If you're a fan of that lymphoma-geared series, take a look on my AO3 (under the same username). Especially if you like surprises, I'd love to know what everybody thinks with first impressions without giving away any of it yet!

If you're still taking prompts, you mentioned at one point having ideas about Komaeda's life and any difficulties he may have had in high school pre-killing game, and I'd love to hear what you have to say about that?

This is a very interesting ask to be getting... Because I actually have a new addition to that series coming out soon that you will likely enjoy very much, given this ask 👀

But as for the question. I am SO glad you asked!

I've always imagined he had chronic illness before a lymphoma diagnosis, and likely many. I think in early childhood he was probably a little bit of a medical anatomy LMAO, threw some doctors for a loop. As he got older, I imagine some very specific diagnoses, but I think they fit him pretty well!

- POTS. I know this is a disease many people... Hear about a lot, but I deal with it myself and I think its CLASSIC Komaeda to have a disorder where he's constantly fainting on people 😭 I can just picture him causing a panic in the middle of class because he stood up too fast and hit the floor just as Goddamn fast

- Similar vein, another disorder I know well, hEDS (hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome). I know, I know – people call this one (and POTS, honestly) a "Tiktok disease", but I don't think that's necessarily fair. Komaeda's always seen as very fragile when we get beneath how his classmates perceive his neurotic behavior, and I almost imagine this to be a representation of that. Plus, often goes hand in hand with POTS, so it fits to me

- Lupus! This is one I think a lot of people headcanon him with, and for me it actually LED to lymphoma (or so its suspected), so it has actual backing for his other disorders. Neuro-psychiatric lupus also exists, which is where the disorder attacks the central nervous system. It could explain some of his psychotic behavior, some of his dementia, or lead to it – all-encompassing a very real diagnosis here

- Immunodeficiency! Some form of primary immunodeficiency is honestly kinda canon to me, because even if he had lymphoma he would have had to have been on chemo DURING the Killing Game to react like that to the Despair Disease. These disorders can cause you to be subject to severe infection or viral complications (pneumonia, chronic flus, staph infections), can cause vaccines to not "stick" to your immune system (to the point that blood testing SHOWS a lack of vaccine titiers), or cause a risk of things like bacterial meningitis or hive/anaphylactic reactions to strep throat, or scarletina/scarlet fever. He's DEFINITELY got something wrong with his ability to fight off illness, considering he was critical level with a virus that caused a fever and vomiting MAX in the other victims

- Migraines + Chronic fatigue syndrome. Komaeda with a freezable headband over his eyes in a dark room acting like the world is ending? Canon

(Plus, swollen lymph nodes with lymphoma at the base of the skull can and do cause migraines. Trust me, I'm proof)

- Chronic pain/CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome). I have this from excessive IV placement, joint destruction from lupus, nerve damage from migraines and procedures, etc., so this is NOT out of the realm of possibility, if we're talking about justifying my headcanons here LOL. If we're going based purely off of vibes, I think he just constantly is going "ow ow ow" while he tries to keep up with track in PE and nobody knows if its because he has the body mass index of a mosquito or because they're waiting for him to debut a Make A Wish commercial

I also think anemia is plausible, although that's not really an illness! I wrote into one of my recent updates of the caretaker series a childhood case of lyme disease too, because of COURSE he'd get a tick bite going on rich kid vacations with his parents before they croaked 😭 Just makes sense to me! He's that type + the luck thing made it make sense to me :)

I'm so glad you asked this question! I promise an update to the main series is coming up soon. I have three-ish more scenes left in the draft I currently have, and its the longest + definitely gayest I've written!!

I got a very, very, very emotionally retroactive imaging result today – which is alright! I'm doing okay, a little scary, but the small part of me that is losing my absolute mind right now is geared up to keep on going with my AO3 series I've been writing that a lot of you follow, so- this is an outreach to let everybody know an update is coming sooner than excepted?? 😭

If anybody would be interested in more sneak-peaks to the coming chapters, post compilations of funny moments, anything that can keep me busy while writing, drop them here! I want to engage more online with the Tumblr side of the DanganRonpa fanbase, and anything to keep my brain and hands busy while I outline, plan and write would be helpful if you guys want it :)