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Julian
- Caring for you during a depressive episode is more instinctive for him than the day-to-day part of living with depression
- He knows what it's like to be really emotionally low, but he doesn't know what it's like to be permanently stuck there
- And for someone who runs on emotional energy, not having any at all doesn't resonate with him
- Which is why he's quickly becoming Vesuvia's leading medical expert on the condition. What he can't understand right away, he'll study until he does
- And oh dear, the more he learns, the more he aches for you. It's the emotional equivalent of chronic pain/fatigue and nobody will make you feel more valid in that than he will
- There's just one problem - he can't keep a schedule to save his life and he's sometimes more empathetic than is good for him
- It's an important growing moment for him. He'll have to learn how to better himself to help you without feeling responsible for your troubles
- He keeps a checklist to go over with you every day, somehow without ever making you feel judged if you didn't do everything
- Healthy amount of food? Check. Healthy amount of sleep? Check. Sunlight? It was raining. That's okay, we'll go on a picnic tomorrow!
- It's also his way of being able to tell if it's getting bad again
- When that happens, he'll encourage you to give yourself the freedom of a few days of rest. No expectations, no to-do lists. A good doctor knows the value of bed rest
- It's really good for him too - since he wants to check up on you regularly it means he's taking consistent breaks and actually getting enough sleep for once
- You bring him so much joy just by being there when he wakes up in the mornings. Being able to help you keep that sparkle in your eyes means so much to him
Asra
- They aren't very depression-prone themselves, but they know how hard it is to carry a heavy heart. It's why giving you half of theirs was one of the easiest trades they ever made
- And it's also why he gets what you're going through better than anyone else does, because he can literally feel what you're feeling, if you let him
- The first time you let them tap in to your shared bond on a fairly bad day, they said it was like trying to dance with fogged-over glasses and weights on every limb. No wonder you're tired!
- He doesn't mind doing things a little differently (since when did he do them normally anyways?) so he likes getting the important tasks done with you
- They get up with you on workdays and turn breakfast and dinner into daily dates. Wherever their whims take them while you run the shop, they'll always be back in time to help close and take you on a long sunset stroll
- Baths used to stress you out - it was the last hurdle before finally getting to sleep - and now they're the highlight of your day
- It's not nearly as overwhelming when the bath's already drawn with some new random luxury product to try out and a fluffy-haired lover who insists on lifting you in and out (it makes him happy, let him have this, MC!)
- Weekends are for sleeping in, cuddles on the roof in the sunshine, and hours of reading books in the pillow pile
- When a nasty episode hits, they'll take you on vacation to Nopal. They notice how much effort you put in, it makes sense that you need rest and they want to make sure you have it
- So many hugs and snuggles, all the time, every day. He's so proud of you and he tells you that constantly
- Because he doesn't need you to be happy or energetic or exciting for him to love you. He just needs you to know that you're loved.
Nadia
- Nobody knows what it's like to feel stuck and unable to get one's life back like she does. She spent three years comatose like that
- She's a little horrified when she gets a clear picture of what life can be like for you. She had a way out, and a Devil to blame and subsequently defeat. You're running on your own determination
- She thinks you're one of the strongest people in the world for that
- It shows her why you seemed to know how to pull her out of her sleep. And she's determined to do the same for you
- She pulls you out of bed to do yoga with her every morning. If it's sunny (and it often is) she'll take it onto the balcony so you can kill two birds with one stone
- It's okay if you need to go back to sleep after. Just let her do this with you
- She has a reason to schedule breaks into her day now to spend half an hour with you and make sure you're both getting what you need
- Because lunchtime gets so busy and dinner is often an important event, she makes sure to have a late morning tea with you every day, from 10-11 AM
- Fresh fruit, some dried meats and cheeses, juice and tea, and the most delicious baked treats. It's light and filling and nourishing enough to get you through the day if you can't manage much else
- It's easier to act like it's not getting bad again when you can save your energy just for your shared moments. It's why Nadia feels so guilty for the first few times she didn't notice until it was too bad for you to do even that much
- Fortunately for you, there's a palace full of employees who have you to thank for getting a competent person in charge again
- They want to see you flourish too, so one word from housekeeping is all Nadia needs to whisk you off to the seaside for some R&R
- You pulled her out of her daze and are the strongest person she knows. Returning the favor for her beloved is her greatest honor
Muriel
- Oh yeah, that thing where life feels like walking through sludge and all you want to do is hide and sleep, so that's what you eventually end up doing all day? Yeah he does that too
- Or at least he did, until you dragged him down a continent with the scariest woman he's ever met on a wild goat chase
- It's starting to make sense to him now. You knew to reintroduce him to the fun of comfortable clothes and good food and the safety of companionship because that's what you needed too
- And he's not leaving that fog behind without bringing you with him
- He doesn't want you to force yourself into a busy, colorful life of excitement and adventure. He doesn't want that for himself either
- But he's learned the value of a life that can move as slowly as it needs to as long as it doesn't get stagnant
- You can sleep in if you want to. But he's bringing you breakfast in bed. He won't say anything but he won't leave to start his day until you eat at least half of it
- You don't have to go on a walk if you're not up for it. But he'll leave the door and windows open and move the bed right below them
- You don't have to take a shower. But he'll hold you in his lap by the fire with a clean rag and a bucket of warm water and some soap and a big, fluffy towel
- It's okay if you can't feel anything. It's okay if you can't stop feeling everything. Sit with it as long as you need to. He'll just be next to you with a glass of cool, fresh water from the nearby spring
- Of course, things aren't always that bad. You have good days, and better days, and great days, and tired days, and gray days, and everything days, and nothing days, and quiet days, and loud days
- Sometimes you're the one bringing him a glass of water and opening the windows
- But you're both slowly having more good days than bad ones, and life is starting to get lighter. And neither of you are fighting alone
Portia
- Depression and burnout can look pretty similar. The big difference is that one of them is something you generally bring on yourself, and the other one tends to show up uninvited and unannounced
- She's plenty familiar with burnout. Depression not so much
- She's quick to notice when you go several days in a row without smiling very much. And when you can't pull yourself out of bed one morning, she's so sympathetic and on board to help
- But it's hard not get upset with her when her first question is, "so what were you doing for it to get this bad, MC?"
- It makes it even harder to talk about, but Portia is the palace's honorary librarian at this point. Between the research she does there and the general medical description and advice Ilya gives her, she'll come back with plenty of notes
- She will feel so bad about what she said earlier that you will definitely need to hug it out
- She's such a get-up-and-go person that she doesn't have to think twice about helping you keep a schedule. That's how she lives already. Now she's just cooking a full breakfast for two, not one
- She still takes you on her ambassador trips, but the plans she comes up with take your energy levels into account as well as hers
- You're having a better day? Time to go sightseeing and find an adventure
- You're not doing as well? Take a day on the boat. Nap on the deck in the sunlight. The crew love you too, they'll bring you fruit and she'll get all the boring meetings out of the way while you rest
- It can be a little daunting being a partner to someone who is sunshine personified when you feel like mud most days
- And it's tricky for her to learn how to sit with someone in pain without feeling like a failure for not being influential enough to fix it
- She sees you as the best part of her world and thinks, no wonder you're tired. Take a rest. She'll keep things running
Lucio
- At first he's worried that you're falling sick very, very slowly
- You don't have energy for the things that he knows you enjoy, you're sleeping more, and the dulled look in your eyes makes him wonder if you're in pain
- You're trying not to let it get to you because being an adventurer is fun! Exciting! And it's Lucio's fresh start on life, so you're scared of ruining it. You don't want to drag him down on his way up
- But finally one morning you just can't get yourself out of bed. And he's increasingly worried, so you explain it to him
- It ends up lifting his spirits more than anything. He could tell you were ill, but this illness doesn't seem fatal. It's just something you have to live with that makes some days a lot harder than others
- He doesn't have a lot of intuition for taking care of sick people, but he's getting better and better at learning from his mistakes
- You say taking care of your body helps? Every time he gets hungry he makes sure you eat something too. Every time he bathes he pulls you in. Every time he goes outside he invites you.
- If you say no too often he will pout. Which will quickly give way to his unexpectedly adorable puppy eyes, because he loves you and doesn't want your sickness to hurt you MC!
- Of course, healing is never linear. There are still times when the only thing you have energy for when you open your eyes is closing them again
- And as much as he worries for you during those times, Lucio isn't burdened by them. It's a chance to show you he loves you and to return the favor you showed him by sticking by his side
- It's also his moment to be the magnanimous, powerful Count he wanted so badly to be. He'll protect you, he'll take care of you, he gets to be your hero and let you be comfortable!
- You are his best. If that means you need to take a break and sleep, then go ahead. Precious things are meant to be treasured