Kota. ♡

PTSD / anxiety can make maintaining/having an erection difficult with all five (Jean, Jeremy, Neil, Andrew, and Kevin) experiencing some form of sexual violence / incest abuse / self harming via sex / grooming / etc in their lifetime.

Plus, the Nest itself was a place of constant and deeply normalized, and I would even say ritualized, sexual violence. Their right to choose and to consent were restricted by Riko's demands, and many would use sexual violence on other Ravens as a form of control / power in the cult. Just being around that, even if you were not a direct victim to it, would impact / traumatize you.

Andrew canonically struggles to see himself as sexual / getting off and enjoying sex. It is noted by Neil that Andrew often left the room after getting Neil off. The one time we see Andrew get himself off on the page, it is pretty explicit that Andrew does not want Neil to look down / see him masturbating. I don't think he enjoys seeing himself as sexual or having sexual desires. He would much rather have sex and have the comfort of "not-a-rapist" (OCD) than focus on his own pleasure or wants.

That said, I also think characters like Andrew and Jean can experience erections when they REALLY don't want one. OCD and intrusive thoughts and compulsions with a layer of unwanted arousal can be hell on the mind and body.

In particular, I think Andrew suffers from Incest OCD featuring intrusive thoughts about his family & him assaulting them. Brothers and families to him were often sexually violent titles & roles, and his body will not unlearn that the moment it is stable and safe. I genuinely believe that first year with Nicky and Aaron were absolutely brutal on him as he waited for the bubble to pop as it always did. Even when they obviously didn't, the thoughts didn't go away. :(

For Jean, I think he can find himself getting hard while in a flashback over his trauma or having "wet dreams" that involve memories of his own trauma. Something that I think would take him a long time to open up about / not feel shame, guilt, and/or disgust about seeing it as his body "wanting it" when that couldn't be further from the truth.

Again, I cannot stress enough that these responses =/= want, interest, or morality of these characters but a biological response. +intrusive thoughts are called that for a reason and do not reflect the person as wanting to have these thoughts or ideas in their head.

In a different way, I can see Neil just not getting hard as his arousal and his relationship to arousal changes day to day. Even the times he does get hard he can sometimes go soft and end things without an orgasm totally satisfied. The intimacy of making out / touching /company / watching a game / etc leaving him more fulfilled than the "end" itself.

Jeremy I can see all sides. I can see him struggling with having an erection during hook ups (Albeit I also think this plays into him rarely seeking sex out of the want for it vs it being a form of self harm / escapism) to getting erect even when he doesn't want it.

Not even touching the trauma of the Banquet and how that impacted his relationship to both himself and sex. He (+his family) view his brother's suicide as his responsibility for being both an addict and a sexually active gay man.

I also would not be surprised if Jeremy has experienced sexual violence at the hands of some of these hook ups (At least canonically a form of intimate partner violence with the bruising on his throat after the banquet) that he dismissed as "part of it" or downplays when others grew worried.

It is very alarming that even IN his internal monologue, we as readers didn't know someone choked him hard enough to bruise until a third party mentioned it. This shows how common these types of injuries by his partner's hands maybe.

As for Kevin, I ascribe to the idea that Riko's abuse of Kevin was sexual with him at least pressuring Kevin sexually (if the EC regarding their first time remains true) to have sex with someone he had no interest in while he (Riko) watched.

This shows a layer of control over Kevin sexually that tracks with what we know of Riko & sexual violence. It was his favorite way to enact power over others and there was no one more under his control than Kevin Day mind, body, and soul. And that's not touching the implications that exist of Kevin's bed having hand cuffs on it and Riko's abuse often being psychosexual in nature even if it did not directly involve "sex" itself.

I think the rare times Kevin would try to get off at Palmetto he would get the invasive thought of "Riko is watching me" and get soft or, more upsetting for him, get harder.