Character Development: Onni

[Temteno]

I'm necro-ing this thread also because I love Onni a lot and he is up there as my favorite character (switching places with Emil time to time, but for a month he has been really close to my heart).

First thing, I want to say a few things about his development. It surprised me that nobody has commented here for a long time, as the second adventure basically revolves around Hotakainens and the quest of finding Onni (though we haven't seen him for many months besides the flashbacks).

Edit: I said 'few things' but this turned out to be an 1110 words long analysis of what I've picked up from Onni. I also left out the analysis of how Onni's treatment with Tuuri and Lalli differ from each other and, as Aileil mentioned, how Lalli's relationship with Onni is healthier in its own way.

I want to also clear quickly a misconception that Onni is overprotective about everything. No, he lets Tuuri go and scrape herself or let her do the things she wants, as long as they don't involve going to a Silent World or even into non-immune places. We have just seen Onni freaking out about everything because that 'everything' we have seen connects to the Silent World. I could use an essay to this topic also, but this is getting really long already.

I mention also quickly that I find Onni damn adorable. I could also make an essay about this.

Spoiler: Onni analysis about recent events • show

The flashback and the horrifying end of the Toivosaaren Kylä

Onni was the only one who was fully aware of what was going on during the time of the flashbacks, as both Lalli and Tuuri didn't see the severity of the situation. Lalli knew that bad things happened and Tuuri just knew they had to get away, but both of them trusted that their village and parents would come back soon after.

Onni, as 16 years old, knew better that all he could do was to save the people he could: Lalli and Tuuri. He loves peace and stability in life and wants nothing more than be surrounded by people close to him, while he might be sleeping in the corner or work on the field.
Losing his stabile life was the most horrible thing that could've ever happen to him and it happened. He was all alone with his experience (as the Lalli's words "Nobody came back" suggest that Taru had probably moved away from the village and was already in the military). There was nobody to cry about it or open up how he feels because he had to be the strong one for Lalli and Tuuri that they could trust. Which leads to that Onni wanted to look like the world's last pillar who Lalli and Tuuri could always rely on.

He wanted always to protect them and be there when everything else crumbles down.
On the flip side of the coin, he put a huge burden on his shoulders. The result can be especially seen with Lalli, who always yelled for Onni when he was in distress or a bad situation. No matter what the situation was, Onni would even danger his health just to protect them from the danger.

But who Onni could rely on? What he would do when his protection isn't enough?

About Reynir and Onni

I think Reynir wanted to know about him more, but because of his tad insensitive personality and wrong choices, Onni
shut himself off from him.

At the start, Reynir sought guidance from Onni in a way that Lalli did too. At least the youngest Hotakainen had Ensi to train him, but Reynir had nobody else in the Silent World who would know about mage things AND wasn't reluctant to teach him. In a way, he latched on to Onni and found him also a pillar to rely on.

But unlike Lalli, Reynir wanted to see Onni as his equal and talk to him like normal humans do, see deeper to him. But due to Reynir being Reynir, meaning so much good but messing things up, he lied to Onni about his sister's well-being. I think he empathized with Tuuri about not wanting to worry important people to you, but that just hurt Onni more in the long run. And Reynir isn't known for thinking things in the long run.

Onni yelling to Reynir for not telling about Tuuri and even punching him hurt, of course. But the worst thing that made me feel terrible was to see how he raised the walls in the dreamworld to shut himself off from Reynir.
Onni also brushed all that off when they met in real life. It was, of course, a mature thing to do since Tuuri's death wasn't Reynir's fault and he had been a wreck at that time, but his attitude showed also that he had shut off Reynir completely from his emotional life.

The wall works as a metaphor and literal thing: Reynir wasn't any more welcome to Onni's sacred place and Onni softening to him even a little was blown away like dust.

Recent development

As people might have noticed already, Tuuri's death pushed him out of his safety zone, even more than that decision to move into Mora just to be in contact with Tuuri. He understood that if he can't put his own life to a line and fears aside, he can't save anybody important to him. There's the horrifying feeling of knowing that he could've been there to protect Tuuri if he had just tagged along to the expedition. It must haunt him and make him feel powerless. Of course, he shouldn't blame himself for it since Tuuri was a young adult, who had all the power to decide what she wants to do. But we are talking about Onni right here.

His thinking has always been that outside world is bad, it could turn him and Tuuri into Eldritch abominations and it destroyed his family and comforting life. Losing Tuuri and Lalli would be now the worst thing that happens to Onni - and well, that happened too and the outside world was again a reason for it.

He trusts Lalli - or more likely expects - in making the right decisions and surviving on his own. That's why he saw that Lalli would be safer with his only friend, Emil, in another country and in a job that was very mundane and repetitive, just like his previous one. His defensive attitude stemmed from a fear of dying and losing important people to him, as Kade was after them. Now the fear of losing Lalli was bigger than his fear of dying and he took the initiative. When there isn't anything to hold him back, he can do such great things - after all, he is a damn powerful mage.

Onni doesn't most likely plan to come back. He was ready for Lalli to move Sweden and not even know where he is because he doesn't need to know that in Tuonela.

What will happen to Onni in future?

As he doesn't plan to come back or is at least ready to die on the trip, it means that he will use a really powerful spell or set of spells. The Kokko one turned him almost into a crispy piece, so there must be other powerful spells in his sleeve. Onni wouldn't go out there without some plan at least, but that plan involves something that he hadn't wanted to think before.

I trust that nothing deathly happens to Onni. Minna was already reluctant about killing Tuuri, but Adventure 2 wouldn't have happened without it. I don't know how Onni's death would advance Lalli's character development, it would more likely stun it - same with Reynir. It would be more likely a waste of potential to kill Onni because his and Reynir's arc isn't close to any sort of conclusion.

(Unless I'm just thinking that there's going on some sort of arc between their relationship and it's not just "okay we are back and we kinda had our moments but it's over now".)

As always, this is just my opinion and if I someone has differing thoughts, I would love to hear them. All the better if this stirs up some conversation.

On a more light-hearted note, I went through the whole comic one fateful night when I needed reference pictures of Onni. I then took 79 screenshots and compiled them all into reference sheets that include all his different outfits and when he was a teen.

Am I obsessed? Well not in my opinion, I'm just very passionate like many other people in this forum.

Spoiler: Onni in Adventure 2 • show

Spoiler: Onni in Dreamworld • show

Spoiler: Onni in Keuruu and Mora • show

Spoiler: Onni in sweater • show

aka the reference sheet which is just Onni being so sad and grieving my heart shrinks and dies.
(Do we actually need a damn reference sheet of character wearing a sweater? Ask that from my past self.)

Spoiler: Onni as a teenager • show

That's all for now

[wavewright62]

Thread necromancy is welcome when there is new analysis or discussion to be presented, as you have done.  (Also, all those Onni screenshots!)  Just wait until you (save up some time to) have a look at the SSSS Art Museum thread - there are some gems in there along the way.
But - one comment -

Spoiler: Onni analysis about recent events • show

The flashback and the horrifying end of the Toivosaaren Kylä

... There was nobody to cry about it or open up how he feels because he had to be the strong one for Lalli and Tuuri that they could trust. Which leads to that Onni wanted to look like the world's last pillar who Lalli and Tuuri could always rely on.

He wanted always to protect them and be there when everything else crumbles down.
On the flip side of the coin, he put a huge burden on his shoulders. The result can be especially seen with Lalli, who always yelled for Onni when he was in distress or a bad situation. No matter what the situation was, Onni would even danger his health just to protect them from the danger.

I think Tuuri and Lalli were very well aware of Onni's angst over the situation, hence the in-jokes about Onni crying.  Lalli was being a bit of a jerk about it, but Tuuri knew exactly what he meant.  I got the feeling this wasn't their first exchange on the topic.

Spoiler: this is more about lalli than onni • show

Lalli calls for Onni's help while he's struggling with the water serpent, but not other times; I suspect that's because there was no one else to call in that realm.  He calls for Onni early in the adventure for Tuuri's benefit, but he later avoids talking to Onni over the radio. 
He blunders into finding Onni's realm only by following Reynir, and pounds for entry only because, well, where else could he go, without Reynir?  Then he resists Onni's will.
Tellingly, he does not attempt to find Onni at all in the aftermath of Tuuri's death, in any realm. 
Onni cries out not to be left alone; Lalli goes to great pains to seek the opposite.

[Róisín]

Good images. I like Onni. He is such a classic big brother/cousin. And yeah, I do agree that being who he is, Onni would be perfectly willing to spend both his life and his magic if it would ensure Lalli’s safety.

[Temteno]

Thread necromancy is welcome when there is new analysis or discussion to be presented, as you have done.  (Also, all those Onni screenshots!)  Just wait until you (save up some time to) have a look at the SSSS Art Museum thread - there are some gems in there along the way.

I have to definitely check out the Art Museum thread in-depth! When there's a free weekend, I know what to do at least.

But - one comment -
I think Tuuri and Lalli were very well aware of Onni's angst over the situation, hence the in-jokes about Onni crying.  Lalli was being a bit of a jerk about it, but Tuuri knew exactly what he meant.  I got the feeling this wasn't their first exchange on the topic.

A good note, thanks for bringing it up! I forgot totally about it.
I think that both Tuuri and Lalli understood later on their life how Onni was feeling, he isn't exactly subtle about his own feelings.
In that moment of loss and maybe for a few years before becoming teens though, they weren't really aware and that was enough for Onni to isolate himself. I also think now later on that it is just part of his personality not to open up to anyone, even when everyone else can see what is going on (Trond's "Don't start crying!" is a great example).

Spoiler: this is more about lalli than onni • show

Lalli calls for Onni's help while he's struggling with the water serpent, but not other times; I suspect that's because there was no one else to call in that realm.  He calls for Onni early in the adventure for Tuuri's benefit, but he later avoids talking to Onni over the radio. 
He blunders into finding Onni's realm only by following Reynir, and pounds for entry only because, well, where else could he go, without Reynir?  Then he resists Onni's will.
Tellingly, he does not attempt to find Onni at all in the aftermath of Tuuri's death, in any realm. 
Onni cries out not to be left alone; Lalli goes to great pains to seek the opposite.

Silly me, I thought somehow that Lalli was calling Onni more . Looks like Onni was the one who sought after Lalli and easily went in quests to help him and I just mixed things up in my head.

Good images. I like Onni. He is such a classic big brother/cousin. And yeah, I do agree that being who he is, Onni would be perfectly willing to spend both his life and his magic if it would ensure Lalli’s safety.

Onni really cares even when he tries to be really professional and casual (when he even succeeds with that though?).

There's some special duality with Onni and how he is.
In one sense he, Tuuri and Lalli are very common personalities that you can see in older Finnish literature. I don't know how deliberate this was from Minna's part to make them like that, but I would like to think there was this kind of thought behind.
Onni is especially something that the Finns appreciated in a time when society was more important than the individual. He is the guy who works very diligently and is very humble about his achievements. When he isn't working, he is very silent and doesn't bring unnecessary attention to himself. He is very strict to himself and isn't bound to earthly possession (haha).

On the other hand, Onni is anything but that ideal image. He is very emotional about things and everybody can see that. There's something very vulnerable in him that was seen as a disgrace in men. He cries a lot and is one big wuss when things concern his family. He is also very good with kids and grew two by himself.

He tries to be serious and very responsible, and yes he is. But it is so endearing to see him stumble clumsily from new situation to another and taking them so seriously it becomes comedic. He felt so natural in the Keuruu and his own village, but when he went to Mora, he became so lost and less graceful. There's striking similarity in him and Lalli if only Lalli is awkward anywhere that has people.

[silverceleb]

I love your analysis Temteno! I have thought along the same lines as you have.

I'm a huge Onni fan myself and it's super great to see others finding this character as interesting and complex as I do. When I first began to read SSSS there were not too many Onni fans and the general read fandom had on him was very flat, mostly due to us not knowing so much about him. I was nearly ecstatic when the second adventure had him in such a major role!

In one sense he, Tuuri and Lalli are very common personalities that you can see in older Finnish literature. I don't know how deliberate this was from Minna's part to make them like that, but I would like to think there was this kind of thought behind.

It may be a finnish thing to draw these conclusions you and me both have made. It never really occurred to me before but I see where you are coming from, our cultural heritage might make him more appealing to finnish readers. Now that I think about it, he reminds me a bit of Koskela from Tuntematon sotilas or maybe Aapo from Seitsemän veljestä. (Lalli being Lauri in this case.)

In that moment of loss and maybe for a few years before becoming teens though, they weren't really aware and that was enough for Onni to isolate himself. I also think now later on that it is just part of his personality not to open up to anyone, even when everyone else can see what is going on (Trond's "Don't start crying!" is a great example).

I can only imagine what it must have been like for him to go through this. I feel like the glimpses of Keuruu and society there after year 0 points to "let's survive now and think about trauma and psychological health later or better yet never". Everyone is on the same thin ice here, so tragedy is more the rule than exception. In our modern day world (at least here in Finland) if an entire village was wiped out and the only three survivors were a teenager and two kids, they would have received crises counseling, gotten adoptive parents or other adult hosted place to grow up, gone to school for many years still and generally been taken care of by actual adults.

From what we can understand from the comic, Onni either chose or had to take care of Tuuri and Lalli since, work for their living and in a sense build a place for them to live. "Onni knows what to do" is such a lie from granny Hotakainen. I bet he didn't have a single idea about how to manage this situation, and still it is evident he somehow did it. Sure there must have been some help from military or other official personnel from Keuruu, likely also the curious but soon fading interest from new neighbors. But still, kinda big responsibility for a 16 years old teen. He is also old enough to properly remember life before everything went wrong, to even now mourn for the family he lost.

So yes, he is not handling everything ideally, like how he didn't really understand or listen to Tuuri or how he demands perfection from Lalli, but I'd love to cut him some slack. He tries so hard with the people he values. Too hard, and things go wrong anyway, and then he must feel like he didn't try enough. Oh dear, he is such a mess, but a lovely mess if you ask me.

As for the future!

Spoiler: show

I can't wait to see new spells. I'm also super worried, like so so worried for him. I doubt he will die without at least some massive and complicated plotline taking place first, also it is very likely the gang will meet him since Minna is not the kind of writer who would deny her readers the emotional satisfaction. But there are many ways to hurt without dying.

We keep getting bits and pieces of information about how the influence of a kade works, and one theme I paid attention to is exorcism. I can't help but speculate if one of our mage characters might fall under the influence of It, and if Onni himself can perform exorcism if needed. At least we can count on our local seagull boy Väinö to be ready for it if needed. I wonder also if the influence of kade would be different for Reynir since he is from Iceland and kade only refers to Finnish mages as far as I remember.

[Róisín]

Good analysis both of you. Purely trivial sidelight: did you know that Lalli and Lauri, like the American name Larry, are all variants of Laurence? And I also like Onni - he is such a big brother/cousin archetype.

[Temteno]

I love your analysis Temteno! I have thought along the same lines as you have.

I'm a huge Onni fan myself and it's super great to see others finding this character as interesting and complex as I do. When I first began to read SSSS there were not too many Onni fans and the general read fandom had on him was very flat, mostly due to us not knowing so much about him. I was nearly ecstatic when the second adventure had him in such a major role!

I'm glad you like it! I remember being very nervous about misunderstanding his character and who he is. Good to know I'm not the only one who has these thoughts
I have been in this fandom only for 8 months and I found pretty many Onni fans immediately (including the friend who introduced SSSS to me) so hearing that fandom had pretty flat read on him surprises me!

It may be a finnish thing to draw these conclusions you and me both have made. It never really occurred to me before but I see where you are coming from, our cultural heritage might make him more appealing to finnish readers. Now that I think about it, he reminds me a bit of Koskela from Tuntematon sotilas or maybe Aapo from Seitsemän veljestä. (Lalli being Lauri in this case.)

Good to hear that it makes sense. I agree with him being appealing to Finnish readers - most of my Finnish friends who read SSSS like Onni I second you with the cultural heritage as a reason for his appeal.
I was exactly thinking about Seitsemän veljestä when I realized this connection, though I didn't connect Onni specifically to anyone. Thanks for noting that!
You don't know though how amused I became with the thought of Lalli being like Lauri - I love that connection!

From what we can understand from the comic, Onni either chose or had to take care of Tuuri and Lalli since, work for their living and in a sense build a place for them to live. "Onni knows what to do" is such a lie from granny Hotakainen. I bet he didn't have a single idea about how to manage this situation, and still it is evident he somehow did it.

I second this. I bet that Ensi and Onni's parents have told him what to do in this kind of situation and Ensi refers to that. However, that doesn't include how Onni could handle it all mentally and what he would need to do if nobody comes back. I think she and others had assumed that someone left from the village would've taken the charge after that...too bad none of them expected the outcome :'(
Looks like nobody expected this outcome, as whole villages being wiped away got many articles and big measurements to prevent something like this to happen again.

So yes, he is not handling everything ideally, like how he didn't really understand or listen to Tuuri or how he demands perfection from Lalli, but I'd love to cut him some slack. He tries so hard with the people he values. Too hard, and things go wrong anyway, and then he must feel like he didn't try enough. Oh dear, he is such a mess, but a lovely mess if you ask me.

YES, I AGREE!

As for the future [speculations]

I have also speculated about the possibility of exorcism. I doubt that he has learnt about exorcism as Onni is specified to be a defense mage. It is also only useful when you can salvage the mage's soul. Ensi and Hilja have been long gone from the moment when Kade announced it so I wouldn't see a reason why Onni had learnt exorcism. I might be wrong though - maybe he has few exorcism spells in his sleeves.

I think it is also a possibility that Reynir can be infected by Kade. Onni covered Reynir's eyes when they met Pastor Anne and thought that she was a ghost who needed guidance to afterlife. Looks like that Kade can infect a person in their dreamworld also, as it doesn't corrupt the body but the soul. There isn't a lot of information about Kade either and I doubt that any Norwegian or Icelandic mage has met a one in real life. I wouldn't give a definitive guess to this one.

Good analysis both of you. Purely trivial sidelight: did you know that Lalli and Lauri, like the American name Larry, are all variants of Laurence? And I also like Onni - he is such a big brother/cousin archetype.

I didn't know! Finland has taken inspirations with the names from other countries throughout the history and there aren't lots of originally Finnish names.

[Jitter]

Time for this thread again! Adventure 2 page 215 and wow Warrior!Onni!

Seems like dragging himself out of his cocoon at Keuruu has been also good for him. I doubt he’s exactly happy at the moment, but he certainly doesn’t appear to be terrified either. He knows what he’s doing and why, and despite the sorrowful scene with him on p 213 he looks like he’s comfortable in his skin here.

[wavewright62]

Time for this thread again! Adventure 2 page 215 and wow Warrior!Onni!

Seems like dragging himself out of his cocoon at Keuruu has been also good for him. I doubt he’s exactly happy at the moment, but he certainly doesn’t appear to be terrified either. He knows what he’s doing and why, and despite the sorrowful scene with him on p 213 he looks like he’s comfortable in his skin here.

Valid thread necromancy, and you've got a point. 
Maybe him dropping his baggage into the water at the dock, played for laughs at the time, was also a metaphor.

[Róisín]

Well thought, Wavewright. Once Onni committed to ‘lose all, or take the adventure utterly’, I thought he would shape up. I look forward to his further development. It would not surprise me if Onni went back to the forest again, either to live there or to die and come up again as trees and flowers.

[Temteno]

Well thought, Wavewright. Once Onni committed to ‘lose all, or take the adventure utterly’, I thought he would shape up. I look forward to his further development. It would not surprise me if Onni went back to the forest again, either to live there or to die and come up again as trees and flowers.

I can see this too. Onni has probably missed the Saimaa since he has been so many years in Keuruu and walking in the forests and seeing the lakes feels probably like coming to long-lost home. Some time alone does him good also - he was pretty uncomfortable at Mora and Reynir's hometown when there were people pestering him.
Onni seems to be also more confident and level-headed when there isn't anyone he should worry about. In his mind, Lalli is with Emil in Sweden and everything should be alright so there's only him and his mission.

[Latiria]

Hi everyone!
This is my first post in the 8 years I've been reading Minna's comics (along with comments and fan fiction). Glad to be with you!

Why I write in the topic about Onni: probably because this character became close to me, and suddenly it turned out that because of him a lot of things changed in my life. But that's not what I would like talking about.

I want to say that I really like the way Minna's characters are designed. Their characters, national characteristics, perception of the world around them, the meaning of names. She even points out their birthdays: if you pay attention to the horoscopes of the main characters of 2 travel, they are surprisingly consistent with their behavior in the comic book.
 
For example: Minna wrote that Tuuri's birthday is March 5, which coincides with Reynir's birthday. Only their ages are different. In any case, Onni is easier to communicate with them, since they are water elements (Onni-Scorpio), than with Lally (Aries), which logically he simply does not understand. Water elements are more emotional, changeable, think deeper, and become strongly attached. They are also responsible and self-sacrificing, ready to limit themselves for their loved beings. Let's remember how Onni breaks off his attempt to hug his cousin in the world of dreams, or how he lets him go with Emil in the second book, how, overcoming his fear, he goes on a trip to Sweden, or parted with Tuuri (one of my friends said that if he wanted to stop his sister, he would lock her in the house, throw out her things or something else – and we see nothing from Onni except angry exclamations and logical (and correct) judgments).

I go further and try to determine the year of Onni's birth, counting 2013 when Minna started publishing her comic book as year 0, then it turns out that Onni is a Scorpion and a Fire Monkey. 
I will not go into details, you can read them yourself, but what is interesting: one of the important dates in the life of such people is 27 years.
And Onni is the only character, whose appearance and mental state have changed over the course of the story, and the only one whose age has remained the same. To this day, he is still 27 years old in the comic book.

I'm not an astrologer or anything to describe natal charts here, but I was impressed.

In my opinion, the factors that had a clear impact on Onni's character and which Minna tells us about are: date of birth, name, magical abilities, luonto, lack of immunity, Finnish mentality, loss of home and relatives. If it is interesting, I will be happy to share my opinion on each of the points.

P.S.: I disagree with many things from the previous comments (and totally agree with another), but this is only my opinion. For example, in my opinion, Onni was rude to Reynir only once, giving him a punch in the face. More of this, it can be easily to write off on emotions (incidentally, for the entire comics we have never seen Onni realistically cried, although causes was abound; under this Tuuri, Reynir and perhaps Lally cried), and judging by his response in Iceland, he even not took this to heart. All the rest of the time, it was either logical exclamations (I can't teach you – I don't know your gods, we won't meet again – I kind of went to die, you don't need to thank me – it's my job, look for this church yourself – I can't do it from Sweden), or systematic sentences (Oh, I told Lally, not you not to come either systematic (Oh, I told Lally, not you not to come again - didn't I tell you not to come again? - well, now I definitely told you not to come again). Not to mention the number of times he thanked Reynir, apologized to him, saved his life, and generally spent his time on him.

If it's interesting, you can read how I see Onni from the point of view of the team's characters here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22410985/chapters/53544898

[thorny]

(one of my friends said that if he wanted to stop his sister, he would lock her in the house, throw out her things or something else – and we see nothing from Onni except angry exclamations and logical (and correct) judgments).

Hi Latiria!

I don't think we've seen anything about year 90 society which implies that Onni would be considered to have any right to lock his sister in the house, throw out her things, or do anything other than to try to talk her out of going. She's no longer a child at the time, she's an adult; and while the specific subject hasn't come up in the comic, everything we have seen in the comic implies to me that brothers would not be considered to have any such right over adult sisters. Trying to lock her up or to steal her things might not be behavior that even occurs to Onni; but, if it did and he tried it, it might well result in Onni being the one who got locked up, once it became known.

[Latiria]

Hi Latiria!

I don't think we've seen anything about year 90 society which implies that Onni would be considered to have any right to lock his sister in the house, throw out her things, or do anything other than to try to talk her out of going. She's no longer a child at the time, she's an adult; and while the specific subject hasn't come up in the comic, everything we have seen in the comic implies to me that brothers would not be considered to have any such right over adult sisters. Trying to lock her up or to steal her things might not be behavior that even occurs to Onni; but, if it did and he tried it, it might well result in Onni being the one who got locked up, once it became known.

Thank gods, my friend lives in our reality! 
But I didn't mean it that literally. There are many ways to influence a person, including tricks. Brothers, friends or comrades - doesn't matter. Onni doesn't use any of them with his sister.

[wavewright62]

Indeed (and welcome to you!).  Just as an aside, I'm under the impression that everyone in Keuruu is housed in barracks, not individual family units.  There might be family units in the barracks, but we have seen that Lalli had his own (tiny) barrack room - presumably Onni & Tuuri would as well.