staaaaaaaaaares at this ask............. s-sigh... if... if you reeeally want to hear me explain why i'm NOT into something.... *kicks a peppble into a lake*

easiest part of this question I can answer right away: I like Aubrey! She's plenty interesting! A good girl, really, truly. I feel for her circumstance, and I think omocat's love for her comes through. There's a lot going on with Aubrey, as someone who also loved Mari so much she couldn't deal with the loss. Aside from Sunny, I would say Aubrey is the next 'least functional' after the loss of Mari. Watching her friend group fall apart was something she was really sensitive to and incapable of handling; Aubrey was a kid who needed stability, consistent attention... but it was gone from her, just like that. I think Aubrey's rage for everyone abandoning Mari is compounded with the feeling that everyone abandoned her as well, and didn't look back... She had a harsh wake-up call, that her friend group wasn't strong enough to make it through extreme hardship, and she 'wasn't important enough' to her friends, for them to reach out to her amidst their own crisis. Everyone pretty much just kept to themselves after Mari's (perceived) suicide. Of course, we the audience understand that everyone had their reasons, but I think it's still fair for Aubrey to be hurt over this. It sucks to realize that people will NOT always be there for you, like you thought. It's logical to then become bitter, disillusioned, and angry with the world.

So I do appreciate Aubrey and what she goes through in-game. But uhmm... that doesn't mean that I find her compatible with Sunny? ^^; haha. In reality I do not think their personalities would mesh well together, if their relationship were to get more intimate. Nor do I think their individual needs are very compatible... just IMO...!

Not to like. Deconstruct Sunburn entirely but... it's just one of those ships that I struggle to think about in-action, like I don't... know... how any of it kicks off! I don't know who makes the first move? Or what that first move looks like. Like it's a fine ship in theory to me, but then I like, don't know how Aubrey and Sunny begin to confront any of their feelings for one another, with one another. Because Aubrey is a troubled, sensitive girl deep down, I don't think someone as passive and easily shut down as Sunny would be good for her. I would worry about Aubrey feeling easily hurt and rejected by Sunny not responding in an overly enthusiastic way to things...? The uncertainty would be difficult. Eurr but then, I don't think it's fair for the ball to be entirely in Sunny's court to do things for someone, because he is just so very needy...

I know the game tries to express that Aubrey is a tender heart deep down, and she cares about things, but... Mmm... I struggle with bridging that to the DEGREE of care Sunny needs, like. Does Aubrey want to make Sunny breakfast every morning...? Help with his laundry? The dishes? Be patient when he is feeling fussy, overstimulated, overheated...? That's asking a lot of a girl, who already has to fend for herself and deal with her neglectful mother...! On the flip side, I'm not sure if Sunny will be very aware, capable of calming Aubrey down when she is escalating and angry, when she is overly self-conscious and insecure... Will Sunny be able to soothe her and not get upset himself? I mean he historically is bad when being confronted, yelled at, cornered... It's a tall order, since Sunny is sooo far behind with dealing with his own emotional issues.

It's not that they CAN'T have a relationship, it's just that, I worry about the logistics!! I would say, expressly because I DO like Aubrey as a character...! So, I want what I feel would be ideal for her. I genuinely believe that Aubrey would benefit a lot from a relationship where SHE was taken care of... Doted on! Like, what was great about having Mari around was that a nice, patient older girl was there to support her. Brush her hair, compliment her, steadily soothe her, get her zen... Relaxed... She needs that. Her life has been hard enough already, if only she could just fall into the arms of someone that is going to be exceedingly patient. Help her with her own repression and denial. I think of Aubrey as someone who really doesn't let herself have pleasure easily, prone to self-deprivation and self-harm. Naturally just fraught, inclined to go towards what will hurt her over what will help her. I wish she had a space to lash out, and be lovingly worked over, into a better direction.

Perhaps unpopular opinion but IMO punky rebellious Aubrey isn't her true self, and IS actually a phase. It is something she is doing to counteract the sheer helplessness she feels in her household, where no one cares about or loves her. Mmm but she has good girl bones, which is why she attends church despite everything... Even if the people there don't even respect her, it's a personal ritual does, perhaps because she can't think of any other way to find peace. Eurr but if Aubrey were in a better living situation, with people who loved her, I just don't think she'd be riding around town doing graffiti or whatever... I think she would be happier, like. Building a nicer enclosure for her rabbit. Dressing cutely, filling her bed with plush. She'd be better off regressing to the sweet girl she when she was younger, than perpetually keeping a tough-front.

BUt yknow a lot of Sunburn art I see is even specifically of 16 yo Sunny and Aubrey, and is usually depicting them both as rather aloof! This like. Breaks my heart aksdfjg... IF I stanned Sunburn, I would be UNABLE to think about canon timeline 16 yo Sunny and Aubrey, especially post-game... I'd be like too emo about Aubrey being left behind for four years, and the. Like. Whole thing where Sunny stabs her potentially? fksdgj... and she gets, freaked out by the stabbing. Eurr and we can't forget that the catalyst that made Aubrey RESENT Basil was actually something Sunny did... So, we know that if Aubrey learned that Sunny had scribbled the photos back then, that she would have called him a creep and completely cut ties with him... /-\; it literally makes me too depressed when characters reject one another 'at their worst', and, that more-or-less would've happened... IDK if Aubrey can handle the reality of Sunny's very ill brain!!

Omg, on all levels, like... I often think what Sunny is doing in HS with Aubrey is bizarre, where he like. Makes her have a crush on him. And yet, Omori performs being aloof/indifferent to her, so...? It's, a weird representation of a 'crush' isn't it...? I don't actually know what the purpose is, to have HS Aubrey overtly fawning over Omori and being like <3 kakkoiiii <3 <3 kdfjdgh like... Isn.. isn't that... a little rude...? Admittedly I feel like if Aubrey could. See Sunny's HS representation of her she would be like. "What the-!? You... you sicko?? You... what, is THAT how you SEE ME!?" asfkdjg like she would feel. Kind of. Dehumanized a little DKDFJKDG... Especially since 16 yo Aubrey seems to be really embarrassed and humiliated by her past self ah. It would perhaps be a nightmare to see her past self paraded around in her little bow and being like <3 Omoriii~... and then, i.. ignored!? Oh so even here you. Ignore me kinda...? Wtff... (AND, LIKE, IT WOULD BE HER RIGHT, TBH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT SUNNY IS DOING THERE...)

I was going to try and pitch what my 'ideal' Sunburn would be if I did it but like I c. I can't. It's genuinely distracting how much I think they would not work out in reality. I don't even think Sunny has much of a crush on Aubrey as a kid... Like I do think sometimes he got flustered and Aubrey was nice to look at but I'm not sure about anything beyond that. And I don't think Sunny was even very conscious of these feelings. They are vague, and they don't really culminate in an action. It doesn't turn into a desire to court Aubrey meaningfully. IMO Basil is just being weird to tease Sunny about wanting to see photos of Aubrey — and yknow. I think of Basil as having actually a negative perception stat about Sunny's true feelings so, I would say Basil is the least capable of being an authority on that sort of thing LOL.

Mrhh like.. LIKE. *rubs my temples* at most I can say if I did Sunburn it would be them at their youngest age, like when they just met, and just focus on Sunny sort of beguiling Aubrey to be more childish and playful with him. The overlapping interests would be cute plush and cute animals, and the like... And ah, eventually some catalyst reveals that Aubrey's home life isn't very good and so Sunny tries to make his house a space Aubrey could stay at as much as she likes, gift her some of his many toys etc. And then it's kinda cute like, the vibes of a low income girl and a rich fancy lad courting the other. Something simple like that...

omg but if sunny was interested and earnestly pursuing another girl he wouldn't kill mari yk... the end ig.

Anyways I hope this like covers it all... TL;DR I like Aubrey a lot, but don't see as her and Sunny's dynamic as interesting/promising. Oh I would draw her on commission though, if that interests anyone :3c