#not whay else to put

[lokidotir]

I've had this theory for a long time now. It's about Leo and his swords. He used his twin blades in the beginning, as they were the weapons he was trained with from an early age. (Trained is used very loosely here, more like the weapons he was most familiar with). He then breaks them and takes up using the odachi that he takes from Draxum's lab. We all know this, obviously. But we also know how bad he was at harnessing his mystic magic with the weapon.

Look at this!

The poor boy has no idea what he's doing. He went from duel wielding to single in just an episode, and his brothers give him so much flack for it.

But listen. Donnie wields a bo. And it was the same one he had previously to the others losing there weapons, so he didn't have to change his fighting style at all.

Raph fought with sai's, a duel weapon. He went to tonfas next, which was also duel handed, and also of the same size practically, and also used for defense just as the Sai was. He had to change very little with his fighting style.

Mikey went from duel wielding nunchaku, a weapon which requires a great deal of focus, to a kusari-fundo, a weapon which is also on a chain as his previous was. He may have had to change a bit from his fighting style before but the actions he uses are quite similar to what he normally does. Plus, the little demon kinda does a lot of the work for him. (Not saying anything bad about Mikey)

But then, there's Leo. He went from twin katanas to a single Odachi. Now, to me, that would hinder me something great. You can see his struggle when he fights Draxum. Sure, he's pretty fluid in his movements, as he can wield a sword just fine in one hand, but what is he supposed to do with his other?

We all agree that Leo has ADHD or something similar, and his fighting style had to change almost immediately from what he grew up knowing compared to his brothers.

Fighting with two swords would keep himself occupied enough that he can focus on the fight at hand, and still have his wits about him to make his jokes and oneliners, like a fidget or something. This is seen in us as humans who also have ADHD. When we have something to keep us occupied, we can pay attention to pretty much anything.

Now what happens when Leo is down to one sword, for two hands? His sweeps are awkward, his attacks are flailing, his focus is way off. And we haven't even mentioned his mystic abilities yet.

The power his odachi holds is telaportation. We see his struggle to master it throughout the entire show. He has to do a lot to use this power, which takes a lot of focus. Let's take a look.

Our boy has ADHD

He lost his duel swords and is now using a single blade

His hands have to share a handle to give him the focus he needs to do anything

He has a new power he needs to master or he might 'Portal chop' something on accident

Not very much in the list, but important. His portals need him to focus to turn on, he needs to know where he wants the other end to open (visualize), he needs to give it enough power to be as big or little as he needs, not to mention staying open long enough for the desired object to pass through. He also believes that he needs someone to rely on him to do anything worthwhile, as seen in the minotaur Maze, but he really just lacks any self confidence and needs others to lift him up, something else I believe he has in common with his ADHD.

As his brothers are figuring out their powers (excluding Donnie, as he doesn't use any til he unlocks his ninpo) Leo is struggling immensely and with his brothers teasing him, he isn't able to build up his confidence. As we see in the portal jacked episode, he breaks down to Hueso about how insignificant he feels.

So, as a recap so far, though Donnie, Mikey, and Raph all have been able to adapt to their weapons and powers quickly, Leo is thrown out of his comfort zone the most and is not growing nearly as fast because of it.

But when we see the Brothers unlock their ninpo, they each have the Hamato power to turn objects into weapons. We see Karia do this when Shredder came back as she turns Donnies bust into a glowing blade (still not entirely sure what it's called), and before that when she turned herself into the sword that trapped Shredder in the first place.

Now, what kind of weapon did each of the Brothers choose to turn their garden tools into?

They each chose the weapons they were most familiar with, the ones they grew up knowing. Leo went back to his twin katanas, which sure, could have just been paying homage to his og self, but I tend to think it's because he needed them to keep his hands busy. He needed his fidget, if you will. And it worked!

He was filled with confidence after that. He knew his brothers had his back, he had both his hands busy allowing him to focus more, and do you see what he did with raph?

Having two swords now has given him a better focal point for his powers. He's whipping everywhich way across the battlefield. Practising with the sword was perfect throughout the show, but since he unlocked his ninpo and found out telaportation and portals were HIS power and not just associated with the odachi, he was able to use it to what appears to be his full potential. He also uses this to his great advantage during the movie as well.

Now, there is a ton more I could say about his future self using the power (or NOT), or even more in depth for his movie portion, but this post took two tries a a couple hour to write (half the post got erased when I went to save the draft) that I'll leave it all for another time.

What do you think? Does my theory hold water? Did I miss anything? What was your thoughts on this whole situation?

[skeletoninthemelonland]

I am NOT sleeping tonight. Not like this.

[ratqng]

check this out. [I'm probably going to eat some eggs tomorrow]

[bloodbathfortwo]

Nigel and Alex have their rare moments of intimacy behind closed doors. Lingering touches, and blazing warmth.

[mukusmeraki]

I hate when people white wash Daniel and Sean like it is not that hard to color pick. OR LIKEE when they make them a gray brown, like... They clearly not that skin tone but okay (like the emojis in the lis server... How do you white wash your own characters)

Anyways Sean and Daniel art soon? (Probably not in a while I'm joking 🕴️)

[ryuseitai]

im so annoyed my earring got fucked up

[thedarklyblue]

hiii i want to quit my job <3

[29121996]

smth rlly fucked abt . the way i feel abt this fucker bc its driving me wild n i know its just . i havw to figure this shit out but km so tired of feeling like this abt ppl im romantically into lile. grow up maybe ?

[butch-errant]

.

[softness-and-shattering]

, Not a lore master here. I assume the pale is very tall. They have planes, right? And they always have to travel through it, I dont think I remember anything about flying above it.

Idk if there has to be atmosphere, they might not even be on a planet, right?

Im thinking about Sanderson's Roshar, and how the map shape is based on a specific, though possibly obscure, natural phenomenon. "A 3d slice of a 4d Julia set" which, yeah, means absolutely nothing to me. No idea what that is. However. I wonder if the world of DE is similarly based on something real, if people with the right knowledge set could figure it out. I dont remember the exact description but if iirc it was pretty specific, either in a book or in conversation with Joyce.

Re "after pale, life again", I wonder if theres an in-world basis of truth at all, or maybe its a kind of afterlife wish. As they experience the pale, its the end of all life, so maybe theyre hoping theres somehow life on the other side again.

(Im thinking now about motorway south and like. You ever had a dream meet a dead end, cannot proceed, and your sleeping mind kinda freaks out and hopes to wake up immediately? I wonder if its like that. Every direction you turn is pale. Do you die? Do you become like a ghost?)

My other thought is about pale and time. In the indecisive middleman...moralist! quest, you hear Kim through the pale/radio saying its cold, but he doesnt speak that line till you get to the islet in the bay. The pale echoes back and forward in time. Of it swallows all, maybe it also births all too. I feel like the phasmid said something relevant but I cant quite twig the memory.

more questions about pale for lore masters! first one, how tall is pale? i assume elysium has some sort of atmosphere, so does it fill the space all the way up to it or is it somewhat heavy and stays closer to the ground? second one, since the saying goes "after pale, life again", is there any known theory to how does pale dissolve after it has covered everything/made everything disappear? is it just the absence of humans that makes it slowly decompose since no new input is added to it? i wonder how many hundreds or thousands of years it would take for it to be fully gone again?

[formulampreg]

✨Welcome to the Formula mpreg fest✨

Welcome everyone! and welcome all kinds of mpreg!

We know and understand mpreg is not everyone's thing, so please don't hang around if you're sure you don't like and don't be rude to those that enjoy it ✨

That being said...

Welcome everyone ♥️ 

These are some tentative dates that will be put up for voting:-

Prompting: January 6 to 26

Claiming: January 27

Check in: February 21-22

Posting: March 8-9

Reveals: March 10

Links for you ♥️ 

The Collection

The prompt form

The claiming form

Further info is on the collection's dashboard but let me add it down here as well

What's mpreg? Whay counts as mpreg for the fest? Mpreg is a term used to describe situations where a man becomes pregnant, resulting in a Male Pregnancy. The fest welcomes all kinds of mpreg: cismpreg, transmpreg, intersex mpreg, a/b/o dynamics, magical pregnancies, fics that go into the carried gene variant, you could also not offer an explanation and just have the world be like that.

Prompting & Claiming FAQ

Is it necessary to submit a prompt to claim one? Do I have to claim a prompt to submit one? No! You don’t need to submit prompts in order to claim them, and you are not required to claim prompts to “be allowed” submit them.

How are claims done? Once we set up the schedule, you will be able to start claiming by pressing on the “Claim” button next to the prompt you want and then filling out the Claim Form. Please remember that If you don’t fill it, your claim will be deleted.

Can more than one person claim a prompt? No! Only one claim per prompt will be allowed. It will be on the “First come First serve” basis, and any secondary claims will be deleted. Anyone that wants to use any other media that isn't writing doesn'tneed to claim it on AO3, just please fill out the form so I can know <3

How do self-prompts work? Right before the ending of the Prompting Period we will post a bunch of “Self-Prompt” prompts. These are for people that have their own, original ideas they want to write or make art for but that they still want to share inside the Fest.

How are self-prompts claimed? The exact same way! Except more people can claim each one. You’ll be able to claim one and that will count for the three claims per person limit.

Remember friends: you can always drop out if life gets messy or if the inspiration runs away!

And now some RULES

1. All Works must include some form of mpreg - this mean that if your story has past or future "off-screen" mpreg, then it still counts! 2. Gen fic is welcomed! Not everything has to revolve around romantic and/or sexual relationships. 3. Minimum word count is 1k! Chaptered fics are, of course, allowed, you'd just have to make sure that the first chapter (or chapters) you post hits 1k words. 4. All works - especially those included sensitive topics and/or smut HAVE to be properly tagged. We will read over the fics before allowing them into the collections and we will ask you to tag properly if we detect a missing tag. 5. Ships must include at least two (2) paddock individuals. OCs or Non-paddock characters are not allowed for final ships. Y/N fics are not allowed. 6. No plagiarism allowed, no unauthorized reproduction allowed. If someone sees a prompt or a work that you suspect was copied from someone or somewhere else, please let the mods know.

RESTRICTED THEMES The only restricted themes the fest will have will be: Pedophilia, incest and underage.If you want to include an aged up character that had a kid when they were teenagers, you can. But you cannot have underage characters engaging in sexual activities in your fic.

[btdemaru]

hiiii i was wondering how you think the demon brothers would react to a male/gn mc surprising them by wearing like lingerie or something like that

Lingerie suprise!

[Obey me brother x Amab!mc]

note : this is another hc/drabble of how they would react and whay lingerie would make them DROOL. I put some links but couldn't find a lingerie specifically with male body so just focus on the lingerie itself!

Warning : sex toys, somnophillia (belphie), rough sex, slightly choking?, dumbification, use of "cock" for M!reader, choking, dacryphilia, humiliation, begging, pain/spanking, humping (levi) degradation, overstimulation, oral (mc receiving) , double cocks (levi), slight blood, praising, switch!mc, use of word panties, belly bulge, sizekink, creampie

MINORS DNI

Lucifer

Lingerie he'd love

will probably be black lingerie, but not the plain dress one. oh no no, make it a bit more extra

If your lingerie exposes your thigh be prepared for ALOT of hickeys there cause this man will go feral on you

Thighs rapped around the avatar of Pride as he devour you whole, his sharp fangs slightly grazing your thigh sucking it so messily leaving a red mark "fuck, cant you just- fuck me already??" Your words made Lucifer smirk "not yet my dear, i have to cherish this gift you gave me.. dont i~?"

His eyes averted to the dick print on your lacey panties before his long fingers gripped it and tearing the fabric in half, leaving your hard on in display for him. Covering it with your hand as a reflex made his eyebrows furrowed "don't hide from me."

Lucifer flips you over making you lay on your chest as he forces your bare back and ass for him, pressing his dick and rubbing it on your hole, laughing at the sight of you clenching on nothing "look how desperate you are, i thought this is a gift for me to admire.. seems like you're enjoying it more than i am." A harsh slap on your ass made you turn your head facing Lucifer to complain only for him to push you head back into the mattress again.

It's been what felt like hours, skin slapping and moans can be heard even from outside. Hand sneaks it's way gripping your neck and bringing you upwards from the matress and knocking the air out your lungs as he's too deep in you making you feel so so full of just him.

It certainly made his ego even grow bigger, couldn't help but drool as your mouth was gaping open for air, his merciless thrust became sloppy and his grip on your neck became more firm "shit! Lucifer let g-go i cant breathe" it was useless, he's too deep in the pleasure as he finally came after hours of fucking you dumb. His cum is thick, by how pent up Lucifer is it's no surprise there that the load was alot..

[oh don't worry he'll buy you a new set]

Mammon

Lingerie he'd love

Gold. Not just because he loves money gold or diamonds, well- another reason it's because of how it makes you shine in his eyes

Just your body decorated with chains of gold with a black see-through lace making your dick so visible for him is perfect.

Delicately kissing your jawline, biting licking leaving pretty purple red hickeys claiming you as his. First time Mammon saw you in a lingerie gave him butterflies, eyes almost popping out of his eye sockets and jaw dropping. surprisingly Mammon is very gentle with you at first

Not wanting to ruin the piece of art which is you, fingers flicking over your bud as he took one into his mouth while pinching the other one, rubbing you cocks together through the lace fabric, he was always greedy for your attention but never this greedy. Not giving you time to breathe or to think of anything else but him. He took out two nipple clamps from under his bed. "Woah wait-" "I've been wanting to try this on your for awhile, wouldn't mind if i milk ya right human?" He held you close gripping you still before clipping it on, licking the side of your sensitive bud earning moans that sounded like music to him

Impatiently he gets a lube and puts two digits into you "seems like ya hole is greedier than i am" He poke fun out of it, he's not wrong.. you're sucking his fingers in so hard not letting it leave.

Mammon prefers to fuck you senseless in missionary,he gets to play and tease you as well as see your face while he's thrusting inside, your black-goldaced panties were ripped moments ago and the pretty gold chains were tangled but that's none of your concerns right now, mammon's hand starts to grip you cock and eagerly pumps it wanting you to spill everywhere for him and him only until you're milked.

Leviathan

A lingerie he'd love

Levi would scold you at first for wearing such a thing, but the tent in his pants says otherwise

Anything blue-white or blue-black is really pretty to him

He's easy to fluster, but this? what are you doing to the poor demon.. won't admit it out loud but prefers you to dominate him instead of letting him take charge, Levi crawls between your thigh, hands spreading you as his teeth pulls down your panties "can i?" He looks up making eye contact woth his pleading eyes. Levi starts to suck you with desperate look on his face, drool coming pass his lips onto his chin dribbling down to your base, the sight itself could make you cum but surely you wanted to last longer right? pulling away by pulling his hair back as his lips made a pop sound "why..?" He looked at you, confused. Soon moving your food rubbing it on his pants that was hiding his dicks, not long after Levi gets the hint to hump your legs and starts to move, his hand grips your thigh slightly bruising it "p-please can i.. cum pretty please mc?"

Levi's hips are offering friction and twitching whenever he squirmed under your touch. His pants grew unbearably tight begging to be released. when you move your thigh up, just once, his body jerks up again. he moans something into your neck as if it's a plea to keep going.

Satan

Lingerie he'd love

It doesn't have to be green, but he'll love the looks of the flower patterns on you.

A white one will do, or just cover yourself with petals or flowers and vines for him to tie you lmfao

Some flowers represent purity like for an example Lily represent purity, innocence and rebirth. And he'd like to try and corrupt pure innocence of yours.

(if you have 🥱)

Satan can be soft, sweet loving and his words never fails to make you swoon and fall for him again but when he's fucking you, he's doing it like it's the last thing he'd do with you, his thrust are deep, hard and slow. Satan won't stop until you got to the point where you can't even speak, only moaning his name like a spell, your tight warmth around his cock as you're close to your fifth orgasm"no more.. please!" eyes rolled back with tears and your chest are soiled with your own cum struggling to focus on reality. You were straight up desperate for release, "I'm sure you can take one more, darling" Satan has other plans.

With your legs are dangling on his shoulders Satan's hips mercilessly pounding into you, "look at you, looking so innocent yet you're cumming all over yourself."

Asmodeus

A lingerie he'd love

Tbh i can see him wearing one too, his hole stuffed with a pink 5.1 in dildo inside

would go delicate on your silk satin lace

"my my~! What a suprise i got." He smiled this is the type of suprise asmo would want daily, quickly walks over to you while taking his time kissing and marking you all over from bruising your already puffy lips to neck and waist, his hand groping your perky chest while his other hand takes off all his clothing before revealing the dildo inside of him infront of you making it visible of how deep it went, it's so wet and lewd making you wonder long it's been in him. Asmo will make you ride him as he tease and play with your body

Whenever asmo gets close he gets soo whiny and babbles about how good you feels or how good you're doing it, praising and the most dirtiest words fall outta his lips. "nghh~ I'm close.. you make me feel so good~!" He'd even try a double sided dildo with you if you're down for it. "C'mon don't get shy now.. hurry up and spread so we both can take this in." Hell, asmo would even make it a competition who can get it deeper.

He loves playing with your cum especially when he came inside you and scoops it out with his fingers and spreads it all over your thigh or ass, when i tell you Asmo is downbad nasty he's NASTY.

Beelzebub

A lingerie he'd love

Or just a red/orange thong will do ✌️

He's pretty impatient when he's riled up so- basically easy access are a turn on lmfao

Beel moaned his senses were filled with nothing but you. Your smell, voice face and cum. he grabbed your thighs and kept them spread, his tongue lapped up your hole deliciously. His grip on your thigh tightened to keep you from moving too much so he can focus eating you.

Satisfied and sure you're already prepped enough for him beel slid himself in, now he's big, biggest out of the brother's so taking him whole isn't a simple task "wait- ah fuck it can't fit" you panicked, literally feels like you're being torn apart into two but beel reassured you and kept telling you to loosen up by praising you "calm down you're doing so well taking me in~ I'm sure the rest will fit.. just a little more okay?" [He lied]. Beel LOVES to press on your stomach where his cock bulging through, it turns him on since this boy has hella size kink. You feel so full and he's probably not all the way in, beel will kiss you as he fucks you relentlessly kissing you everywhere biting marking and tasting you. "Can you suprise me more often?" Beel spoke with the most innocent face ever 😭

Belphegor

Lingerie he'd love

Debating whether he'd prefer purple/grey/blue but I'd choose purple just like his eyes tbh

Just like his twin he'd love easy access knowing how lazy and unbothered he can be, so just wear the top or nothing atp

Sneaking to his room and climbs ontop of him, taking off his pants to reveal his limp dick, well it's limp for now at least. Sucking him and rubbing it against yours will make him hard fast, his eyes still closed and deep asleep feeling like he's having a wet dream, soon enough belphie opens his eyes finding you riding him. Bouncing up and down on belphie as he's just laying there letting you do the work "don't stop- faster" he's annoyingly demanding at most times so just shut him up by edging or kissing him it works well lmao

Belphie would plead and cry out for you to keep going even if he's on the brink of passing out "please i can take more.. just one more round" literally he'd pass out, tears and drool staining his face as you switch and fuck him this time, thrusting in and out of his bruised puckered hole, cum all over his stomach and sheets that he won't clean up. Gasping and clawing you for cuddles and for you to keep your cock in as you snuggle up together. Gets more whiny during aftercare, when he's close he'll let out soft moans.

[hi sinners]

[lvrsparadise]

'AFTER DARK' - M.S

Synopsis - “But… why do you hate that you like it?” "Because I'm supposed to hate you! And I can't do that when I'm in love with you!"

Warnings! - Profanity, kissing, arguing, Nick and Chris r kinda asses, use of Y/N, crying, name calling (not directly though), crying.

A/N - I was listening to 'After Dark' and I thought about something I had written down but lost but I still remember the plot. This is so long😭 Although, please enjoy ! ♡

You and Matt had been at each other's throats since you guys met.

He'd say one thing and it would lead to either a small banter or an actual yelling match. But with you two, it was unpredictable what was going to happen.

Lately you two have been a little more smiley with each other, still bantering a lot, but sometimes playfully.

----

Matt was in his room, and I'm sitting in the living room, watching the same show I had on when Nick and Chris went out to eat with Madi and Laura.

Soon enough, I got bored and paused the episode and walk to Matt's room.

He doesn't look up from his phone but sighs.

"Get out."

I just shake my head and plop down in his chair at his desk, drumming my fingers on the arms of it lightly.

"Nah. I'm bored."

He groans. “Why are you in my room?”

"Entertainment? I guess." I sigh and shrug.

"I got bored in the living room by myself. Nick and Chris went out to dinner with Madi and Laura and left me here."

“So, they just… left you here?” His eyes widen a little. He puts his phone down on his bed next to him.

I shrug and look down at his desk at the keyboard and little pieces of candy wrapper trash. 

"I guess. "

"Well, why didn't you with them?"

I shrug again and cross my arms on the desk, avoiding messing up his keyboard.

"Just, wasn't in the social mood."

I'm thankful he can't see me right now. Even when I walked in, he never looked at me. Thank God. I feel like I look absolutely terrible. I feel exhausted and drained. I have no real reason to feel this way, but I guess emotions are just difficult.

I hear him sigh and hear the small 'thunk' of his head pressing against the headboard.

"Whay are you still here? You need something?"

I just shrug again, knowing he can't see me.

"Not really. Just don't want to be alone I guess."

I lay my head on my arms, closing my eyes. Laying my head down like you would on a desk at school.

"Well, what do you want me to do? Entertain you?" Matt's voice rings from behind the chair.

"I'm not expecting anything. I just didn't want to be alone. Is that such a hard thing to understand?" My voice firm and muffled by the way my face is buried in my arms.

I know I can't see him, but I can hear the eye roll in his voice.

"Why can't you just get out? Find something else to do other than be a fucking bug." He grumbles the last part, but I can hear it clearly.

I sigh frustratedly and stand up from the chair walking to his door. 

"Fine. I'll just go fuck myself then." I grumble as I swing the door open and walk out of it, out of his room. Just like he wanted.

He puts up his hands in disbelief and just stares after you. Once you leave, he sits up, and buries his head back into his hands. He sighs a little louder, and his voice is more strained.

“Stupid…” he mutters.

-

I walk back into the living room, plopping down on the chase and curling up in one of the many blankets that are strewn across the length of the couch and grab my phone.

I open up Instagram and start to go through everyone's stories, just to get everything out of the way. I click onto Nick's story and see a picture of not just him, Chris, Madi and Laura. But of all of my friends. And that hits deep.

I scrub a hand over my face with a sigh before clicking off of the story and closing out Instagram entirely.

For some reason, I feel sad knowing that I'm not there.

I feel my breathing pick up slightly and tears well in my eyes. I tighten my grip on my phone, my knuckles white, and close my eyes for a second, making the tears fall down my face.

My mind drifts back to the only other person in the house. The same person I have a love/hate relationship with.

After a few minutes of playing some weird iOS game, I hear footsteps coming from Matt's room. Then I feel the couch behind me sink.

He doesn't say a word. Just sits there.

I immediately notice his presence but decide to ignore it until I can't. My back is turned to him.

"What do you want?" I grumble, not turning around or turning my head to look at him.

He puts his head on the back of the couch. His shoulders are slouched, and his expression is… blank.

“I don’t know, I felt bad.”

I snort softly at his words.

"Since when do you feel bad for me? Yeah right." I mumble the last part to myself.

His eyes narrow a little. I can tell he heard me, but it's all silent for a few moments.

"It was rude that they just left you here." He shrugs, and his tone is... a little less rude than his normal snarky and sharp one.

"Yeah, well it's fine. I don't mind." I mutter and sniffle to clear my stuffy nose from crying.

He tilts his head to the side, looking at the back of your head.

“Do you have a cold, or something?”

"Oh, yeah. No, I'm fine." I keep my back turned to him, but I drop my phone and use the sleeve of my zip-up to wipe my nose and cheeks.

“Are you sure? Cause it kinda looks like you’re crying.” His voice is a little gentler than I'm used to hearing.

"I'm fine, Matt." My voice firmer and a bit louder than I was speaking.

He notices the change in tone, and he sounds a little sterner.

“You know, this is exactly why we can't be friends. You won't tell me what's going on when I ask, and then you get all defensive and mean when I do notice that something's wrong.” He crosses his arms tight, and he looks forward again.

"Well, maybe I don't tell you because you're usually the reason why." I sniffle again and try to breathe through the upcoming wave of emotions. My voice cracking slightly.

His eyes widening a little and he looks at you, his expression soft with regret.

"Am I the one who made you cry?"

His eyes stay soft, and he looks really concerned.

I sigh and shake my head, picking up my phone and pulling up the photo of Nick and the others.

"Not this time." I exhale sharply. My voice quieter than my previous tone and strained from me trying not to cry again.

He looks at you for a few more moments, and his face softens even more.

“What happened..?” He speaks as gently as he can.

I reach my phone out with a photo from Nick's story of him, Chris, Madi, Laura, Sab, Ari, and Oliver sitting at a table with big smiles on their faces.

I feel him grab the phone from my hand and presumably try to look at it better.

He looks at the phone screen, then looks back at you.

“They didn’t invite you?..”

I sit up on the couch, moving to a sitting position instead of laying and kick the blanket off me.

I chuckle dryly.

"And what's worse... is that it's my birthday today. I mean, I don't usually celebrate it but, it's my birthday and all of my friends are out without me." I bring my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around my legs and rest my chin on my kneecaps.

His head snaps up to my face, his brows low.

"Wait, it's your birthday...? And you're alone?"

I sniffle and rub my eyes. 

"Like I said, I don't mind anymore. But I just go so overwhelmed earlier when you told me to leave your room, I just started crying and my mind drifted back to that whole fact and I just-" I just sigh and put my forehead on my knees while closing my eyes, shaking my head softly.

His eyebrows raise.

“You don’t… mind being alone on your birthday?” His expression softens a bit when he watches you put your head on your knees.

I just shrug again and breathe in through my nose sharply.

"Wouldn't be the first time." I mumble to myself but instantly realizing Matt heard it.

His voice is a little softer, and he sounds concerned?

“Why are you so okay with being alone? Is it a defense mechanism or…?” He just looks at me, waiting for an answer.

"I never really got much attention as a kid. I was basically forced into isolation most of my childhood."

I lift my head and rest my cheek on my knee, my head turned to Matt.

His expression softens and he looks at the ground, listening carefully.

“Was it… hard? Being alone like that?”

His eyes move up to meet mine. The eye contact being genuine and not as snarky as usual.

"Sometimes. My older sister, Izzy, was the only person who ever paid attention to me and made sure I had everything I needed for like school and stuff." I straighten my legs out and lean my head on his shoulder.

He looks at you for a moment, but when he sees where you put your head, his entire expression softens. His eyes glance at you before he looks down at his own lap.

“I don’t like you being alone on your birthday… you deserve to be celebrated.”

"Well, I'm not alone. I mean, you're here, aren't you?" My voice calm and filled with an emotion not even I can identify.

“I mean… yes. I am here. But I… I don’t feel like that’s enough.”

His voice is soft and gentle. Whatever emotion is filling the air right now, he must feel it too.

"To me, one person is better than nobody. So, to me, as a person who has spent quite a few birthdays alone, that is more than enough." I slightly nuzzle my head onto his shoulder more comfortably.

His eyes stay focused on your face. He hesitates for a moment, then shifts a little closer to you.

I feel his arm wrap around my shoulders, and smiles when I nuzzle into his shoulder.

After a few moments of silence, I speak up.

"This is comfortable." I mumble as I shift around to drape my legs over his and rest my head on his shoulder, closer to his chest.

"This is comfortable…." He mumbles.

He hums quietly, the action vibrating his chest and calming me down even more. I feel him rub his hand up and down my arm, and his other one draped across my waist, holding my body close to his.

I slowly let my eyes drift shut. I bring my hand to rest on his chest next to my head. I bend my knees a little and move closer to him, if possible. Suddenly feeling even more exhausted than before.

He smiles when he feels one of your hands on his chest, and he holds you even closer to him. He lets a few seconds pass, but his brain is moving a mile a minute.

"Can I… do something?" he whispers, his voice a little strained.

I nod once against his chest, the movement slowed from my fatigue.

A beat later I feel the hand that's wrapped around my shoulders lightly carding through my hair, gently massaging my scalp.

I hum in content and snuggle closer to his body, yearning for his warmth.

After a while of just lying there, I feel myself lulling into a very inviting rest. The motion of his hands in my hair, and his warmth and the way his arms are wrapped around me are enough to make me drift off into a restful sleep, my breathing evening out.

-Matt's POV-

I lay there holding her in my arms, listening to her breathing. Feeling her chest rise and fall.

"You fell asleep on me..." I mumble and run my fingers through her hair one last time before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

I keep glancing down to see if she's woken up yet, but she looks s peaceful... I hope she's comfortable.

I lay there for a few more minutes doing nothing in particular, just looking at her in this peaceful state. I can't believe I could hate her. I think I only didn't like her because I've never seen this side of her before.

After a few more minutes, I shift around so I'm holding her bridal style, her head not moving from where it's rested on my collarbone.

Slowly I make it to my room and set her down on my bed, putting the comforter over her body and then sliding in behind her, slinging my arm around her waist and holding her to me.

I breathe in her scent and feel myself lulling off.

--MORNING-- -Y/N's POV-

I wake up, instantly feeling arms around me, holding me tightly, and breathing on the back of my neck.

At first, I'm alarmed but then I open my eyes and see I'm in Matt's bed.

'How did I end up in his bed??'

"Mm..." I hear from behind me.

I look around the bed for one of our phones, but neither are in sight.

"What time is it...??" I mumble to myself before giving up my search, concluding I had left mine on the couch last night.

"Shh... It's still early.." Wow tired sounds good on him.

He doesn't sound that awake yet, his voice a bit strained. I feel him nuzzle farther into the back of my neck, gently pressing a small kiss to the base of it.

I feel my cheeks heat up from the feeling of his lips on the back of my neck. I shift around to where I'm facing him. I brush a few strands of his hair from his eyes. 

"Sleepy looks good on you..." I mumble to no one in particular. Just stating a fact.

He slowly begins to open his eyes, his expression still sleepy and calm. He looks into my eyes, the little bit of sun peeking from the cracks in his blinds shining on his eyes in just the right way. His eyebrows raise a little bit, and I can see a small blush make its way across his cheeks.

"Morning..." His voice sounding softer than I've ever heard from him. Is he... smiling? It's hard to tell.

I allow myself to gaze at his entire face, inspecting every little thing. My gaze lingers on his lips for a moment before I meet his eyes again. 

"Morning." I smile softly, not minding this kind of contact or interaction.

He just stares at me for a second, his eyes still looking tired and a smile finding its way to his face.

After a minute or two of us looking at each other, I feel the warmth of his hands leaving my sides, making me frown lightly. He sits up, leaning against the headboard, and rubs his eyes.

"D'You sleep well? You probably weren't comfortable using me as a pillow." He chuckles quietly. His voice still quiet and laced with sleepiness still, the blush not as visible, but still there.

"I was, very comfortable. But may I ask how I ended up in the bed? I fell asleep on the couch... I think." I roll onto my back and sit up a little bit, laying my upper back on the pillows, putting a bit of distance in between us.

"Yeah, I um... I carried you to my bed..." His smile disappears and his cheeks flush, changing color from the blush. He looks at his hands in his lap, seemingly avoiding my eyes.

"I thought you'd be more comfortable? I don't know..." His voice trailing off, shaking his head softly.

I clear my throat and move to a sitting position, like him, leaning against the headboard also.

"Well, uh... either way thanks for... y'know, being there last night. I kind of liked the side of Matt I saw last night." I send him a small grin, despite him not looking at me for a few more moments.

He seems to perk up at my words, once finally registering what I had said.

"You.... liked seeing me last night...?" His face flushes again and he turns his head to me, a smile on his face.

I don't think I've ever seen his smile directed towards me. Always to his brothers, family, and friends. But having him smile at me feels... special. Like it's all for me.

"Yeah." I smile softly, looking down at my lap where my hands are folded together.

"That was probably one of the only times you didn't call my annoying or a bitch." I look back at him.

"So, yeah. I liked seeing the nice Matt." My smile drops a little.

"And I am sorry for being such a pain in the ass. I guess I can be kind of... persistent at times. And nagging." I slightly shrug one shoulder and pick at some of the fuzzies on my sweatpants.

His eyebrows raise again, and he looks straight at me.

"You really are something else... I didn't think you knew how to apologize!" He smiles playfully at me, but his comment hurts.

I swear I feel my heart break a little. I feel the tips of my ears warm up, and my face gets warm from the overcoming feeling of wanting to cry.

I clench my jaw and ball my left fist up, my nails digging into my palms. I move to sit on the edge of his bed and stare down at the hardwood floor.

"I think I'm going to head back to my place."

I can feel the smile drop from his face when he speaks, sounding shocked.

"Wait, what? It's still kind of early, why would you want to go already?"

I clear my throat and stand up.

"I've been over here for a week already; I should go back so I could clean up anything my roommates might've messed up." I zip my hoodie up all the way and walk to his door, not sparing him a glance, his comment hurting more than it should. I open the door and step out into the kitchen.

I hear him slide off of his bed and follow me out to the kitchen.

"Wait, don't leave. We have to talk about...." He trails of lightly. I can feel his gaze on me as I shuffle around looking for my wallet, keys and shoes.

"You and I.... We have to talk. About us..."

That makes me stop in my tracks, in the middle of the living room. I turn around to ace him.

"What is there to talk about?!" My voice strained and high pitched. Almost whiny in a 'I'm about to cry' way.

"So what? I had a moment of weakness, and you were there! Why does that have to change anything?" I throw my arms up and feel my throat starting to tighten.

"And- And just because I 'know how to apologize', doesn't mean shit! So, please tell me. I'm all ears. What is there to talk about?" I put the words in air quotes, because the way he said it, hurt my feelings. And especially after I tried to be the better person and own up to what I do and apologize for it.

His eyes narrow a little, and his voice sounds annoyed.

"Just because you had a moment of weakness doesn't mean you can just suddenly leave! There is more for us to talk about! Especially after last night."

It's obvious he's trying to keep his cool. Like he doesn't want to snap. But honestly, if he did snap, I wouldn't care. His eyes are sharp and focused as usual, but a hint of that softness from when we woke up is still faintly there.

"Nothing happened Matt! I was alone, so I went to your room, then you kicked me out of your room, and I got sad and started crying and you were the only one around! Plus, if you really fucking wanted to, which I wouldn't put it past you, you could've left me to cry alone! Laughed in my face! Called me another insult! You could've done anything! But you didn't. You stayed. And you comforted me until I fell asleep! That's all the fucking happened!" I moved closer to him. Every word I speak is accentuated by a jab of my finger to his chest.

My voice has raised a little and I'm getting angry now. My breathing has started to get a little bit faster because of the immense amount of frustration and anger I feel.

He lets out small grunts at every jab of my finger.

"Stop it! Just... stop it. You are so impossible to work with." He takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm down, but it's clear I've plucked a nerve. And good, not what I was going for, but a win is a win.

"You don't want to talk about last night because deep down, you know that you liked what you saw, but you don't want to admit it." He goes quiet and steps back, putting distance between us.

"Maybe I do like it! Maybe that's why I'm choosing to ignore it! Because I liked it! And I hate that I liked it. I hate that I let it happen. I hate that I allowed myself to cry in front of you. I hate how perfect you look, even when you're yelling at me. I hate how blue your eyes are and how much they remind me of the ocean. I hate how you can do what you want in my life, and I allow it! Because I like it!" I can feel tears of frustration spilling down my face. My eyes are wide and firm with anger and frustration. My lips twisted in a flat line, nostrils flared, and face flushed from anger and crying.

He seems to be caught off guard. His mouth slightly agape, watching my emotions switch back and forth all at the same time, looking speechless.

"O-oh..." I faintly hear him mumble. He looks...confused?

He takes a few small steps towards me, his voice so inviting.

"But... why do you hate that you like it?" His words come out in a whisper, his tone gentle, his eyes soft and calm, his face kind and inviting. He looks slightly nervous.

"Because I'm supposed to hate you! And I can't do that when I'm in love with you!" I accidently shout the words, and then immediately regret that. My eyes get impossibly wider, and my hands fly over my mouth.

He takes another step back, his jaw dropping lower. He stares at me for a few seconds, not saying anything, which makes worry churn in my stomach.

He blinks a couple times before he clears his throat and closes his mouth.

"Did- Did I hear you correctly...?"

"Fuck!" I ball my hands into fists and press the heels of my hands against my forehead and push my back against the closest wall, sliding down it to where I'm sitting on the floor with my knees to my chest.

I let out a few choked sobs and mumbles of curses before nodding.

"Yeah." My voice quiet and hoarse. I sniffle and squeeze my eyes shut for a second and open them again, dropping my hands to my sides.

I watch as he walks over to me, dropping to his knees next to me and pushes my knees away from my chest. He pulls me into his chest, wrapping his arms around my shoulders gently.

"Hey, hey... shh. Slow down. I'm not... I'm not going to judge. Just slow down. I'm right here." I hear him whisper. And feel him press a kiss to the top of my head.

"Don't panic. Just take a deep breath, let it all out. I'm right here."

That's all it takes for me to completely break down. Sobbing, and mumbling in between with hiccupped breaths. All the while he's stroking my hair and occasionally running his fingers through it.

"I'm so sorry." I manage to choke out between short breaths and sobs.

He presses another kiss to the top of my head and grabs one of my hands, his other hand rubbing my back in comforting patterns.

"You have no reason to be sorry... You're allowed to... to feel this way, okay? I'm not mad at you, and you shouldn't be mad at yourself either. Just... breathe with me, okay?" I feel his hold tighten, reminding me he's there.

I attempt to match his deep, calm breaths, but I can't. No matter how hard I try, I always end up hyperventilating after I cry.

My breathing starts to come out uneven, raggedly, too fast and choppy, making me lightheaded.

"Hey. Hey, look at me." He puts two fingers under my chin turning my head to face his.

"Breathe. Just breathe. Slowly in through the nose." He inhales slowly through his nose.

"Then slowly out through your mouth." He exhales slowly through his mouth.

"Do it with me. In."

Inhale slowly.

"Out."

Exhale slowly.

It's too difficult to match. But after many attempts, my breathing has slowed down and my head is no longer dizzy.

He watches as I control my breathing and return it to normal. Once it has returned to a normal pace, he lets go of my chin, leaving the area cold from where his fingers were.

"Good.... Deep breaths, that's right."

He lets out a small sigh and presses a kiss to my forehead before wiping my cheeks free of tears and tear stains.

"Can you tell me why you feel so bad about this?" He asks quietly.

"I don't even know. It just feels wrong, feeling this way. It feels like I'm supposed to see you as an annoying older brother but instead I developed feelings for you."

He hums gently, seeming to wrap his head around my words. He closes his eyes for a moment, taking one deep breath then opening them and looking into my eyes.

"Look, just because you're supposed to see me as a brother doesn't mean you can't have feelings for me. It just changes the dynamic. And you can't blame yourself either." He shakes his head once.

"Because it's not your fault. Not one bit." He cups my cheek and wipes away a few stray tears with his thumb.

"How did you... How did you know you were in love with me...? I mean, how- what made you realize it?"

I sniffle and clear my throat, not wanting my voice to give out. I take another deep breath before speaking.

"Last night. When you stayed and comforted me in my so called 'moment of weakness'. When you didn't push my head of your shoulder. Or even just the fact that you listened to me last night. And the way you held me was..." I trail off, not knowing how to describe it. It was so comforting and calm the way he held me, it put me to sleep. Literally.

He beams that sweet smile out, lifting my spirits a little.

"Did- did you like being comforted last night?" His voice becoming soft, and delicate.

I nod and lick my suddenly dry lips.

"Yeah. Hearing you talk that softly was really nice. And I liked being in your arms." My voice a little nervous from having to admit this out loud.

He looks as though he's processing my words, like I can see the little loading circle above his head, and then when it clicks, his entire face lights up.

He stands up, holding his arms out.

"Come here." His voice a little firm and commanding, but still soft and sweet.

I slowly climb to my feet and just about throw myself into Matt's arms, wrapping my arms around his torso and his arms wrap around my neck and shoulders.

"About fucking time you two stopped denying shit."

We break away from the hug quickly and turn to the kitchen where Chris is standing rubbing his eyes.

"What?"

"God, are you two blind? You guys have been ogling each other when the other wasn't looking. It's been driving me insane. And now Nick owes me 400 bucks."

Matt groans and I roll my eyes and plop down on the couch with a small smile on my face as I feel the cushion next to me sink and then an arm is being draped across my shoulders and pulling close to him.

--

After a while, we make it back into his room.

We're laying on his bed, both of us on our phones, not really talking.

Out of nowhere, he drops his phone and turns to me.

"You want to go to dinner sometime?"

I lay my hands in my lap, turning my head to look at him.

"Are you asking me on a date?"

"Are you going to say no?"

"No."

"Then yeah, I'm asking you on a date."

I smile at the dorky tactics and roll my eyes playfully.

I grab the part where the strings of a hoodie are on his hoodie and pull him to me, our lips colliding in the middle.

"I'd love to go on a date with you."

Tags ! ✮

@dwntwn-strnlo ✮ @ssturniolo ✮ @strniolo ✮ @20nugs ✮ @prettysturniolo ✮ @mxqdii ✮ @thetriplets3 ✮

If you want to be added to the list, all you have to do is ask !! ✮

I love all of you guys !

And I hope you all have a wonderful day and / or night ✮

[ocoddities]

Warnings: Slight gore at the end, unhealthy behavior, yandere tingz, random thoughts.

Imagine a god who had been the creator of the world, who was forced down onto the world, and wss hunted down by everyone across the lands for being an "imposter".

Imagine a creator who was beaten, killed, and scarred by the very men, women, and all in between he created. The very beings he fathered with love and affection, killing him again and again.

Imagine you, seeing this dishevelled and battered man, and taking pity on him. The word of the imposter god has spread far and wide, yet you can't help but want to tend to this poor excuse.

Imagine you being the only person who's offered him any kind of kindness or sympathy thus far. Being the only one willing to take him in and care for him when no one else would. Imagine going so far as to protect him from the ones who want to hurt him?

Oh goodness.. He's in love.

Imagine if it's just you two against the world. The time you both spend together, the battles you two endure, the scars of each conflict bestowed onto the both of you for sinning bringing him even closer to you. He'll take every stab, every arrow, every bullet, every weapon in existence to protect you. And if he fails, he'll never let it down, and he'll be engulfed in rage to go after whoever did it.

Imagine, as you two get into a fierce battle, someone cuts his head off. And his divine blood finally spills freely, now resembling rivers of gold. When he comes back, they bend their knees and drop their weapons, begging for his forgiveness. They'll do anything, they'll cut off their limbs, they'll take out their tongues, just for his forgiveness! They'll give him anything.

And he wants you, and you (probably) want him. It takes no time at all for him to make himself yours, throwing a massive celebration as you become his consort eternal. His one and only. The lands are forced to rejoice as their god announces the hand of their spouse, and his acolytes are forced to clap as they watch him melt in your arms.

He loves you with all his heart, and you will always come first.

So imagine using him to make a palace, a castle, the entire realm to your own liking. You ask him to terraform the lands into your own image, you tell him to lift the seas and crush the mountains so that you can build a new world of your own.

Imagine telling him to eradicate the very people you despise. Telling him to put them through the worse torture avaliable, be it physical, psychological, or supernatural. You want them to bleed, to hurt for what they did.

Imagine making the ones who pined for him, who did everything they could to try and earn his forgiveness for what they did, who were his loyal and fierce acolytes who would shatter the world for him, watch as you make love to him and whisper things into his ears.

Imagine telling his loyal acolytes they will never amount to anything, that they will serve for eons and not even hold a candle to you. They hate you, they want to hurt you, kill you… buy they cannot. Their God is attached to you by the hip, and he will not hesitate to erase them from existence if they even so much as upset you.

And he'll do it. He'll do it all without a second thought… because he loves you. He will crack the world open and give you its core, he will pull the limbs and organs out of any living creature and person and craft a being to your very liking. He will pull off his own skin and rip out his own bones if that's whay you want. He will snap the very threads of spacetime if it is something you want. Because he loves you.

He loves you. Oh god, he loves.

He may be a god to the many. But you are his god eternal.

[jj-maybanks-daughter]

Sisters

y/n and her older sister, Emily get in a fight about a boy. Jj, their dad, and the pogues try to calm the girls down

"GOSH emily! Why do you care! Butt out!" Y/n screamed to Emily who was only a few feet away

"When your crying every day don't come to me." Emily calmly said back

"I hate you!" Y/n screeched smelling her door

Emiky rolled her eyes and went back to her room, also slamming the door.

"There's not one day we don't have tot deal with this" Jj huffed as he walked up the steps, pogues following

"what is it today?" Pope remarked

"y/n told me about it. Its with tristen. I guess Emily thinks he's gonna " break her heart" because when she was in eighth grade that's what her little boyfriend did" Sarah explained

"you guys go talk to emily.... Ill take to y/n" Jj directed as he turned to y/he room

"knock knock" he said, openinf the door

She turned around on her bed to look away from him.

"what's going on" Jj asked shutting the door behind him.

"Emily's being a bitch"

Jj cut her off "hey"

"what! She is! She always thinks she knows so much better than me and she doesn't understand!" She shouted. "No one does." She added calmly

"come here." Jj pulled her into a hug and put her shoulder on his head. "Talk to me. Why do you think thta "

"I dont know. No one ever listens to me and just ignores me and ill tell her I don't want to go do something with her and she's like "what's wrong with you, everyone likes doing that" and I hate it"

"that's really frustrating. Anything else?"

"nobody likes doing what I do. I want to go on the boat, everyone else wants to surf. I want to take a walk, everyone wants yo watch a movie. We never do what I want to do."

"ad that makes you feel unwanted." Jj tried to understand. He sort of knew what she was coming from, but didnt know how to let her know he knows.

"yea" she sniffles

"well ill tell you what . on some days we can do what she wants and on the others we do whay you want. Does that sound good?"

She nodded her head and pulled out of the hug. "go apologize to your sister, please. I'll talk to her later"

"ok" she half smiled and walked down the hallway.

From then on out, they did what jj suggested. And all though there were still arguments,it wasn't as often.

[royalbilliards]

A quick addition to this actually, because I just thought about it, we see Vague glimpses of Maruki’s therapy sessions with other Shujin attending (and Yusuke. I guess) members of the phantom thieves, and I feel as though someone would try use the stilted awkward nature of those sessions to say that Maruki is a bad therapist, firstly, every first appointment with a therapist is stilted and awkward, especially if you’ve never had therapy before, especially if the reason you need to attend therapy to begin with comes from being hurt by adults who were meant to protect you or look out for you. The rest of the PT don’t know or trust Maruki, and they don’t think they need the therapy, I mean, they’re doing fine! And they have Joker! (Sarcasm).

The reason the PT never go back for therapy appointments with Maruki is because they don’t believe they need them, and they’re fine at handling their problems on their own. Ann and Ryuji are forced to go to at least one therapy session, and neither of them like or enjoy being forced to do something they don’t want to. Makoto believes she’s more than capable of handling herself, due to being raised almost entirely by her sister after their dad passed away, and because of how Sae treats her. Haru either has a therapist she pays for, or also believes she’s not as affected as she is/ has Joker to vent to. And all the PT use the metaverse to let out emotions and feelings they aren’t allowed to/ can’t express in their day to day lives. Yusuke doesn’t have access to Maruki like the rest of the PT do, but he seems to at least appreciate what Maruki does even if he has his qualms about it being subjecting to another persons will, but honestly that could just mean that the form of therapy Maruki provides, isn’t one that meshes with Yusuke, CBT doesn’t work for everyone, it doesn’t work for me, and finding a therapist that will help you in the way you want is important.

Ultimately, the PT don’t think they need help (when they do) and Joker doesn’t Have anyone who he can talk to about his own issues, because he mirrors everyone around him (because of his anxiety and self-worth issues) so it makes sense out of all of them, Joker is the only one to keep up consistent therapy sessions with Maruki.

i would LOVE to hear your opinion on maruki's therapy bc i see a lot of ppl saying he sucked as a therapist and i've never seen one so i can't really say anything with certainty...... but idk, i want joker to have at least an okay therapist just because it's a nice touch. also i think it's more satisfying narratively when maruki is someone joker can lean on for support and get attached to, but then has to oppose because shitty actualization. idk. pathetic wet man makes me go brrrrrr

Welcome to the autism zone.

So a lot of my thoughts on maruki’s therapy comes from my own experiences with a therapist in the past (I’m trying to get a new one right now) but. A lot of what Maruki’s ‘confidant perks’ and what they’re called suggest he’s giving Joker treatment for anxiety and depression, which makes a lot of sense given the way he acts in public outside of the joker persona, and the situation he’s in at Shujin (being bullied, for lack of a better term because it’s 5 am and I just woke up, and ostracised due to Kamoshida spilling his criminal record).

Practices like mindfulness and wakefulness sound like bullshit when you first have to start them, mostly because of the names, but the practices themselves are grounding techniques, being able to be present in your body, aware of your surroundings, and not letting yourself spiral via panic or depression and stuff. Detox is a term for drug addiction and alcoholism rehab, they’re not exactly practices we know Joker needs help with, but they’re most likely preventative measures, so that he doesn’t go Down those paths BECAUSE of his situation, which honestly makes sense, depression, anxiety, bullying from peers and the rest of it, including his criminal record and the way Japan treats students with criminal records, it makes sense that Joker could have easily gone down those routes if he didn’t have his friends and the metaverse to blow off steam and have an outlet for his emotions that he isn’t allowed to have in his day to day life. Flow is also a form of therapy treatment for handling depression, and mostly focus’ on capturing moments of positive mental states and allowing yourself to be completely focused and involved in Enjoyable activities that make you happy.

Because all of these therapy treatments that we get named from his confidant perks are Real therapy treatments that both Work and are widely used to treat specific mental health problems (Depression, Anxiety and Self-worth) we get both an insight into how Joker is actually feeling about things outside of what he shows and how useful these techniques are in his actual day to day life, because he’s using them to handle stressful situations in the metaverse.

There’s also the fact that Before everything, and AFTER everything, Joker doesn’t seem to hold much animosity towards Maruki, yes Akechi does and he’s Totally allowed to hate him, but neither Yoshizawa or Joker do, when Yoshizawa is more than justified in being angry and frustrated with him. And it might just be due to the abysmal lack of characterisation Yoshizawa gets, but mostly she seems like she too, like Joker, WANTS to help him, because we know that Maruki himself struggles with Self-worth problems, delusions of grandeur, a messiah complex (in both definitions of the term) anxiety and depression (along with a few other spicier things I don’t feel like mentioning because I’d need to bring up the psa’s on how demonised disorders need to be treated with respect since no one can do that on the internet). But there doesn’t seem to Be animosity between the three of them. Mostly just worry about someone they both cared about, and trusted.

There’s also the fact that, Jokers interactions with Maruki do not End After you help him with his research, we’re just cut off from the interaction at that point, because Joker in canon is explaining to Sae other more important things, he probably doesn’t feel the need to tell her the confidential therapy treatment he’s receiving at school. Their interaction continues, we get a fade to black, so it’s obvious he is getting actual therapy treatment, but Maruki has probably picked up on Jokers earth shattering savior complex and is easing him into the idea of therapeutic treatment by having him assist in his research, so Joker is more inclined to accept the help, since it’s a Transaction to Joker. If Maruki had more time to be Jokers therapist, and I assume he would have at some point Offered to continue his work as Jokers therapist after his tenure at Shujin ending, he would have eventually been able to work on that with Joker, and weaned him off Needing to help people all the time, and viewing social interactions as a transactional thing.

Anyways, yeah, I don’t think Maruki is a bad therapist outside of the horrors, I think people just don’t think about it because it isn’t spoon fed to them in a social link interaction, which is where the assumption that he’s Only using Joker as a sounding board comes from. But what would I know I just did media studies and have a special interest in analysing media, SHRUG