#it's just. like I'm a little shocked at how much I'm thinkin abt it even when I feel fine

[mosspapi]

Fuck dude it'd been so long I was starting to think I used to be dramatic abt calling it an addiction but this fucking relapse is. I mean. Idk man this is a lot

[playroom-sekaii]

hello hello! sorry this isnt any of the ask game questions in particular, but could we get some headcanons abt little mai and caregiver haruka? mai seems to have a kind of volatile emotional state so i was thinkin mayb stress causes her to regress sometimes? it was prolly a bit of a shock when haruka first found out abt mai’s regression, too, back in their ASRUN days but she’s def been supportive since then (sorry for letting my own thoughts slip out haha)

That's a really cool idea! I probably can't add too much since I'm not that knowledgeable on the side characters, but I have to commend you for how big brain this is!

(I couldn't really fit this in the hcs anywhere, but for the sake of this Mai's little age range is about 5-6!)

-Haruka probably wasn't the most sure as to what age regression was when Mai first explained it to her. She was glad her fellow idol had a way to help deal with the stress of the industry, but what if this information leaked out to the public? She wanted to support Mai in any way she could, but the idea of this causing either of them to lose their grasps on their dreams...

-Haruka definitely still helped Mai when she was small, but in more subtle ways than full-on being a caregiver for her (not just out of her own fear, but from Mai not wanting her biggest inspiration to fully see her while she was regressed). She started to recognize the little signals that Mai was slipping (slight errors in her singing, fidgeting, an even more wide-eyed look than usual), and she would cover for her to make sure their fellow idols or bosses wouldn't notice. She knew Mai had a bit of little gear in her dressing room, so she would take her there and simply tell the others that Mai had a headache or something. It was an unspoken agreement between the two, one that Mai was overwhelmingly grateful for and gave Haruka a sense of routine and stability.

-Once Mai was forced to quit being an idol, and Haruka was made to believe that it was her fault, their bond came to a crashing halt. Mai was left without anyone to look after her while small, even though she'd been basically alone while regressing beforehand this felt so much worse. Haruka's feeling that she failed Mai was made worse by the fact that she wanted to look out for her, and it lead to her wanting to be a full-on caregiver for the other little one now in her life: Minori (sorry for putting another hc in here put I feel like it fits-). While her drive to be a good CG for her was primarily caused by her genuinely caring and wanting her to be happy, a bit of it was from a desire to redeem herself from her previous failure.

-However, this rift didn't last forever, and once the two managed to repair their bond and Mai started her new endeavor of theater, the topic of Mai's regression eventually came up again. Mai confessed that she was still little sometimes, and Haruka offered to be her caregiver for real this time. Mai felt like she wasn't worthy of this, but Haruka reassured her that she was, and now she can finally get the care she deserves <3 Since they don't see each other in person that much, most of Haruka's caregiving is done over phone or Nightcord calls, though when they occasionally meet up in real life it's not that uncommon for Mai to end up regressing.

-Since Mai is naturally somewhat childish, it's not immediately obvious what's different between her big and small selves, though there are some distinctions. She's even more gung-ho and passionate about the things she loves, to the point that Haruka has to remind her often to take breaks from what she's doing. She's even more of a starry-eyed Haruka fan, akin to how Minori was early in the main story, she'll follow her everywhere and do anything for her! She's somewhat of a hyper little thing was well, a little sparkler full of new ideas.

-Usually when Mai's little she and Haruka sort of just end up talking about various things, whatever comes to her mind Haruka is absolutely willing to listen. If they're on Nightcord it's common for them to have nights where Haruka puts on a cartoon or movie for Mai, and they'll watch it together <3

-Whenever they're together in person, Mai loves to put on little shows for Haruka, usually being "plays" based on stories or shows she likes. Haruka will never not be impressed by these, her little one did so good! She also likes dancing for her, even though she can't sing anymore she can still do that! Sometimes she'll have Haruka perform with her, and the two of them always end up quite happy ^w^

-Sometimes Haruka sings for Mai, be it to cheer her up when she's sad or as a lullaby, and she always ends up mesmerized when she does. Mai feels a bit sad that she can't sing too, but Haruka's always there to reassure her that it's alright ♡

-Haruka's put together little playmates for Mai and Minori at least a couple times, and they always go quite well! Two little idol fans together, watching cartoons or playing while talking about whatever makes them happy. There have been a few incidents where they ended up "arguing" over which of them Haruka loves more, but Haru's there to show them that they're equal, nothing could ever change that!