been emotionally neglected & abandoned by his parents, he is further traumatized by the Thruth and the later break-apart of the friendgroup (& later the bullying by Aubrey). The fact that he thought up the idea to hang Mari, and seemingly also hallucinates? Clearly he is suffering as well.

Basil is, to me, the first character I'd make aro if I had the power. He isn't the first thing I'd think of with "aromantic", and I think that part of why I like this HC this much. He is some-one who clearly cares about his friends deeply. He generally has a soft aesthethic. He is an emotional mess. He is so clearly not a robot. I want Basil's suffering in game not be just because of romantic attachment. I guess it's particially because of spite. Not cause of the Sunflower shippers. But instead of those who keep writing yandere!Basil (honestly, I'm just generally not a fan of yanderes).