#shit is going to get worse before it gets better. because it'll be A While before we get a Second Coming of Luigi.

[monsata]

Or, if you prefer:

[inbabylontheywept]

So: You have depression.

I'm 27 now. The last time I had a major depressive episode was when I was 16. I still have depressive episodes every now and then, but the worst tend to be a month, and most I can generally get through them in about a week. It took me a while to kind of figure out how to handle depression as a recurring thing, and so I thought I'd make a little welp-I-got-diagnosed-now-what guide.

So, first part of the guide: When I first got depressed, I thought that depression was the terrible, sad hopeless feeling that I had. It isn't. That terrible sad hopeless feeling is a symptom of prolonged depression. By the time I get to that point, I'm pretty well cooked and it takes a lot longer to bounce back. Avoiding getting to that point is a vital part of living with depression.

So what does depression feel like?

I am going to hammer this point home a lot of times while writing this: Depression is an anesthetic. It is not felt as a presence, but as an absence. The first absence, for me at least, is when life stops being fun. Every movie feels boring, I can't get more than a few pages into any book, and everything just seems... bland.

This is the best point to catch it at. I have found that consumptive patterns of entertainment do not do anything to help depression. Some people have told me that producing art at this time really helps them, but personally, I can't imagine trying. Instead, I just do tasks that I know inspire physical satisfaction. Which sounds like jerking off (I don't actually reccomend that route) but really means things like: Going for a walk in the sunshine. Working out. Cleaning the house in a fairly exhaustive way. Scrub the baseboards, wash the sink, clear the fridge, etc.

I recognize that doing those is really, really hard while depressed because depression causes physical weakness and exhaustion. The best I can do is, unfortunately, encourage vigillance. If you suspect you're getting into a funk, start on this before you get really deep into the mire. People that get into the mire can get out, but it's not self-help read-a-book type shit, it takes therapy and medication and patience and it is so much easier and cheaper and faster to just avoid letting it get that bad then crawling out once it's sunk its teeth into you.

I have found that for things that work almost by exposure alone, spending time in the sun and talking to people are borderline magical, with the caveat that talking to people about being depressed tends to make things worse instead of better. Talking about anything that cuts through the anesthetic of depression is ideal, or if it's sunk in deep enough that you're having trouble finding anything, talking to someone else about what they're passionate about. Ideally, you'd find someone passionate about a thing you know you're passionate about but are struggling to enjoy right then, and then you'd just let your mirror neurons run amok. Bonus Points

So, you're already depressed. Like, pretty fucking depressed, and you fucked up, and you let it slide. What then?

This is my I-Fucked-Up-And-Got-Big-Sad, Salvage-My-Weekend, depression routine. You'll need to make one for yourself at some point, and yours will work better for you, but this is mine and I think it'll work okay-ish for you. Until you get your own, at least.

I have to get up before 10 am. Staying in bed later than that gives the depression such a huge head start on my day that I just basically can't catch up. If I can't just brute force get myself out of bed, I will throw my blankets and sit cold on my sheets until that gives me the motivation I need. If I cannot work up the guts to throw my blankets, I will actually roll off the bed, flop gracelessly onto the floor, and then stare wistfully up until I can will myself to stand. It helps that every bedroom I've had either had freezing cold tile, or itchy coarse carpet. If you have a comfy floor, maybe buy a very scratchy rug? I cannot emphasize how important this step is. It's like, half of the whole thing.

After getting up, immediately go outside and sit in the sunshine. This provides free executive function, and getting it ASAP will make everything go much smoother.

Talk to someone while outside. If you have a roommate, they work great. Face to face conversations tend to be the best, but phone calls with loved ones are like at least 80% as effective. Calls to family members tend to be better than in face conversations with acquaintances or people you're mostly ambivalent about. Don't do chat messages. Worse than nothing.

This should have scrounged up enough free energy that you can clean something. I always start by trying to clear a part of my counter off. If that's all I got, that's all I got, and I still feel good about it. If that inspires me to do more, I'll run with it until a whole room is up to snuff. I don't do more than one room while I'm this crispy: The goal is not really to clean the house, but to work through a series of tasks that require some initial level of executive function but provide a larger amount back once completed. Life has a lot of these deals that are like, give me $10 and I'll give you $12, give me $12 and I'll give you $20, on and on, and the hard part is really just getting the $10. Some people wake up with $10. Most days, you will wake up with $10. But not when you're like this. You're gonna have to earn it. I'm sorry.

I am going to reiterate: This is what I do when I feel a funk coming on. My life and my schedule are not always this regimented. Living with depression doesn't mean never sleeping until 10, or having a weekend where you don't talk to someone, or take a break from cleaning. Living with depression just means never, ever, leaning into the depression when you feel it coming on. Even when it starts out feeling cozy. Even when you want to just snuggle into it and sleep and sleep and sleep. The first day or two will feel luxurious, and the next week will feel terrible, and the longer you wait the harder it will be to get out. You are always going to have to worry about that. Again, I'm really, truly sorry.

Bonus Bonus Points

I am not a psychologist, but I do have a theory about why depression exists. Remember how I said it's anesthetizing? I think that's what it's there for - getting rid of emotional pain when it isn't being helpful. People often get depressed after a major injury. Boredom is normally nature's way of punishing you for just curling up and doing nothing, but depression can be the emergency override on boredom. It makes sense for you to sit still and do nothing while your body is healing, so maybe nature temporarily removes all your motivation with depression and then just lets you be a limp noodle until you're healthy again. Maybe?

Back to the emotional level, though, depression might also be a way to muffle pains that would otherwise be so intense that people might not remain in control of the faculties. The pain of losing a parent is notorious for driving people so mad with pain that they ruin their lives, but depression is there to at least try and keep us sedated until the nadir has passed.

It is helpful to know what the purpose of depression is, because you will eventually get it from an "intended" cause, and reflexively fighting it then probably isn't good for you. And at the very least, knowing why this stupid thing exists makes the world feel like less of a cruel place.

There are a lot of interesting studies on the physical effects of depression - things like muscle weakness, increased pain tolerance, muscle relaxation, etc. that I won't go into, but it does so many things at once that it almost doesn't feel like a fuck up, but a feature that we just kind of lost the plot on. Not gonna deep dive on it, but it is something that probably shouldn't be confined to just a mental disorder.

[sp1d3rzz]

Warning!! : PiV unprotected, electrocution kink?? (little zaps), dirty talk, and virgin!reader. Lemme know if i missed anything.

Summary : Its your birthday, and you stupidly confess to being a virgin. But don't worry, he can help with that <33

A/N : Happy birthday, @luvv4choso !! Enjoy (๑>◡<๑)

Wait—" Kaminari is stunned. "You're a virgin?"

You confessed this without thinking about it, which was highly stupid. He looks at you like you're a ghost. "Shut up! I shouldn't have even told you.."

He finds this funny, though he holds back his laughter to avoid making you feel even worse. "I mean, it's.. normal, right?" He can't even be sure.

You sit ashamed on your bed, thumb rubbing your arm in embarrassment. If you're honest, sex never occurred to you. Your life at school, as a hero, and other things kept you busy.

Kaminara sits next to, staring awkwardly at the ceiling. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad." His apology sounds genuine, and it makes you feel a little better, but not fully.

"Maybe.. I could help you?"

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

"Shit—" His hand reached down to eagerly rub your clit. "She needed this, huh?" A cocky smirk spreads from ear to ear.

He has you scrambled in front of him, back against the soft sheets of your once put together bed. Your pillows are long gone onto the floor, and your blankets are barely on aswell.

One of his hand is toying with your clit, while one is holding the side of face. "You look so pretty like this– fuck—can't ever get enough of you.." His eyes are focused onto yours, hair falling in front of his face to give you a beautiful sight.

His cock is sliding in and out of you with no patience. Angrily and greedy. Each and every thrust hits your g-spot, giving you no time to think. Nevertheless even time to move. His hips are slapping against your pelvic bone rapidly, and you're sure he's going to break you.

"Kam— ah!!" The tip of his cock meets with your spongey wall and you arch your back, deafened with the sound of pleasure.

Now he's got you.

You swear he's doing it on purpose now, destroying your guts so you know how good sex feels like. What you've been missing out on the whole entire time.

The sweet sounds of slick and skin connecting fill the room up, and you know it'll stay there for awhile. "How's my birthday girl? You alright, gorgeous?" He's panting now, and you can tell he's losing energy. "Good– mm, fuck right there!"

Clearly you encourage him because he suddenly uses a hand to pull your leg over his shoulder. And before you can even possibly consider what he's about to do, he bites down onto your calve.

"Oh!–"

His thrusts get deeper, hitting all over your walls that you have no time to catch your breath, only take what he gives you. "Feels so good, ngh- shit.."

He's about to finish.

A thumb reaches down to massages your clit, urging you cum before him. He wants to make this experience life changing and unforgettable.

His hips smack harshly into your, and he uses a small electrical charge to stimulate you're clit. "Feel that, pretty girl??"

A scream escapes your lips, making him grin. Your whole body is a trembling mess under him. Sticky, lewd, and perfect.

He slams one more time into you, before his cock twitches and he cums inside your warm walls. He fills you up to the brim, making sure you're stuffed with his seed.

The both of you rest your minds for a moment, catching your breath. You have no idea what he just did, but whatever it was has you hooked.

His eyes fall down to yours once he regains self control. "You alright?" You can only nod your head as your body gains its consciousness.

A small chuckle falls from his mouth and he leans down to give you a soft kiss on your forehead. "Happy birthday."

[pebblesandpotatos]

Per my last post, this is how I think the LU boys approach/handle drinking.

Time: He mostly only drinks at social events or in celebration. Him and Malon will get totally hammered though on a rare occasion and Oohhh boy they are a riot to be around when that happens.

I do personally think Time had a drinking problem at some point. And while I'm not exactly sure when or for how long, let's just say it's why Lon Lon Ranch doesn't offer alcoholic milk...for the moment.

Wars: He is the most normal when it comes to drinking. He's a soldier. Of course he drinks and gets totally slammed now and again. I actually DON'T think he had a problem though. When everything was going down during the war I think he actually avoided it like the plague in case someone tried to poison him, or just because he couldn't didn't want to let his guard down that much.

It's a fun bonding thing for him so whenever the chain gets to a village he always offers to buy the older boys at least a round of drinks. It actually takes quite a bit to get him drunk but if you can it's kinda hard to tell. He's one to just get a little over dramatic about things when drunk which...isn't that far off from his normal.

Twilight: He is such a lightweight. He definitely didn't start drinking till after his adventure and the first time he got drunk was a doozy. The guy is a total mess, can't walk, and his country accent gets really heavy when drunk. Is definitely starting an arm wrestling contest and probably winning. That being said it's gotten better and he can have a few drinks now but he's not as good as Wars about knowing his limit.

Sky: Sky rarely drinks. It's not a big thing on Skylof and it's practically non existent on the surface currently. I also get the vibes that Sun would be someone very anti-drinking and therefore Sky doesn't do it and is very okay with that. When he goes out for drinks with Wars and Twilight though he somehow is not the first one to get drunk (*cough Twilight cough*) but is a total messy, love sick sap when he does.

Wild: Does. Not. Drink. At all. No amount of teasing or pleading will get him to drink alcohol. He has gotten drunk once since waking up and the experience was awful. He woke up the morning after and struggled to remember what happened and it made the poor boy panic. I also think it makes his memories/flashbacks worse. So Wild is stone cold sober and will stay that way.

Legend: Ahhh, the one that started this whole thing (as it often does cause this man is permanently on my mind). Legend is more like Time in that it's more of a social/celebratory thing for him but probably does it a bit more often. He doesn't like getting drunk though so it's rare for him to drink that much.

If you do get him drunk? Ohh boy. Oh have fun with him. Legend is basically an entirely different person when drunk. This boy is making friends with everyone. He's telling stories, cracking jokes and just being the friendly traveler he was born to be before all the trauma. He will break out into song if given the chance and try to get everyone to join him. And he will succeed. He drips charisma when drunk and its almost as intoxicating as the actual alcohol.

Hyrule: The desire to say he doesn't even know what alcohol is would be an absolute lie. Hyrule definitely drinks to the shock of the others. (Mostly Wars). Can absolutely out drink basically all of them except Wars and Time. Is the most likely to start a bar fight. Not for himself, but on behalf of his brothers. And if anyone dares try to spoil Legend's cheerful mood? Bro better start digging his own grave cause Hyrule will be out for blood.

Four: Not a big drinker. More than Sky but only barely. Each of the colors handle it differently so unless he splits it's gonna give him the worst hangover/migraine. You also never know what you're gonna get, it'll depend on which color is coming through the most. Vio turns into the biggest little shit and is probably gonna be the one getting punched for saying the wrong thing. Green is probably the one who punched him, red is passed out in the corner and blue is eating everything he can get his hands on.

Wind: Has he had drinks before? Yes, duh he is literally a pirate. Does his grandma know? No and it will stay that way if he has any say about it. However he lies through his teeth about how much he actually has/does. It's his way to make the others not look at him like the child he is. He also just loves how horrified the others are when he drinks from a flask. (It's just his grandma's soup). The only ones that have figured it out is Legend and Wild who help him keep up the facade cause they too think it's hilarious to see the others flip out

[taesnix]

BACK from the void to present to you: Nico, who wears the most absolutely ridiculous socks ever because no one can see them.

Gods, he has so many.

Most of them are thick and warm for maximum comfort, and they go up to just under his knees with the stupidest little things and patterns on them. For summer, he has an equally impressive collection of crew socks that are still thick enough to not get easily worn out, but don't make him sweat buckets trudging under the sun.

Nico knows that he'll forever be a collector at heart but it's not like he wanted to choose socks of all things as his next prized possessions. He didn't wake up one day and decide "man, these things are pretty great, let's go amass an army's worth of SOCKS!" It just happened. He had no control over that. They just feel nice, okay. And perhaps the colour combos and sheer variety of everything makes him happy.

Is it kind of embarrassing? Yeah. Would he cease to exist if anyone found out? Holy shit, maybe. But it's not like anyone has been able to tell underneath his daily go-to of heavy jeans and combat boots, so he's been in the clear so far.

Until he gets distracted for a split second while sparring with Percy and riptide cuts a huge slash across his leg.

Nico's fast, so he's able to jump back just enough so that the sword barely catches any flesh, but his jeans unfortunately don't come out unscathed.

"Keep your head in the game, Neeks!" Percy teases with a grin. He's got an annoying glint in his eye to match and Nico just knows he's about to say something worse. "No matter who walks in."

And—shit. Nico feels his face flush scarlet despite him screaming internally at his body to not react. He pointedly does not look at the new blob of neon scrubs sitting next to Kayla in the stands. "Shut up, Jackson. Like you're any better when Annabeth so much as blinks at you."

Percy shrugs. "Hey man, at least I acknowledge it."

And—fine, he does. Nico will give him that. Jackson was peak levels of embarrassing about his girlfriend on a good day.

"I think you should go get that patched up," Percy smirks. He then makes a big show of squinting at the stands, pulling a similar face that Jason makes trying to read highway signs without his glasses. Basically, he looks really fucking stupid. "Impeccable timing, too! Whaddya know? There seems to be a free medic right there."

One day, Nico will kill him. It'll fix almost all of his problems, and gods know he'll always have too many at any given point in time. But he'll do it. Maybe Annabeth will even take pity and give him a pass.

Before Nico can even open his mouth and retort with something snarky, Percy raises his hands and hollers. "Hey, Will! The King here is in need of some dire medical attention!"

"No, I'm not!" Nico shouts when Will's eyes grow wider. "Nothing happened, I'm fine."

Percy snorts and claps him on the shoulder. "As if that's worked before. Good luck, little man. Same time tomorrow?"

And he doesn't wait for a response, just gives a one-handed salute and begins to make his way to the stands. Percy says something to Will as they pass by each other and Will's brows furrow.

One day.

"What happened?" Will asks as he jogs over. His blond curls rise and fall with every step and if you zeroed in on only them, the loose coils look like they're in zero gravity. Bouncing with an impossible grace as they get closer and closer.

Not that Nico was looking. Or that he'd even noticed at all. Man, is it getting hotter here? He should definitely drink some water soon.

"Nico?" Will waves a slow hand in front of his face. "You alright? Percy said his sword mostly caught your jeans, but you never know."

"Huh?" Nico chokes. Right, this is the dire medical attention part.

Will gives him a wobbly smile, like he's trying not to laugh but failing miserably. "Okaaay then. Can I check your leg?"

"Um, sure."

He's still so out of it that he doesn't hear his subconscious screaming at him why Will kneeling down to lift the denim is a terrible, horrible idea.

Nico feels the lithe fingers carefully cut down the fabric with scissors that have seemingly appeared from nowhere. He feels them gently peel back his jeans with a confident precision, minimizing the disturbance to the wound. He hears the faintest of gasps and he feels the other boy go completely still.

He tilts his head down to see what the issue is—surely Percy hadn't slashed him that bad—and then, like a statue, he freezes in place too.

In the most obnoxious shade of yellow possible, rows of mischievous rubber ducks beam back at both of them. He says mischievous because they've got annoying smirks and eyebrows strong enough to rival the Stoll brothers on the first of April. Which is quite a concerning amount. The smallest flecks of red from his cut take the whole "sinister menaces" thing to an unholy level.

Neither of them breathe for the next 30 seconds. Or maybe it's 30 years. Hell, if Nico knows now, his damn heart stopped working properly ages ago.

Then, either his saving grace or the final nail in his coffin, Will sucks in another shaky mouthful of air and clears his throat.

"You know," he starts, scarily neutral. Not a single waver in his voice. "I'm beginning to think Kayla's got a point."

Kayla talks a lot, running through an average 5 conversation topics in a record of 7 minutes with Nico himself, so that narrows it down by exactly nothing. "Uh, about what?"

Will doesn't reply, simply carrying on with cleaning and dressing his injury like he hadn't said anything. It drives Nico crazy, but he knows Will's priorities, so he holds his tongue. Will had drilled them into Nico's brain during his first infirmary stay; treat first, talk second.

So he waits. He lets Will dab the tiniest bit of nectar across the cut and wipe away blood. After a minute or two, his leg is wrapped neatly with a bandage, and suddenly, there's no more treating to be done.

"We're matching," Will finally says.

Nico blinks. Because—what.

"I mean, it's a slightly different shade, but eh, close enough to count."

Nico breaks out of his stupor when Will traces one of the ducks with his nail. Soft but accurate, light but impossible to ignore, like everything else he does.

"Yellow?" Nico whispers. He can't seem to muster up his voice to be louder than that.

Will looks up at him with a particular glint in his eye, and Nico's heart stops a second time.

"Mhm," he grins, dusting his knees as he stands up. He winks and it has no right to kickstart the thumping in Nico's chest. "Same wavelength."

"You're ridiculous," Nico lightly shoves at Will's shoulder and prays that his face isn't burning red.

Will just laughs and catches his hand, holding it in place. "Sure, but I'm also right."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Are n—"

"Okay," Will interrupts, "I hate to break it to you, Neeks, but we're both wearing obnoxious shades of yellow. You've got the added bonus of sly rubber duckies, and my scrubs glow in the dark. Ergo, we're both ridiculous and both on the same wavelength."

Gods, who the hell says, "ergo". Why is Nico so enamoured with such an idiot.

"And how, exactly, does Kayla have a point here?" Nico sighs, ignoring that his hand is still on Will's shoulder and that Will is still holding it there. He'll take his silent wins as they come.

Now, Will's cheeks become a rosy red. It makes Nico want to trace a finger around his freckles to check if his skin has become warmer, too.

"Well..." He trails off. He glances down to Nico's leg again, where some of the damn ducks are peeking out behind his jeans.

With a grounding deep breath, Will shuts his eyes for a moment. When they open, he meets Nico's gaze head on, calm yet confident once more.

He's beautiful like this, like he always is.

Against his own will, Nico smiles. Will shines underneath the sun and his stupid blond curls are golden.

"She said we're soulmates. And I think she's right about that."

And Nico thinks she's right about that, too.

[osamusbigtits]

"I'm nervous," atsumu says.

suna lays next to him. they ended up on the living room floor of atsumu's new apartment. there's little furniture, so atsumu suggested the floor as a joke. and suna took him up on it.

"about sakusa?" suna asks. he turns, propping his head on his hand to look at atsumu. atsumu keeps his eyes on the ceiling.

"yeah. I think we're... gonna do it this weekend."

suna hums. "you should probably get used to saying sex."

atsumu closes his eyes. even the word makes his stomach churn. not because he doesn't want it. he does. he wants things to go that far with kiyoomi, he wants to cross that line, to where they know each other so intimately they can't come back from it.

but atsumu is so scared. and so inexperienced.

"I haven't told him it'll be my first time." atsumu covers his face. "it's so embarrassing. I'm an adult."

"there are plenty of adults who are virgins," suna says.

"not you, though."

"my circumstances were different."

atsumu sighs. it's true. atsumu didn't have any significant relationships in high school. there was never the chance to explore then. after high school, he fumbled his way through dating apps, but nothing ever got serious. and atsumu always wanted something serious and not just a one night stand.

"you should tell sakusa. talking is very important, even if it feels awkward." suna shifts, laying back down. "I made that mistake. not making my boundaries clear enough. that only makes things worse in the end."

"what if it changes his mind?"

"how do you know he isn't also a virgin?" suna asks.

atsumu stays quiet. because he doesn't know. he never stopped to consider that maybe kiyoomi is. a guy that handsome has to have had sex before.

"he won't, by the way," suna continues. "if he loves you, and anyone would have to to put up with you, this definitely wouldn't be a deal breaker. if anything, it might make it that much more important. if he's as... sentimental as you are."

atsumu frowns. he's not sure that kiyoomi is. atsumu stole the chopsticks from their first dinner together. what has kiyoomi done to commemorate their moments together?

"does it hurt?" atsumu blurts out. truly, that's the question that's eating at him. he's never done anything down there. the idea of being penetrated makes him feel a little nauseous.

suna takes a breath. "uh, yeah. if you're bottoming, it does the first time. but, there's preparation that happens and lube helps make it easier. don't follow porn and just have it rammed in there." he shudders.

"did you do that?"

suna closes his eyes. "don't tell osamu I told you this. but we definitely should've taken things slower that first time. he stopped me because it was painful after taking it for a while. I felt so bad, I pulled out so quickly, which was... not the best choice. he fucking farted so loud I thought he shit himself." atsumu can't help his laugh, even if imagining his brother compromised like that grosses him out. "so. talking and checking in with each other is important."

"oh god," atsumu groans.

"also just remember you're both human. bodies do weird things, rather than be embarrassed it's better to remember it's not that serious," suna says. atsumu watches as suna smiles to himself, seemingly in a happy memory. "and in the end, you both love each other. and that's what's important."

it sounds easy in theory. he wonders how easy it'd be in practice.

"you think I can push it off a bit?" atsumu asks, nerves still getting to him.

"talk to sakusa. maybe you need to start with just exploring each other. have you even see him naked outside of a locker room yet?" atsumu doesn't answer. "start there. sleep naked together. start with grinding, handjobs, blowjobs. start simple and work your way up so you're more comfortable with it. I'm sure he'd be happy to go along at your speed."

atsumu nods. he's glad he has suna to talk to about it. and that he can learn from suna's mistake.

"did samu shit himself?" atsumu asks.

suna pushes atsumu's shoulder. "that's what you got from this?!"

atsumu cackles.

[flyingwargle]

the twins designated every third sunday of the month to hang out, whether that's visiting home, friends, watching a volleyball match, or lazing around at one of their apartments, eating chips and binging anime. it doesn't always work out though, given that atsumu doesn't control v. league matches, and osamu is an occasional vendor at said matches. today is one of those days.

"must not be busy if yer on the phone with me," he comments, waiting at the street corner for the light to turn red.

"it's always slows durin' the match. i got a good view o' the tv this time."

"who's winnin'?"

"rockets. ejp always starts slow." only his brother would make the journey to vend at an ejp match, no matter how far it is. at least this time, it's in hiroshima.

"eh, it's only the first set. it'll get interestin' by the second." atsumu steps onto the road at the first flash of green. "raincheck fer next week?"

"yeah. whaddaya gonna do instead?"

"i'm on my way ta omi's." his partner respects their twin day, usually making his own plans to clean or run overdue errands. atsumu can only hope that he's still home, or otherwise occupied since he didn't reply to his message earlier.

osamu stays on the line while he tends to his customers, and atsumu listens to him make small talk, once again correcting someone that he isn't miya atsumu, but his twin. you'd think that they're easier to distinguish now, but there's always people who ask.

"ooh, shit." osamu whistles suddenly. "rin just did a nasty jump floater. i bet his are better than yers."

"fuck off. he ain't gettin' ta my level."

"he could. oh- damn, they received it. he told me that he wants ta get three aces in a row."

atsumu smirks to himself. "good luck ta him. i'm at omi's, so i'm gonna go. tell me 'bout the game on tuesday."

"yeah, yeah. have fun with yer man."

they hang up, and atsumu punches in omi's access code to enter his apartment building, then rides the elevator to his floor. he approaches it, ready to knock and call out to him when he hears muffled voices on the other side. komori? no, he'd be in the match. who else would visit?

a voice rises above the rest, distinctly feminine, huffing with irritation. atsumu leans closer, catches a few vulgar words that make him wince. is that omi's mother? they met once last year, when he was invited over for the holidays, and while she was polite, she definitely seemed like a woman who could cuss someone out.

wait, isn't she overseas with omi's father right now? so, a relative, maybe? he knows that omi doesn't have the best relationship with them because of his sexuality. would barging in make the situation better or worse?

it doesn't matter, that's his partner in trouble. atsumu unlocks the door with his key and swings it open. "omi-kun! did ya forget 'bout...our...plans..."

his voice dies on his tongue, staring at a man and woman standing in front of omi. they turn to face him, charcoal eyes fixed on him, curtained by curly bangs. the woman has a manicured hand on her hip, wearing a strapless dress, dark hair cascading down her back. the man is in a lilac collared shirt, hooded eyes widening slightly. omi buries his head in his hand. "why are you here."

before he can answer, the woman rounds on him, several centimeters short but radiating strength, nonetheless. "omi-kun?" she repeats, voice smooth as velvet, sharp as a snake. "my baby brother has a nickname that no one's ever told me about?"

"nee-san," says the man beside her, low and placating. "you're scaring him."

"blame him for walking straight into a lioness's arms." she reaches forward with her finger to tilt his chin in each direction. "you clean up well. are you the miya atsumu that little kiyoomi has been gallivanting with?"

"y-yes, ma'am," he squeaks.

omi steps between them, gently lowers her finger and wraps a protective arm around atsumu's waist to pull him away. "nee-san, this is my partner. atsumu, this is my sister. you've met my brother before."

sakusa takumi gives a slight bow of his head in greeting, while his sister drawls, "sakusa haruka." atsumu bows back, tries to say something in response, but only manages an incomprehensible mumbles. omi glances at him with a raised eyebrow and frown, his sister noticing in an instant.

"how long have you been hiding him from us, kiyoomi? i'm scandalized that you never introduced us," she says.

"two years. it's your fault you missed last year's christmas dinner." the year before, it was atsumu that brought omi home, so last year was the opposite. "that was when nii-san met him."

she shoots a glare at takumi, who pointedly avoids her eyes. "well, then, since he's here, he can join us for lunch."

"oh, uh, i don't wanna intrude," atsumu stammers. "see, i was s'posed ta meet my brother but he's workin', so i came ta see if omi was free...ya'll don't hafta invite me! i'll just-"

haruka cuts him off with a laugh. "you don't have to be shy, not when you're dating my brother. i have to visit another friend of mine before our reservation, so we'll meet you at the restaurant. a tie would be nice - i assume you have one, if you met our parents before."

"my partner can dress however he wants," omi says brusquely, staring daggers at her. "please leave, you've overstayed your welcome."

"fine, fine. so defensive. just so you're aware, i'm asking both of you many, many questions, so dress comfortably." she winks, slipping by to slide her feet into her heels, takumi following with his dress shoes. "we'll see you later."

omi steps away to close the door behind them. before he can speak, atsumu melts onto the floor, voice uneven. "that was intimidatin' as fuck."

"don't sit on the floor. here." omi kneels and offers him a hand, pulling him to his feet and guiding him to the couch. "i'm sorry, i should've told you that my siblings were visiting-"

"nah, s'my fault. 'samu is at the ejp game, o'course he would be, an' i didn't wanna be a loser at home, so i came here, even though ya didn't answer my texts or-"

"atsumu." his partner silences him by taking his trembling hand in his own. "it's all right. you would become acquainted with them eventually. sometimes, a spontaneous meeting is better than a planned one."

atsumu lets out his breath. "omi, don't get mad when i say this, okay? yer sis...yer sis is really hot. same with yer bro."

a beat. a frown. then, a groan. "i knew you'd think that."

"what! why?"

"because you're the most bisexual person that i ever met. trust me, they've attracted both genders despite being straighter than wakatoshi-kun's line shot."

"are they married?"

omi snorts. "nee-san is on her third husband. nii-san is married, but his wife can't have kids, so they're in the middle of adopting a child. then there's me."

"gay as fuck, an' hot as fuck." atsumu nods.

"if you don't want to have lunch with them, i can reschedule. we can get takeout and spend the day together instead."

he shakes his head. "i'll do it. they threw me off but now that i know what ta expect, i can be a suave motherfucker. just ya wait. but..." his cheeks redden. "i'll needa borrow yer tie, again."

omi rolls his eyes in amusement, then leans forward to kiss him. "sure, anything for you."

"same here, omi. same here." even if it means enduring the interrogation of his life, he'll fight tooth and nail to be with his beloved.

--

inspiration: fanart of the sakusa siblings!

[moth--blood]

Obey Me × MC with chronic migraines

[ ft. the 7 brothers (seperate), Diavolo, Barbatos ]

cws: fluff mostly, brief nsfw ref with Asmo

Lucifer

the most consistent of the brothers with getting your meds and not panicking, more importantly

he tends to get small headaches from overworking, so he offers his meatheads to make you feel better if you don't have any practical ones ("no, im not letting you chug a gallon of chocolate milk thats not going to help. ..what do you MEAN thats worked before???")

insists on you laying down and resting in his room until you feel better. doesn't matter how often it is, he always makes you stop whatever you're doing to go rest

will play his softer records while you sleep in hopes it'll help the migraine go away faster

Mammon

panics, first and foremost.

are you broken? dying? humans are fragile MC don't laugh at him he's WORRIED

especially worried if you describe the pain as stabbing. for a second he genuinely thinks you're being stabbed by some Witch's voodoo doll of you. that concern never fully leaves

his worry turns to pampering when he's realized you're not, in fact, being stabbed through a doll, and now he's full of questions

will suggest anything and everything he can think of to help you, from the lights to kisses. doesn't matter he WILL try it

Levi

in awe you came to him about being in pain before anything else

awkwardly offers to let you sleep in his tub, and to get you meds or something else you might ask for

if the lights in Henry's tank bother you he'll put blankets over the tub so you don't have to look at them so directly

if physical contact helps and you ask him to lay with you he will lose his fucking mind. he'll do it but he'll be stiff as shit for several minutes before finally relaxing

offers to read his/your favorite manga to you if the noise wont be a bother

surprisingly really fucking clingy when you're so reliant on him. it makes him feel special

will play the lofi or quiet anime music that helps him sleep if the noise won't bother you. he figures if it helps him sleep it might help you not be in pain :)

Satan

also in awe you chose to come to him with this, especially if it's NB!Satan. he takes less time to process than Levi though

makes a big show of tucking you into his bed to rest, offers to get you tea and to read to you if the noise isn't an issue

if lights are a trigger dont even worry about it his room is dark as fuck!

he pampers you a bit less than Mammon does, but he still insists on getting you things and doing stuff for you.

takes very quick notice of your triggers, and does his best to help you avoid them!

zero hesitation will yell at the others for possibly accidentally causing another attack he gets protective quick.

Asmo

immediate pampering he doesn't need to be told twice

"oh, you don't feel good? here let me take care of EVERYTHING today don't even worry about it"

if scents are a trigger and his soaps or perfumes/colognes get a migraine going he will not stop apologizing. he feels AWFUL

dims all his lights and does his best to neutralize all the smells in his room, insisting you stay and let him take care of you

will also try everything he can think of, or at least suggest it

he's not the biggest fan of the idea of doing stuff to you while you're in pain but if that helps you he'll try it. but you gotta tell him the second it starts getting worse because the pampering will continue exactly where it left off

Beel

he's so worried :(

also lowkey thinks you're dying so he's extra careful with you.

will do anything you ask bro is at your beck and call when you don't feel good

akin to everyone else he'll bring up anything he can think of that might help

more than willing to cuddle you into feeling better if you ask.

gets Lucifer to bring you meds because he doesn't wanna leave you alone, and if you're not the biggest fan of taking them he'll stare at you with the biggest puppy eyes until you do

Belphie

pulls you upstairs to the attic and insists on you sleeping it off, even if that doesn't always work

a big cuddler so he doesn't mind holding you if physical contact helps

goes and gets you medicine and a drink without even being asked, and if you question or tease him about it he'll just mutter something about wanting to sleep in peace without you complaining about your head

he's just worried don't let him fool you again

very observant with your triggers and when you're around bright lights or loud noises, for example, too long he'll pull you aside and quietly ask if you're still feeling okay. if it's a yes he'll pretend he never asked and if it's a no, he'll pull you back to the attic pft

Diavolo

also thinks you're dying at first. i mean, for all he knew you were! Solomon hardly counts as human so imagine his absolute panic when his first actual human starts complaining of excessive brain pain. several times.

after you've been around a while though, he's super calm about it

words cannot express how quickly he goes "oh okay! here, drugs"

does keep your medicine on him basically constantly, just in case!

takes you to his room or to an unused room in RAD so you can rest for a little bit, and if it's bad enough at RAD he'll just fucking leave to take you home lmao

doesn't fully understand still, but he's doing his best! it's the thought that counts even if he's unknowingly making it just a little worse </3

Barbatos

also keeps your medicine on his person after a while.

memorizes your list of triggers and things that help as soon as he realizes you get migraines at all. he uses his power to find when you mention said lists and if you ask, he'll just smile and tell you not to worry about it

also tends to pull you aside when you're around your triggers for a while to make sure you're alright. regardless of answer he reminds you he has your meds if you need them

if warm drinks or comfort foods help, he figures out how to make them and when pretty fast. he likes being efficient at getting your pain to go away as soon as possible

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

carmy guiding you through a panic attack???? i feel like he would be so good & so patient, he’s nauseous with worry but he’ll do anything for you.

Panic attack

He gets shit tones of them himself. And while he sucks at taking care of himself. Carmy is brilliant at taking care of others. Send praise to his observant side. The little nagging, worrying demon that makes him overthink it all but at the same time makes him so unbelievably aware of others.

He clocks onto it the moment you start to rub your hands together. The first instinct tells him to act on it. Go up to you and make sure that everything is okay. But at the same time, he knows that jumping on someone who is already overstimulated can and will only make stuff worse. So he watches you. Until your hand moves to rub against your neck and chest. That has Carmen dropping his knife as he rounds the corner to get you.

"Hey, you good?", he asks pretending to look through the spice cabinet. You nod your head quickly. Way too quickly. "You can step out for a moment if you need to", Carmen reassures you, catching your gaze. And there is something about it. Something about how scared your eyes look. And a part of him knows that you probably want to go but your body is frozen still. Crippled by the panic that is running through you.

"Right...", he breathes out, "I'll take your hand, okay? We'll walk to the office for a little", Carmen's voice cuts through the thick fog that now surrounds you. But you can feel yourself spacing out already. So you're not sure as to when you ended up sitting in Carmy's office chair, with him kneeling in front of you.

"Hey... you don't forget to breathe, missy. Take a breath for me", his hand squeezes you, and he softly taps your cheek, making you look up at him. He starts talking exaggerated inhales and exhales and your body catches onto it. Following his lead. "Good, that's good", Carmen mutters, "It'll be over soon". He watched you for a bit. Monitoring your every move. Every shaky breath.

"Why don't you trace my tattoos?", Carmy blurred out, frowning even himself because he had no clue as to what had made him do that. But he genuinely didn't care, he just wanted to make sure you were okay, he reached for a sharpy that laid on the table before handing it to you. You watched for some time, before leaning closer to, pressing the tip of the marker to his skin.

Carmen sat down on the floor almost fully, letting you do your thing. His fingers slowly ran up and down your calf. The soothing mission only adds to the comfort. After some time you let out a content sigh. You were no longer gripping his arm tightly while you drew. Your whole posture had changed.

Carmen looked your way, before drawing his eyes over his arm, "Might just get your upgrades tattooed", you let out a light chuckle, making Carmy smile too. "You're feeling better?", he asked softly, now catching your gaze. "Yeah, just tired...", you muttered, moving to rest your head atop of his. "How about you get comfy on the sofa, I'll bring you some food and you just chill?", he suggests, making you hum in delight.

[biscutpoo]

This fic idea is very gruesome, turn away if you are squeamish:

In the next saga of TSC but somehow angstier ideas imagine.... TSC but omegaverse AU. Everything that happened to Jean would be somehow worse if he was an omega.

- Riko asking for volunteers his freshman year to help Jean through his heats.

- Maybe Kevin helped sneak Jean suppressants but then after he left Jean was forced to rely on Riko's mercy.

- Zane promising to keep Grayson out of Jean's room during his heat but then betraying that promise.

- Grayson is kind of already in his own omegaverse in Canon, he has some fetish about biting Jean's neck like he's trying to form a mating bond.

- the whole incident in Palmetto would be 2x worse if Jean wasn't losing his mind about Riko being dead but actually found out he was pregnant from Grayson's SA and tried to carve that piece of Grayson out from his belly.

- of course Mafia families like the Moreaus are still practicing antiquated traditions of selling omegas. I like the idea of Riko being a beta who desperately wants to be an alpha and Kevin as an alpha because it only worsens Riko's insecurity complex.

- Jean being terrified to join the Trojans at first, learning that the way omegas are treated in the Nest isn't normal. Like maybe they made him play through heats at the Nest and the first time he goes into heat at USC he is so terrified and tries to hide it but the whole team is horrified he tried to show up to practice like that.

- Jean slowly coming to enjoy his heats and falling in love with Jeremy.

- then maybe Jean is in a better place and finds out he's pregnant again but this time, it's Jeremy's. And for the first time he really wants to keep it even though being pregnant is super triggering for him cuz of Grayson. But he can't play exy if he's pregnant, it'll slow him down and he needs to play exy to survive. Maybe he won't ever be able to have kids and he shouldn't want to because any kid he has will be a Moreau and belong to the Moriyamas the same way he does and no kid deserves that. But Jean is just heartbroken about it because he's never wanted something like this before and they never let him keep any of the others while he was in the Nest and he can't shake the image of a pup with Jeremy's dimples and Jean's eyes.

- I'm sorry I just realized that means Jean would have been 16 the first time he got pregnant and they made him get an abortion and that's somehow more heartbreaking.

- Jean quietly asking Cat for abortion pills because she's the only other omega on the team he trusts and just breaking down when Cat asks if he's going to talk to Jeremy about it.

- Jeremy's stepfather's family is probably super rich and powerful so even the Moriyamas would have to think twice about touching Jean if he married into that family.

- there's prob some omegaverse sexism about omegas playing exy since exy is such a violent sport so most of the omega players aren't "out" about their dynamics. Jean could be an unwilling trailblazer for omega rights because he's the best backliner in the NCAA and he's an omega.

- obviously Neil would be the way more outspoken omega rights activist though cuz he gives no shits about putting alphas in their place.

- I don't really know where I'm going with this but character development would probably be Jean overcoming his trauma and getting to keep the pup come hell or high water. And then he marries Jeremy and they live happily ever after, hurrah!

[the-way-astray]

Ok just saw that your asks are open

Ik that you do not like Keefe (for valid reasons)

But here's something for you to analyze/think about

Not necessarily to change your mind about him bit if it does it does

Ok so

At the end of neverseen Keefe said "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better"

Yes he was referencing to him running away and for lodestat Yada Yada what have you

But I FULL heartedly believe that it was foreshadowing for the entirety of his chara arc throughout the series

Cause as of stellarlune he is at his lowest of lows

However you want to classify that us he's there

The way he treats his friends, his relationships with them, his mental state, ability state, common sense

All of it

And do I think it's gonna get worse than what it already is

YUP

But here's what that quote implies

It DOES get better

Never says when or how

But just that it does

I fully believe that after he gets past the roughest patch (whether that's him currently or even him in book 10) that he'll slowly start to realize how he's been and start trying to be better and get the help he needs

And tbh

I don't think it'll be anytime soon

I feel like he needs to have the (inevitable) argument with Sophie to finally realized it

Cause trust me as much as I ship sokeefe I really do believe they need to have an argument

Maybe even not speak for a book

But it'll be good for him in the end and hopefully he sees how he's been acting these last few books

Thoughts on this?

okay, sorry this took so long to get to. every time i try to answer it, it doesn't come out quite right. but here's my best shot.

i would agree with the idea of "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better" as an arc for keefe. that would be cool. and obviously, since at the time of this writing, the series is unfinished, there's always a possibility shannon could turn it around for herself. i've talked about this briefly in some post from a while ago, but there is a chance shannon will execute a flawless character arc for keefe in unraveled. is it likely? not really. but i wouldn't say it's impossible.

what makes me think this will not happen? in short: the fact that his flaws, the real flaws, not "cares too much about sophie" or "is too willing to self-sacrifice", have not once been villainized or called out as something seriously wrong in the series.

here's a list (referencing this post, where i list out all the things i dislike about keefe, there's more than just what i listed here, but these are the character flaws):

"i hate the way he manipulates, gaslights, extorts, and pressures sophie (and other people) into telling him shit they wouldn't ordinarily." this is never made out to be a bad thing. the person on the receiving end usually just grumbles something like "empaths", then after five seconds it's dropped. you don't see it affect keefe's relationships, you don't see people become uneasy around him, keep their distance from him because oh, that's the guy that's going to spill my secrets, it never feels like this affects keefe's relationships in any negative way. there is no long-term damage. it is completely swept under the rug, and it is never, ever seriously villainized. if shannon wanted to execute a "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better" type arc for keefe with regards to this flaw, she'd have to start by having it be a negative thing. then only can keefe work toward a better place. but shannon skipped that crucial step. so how can i assume that she's trying to develop keefe out of this, even if the development goes forwards and backwards and all over the place?

"i hate what a terrible friend he is." there are so many examples of this that i can't remember exactly what i was referencing when i wrote that. in any case, basically the same as what i said above applies. keefe needs to first be villainized for his toxic behavior if he's to grow out of it. take his comments toward fitz in the famous healing center scene, as an example. yes, the scene is told from keefe's perspective, meaning obviously he's not going to hold himself accountable. but maybe elwin steps in and reprimands keefe for what he said. maybe keefe detects sophie's anger toward him for the comments he made toward fitz. maybe he's even told off by fitz himself. there are a variety of ways to make it clear that this is not a good person to be. only then can keefe's journey even begin. if shannon is to do a "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better" type thing for keefe with regards to this, then things have to get worse for him. he needs to feel the consequences of his actions, which he never does.

"i hate the way he simultaneously pedestalizes and infantilizes sophie." once again, this is never made out to be a bad thing. if anything, keefe's pedestalization of sophie is meant to endear the audience to him. his infantilization is disguised as """"""witty"""""" jokes, so that is also probably supposed to make us like him. shannon actually managed to take keefe's toxic traits and sell them to the audience as good qualities. could be a masterclass in writing if she did something with this, but it's very clear she actually believes that these are good things. once again, if keefe is to develop out of these things and find a better place, even if he makes a few mistakes and "gets worse", so to speak, at various points along his character arc, that would still require his arc to actually like. begin. shannon hasn't even reached that part. so once again, how am i supposed to expect that she'll write any kind of arc with regards to this?

"i hate the way he's so jealous, so passive-aggressive, so toxic to his supposed friends." i've talked about this very, very briefly before, but i'm almost certain that we're supposed to see keefe as being "in the right" during the healing center scene, at least as the way shannon intended for it to be taken. one second . . . okay i found the post where i said it. here's what i said verbatim: "#i really feel like. shannon genuinely did not mean for him to come off so mean#she was definitely banking on the fact that everyone hates fitz#it's FITZ that's the one that's the butt of the mean joke by KEEFE so nobody will care! right? right guys? guys?#and honestly she's probably correct about that because most of the fandom DOES like keefe and hate fitz so like". now obviously i cannot be 100000000% sure, but from years of reading and rereading these books, i've become pretty confident that shannon genuinely wants us to perceive keefe as an otherwise-perfect angel whose only flaw is recklessness and his tendency to self-sacrifice. so those are the only flaws for which she writes a proper arc. and once again, if she wanted to write any sort of arc for him, even one that isn't perfectly linear, she would first have to start my acknowledging that keefe is the possessive, jealous, toxic friend here. but she doesn't.

"i hate the way sophie has to constantly babysit him because she doesn't know what stupid thing he'll do next and i hate the way he doesn't care about that, despite claiming he's doing half the things he does for her." this is the last one i'll mention in this post, promise. his stupidity is the flaw, by the way. i would say it's acknowledged. so congrats, shannon, you've reached the first step. better than i can say for the last four points. but that's where it ends. it's never developed from. keefe doesn't know how to work on a team and is incredibly stupid, something i ran into the ground while writing my rant. and come unlocked, 8.5 books into the series, he is still incredibly stupid and doesn't know how to work on a team. he consulted exactly zero people before running away to the forbidden cities, and while you could argue that it was ultimately his decision, i do think he should've at least gotten other people's opinions. this decision was so monumentally stupid, i cannot wrap my head around it. i'll talk about it more in my part two rant, but in my opinion, it's his stupidest move yet. now, what about the "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better" arc idea for this? doesn't this mean that this could just be a low he's hitting in his arc? well personally i'd say no. because he never reaches a point where he feels like he's working towards not hijacking plans because he wants to genuinely be better and stop. the famous nightfall scene comes to mind, and as i've mentioned before, the reason this, in my opinion, isn't indicative of his arc progressing is that he apologizes entirely out of a desire to appease sophie and win her back to his side, and not because he actually wants to change. so that doesn't count. in legacy, sophie thinks to herself that if she doesn't go with keefe to london, he will find a way to get there himself, once again showing that he has no desire to consider other people's opinions. sophie actually only agrees to go because she's scared of what stupid shit keefe will get into if she's not there to babysit him. she caves to his hijacking, instead of nipping it in the bud, the way she tried to in nightfall. so i'd say there isn't any spectacular moment before unlocked where keefe is getting better with regards to his hijacking plans because he thinks he knows better than everyone else.

okay, now that i've hopefully sufficiently proven that keefe's arc is not a "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better" arc, at least not in the way it's executed in canon, i'll move to the rest of your points:

"as of stellarlune he is at his lowest of lows/The way he treats his friends, his relationships with them, his mental state, ability state, common sense" (sorry for formatting this like the lyrics of a freaking song, but i wanted it all in one paragraph lmfao.)

i disagree with this. i actually think his arc is looking up, with regards to his flaws, at least, in stellarlune. he seems like, to put it very, very bluntly, a morally better person. like he did some thinking in the forbidden cities and decided to get his shit together. this is why i say that i have to read unraveled before making my mind up about whether keefe's arc truly sucks or not. because if shannon has him acknowledge all the things i mentioned and make an effort to be better for himself, because he wants to be, then i can see how i could be swayed to the "keefe has a good arc" side. i do still think the chances of this are incredibly slim, though.

i would tentatively say the way he treats his friends is better in stellarlune. he certainly seems like he mellowed out a bit. he also only has like a couple hundred pages of that book to himself, and even less to showing what he's truly thinking on the inside, so it's difficult to tell for sure. his ability state and mental state are as shit as ever, agreed. but i'm not really talking about that? i'm talking about his arc and the flaws that i dislike about him, that i believe should be developed or at least called out for him to be a decent character.

"And do I think it's gonna get worse than what it already is"

same, but i think that low will be hit in unraveled. i think what we're seeing in stellarlune is actually him getting better from some major low he must've hit in unraveled. but once again, none of this has anything to do with why i dislike keefe. i dislike him because his flaws are never acknowledged or developed out of as the series progesses.

"I fully believe that after he gets past the roughest patch (whether that's him currently or even him in book 10) that he'll slowly start to realize how he's been and start trying to be better and get the help he needs"

one thing that i absolutely despise when it comes to writing character arcs is when like 90% of the development happens in the last like 10% of the series. it always feels incredibly rushed and incredibly forced, and it can be done well almost never. it's my opinion that arcs, and all the major progress and setbacks, need to happen evenly throughout the series so that you really feel like the character at the 25% mark is a different character than the one at the 75% mark, with regards to the thing being developed. i don't see that with keefe. he's a toxic friend in everblaze, he's a toxic friend in legacy. he's stupid in everblaze, he's stupid in legacy. he's manipulative in everblaze, he's manipulative in legacy. there hasn't even been a realization on his part.

having said all that, i do think there is a way to write his arc in unraveled that could at least make me tolerate him. and i do agree that there's a slim possibility that shannon could magically decide to develop him in book ten. but also keep in mind that book ten or book eleven is the last book. so there's a strong possibility that i'll still consider it too little, too late. but they are future books. i'll have thoughts when they come out for sure, but for now it's hard to tell what i'll feel about them.

"I feel like he needs to have the (inevitable) argument with Sophie to finally realized it/Cause trust me as much as I ship sokeefe I really do believe they need to have an argument/Maybe even not speak for a book/But it'll be good for him in the end and hopefully he sees how he's been acting these last few books"

i agree. i've actually talked about this briefly in my keefe rant, except i've talked about how i wanted them to fight in nightfall, not in book ten. here's that part, copy-pasted verbatim:

“Sometimes I still worry that some tiny part of her holds it against me. That she’ll never fully trust me. That she’ll always see me as the guy who betrayed her and stole from her and ran off with the enemy.” (Unlocked, Keefe's diary entries, 494) This would be really cool to explore if it was actually done. Sophie holding this against Keefe and struggling with that in the aftermath of Lodestar would be an awesome way to develop their relationship and have them overcome that hurdle and give them both some much needed development. But we know that aside from a single line at the beginning of Nightfall, Sophie never really blames Keefe. She just immediately forgives him for his time with the Neverseen. It’s pathetic writing. Something like that should have consequences. But it doesn’t, because then our poor Keefe will have to be *gasp* villainized. There could be this whole arc about how Sophie doesn’t trust Keefe the same and it impacts their relationship subtly and both of them feel it but don’t want to talk about it and it’s this giant, gaping hole. Then finally there’s a climax where Keefe confronts her about it and maybe she yells at him and he agrees that he’ll do anything to get her trust back. Then he does it. He does the smart thing, takes the smart advice. And he learns. He understands what he did was wrong and is truly a different person now. Honestly, the fact that Shannon explained this out shows me that she’s aware the possibility of this arc exists, but unfortunately, didn’t actually put it into action. Would it have been the most original conflict ever? No. But it would’ve been much better than whatever this dumpster fire of a lack of an arc she actually wrote is. I think I might’ve genuinely enjoyed Sophie and Keefe as a couple if she’d just made them have some distrust that they overcome through genuine work and growth.

anyway, if i didn't answer your question the way you wanted, feel free to shoot me a follow-up ask. i think i got it, but if i misinterpreted, tell me.

tldr: the reason i don't buy keefe's arc as a "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better" kind of arc is because that would require keefe's flaws to actually be acknowledged and villainized by the narrative, and for them to have actual consequences that affect him, which they do not. this leads me to believe shannon doesn't see these things as flaws, and therefore will never give keefe the development he needs to have a good arc.

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook:Sugar & Spice (Intro)

In which Jungkook really wants people to love you just as much as he does - or maybe not.

Tags/Warnings: Raccoon Hybrid!Reader x Idol!Jungkook, established relationship, opposites attract because I love that concept, are you tired of my hybrid stories yet because I'm not, fluff, romance, smut, jealous koo, slice of life, mild ddlg themes

Chapter length: short

Other content: Spoiled, Calm

━━━━━━━━━━.~°♡°~.━━━━━━━━━━━

"I forgot.." you mumble quietly, a little ashamed about your entire situation as you've just had to explain to your boyfriend that yes, you've just gotten your period, and yes- you've probably now stained his nice expensive little sofa in his studio.

"It's fine, see?" He mumbles before casually wiping the leather with a tissue before throwing it into the trashcan nearby. "Didn't even stain at all. Do you wanna go change?" He asks casually, looking at you - before he clicks his tongue, the clear waters in your eyes a telltale sign of your typically emotional reaction to things like these. "Come here, crybaby, everything's fine!" He laughs a little, letting you cling onto him as you hide in embarrassment.

"I don't feel good." You whine into his chest, and he chuckles.

"I know baby." He says, as he pats your head. "You wanna go wash up?"

"But I don't have anything to change.." you complain, now getting even more frustrated.

"Bullshit. I've got your pyjama pants here somewhere-" He says, parting from you to search for the clothing item before he crawls.. underneath his desk?

"What're you doing, Kookie?" You giggle a little, watching him pull out a simple black canvas bag that he opens the zipper of.

"Excuse me? You think after what- 4 years I wouldn't be prepared for shit like this?" He proudly claims, before holding up one of your period-slash-heat pull ups- something you've been horrified of telling him about the first two years of your relationship with him, too fearful of how he might react to it. But you've learned soon enough that while Jungkook does sometimes get a little mean in his fun with others around him, he's not a bad guy at all. He's just a bit clumsy at times.

"Why do you have them here?" You whine, grabbing after the pair he's got in his hand.

"Why not?" He shrugs. "Your heats can start random as shit, and your periods are even worse. Better safe than sorry." He simply answers, closing the bag and shoving it back underneath the desk. "Now go change, I'll prepare the couch so you can nap." He jokes, smacking your thigh as you get up to follow his word.

Pulling out a blanket, he puts everything he knows you'll appreciate where he thinks it'll be good, before he checks his phone.

Only recently, he's gone public. While fans knew you existed, they didn't know much about you, nor that you and Jungkook weren't just platonic but a genuine relationship. And while he'd been prepared for what surely was to come, he'd been surprised by the welcoming reaction of the fans, many already expecting it and others defending that he's a person who deserves a private life.

And so, he's been more open with you, company even allowing you to now be seen in behind the scenes footage, and even publishing professional photos from backstage of you. People became pretty much just as charmed as he himself had been years ago- happily accepting you as a part of it all now, and he couldn't have been luckier.

But at the same time, he starts feeling just a little upset at the comments some fans keep repeating.

"She's so cute, I wish I had a hybrid like her!"

"Honestly though, if hybrids were allowed to be idols, she'd definitely be the visual of the generation!"

"She kind of seems almost too nice for Jungkookie~!"

"You think she ever feels lonely at home? I mean, he's at work all the time.."

"Jungkookie?" You ask, and he snaps his head up from his phone, boiling emotions quickly forgotten at the sight of you holding your fluffy striped tail in your hands. "Can you take a nap with me?" You wonder quietly, and he internally swells with pride.

"Of course, baby bear." He chuckles before joining you on the couch, holding you close and tightly just how he knows you like it. Does he leave you alone too much? Do you feel lonely sometimes? He's interested in the answer, but scared of it just as much- so he won't ask the questions. He'll just hold you, love you, and care for you.

Because the love you have is special, and nothing will break you both apart. Not time, not work, and for sure, not his career.

Hopefully.

☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆

[roguelemon]

The parallel between " it starts with sorry" and "loser, baby" are sending me.

In the context of the recipients or intended audience of the songs, the former shows how Sir Pentious is just kind of a bitch, and does things for his own gain without regard for others in order to gain power (his poor face when Vox didn't approve of him :( ). The later is of course bringing attention to that, while yes Angel is in an unbelievably shit position, he makes it worse with his self loathing and poor coping mechanisms, it's even suggested that he stops seeing himself as a person outside of Valentino. Therefore "loser, baby" is more focused on Angel as an individual rather than the people around him.

Then, when thinking about the people who actually lead the song, Charlie tries to be selfless to a fault so obviously her trying to cheer up snakey boy is going to be through having him be better to others, but it also shows how her ideas of redemption still come from a place of misunderstanding, not really taking in the depth of him as a person and instead singing about what he can DO rather than helping him THINK better. On the opposite side Husk speaks from a place of experience (vastly different experience, but still able to better empathise) and not only comprehends but deeply understands the fact that Angel needs to be better in himself before he can be better in the eyes of others. Despite the fact that it probably wasn't his aim, Husk has probably set up Angel for a better shot at actual redemption through understanding. Husk also does not sugar coat anything, at all. He knows that it's better to be straight up about things because having to act ALL THE TIME is the problem for Angel. Its very difficult for Charlie to get her optimism across to Angel because delusion only lasts for so long. Pentious is more gullible and hasn't signed his soul away ( to my knowledge) and so is able to look on the bright side and respond to overly positive actions. Husk has the capability to help Angel, not by saying "things arnet really that shit, it will be better" but instead says that "yeah this sucks but it'll help if you just accept what you cant change and take what you can. You can't accept joy if you only self-pity/ drown in drugs and fakeness".

"It starts with sorry" was kind of cringe to me too but honestly? It fits, and that's what matters.

Sidenote: I'd love to discuss/ be tagged in other analysis, including anything critical. But I'm not looking for a fight and I'm not getting into anything with anybody who take the songs out of context. (AKA : "Husk is calling Angel a loser because he got SA'd and thinks he should just get over it/ deserved it" Husk is not that kinda guy)

[crimsonhydrangeavn]

Hi! I absolutely loved the demo of your game—it was amazing! I'm excited to see more of it. I have two questions: First, how would Garret or Teagan react if they were in a room full of yanderes with y/n? Second, I hope this doesn't come across the wrong way, but I'm genuinely curious—how long does it usually take to release a new episode? I'm really looking forward to continuing the game, and I appreciate all the hard work you put into it. I hope I'm not rushing anyone, and I'm truly sorry if it comes off that way. Thank you so much for reading!

Thank you so much for your ask! I'll go ahead and answer your second question first before moving onto the first one! lol

I wanted to start off by thanking you for asking your question in a kind and respectful way, I completely understand where you're coming from and I don't take any offense to it what so ever!

I know I really appreciate transparency when it comes to games/ things I'm a fan of, so I want to do what I can to make sure I'm as honest and upfront with you all as possible.

So I went through my logs and did the math. Day 1 took me about 6 months from start to finish and Day 2 took me almost a full year from start to finish. That being said, Day 1 was 11k words and Day 2 was 24.5k words total. So given the fact that Day 2 was more than twice as long as Day 1, I can see why it took double the time as Day 1. (That and I learned how to add animation into Renpy and spent a little over a month going down that rabbit hole and making a few animations for the game. I also spent some time refining Day 1 while working on Day 2 so that probably made the Day 2 release take longer than it would have otherwise)

The reason why it takes as long as it does is because I'm making this game entirely by myself. That includes the script, all of the art assets, the programming, the audio, and not to mention all of the social media, and patreon content.

On top of that I also have a pretty steady stream of freelance work that usually equals to about 30-50 hours a week. I've burnt myself out in the past and I'm trying to keep a sustainable pace where I'm making progress on CHVN but I'm also enjoying life and taking breaks as needed.

That being said, I do post monthly game updates on my patreon to discuss what I've finished that month, what I have left, and what the current word count is. ( ATM it's longer than Day 1 and I still have a lot planned haha)

I also think it's worth mentioning that this is my first game and I'm learning how to do everything from scratch. My background is in the visual arts so programming and audio stuff is completely foreign to me. That being said, I'm stubborn as hell and for better or for worse once I put my mind to something, I'll get it done one way or another.

Hopefully that answers your question! Once I finish up the script portion of Day 3, I can give a better estimate of how long it'll take me, but until then I really have no idea when the actual release date will be.

Now, onto the easier/ fun part of your question! lol

Garret would play nice at first, however he would make sure that he was never more than a step away from your side. He doesn't trust anyone to behave themselves around you, especially if they're anything like him.

Teagan on the other hand would immediately try to get you to leave the room. They don't deal well with competition and would want to remove you from the situation asap. If you refused/ couldn't leave with them, then they would make sure to talk shit about all of the other Yandere's and taint your view of them. While it would put an obvious target on their own back, at least they'd know you wouldn't talk to or go off with them out of your own free will.

Thank you again for all of your support! I really appreciate it and I can only hope that the next update is worth the wait!

[troublesomeknight]

You know, since it seems people liked my last post about this, I guess I'll do another one about how the Thunder Saga departs from the books.

Now in my last post I mentioned that Elpenor cornered Odysseus while he was in the underworld and asked him to go back to Circe's island and give him a proper burial. So they actually go back and do just that and while they're there, it's Circe who tells Odysseus about Scylla, but also about Charybdis.

Basically she tells him that the only way he was going to get home from here is to pass between them, but the problem is if ship gets too close to Charybdis' whirlpool then it'll get sucked in and destroyed, but if they sail too close to Scylla's cave she will grab at least six of his crew and eat them. She advises to stick closer to Scylla because it's better to lose six people than the whole ship.

Now, here's a thing. Book Odysseus actually objects strongly to this. He understands the alternative is worse, but he's like "Can't we just fight her instead so no one has to die?"

And she's like "No, that's a terrible idea. You won't be able to reach her to fight her. She'll just kill more of your crew if you try."

But Odysseus doesn't entirely listen to this advise. He resolves to try anyway, but once they actually do reach Scylla's cave, he realizes Circe was right and they really can't reach her despite her being able to reach them just fine. So they just gun it past her instead.

As for the sirens, I'm pretty sure most people already know it didn't go like it did in the musical at all, but yeah. They don't kill the sirens, they just sail past them with Odysseus being the only one who can hear them while tied to the mast and all that.

Even though he neglected to warn the crew about Scylla before hand in the book too, this does not start a mutiny, but what does almost start one is when he tries to just sail past Helios's island rather than stopping. Because the crew is tired and Eurylochus insists they should stop there for a bit to recuperate after all that crazy shit they had to deal with plus losing six more people and of course the crew takes his side, so Odysseus reluctantly agrees.

But only on the condition that they all swear an oath that they won't harm Helios's cattle under any circumstances. They agree, so they stop on Helios's island. But then they get stuck there for a whole entire month and the food supplies start to run low again.

At this point Odysseus realizes there will be trouble and leaves for like an hour to go pray to the gods/make sacrifices to try and figure out why they haven't been getting any wind and whether he can convince the gods to let them leave the island before his crew does something stupid.

Unfortunately, while he's gone, Eurylochus decides to convince the rest of the crew that they should just eat the cows.

It'll be fine. They'll just build Helios a temple back in Ithaca once they get home. Surely he'll accept that as an apology, right?

No. No he won't.

In fact Helios goes straight to Zeus and threatens to take the sun into the Underworld if he doesn't punish the mortals who killed his precious cows right this very second. Zeus tells him to calm down and wait until they get back on the ship to leave first, then he'll punish them.

Odysseus comes back to discover the on-going barbecue and is understandably pissed at his crew breaking their oath and dooming them all, but basically no one is listening to him at this point. But finally they have wind, so they decide to leave, having made sacrifices hoping that will stave off the gods' anger for a while. But of course it doesn't.

Zeus does not show up in person like in the musical. He doesn't try to hit Odysseus with some kind of sadistic choice deal. He just hits them with a storm as soon as they're out to sea and destroys the ship with a lightning bolt, killing everyone aboard except Odysseus.

And that's how the events from Thunder Saga happened in the Odyssey. You're welcome.

[theweirdhybrid]

I think the one thing that everyone forgets regarding Sanji's potential mutation is that while it does take his emotions away, that doesn't automatically make him aggressive and hostile to the Straw Hats. From what we observed with his brothers, who, mind you, were raised as spoiled brats who could get away with beating the shit out of anyone weaker and were in fact encouraged in doing so, they're apathetic and unable to disobey commands from their father, but still have a semblance of free will and differing personalities. Whether that's because of later programming Sanji didn't get, or at the base of the mutation, is unclear.

Having no emotions doesn't necessarily mean someone is cruel, it depends entirely on how they were raised, and Sanji was raised to be a kind gentleman who always feeds the hungry no matter what. It'd be weird for him to lose his emotions and then have a complete personality shift. Sure, he'll lose the parts of him that were dependent on those emotions, but everything else? That'll stay. He'll still cook, because that's what he's been taught and trained in for eleven years, but he probably won't be bringing Nami and Robin specialized drinks and snacks anymore. His cooking will lose some of the love and care he always put into it, but he'll still make sure every meal is catered to everyone's dietary needs, but maybe he won't take their likes and dislikes into account anymore.

And if we go with the idea that the whole "can't disobey commands from their father" thing translates to "can't disobey orders from his captain", then he'll probably still fight, but only when Luffy tells him to. And he won't be merciful anymore. He'll disregard his whole thing of never fighting a woman, and he won't be careful not to kill his opponent outright anymore. And he probably won't drop everything to defend his crew. Not unless Luffy tells him to.

And honestly? That is so, so much worse than him just outright attacking his crew. Because they're gonna watch this, they're gonna see this shell that used to be Sanji walking around and saying and doing things he'd never do, not in a million years, and not even if he was held at gunpoint. And it'll hurt, because they can still see the echoes of Sanji in this shell that wears his face, but everything he says and does is wrong. He still smokes, he still cooks, and he still fights, but he doesn't hold himself the same way. Where before, he used to have a casual air around him and a slight slouch, he's now rigid and stiff, holding himself tall. Where before, he fought Zoro with banter and a mutual respect for each other and an unspoken agreement to never maim, now he doesn't say anything. Now, he doesn't bother holding back, doesn't care if he truly hurts Zoro or not.

Where before, his eyes were warm and full of love and care for his crew, they're now empty and disinterested, only lingering on his nakama for as long as necessary before looking away. Where before, his food tasted heavenly and divine and full of love as he experimented and carefully designed each meal to please his nakama, now it's just... bland. It's still better than anything they'll get anywhere else, of course, but it's... lacking. It doesn't have any love poured into it. Not even a drop. The recipes are followed exactly, and no new ones are created.

And the worst part is that there isn't even any hate or malice behind any of this, just an emptiness that makes their hearts ache with loss. Because Sanji's still alive, he's still there and cooking for them, but it's not Sanji. He's right there, but he's so far beyond their reach that it doesn't matter. Sanji's not dead, but they've lost him all the same.

That's probably why Sanji asked Zoro to kill him if the mutation ever took his emotions. Because Sanji would rather die than treat his nakama like that.