#and in case people accuse me of overthinking a random npc

[woodchipp]

gonna briefly rant about Tucker because I think he presents quite the... fascinating case regarding OMORI's handling of mental illness

The fact that he seems to exist purely for the sake of a "haha look at this nerd" joke aside, the game frames him as someone to gawk at and be disgusted by - his in-game name is "Creepy Guy", his manner of speech is inappropriately pretentious, his room is a mess, he's overweight and he believes Sweetheart is his wife even though she's just a fictional character in OMORI's world. It's pretty clear that the guy has no social skills whatsoever.

When compared with some of the game's other aspects, the framing presents a couple of issues.

1) Sunny is the exact same kind of person Tucker is. He spent 4 years rotting in his room and crafting an elaborate dream world in his own head. The dude canonically dreams about big-breasted tentacle women who talk of wanting to enslave him and make him their pet. Sunny, however, is treated as the Poor Little Baby the player is supposed to feel bad for because he's got Depression, while Tucker is treated as the stereotypical basement dweller who hasn't moved out yet. Why the double standard? Is it because Sunny is a cute anime teen while Tucker is a fat and immature adult? :)

2) On One Day Left, the player gets access to Aubrey's house, which looks very similar to Tucker's room but even more overrun with trash. Again, the game expects you to feel bad for Aubrey and how horrid her living conditions are despite previously framing Tucker's failure to keep his room clean as disgusting. Again, why the obvious difference in framing? Is it because Aubrey is a cute anime girl? :)

The game seems to inadvertently send the message that only people who look nice and attractive deserve to have their mental issues be taken seriously. If you're fat, spend most of your time in your room, and can't take care of yourself, you're a nerd who deserves to be mocked!

What a tactful and thoughtful approach to mental illness we've got here, wouldn't you say?

#and in case people accuse me of overthinking a random npc #the game wants to be taken as a serious statement about mental illness doesn't it? #i'm only taking it as seriously as it wants me to :) #omori #omori game #omori fandom