#and the thing that serizawa is the only one who decided to join s&s so he can be employee in any work he can do

[dailyserirei]

Ooh what if Serirei just talking with their past selves, it could be chaotic with past Reigen being extremely energetic, but just imagine kid Seri too being so anxious and his future self helping him out. Now past Seri has a friend weee

OUGH!!!!! ageswap au is great actually that i went a little too far made a comic something like this

Serizawa to his 14 years old self (quite long):

Reigen to his 14 years old self:

[shigayokagayama]

actually ive decided to be mentally ill open this to gaze into the abyss (my ageswap au)

ok so the main driving premise is kind of a roleswap like

mob <-> serizawa

tome <-> reigen

teru <-> toichiro

instead of finding mob or ritsu, dimple found teru and gave him the whole “if you team up with me you can become a god” schtick and teru was like “oh boy godhood!” and formed an organization that i am calling claw just for convenience but is functionally kind of a combo of claw and LOL? the absence of mogami and mob means that dimple is still full power so theres a lot less violence involved in maintaining their structure and a lot more brainwashing espers by making them feel happy just by being around dimple which dissuades them from leaving

mob was kind of their golden ticket to moving forward in the whole “taking over the world” thing. teru was going around recruiting espers and in his research learned about an extremely powerful esper who caused some sort of accident that left some girl dead (ill get to this in a second) then disappeared years ago. turns out its mob and he’s been in his room for 14 years ala serizawa. teru tracks down ritsu, convinces him that he works with an organization that helps troubled espers, then takes mob for the purpose of being a normal claw member.

at some point during the “assessing his abilities” part of this process they discovered mob has the power to give/take energy and teru and dimple’s plan shifts to “take over the world by brainwashing people the old fashion way” to “take over the world by convincing everyone theyre godsents who have the ability to give people psychic powers”

also during all this theyre still doing the whole “kidnap and brainwash kids” thing with the added bonus of teru being able to learn the powers of people he fights. so hes just. collecting powers like pokemon cards by beating the shit out of kids. and teru really really wants to learn how to do that energy thing mob can do so he starts trying to get closer to him to see if he can learn it through observation (cause he knows if he actually fought him he’d get his ass kicked) but slowly starts to become actual friends with him and is like. wait. is this what human connection feels like???

meanwhile on the non-claw side of things we get reigen, serizawa, and tome. tome and serizawas dynamic is essentially reigen and mobs from the normal universe. in this universe mob did join the telepathy club because he didnt really have enough personal agency to choose to join the body improvement club, so he and tome were friends and when he went missing they lost their fifth member and the club got disbanded which led to her becoming very jaded and giving up on her alien dreams (which she generally looks back on as cringey and embarrassing :( ) and without really having a clear direction ended up starting s&s, with serizawa coming to her for advice after losing control of his powers and hurting his mom as a kid.

reigen is a super troubled adhd “gifted kid” who is seen as a general nuisance by just about everything. he switches fixations constantly, hes always quitting things after getting super invested in them for short periods of time (which is REALLY pissing off his parents), and his newest fixation is psychics. after serizawa saves him from a spirit in that haunted ass forest that was created by that one weird psychic accident mob caused years ago he ends up convincing tome to let him work for spirits and such, partially because hes interested in the paranormal and partially because he needs money after his mom cancelled his WOW subscription in retaliation for him quitting kung fu.

serizawa, who spent most of middle school just trying to do his work and keep his head down, ends up not only getting reigens attention but also toichiros. toichiro is a transfer from another school who got expelled for attacking another kid and is generally surrounded by a lot of bad rumors. he immediately latches onto serizawa as the first esper kid he meets at this new school and starts trying to convince him that theyre better than other people, which serizawa doesnt buy. also, his esper gang from his old school is disappearing, as are all the other esper kids around town, which is kind of scaring the shit out of him

i deliberated over what to make toichiro and shous relationship for so long. like, it feels weird not to make him his dad but it feels even weirder to make shou randomly like 10 years older than everyone else. so my compromise was that hes his older brother and legal guardian after their parents died in an accident which shou is pretty sure toichiro caused (i chose sibling and not uncle because shou and toichiros normal relationship is supposed to be a direct parallel to mob and ritsus).

shou is a character i feel is done super dirty by every ageswap. guys. look at me. there is no universe where shou is the leader of claw. if shou being brought up by toichiro left him a generally good person if a bit inconsiderate of other peoples feelings and kind of “ends justify the means”-y, shou being brought up by literally anyone else would leave him a normal well adjusted person.

just to give him some connection to claw instead of letting this poor guy live his dreams of drawing dragons and shit im making him a government esper spying on claw. ritsu also works with the government but since he never went through big cleanup or met dimple he has 0 control over his abilities and instead just works in the division that knows they exist and deals with them. hes friends w shou and they both fuckin hate their jobs but feel like its their duty to make the world a better place. also ritsu is desperately trying to reach mob but mob has spent too much time with claw and become convinced ritsu is just trying to hold him down.

also that accident ive been mentioning? yea im going to try to lead people to think its the confession arc gone wrong for as long as possible before throwing in a minori curveball. yea tsubomi is not involved in ANY of this, she isnt mobs tragic backstory and she gets to live her own life.

this is just all the set up not getting into the actual plot uhhh what did i leave out? oh mezatos a reporter investigating the claw stuff and gets involved with tome (this happens a bit into the story so i wont get into detail) and emi is a ghostwriter. takenaka is basically a spy for hire at claw because most jobs dont let you just wear earbuds at work and overstimulation sucks, the awakening lab kids at claw because there are not a lot of other options there are so few kid espers in mob psycho.

also while im here ive been consuming so many recently so im curious

favorite mp100 au ?? if u have one !!

ok so im going to preface this by saying i am the pickiest person in the world when it comes to fanfiction. like. i am not joking, i have closed fanfictions before because i thought that the writer made a character's music taste ooc.

im a big fan of ageswaps IF they acknowledge the far reaching consequences reigen not being present in mob's early life would have on him and everyone else in his generation. the vast majority of ageswaps are not to my taste because theyre a bit too generous with how everyone would have grown up without the influence of a mob who met reigen.

specifically teru is generally made like, kind of a self obsessed celebrity when like.

i mean.

come on.

[blackstonesandtrapnest]

NANA Characters in Quarantine

I was inspired to write this since I had to go under quarantine earlier this month due to coming in close contact with a co-worker who tested positive for COVID. I returned to work this week and I’m doing just fine! If you wish for me to do this with one of the fandoms on my list, then feel free to request it!

~~Nana Osaki~~

Does NOT handle quarantine well at first. Being unable to sing makes her jittery and cranky! Will literally rant and rave to anyone who listens and she’ll do that for hours!

But once she gets all of the frustration out of her system, Nana will come up with ways to make the best of the lockdown. Surprise, surprise, they’re mostly music based!

Will use this opportunity to come up with new material and has video calls every night with the band to discuss it. They’re not gonna sit around and be lazy when they could be getting creative as far as she’s concerned!

If she’s with her S/O or Ren during the quarantine, then it’ll make things much better for Nana since she’ll have someone always around to talk to and just share company with! Cuddles! Lots of cuddles! Just don’t tell anyone though.

If Nana is alone during lockdown, then her anxiety will definitely spike and she’ll have panic attacks more often. When that happens, she’ll usually call or text someone while using the paper bag method to keep herself calm.

~~Nana Komatsu~~

Is pretty bummed about the lockdown but doesn’t want to complain and prefers to make the best of it instead. Will definitely be talking Nana down and off the ledge when she gets too annoyed.

Decides to make BLAST and Trapnest masks to sell online which become extremely popular much to her delight. Yes the bands approve and yes Hachi is making masks for them!

Is the most likely to gain weight during lockdown. Will look up recipes online and try them out which is the cause of said weight gain. Hachi loves food after all!

You can definitely expect to see Hachi on social media a lot and it’ll be her main way of keeping in contact with her friends and family. Livestreaming and making cooking videos will definitely keep Hachi occupied alongside her mask business!

If Hachi is with her S/O, she’ll definitely be doing many things with them and trying to make them a part of her videos which will be very cute and adorable! Awwwww!

~~Nobu Terashima~~

Takes the lockdown quite well. He’s pretty introverted so being alone and isolated for a while doesn’t affect him as much as others.  

Uses the free time to write songs and new material just like Nana and they call every day with new pieces and ideas.

Spends a lot of time on social media and donates to a lot of humanitarian causes, persuading fans of BLAST to do the same which always succeeds.

Will gladly fight anyone who thinks the pandemic is a hoax, is an anti-masker, or just don’t wanna obey guidelines. You’re not gonna get other people sick on Nobu’s watch!

Likes to livestream and play music for his fans whether it be covers or original material. Hachi is one of his mods and his biggest supporter.

~~Shinichi Okazaki~~

The lockdown affects his living as a gigolo (if he still does it by then) so you’re damn right Shin doesn’t like it! He hates being restricted and you can expect long-winded debates between him and Nobu on how the pandemic should be handled.

If Shin has an S/O and is with them during lockdown, they can expect a lot of sex and overall intimacy! No one is surprised if Shin ends up getting said S/O pregnant. If he’s gonna be cooped up in the house for a while, then he could at least get some action out of it!

Is lazy AF during lockdown and isn’t interested in music or social media. In fact, don’t expect to hear from Shin during quarantine at all. Everyone has to initiate contact with him first and yes it pisses them off.

The only way to get Shin to do something productive is if his S/O threatens to cut him off sexually and goes through with it. He’ll do anything to get some WAP! Speaking of which, expect to see Shin dancing to music and expect to hear it playing a lot.

The only social media posts Shin will be making is photos of him and his S/O as well as getting on Nobu’s nerves. Shin gets tons of followers because of his looks but his heart is for his S/O only and he proudly displays that!

~~Yasu Takagi~~

Anticipated the lockdown and went shopping beforehand. He’s always prepared.

With an S/O, Yasu will use this opportunity to get closer to them and have deep conversations that can last for hours. Also lots of cuddles and affection! Yasu’s S/O will definitely be spoiled!

Yasu will be working from home so expect to see him on his laptop a lot. He will be doing video calls frequently with BLAST and upper management at Gaia as well as his law firm if he’s still a lawyer.

Likes to binge-watch YouTube videos and browse on Reddit. He likes to interact with his favorite YouTubers and give advice on Reddit like the kind person he is. Yasu will also donate to humanitarian causes like Nobu does.

Acts as the peacemaker during arguments between Nobu and Shin. Will also calm Nana down if her anxiety flares up. Got any problems? Call Yasu! He’s always available!

~~Ren Honjo~~

Gives no shits about the lockdown and is zen AF. He has to stay inside for a while? Ok!

Is mostly gonna spend the days in bed with his S/O (if they’re with him) and just wants to be close to them. Sleeping is Ren’s best friend!

If Ren is still using drugs, then he’s gonna be unbearable to be around since this means he’ll have to go through withdrawal and will have no way to get the drugs.

Will be unreachable during lockdown if he’s with his S/O. They come first as far as he’s concerned and he wants to make up for lost time with them as much as possible.

Will play music just to brush up on his guitar skills. May join Nobu on one of his livestreams every now and then and play with him as well as chat with fans.

~~Reira Serizawa~~

Has the same reaction as Nana when it comes to the lockdown and has bitching sessions with her about it too. Everyone is annoyed (except Shin) and if anyone tries to interrupt, they get bombarded by Reira and Nana to the point of not being able to get a word in.

Is bored AF and literally doesn’t know what to do with her time. Calls everyone and annoys the hell out of them to the point where they block her number. Reira just wants some company! 🙁

Spends the most time on social media out of everyone and mostly sings songs for her fans. Yes she takes requests and yes she gets a lot of them. Joins Nobu on his livestream whenever Ren is present and provides the vocals for their music. It instantly goes viral as one would expect.

If Reira has an S/O, they can definitely expect her to be clingy and trying to always have their attention. If they’re working from home and have to do video chats, Reira will definitely be in the background and will bring you things if you ask. She may or may not be appropriately dressed.

Loves to listen to other musicians on Spotify and will shout them out and uplift them. If anyone sings a cover of one of Trapnest’s songs, Reira will cry with joy and happiness!

~~Takumi Ichinose~~

Takes the lockdown in stride surprisingly enough. He doesn’t want to risk getting sick nor does he want his bandmates getting sick.

Decides to relax more instead of working which shocks most people. If Takumi has an S/O, he’ll want them to stay with him but if they can’t, he’ll settle for calls and texts.  

Sex, sex, and more sex! His S/O will definitely be worn out unless they have a high sex drive and if they get pregnant, Takumi will be happy and expects it to happen unless you use birth control.

Likes to try new challenges and will have a YouTube channel dedicated to that. Such content includes eating a Carolina Reaper pepper, drinking very strong cocktails, and gaming-related challenges. Yes Takumi is a gamer and his rage is legendary.

Does weekly video calls with the band to make sure they’re taking care of themselves and staying safe. No one’s getting sick on his watch!

~~Naoki Fujieda~~

Hates the restrictions and whines about being stuck in the house all day, everyday. He wants to have fun damn it!

Will do anything and everything to keep himself busy and if he has an S/O with him, they’ll be dragged into it too! Naoki doesn’t want you to be bored!

Will do challenges with Takumi and plays video games a lot whether it’s by himself, with his S/O, or with Takumi. His livestreams are a riot and there’s plenty of laughter to be had, especially if Takumi is present.

Likes to upload skits and rants that become quite popular due to how funny and true they are. Also gives advice to people which actually works and makes their lives better.

Always makes sure his appearance is on point and likes to promotes fashion brands, ideas, and trends. Naoki loves beautiful things so expect to see a lot of pics of just that!

~~Junko and Kyosuke~~

Kyosuke takes the lockdown in stride while Junko panics. Junko ends up furloughed (she’s a salesperson) so she worries about finances.

Kyosuke comes up the idea of doing art commissions for money and it becomes a huge success. Junko decides to join in and also makes and sells masks with Hachi.

Their sex life becomes much more active during lockdown and it’s quite noticeable with how relaxed Junko is. Teasing them about this will just make Junko act like a tsundere and Kyosuke act smug.

They network with other artists worldwide and become quite involved, especially in the black community.

Kyosuke watches various livestreams while Junko sticks to services like Netflix and Hulu. Kyosuke is a mod for Hachi’s livestreams and Junko catches up on her favorite shows while live-tweeting with fellow fans of said shows and having discussions.

[serenlyss]

Growing Up

Rating: G Pairing: Background terumob Summary: Shigeo decides to branch out a little. Crossposted to AO3: Growing Up

Here's my second stab at @bisexualwinry​‘s fluff prompts!

On an unrelated note, I've been looking for fellow mp100 writers here with the potential of creating a writer's discord! Specifically I've been looking in the mp100 fandom since that's the one I'm most active in rn but it's open to all fandom writers. I haven't created it yet bc I haven't seen enough interest but I feel like it could be a really fun place for writers to get together, find beta readers, workshop ideas, etc! If you're interested, hmu here on tumblr or my discord (LyssaGirl1998). You can send me an ask or an im, whatever you prefer!

“Master Reigen,” Shigeo says one day from his spot on the couch in Reigen’s office, “I think I’d like to learn to play piano.”

Reigen looks up from where he’s tapping away at his keyboard. It’s still odd to hear Shigeo call him that, after he’d admitted to being a fraud, but despite his insistence that he doesn’t need to anymore, he still does anyway. Shigeo reclines against the couch, one leg lifted so that his ankle rested atop his opposite knee. He has a book open in his lap, which he’s been quietly reading up until now.

“Piano?” The voice of Reigen’s unwanted and self-imposed secretary butts into the conversation before Reigen can reply. Tome leans forward in her seat, the seat that used to be Shigeo’s, before he’d stopped coming around as frequently. “What would you want to learn something like that for?”

Shigeo shrugs with a small smile, slipping a bookmark between the pages of his novel and setting it aside for now. The smiles are less rare now, more generously offered and less stifled and withheld. “It was thinking that it could be fun to learn how to play an instrument,” he explains. “I don’t have a lot of hobbies, after all.”

Reigen’s more than a little surprised that piano is the thing that Shigeo has decided to pursue. He’s never seemed like much of the musical type, aside from whatever music he liked to listen to in his free time, and he’d only ever taken interest in a few random activities, like exercising. But he’s in his third year of middle school now, and he’d finally started letting go of the tight hold he’d kept on his emotions for all those years, so it’s only natural for him to want to explore those hidden and repressed sides of himself now. Besides, Reigen finds the idea of careful Shigeo sitting at a piano quite easy to imagine, once he puts his mind to it. “Hmm, I think it would suit you,” he comments. “Why piano, though? Any particular reason?”

“Well, Teru knows how to play, and he’s even offered to teach me a few times,” Shigeo replies, his smile turning a bit more shy and fond with the mention of his boyfriend. “He’s really talented, and I bet he’s a good teacher.”

At her desk, Tome makes choking noises and pretends to be sick.

Reigen ignores her entirely. “I think it’s a good idea,” he says. Shigeo deserves encouragement and support, and if he wants to try something new, Reigen firmly believes that he should.

Shigeo, at least, seems pleased with the answer, nodding with a confidence Reigen still isn’t quite used to seeing before returning quietly to his book. Reigen lets himself stare a moment longer, noting that Shigeo’s gotten taller. It won’t be long before he shoots over Reigen’s head and starts rivaling Serizawa.

He huffs out a breath that ends up sounding annoyed, turning back to his work. These stupid kids, they really do grow up way too fast.

---

Teru and Shigeo meet after their club activities often to study and, occasionally, to have a brief piano lesson. Teru can’t fit a keyboard in his little apartment, so he comes to Salt Mid instead, and the two of them take up residence in one of the school’s open practice rooms in the music wing.

Shigeo’s fingers are inexperienced and uncertain, and he’s quick to doubt the soft way he presses the keys, so different from Teru’s quick and confident playing. He’s stubbornly dedicated to learning, though, and his ear is incredibly sharp. He picks out his mistakes quickly after he makes them, fingers jerking into the correct positions with little need for Teru to correct them for him. Teru’s quick to praise him for his progress and gentle when he points out his missteps, and they quickly fall into a routine in their lessons of sitting on the bench together, close enough to brush shoulders, Teru leaning over to mess with the music while Shigeo does scales and arpeggios and sight reads the kind of music meant for three-year-olds and pretends not to notice how the proximity makes his chest warm comfortably.

---

Ritsu hears Shigeo practice, sometimes, when their mother goes to run errands, their father isn’t quite home from work yet, and it’s just the two of them in the house. Usually it’s when Ritsu is up in his room, working on his homework. He’ll catch the faint, distant sound of piano melodies as Shigeo plays whatever comes to mind: random little tunes that Teru’s taught him, old folk songs and nursery rhymes, and occasionally something of his own creation.

The tunes start out rough and shaky, large breaks between bits of the music Shigeo hasn’t quite committed to memory yet. Ritsu wonders how he can see so little progress and yet still not find himself frustrated. He shakes his head and goes back to his homework, drowning out the quiet plinks of the piano beneath him with headphones and his own music.

---

Shigeo graduates middle school.

Reigen gets invited to come sit with his family for the ceremony, and Teru does as well. They find a seat off to the side, easy to spot but not too overbearing. The ceremony is widely unnecessary, in Reigen’s opinion, and drags on for far longer than he believes it should, but that doesn’t stop the rush of unprecedented pride he feels when he hears the principal call Shigeo’s name.

He watches, speechless, as the boy he’s known for the last five years of his life crosses the stage, and hides the fact that he’s on the verge of tears by pretending he’s sleepy and rubbing his eyes. Ritsu shoots him a look that says he sees right through Reigen’s bullshitting, but not even Shigeo’s snarky younger brother can steal his good mood away from him when he eagerly goes to congratulate his student after the ceremony has concluded.

Shigeo’s parents shell out to buy him a nice graduation gift: an electronic keyboard of his own, one that he can easily put up in his bedroom and take with him when he eventually goes off to college. It’s full-sized, with the nice weighted keys that feel like a real piano’s, but compact enough that he doesn’t need to worry about how much space it takes up. Reigen pitches in to help pay for the accessories as his own congratulations, and it’s beyond satisfying to see the way Shigeo’s eyes light up at the sight of the crisp, new black-and-white instrument already set up and waiting for him when they all go back to the Kageyama house to celebrate.

---

Shigeo keeps practicing. He gets better every time Ritsu hears him, his pacing more consistent, repertoire more confident. It makes him happy that Shigeo has found something he likes, that he’s willing to practice and get better at. He hopes he sticks with it.

---

Shigeo grows older, taller. His daily exercises with the Body Improvement Club show in the lean muscles he hides beneath the sleeves of the better-fitting high school uniform. His shoulders broaden and his face loses its childishness in favor of more mature, angular features, but it retains its softness in the laugh lines around his eyes and the toothy smile he no longer hesitates to show.

Larger hands and longer fingers make playing the piano that much easier, after the initial adjustment he has to make to account for his newfound clumsiness. He runs into things constantly now, banging his feet on chairs and tables that he swears are too far away to be problematic and hitting his head on low-hanging objects and shelves he used to be able to walk right under. He forgets sometimes that he can reach the high shelves now, the ones even Reigen can’t get to unless he uses the little step stool by the pantry.

He joins a music club at his new high school and uses it as his designated practice time, putting his hours into the well-worn pianos in the music room while the other club members hone their own talents all around him. It’s been months since he first touched a piano, and he’s grown confident and deft in the way he moves his fingers over the keys. He can sight read now, at least certain things. He plays whatever he feels like playing, not confined to classes or grades or any sort of classical training. He picks out song with tunes he thinks sound pretty or interesting and then he recreates them, with or without music, content to play on a whim instead of by necessity.

He never becomes so good at the piano that he’s asked to perform outside of occasional pieces he plays for his friends or classmates at his music club. He learns a few duets, with Teru or with friends who play other instruments, but he doesn’t perform in front of large crowds or even attempt to.He’s perfectly content to play for himself, and only himself.

---

Shigeo loves playing the piano. When he feels stressed, it’s an easy way for him to relieve some dormant energy and express those feelings in a productive way. He plays happy things when he’s feeling sad, somber things when he’s feeling contemplative, whatever comes to mind in the moment. He plays easy things and complex things, whatever sounds pleasing to the ear, and challenges himself by picking up pieces that he thinks may be a bit beyond his skill level. He surprises himself by putting in the time and effort into making what seemed impossible his new glass ceiling, and shatters it with every day he pushes himself out of his comfort zone.

Sometimes he plays out loud, for anyone to hear, and other times he plugs in a pair of headphones and plays just for himself. He plays as a break between homework assignments, putting his brain to work in a completely different way, plays when he’s feeling bored and has nothing else to do.

Sometimes he doesn’t play at all, too wrapped up in the business of his schedule as he balances occasional work for Reigen with hanging out with Teru and his brother and all of their friends. He never goes too long without playing, though, his attention inevitably going back to the keyboard set up by the window in his room, where he can glance outside at the neighbors walking their dogs down the street while his fingers drum against the plastic keys. It’s peaceful, and takes his mind off his other concerns.

---

When he finally leaves his parents’ house, he takes the keyboard with him.

[iohourtime]

Moeyo Ken (Burn! O Sword!) - Novel Recap 1

One good thing about a book/manga adaptation is that you can read the story right away, spend the next few months contemplating how certain scenes will be adapted, getting hyped while reading about people saying how the casting is all wrong, and then hopefully not be disappointed when the movie inevitably end up being different from your imagination!

Moeyo Ken, a 2-volume historical novel about Hijikata Toshizo and the Shinsengumi, written by Shiba Ryotaro1 will be adapted into a 2020 movie directed by Harada Masato. They only announced the cast for 5 key characters as of end of April 2019:

Hijikata Toshizo (Okada Junichi) - “Demon” Vice Commander. Originally from Hino, near Edo (Tokyo's former name).

Oyuki (Shibasaki Kou) - Hijikata’s one true love; a widow from Edo who followed her late (unnamed) husband to Kyoto.

Kondo Isami (Suzuki Ryohei) - Commander and Hijikata’s childhood friend.

Okita Souji (Yamada Ryosuke) - Captain of the First Unit and kind of like Hijikata and Kondo’s little brother. (Also Hijikata & Okita are rather popular ships. They are HijiOki.)

Serizawa Kamo (Ito Hideaki) - The original Commander of the Shinsengumi.

Harada also adapted and directed2 Sekigahara (2017), another Shiba novel about the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate. I watched that movie and ended up spending a good hour on Wikipedia trying to make sense who's who 😅. So while the Shinsengumi story is more straightforward, it might be helpful to have some background before watching Moeyo Ken.

I split this into two posts. The first is a brief background of the era, including some details of the story itself. In order to keep the spoilers to a minimum, the plot I did include might be a bit vague. The second talks about the main characters, specifically the trio. There are major spoilers on what happened to them. (Or you can look at Wikipedia. 😅) While there are other interesting characters in the Shinsengumi, they were more like background characters in the novel. Moeyo Ken is predominantly about Hijikata3, with Kondo and Okita as major secondary characters. Anyway, you can decide if you want to skip any parts. (If you just want to read about Okita, click the link here and skip to the end. 😅)

The movie officially cranked up on April 27. Suzuki Ryohei posted some location shots (just scenery) on his blog here. I guess if you want to visit the filming locations, you can use this as the guide.

The World of Moeyo Ken

Disclaimer: I don't know much about Japanese history. This is more of the worldview of the novel. Shiba definitely took some liberties and included some fictional elements.

Moeyo Ken was set in the Bakumatsu4 period and the story spanned most of the decade of 1860. Although there was an emperor at that time, the military power belonged to the Bakufu (the shogunate), which was led by the Tokugawa family for almost 300 years. Due to corruption within the Bakufu and a fear of foreigners, a group of rebels, the Ishin Shishi, or more commonly the Tobaku faction, tried to bring down the Bakufu and restore military power to the Emperor. As the Ishin Shishi (many were from the Choshu samurai clan5) were causing trouble, the Bakufu decided to do an open recruitment for a “roshigumi”, or ronin squad. Ronin (wanderers) were simply warriors who didn't serve a master. They could be ex Samurai or just regular folks.

Back in those days, you could only become a Samurai if you had the right lineage. Even if you were a superb swordsman, if you weren't born with the right connections, you were out of luck. So when the Bakufu opened up the recruitment to everyone, guys like Hijikata jumped at the chance to become a “real bushi (warrior)”. At the same time, people saw them as wannabes.

Hijikata was the youngest son in a relatively wealthy family that made medicine in Hino, near Edo. While he tried his hands at various jobs, at the beginning of the novel, his main job was to peddle his family’s secret formula, sometimes in exchange for one or two martial arts moves. He spent his spare time studying kenjutsu and hanging out with his best friend, Kondo, who was the heir of the Tennen Rishin-ryū (“TRR”) dojo. He eventually taught full time at the dojo with Kondo and Okita. Life was simple, other than the occasional (i.e semi-regular) duels to defend the territory. For that reason, the dojo also "employer" a number of outside martial artists by providing them with room and board. Approximately 1/6th of the novel dealt with the Hino arc, although I don’t know if Harada plan to adapt much of this. I actually liked this arc the most.

Due to a plague that devastated the villages and decimated the dojo’s business, plus an intention to do something for the government, Kondo took his group of 9 to join the roshigumi. In addition to the core 3, the gang included:

Inoue Genzaburō

Nagakura Shinpachi

Saitō Hajime

Harada Sanosuke (unlike the others, he used a spear)

Tōdō Heisuke

Yamanami Keisuke6 Looking back, the Bakufu was weak and corrupt while the Tobaku side represented hope and progress, so why did our guys align with them? At that time, the seat of power was in Kyoto, so the regular folks from Kanto tended to be less politically savvy. Furthermore, Hino’s region benefited greatly from the Tokugawa shogunate, so the guys joined the ronin squad partly out of loyalty. Of course there were other reasons why they stuck with the Bakufu after. I digressed.

When the TRR group joined the roshigumi, as they came from some backwater dojo, they were not valued by the leader at all. They also found out the leader was using the recruitment as a front to build his own army of nationalists, which was not what they signed up for. Kondo's faction joined forces with Serizawa Kamo's faction to form the Mibu Roshigumi (named after their base at Mibu Dera), which was affiliated with the Bakufu but not quite. As Serizawa had connections, he was installed as the first commander. Unfortunately, Serizawa’s gang was corrupt and went around bullying businesses and residents of Kyoto to pay them protection money, so his reign over Mibu Roshigumi didn't last long. Kondo became the next commander, Hijikata became the infamous “Demon Vice Commander”, and the group changed its name to the Shinsengumi. In its short history, there were power struggles, assassinations, betrayals etc. Yes, this squad lasted only about 5 years, culminating in a battle in Hakodate, Hokkaido.

Although the Shinsengumi was a police squad protecting the residents of Kyoto on paper, their real mission was to kill those any suspected Ishin Shishi. The Choshu samurai clan, in particular, was loved by the residents of Kyoto, so Kyoto itself was already somewhat sympathetic to the Tobaku side. So back in the days, the Shinsengumi was viewed as a bloodthirsty gang of wannabes, lapdogs of the Bakufu, and more like thugs hired by one of the pro-Bakufu Samurai clans. People actually called them the Wolves of Mibu. This changed with the Ikedaya Incident, in that people no longer called them that to their faces.

When Yamazaki Susumu, the resident spy in Shinsengumi, got word that the Ishin Shishi were planning something, the Bakufu tasked the group to arrest or kill the rebels. They learned from one of the rebels (through days of pretty graphic torture 😱) that they planned to set fire in Kyoto and used the confusion to kidnap the Emperor. The Shinsengumi was deployed. While 30+ Shinsengumi members took part in this mission, they actually split into 2 groups, so only 5 of them led by Kondo were at Ikedaya taking out 30+ opponents. As you can see, after the incident, people stopped dismissing the group. At least they were very effective and tactical!

Shinsengumi was not kind to its own people either. During Serizawa's reign, the organization was really no better than gangsters. So after Kondo took control, Hijikata created the (in)famous code with 5 articles (trimmed down from about 50):

Do not deviate from the bushido (Warrior's way)

Do not leave the Shinsengumi

Do not engage in private fundraising (more like coerced “fundraising”)

Do not part in others' litigation, and

Do not engage in private fights.

These rules were intended to get the members to fall in line, so while they were still bloodthirsty 😅, at least they were honorable! The punishment for breaking any of the 5 rules was death. You might be given the honour to commit seppuku*, beheaded, or assassinated. 😧 The Shinsengumi weren't very nice, right?

* Seppuku is a ritual suicide used by a samurai either to avoid surrendering or to atone for his sins. The samurai basically sliced himself across the abdomen. If he had the chance, he could nominate a person as his “second” to chop his head off and end the pain earlier. Once a samurai commit seppuku, he was viewed as having died honourably.

After Ikedaya, the Bakufu elevated the status of the Shinsengumi by making them an official branch. That was probably the peak of the group. Shortly after, Ito Kashitaro, who was very well educated and Tobaku, joined the Shinsengumi with the intention to steal the group away from Kondo. Hijikata hated his guts but Kondo loved and relied on him. At first anyway. Ito became very popular among the members. When Ito realized Kondo was all in with the Bakufu, he staged a coup (ish) and coerced Kondo and Hijikata into letting him leave with his faction. It was “resolved” in the Aburano Koji incident.

There was no time to breathe though. The Shinsengumi was immediately sent to fight against the Tobaku in the Toba-Fushimi battle during the Boshin War. Well, Bakumatsu literally means the end of Bakufu, so how do you think it went? 😅 Eventually Tokugawa gave up his military power, ending the shogunate’s 300 years of military rule. After the final battle in Hakodate, a new era begun - the Meiji Restoration period.

Early in the Meiji Restoration period, the Bakufu and Shinsengumi were vilified. But perhaps due to the charismatic and/or oddball characters of the squad, or perhaps they were like the ultimate underdogs, people started to view them in a different light over time7. Although Shiba never set out to show the Shinsengumi as nice people, his novels romanticized their escapades and brought new fans to the squad. The Shinsengumi has been pop culture fixtures, spawning numerous tv shows, movies, manga about their exploits and the brotherhood*. Even in defeat, the Shinsengumi were forged into the exquisite swords of Bakumatsu, and their lives burned with such intensity that nobody could ignore.

Next Post

*Then there was Gohatto (Taboo), based on one of the short stories in Shiba's Shinsengumi Keppuroku, which explored the gay relationships within the squad. According to surviving letters written by Kondo to his family, homosexuality was quite widely practiced.

Notes

A well-known author of Japanese historical novels. ↩︎

Harada is a big Shiba fan, based on his extremely long comment on the movie webpage. He said that there were 3 incidents that shaped Japan's history: The battle of Sekigahara, Bakumatsu, and WWII. He has been hoping to adapt Moeyo Ken for a while. He apparently loved the HijiOki banter. Hopefully he kept most of them. ↩︎

Shiba’s other novel, Shinsengumi Keppuroku, actually delve more into the non-Hijikata characters. I do wonder how much of the other novel will Harada incorporate into the movie. ↩︎

Although the protagonists and antagonists had different agendas, they were all purportedly protectionists. It was a bit ironic later on when both sides relied on Western armory to fight their civil war. ↩︎

There were many Samurai clans across Japan and they each had difference allegiances and agendas. ↩︎

The names sound familiar, right? The Shinsengumi in Gintama was based on the historical characters, but they may not have the same personalities. Some characters appeared in Rurouni Kenshin too. ↩︎

I read online that there may have been BL fanfiction written about Hijikata and Okita as well as Hijikata and Kondo in the early 20th century. Apparently, someone found them in his or her grandmother’s belonging. 😅 ↩︎

[michaelmyersmalewife]

LEVIATHAN | 1. Ground Zero | MASTERLIST

words: 2k+

warning(s): n/a

A/N: OKAY so now that i’ve finally seen kotm i can safely say my enthusiasm for this fic has only increased so i’m gonna try to put out at least one chapter a week

you can also support this fic on wattpad & ao3

Earth, 2014: Sacramento, California

Despite all her efforts, Elena Navarro couldn't stop herself from shaking.

"-appears that the cause of the attack was due to a...flying creature and a..large reptilian - are you sure these reports are corre -" the newscaster's voice cut off as she brought a hand to her ear piece, a look of subdued horror emerging across her face as she listened to the ongoing reports.

For a moment she had gone silent, only able to look to her co-host with her mouth agape. A silent plea towards the man sitting next to her, hoping that he would tell her that maybe, yes, this was in fact an elaborate joke.

White-knuckled, Elena set the half-empty cup of coffee on the counter as she slowly approached the sofa, all but collapsing when her eyes finally landed on the tv screen. The man sitting beside her was now speaking with one hand on an earpiece, brows deeply furrowed in confusion. Every now and then he spared quick but brief glances to his co-host and somewhere beyond the screen's point of view. Elena felt a spike of anxiety shoot through her veins like ice water.

"We're receiving word from our sources in Honolulu and the sightings have...uh, they've been confirmed - roll the footage." he spoke frantically, waving a trembling hand toward the crew behind the camera.

In an instant, the screen switched to that of a shaky phone camera. It was incredibly dim and the thin sliver the phone provided could hardly be counted as "footage" but despite this, Elena couldn't stop the wave of nausea that overtook her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't look away.

All that could be seen was a far-away view of a battle between the aforementioned lizard and winged...thing. Even through the terrible camera quality she could see the power in the creature's movements, the ferocity of every snap of its jaws and swing of its tail. She didn't need to see it up close to remember who it was. Such a being was all but forgettable.

The interview being broadcast became slurred white noise in her ears, her vision nearly fading into black had she not wrenched herself away from the sofa. As she bolted through her home, she felt a rush of chills course through her body. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she tapped on a contact, immediately pressing it to her ear as she sped down the hall. It was almost as if she were on autopilot. Her heart was caught in her throat, shoulder roughly catching on the door to her room as she sprinted for her closet. She didn't so much as flinch.

"C'mon, c'mon, pick up." she whispered through her teeth.

As she rifled through piles of clothes, she breathed a sigh of relief as the ringing on the other end of the phone stopped only to be replaced with the groggy voice of another woman.

"Hello?"

"Lupe, thank god. It's happening, he.."

Her brows furrowed as her fingers struggled to find purchase against a raised bump in the wall. Finally, with one sharp tug, a small hatch opened.

"He? I don't - ay dios mío - you're not making any sense. Hello? Are you still -"

"Listen to me, call Rafa and Javier. Tell them I'm on my way to..."

In the next room over, the rattled voice of the newscaster could still be heard.

"Satellite tracking has confirmed the predicted trajectory of the reptilian's course and it is indeed heading toward the U.S. west coast."

"Nena?"

Thin layers of cold sweat gathered along her brow as she stuck an arm into the open space, cursing when she couldn't see past the dim light of the closet. After an agonizing minute or so, her hand finally found contact with the soft - albeit dusty - surface of a satchel. Suddenly, she snapped back to the sound of her sister.

"I-I'm fine. Just..Just tell them I'll meet them at The Fort."

Guadalupe was silent, the soft sound of her breathing filling Elena's ears for a second too long to be comfortable.

"You..You don't mean..."

"More information is sure to follow but for now, citizens of the following projected cities: be prepared and take cover."

"He's coming." she said with a grunt, yanking the bag out of the wall and nearly tripping over her own feet as she stumbled out of the closet. "I don't have much time but please, please stay safe. And keep an eye on the news."

With a flick of her head she tossed the loosening strands of hair over her shoulder as she unclasped the buckles of the bag, quickly tugging it open. "He's not alone."

Her eyes scanned its contents - a first aid kit, a small stack of maps tightly bound together, a radio, a flashlight, random articles of clothing, a swiss army knife, a flare gun, and a handgun with two full boxes of ammunition beneath it. Elena nodded to herself, mentally checking off a list in her mind as she flipped it shut.

As she tugged the satchel over her shoulder, she mindlessly grabbed her keys, practically stumbling out of her house in a frantic daze. In a matter of minutes she had become the personification of a one-track mind.

"Elena?"

She blinked. For a moment she had forgotten about the phone stuck between the junction of her ear and her shoulder.

"Don't do anything stupid."

She paused, unlocking the door to her car as she slid in, carefully placing the bag in the passenger seat. A small, tight-lipped smile appeared across her face.

"I'll talk to you later." she spoke softly, setting her phone down next to her.

As she drove down a seemingly endless stretch of highway, Elena gripped the wheel with all the force in her body. The sound from the radio barely reached her but she still couldn't stop the goosebumps from spreading throughout her body.

"This just in: the winged creature spotted in Honolulu, Hawaii has now made land in San Francisco followed by the reptilian and another giant unidentified organism. Conflict is inevitable, evacuate immediately."

Earth, 2014: San Francisco, California

"That was the worst idea we've had in years."

Jodie ran her hands down her face, fingers catching on the tips of her eyelids as she stared blankly ahead at the darkened pane of glass ahead of her. Gill leaned over to her, shoulders squared and head firmly facing the same wall.

"Oh, I get it, leaking government documents is totally fine but when I ask you to film a giant lizard you draw a line in the sand." she whispered, angrily pushing her glasses farther up her nose.

Jodie threw her head backward, shaking her head as tired chuckles spilled from her lips. "Don't start with that again, you know what I'm trying to -"

The door behind them opened with a creak, the metal of its hinges scraping at a painfully slow rate. Gill stayed looking at her hands, fingers tangling themselves as her nerves kept her frozen. Try as she might, Gill couldn't appear serious if her life depended on it. Jodie's head snapped around, looking at the man and woman entering the room.

She recognized the figures as the same ones that approached them on that bridge just mere hours earlier. The same ones that had somehow convinced (or rather, bribed) the two to join them in what was definitely some sort of rendezvous to a secret location. Gill had been too awestruck with the sight of the giant amphibian to notice the pair approach them. And Jodie herself had been too distracted with catching the so-called "king of the monsters" (as every mainstream news site had decided to run with that title with little afterthought) on camera. Jodie had nearly thrown her canon at them when she heard the man's meek "excuse me" from behind her.

Jodie straightened her posture as Gill adjusted her glasses with a gulp when the two official-looking figures pulled out the chairs across from them. The woman cleared her throat before folding her hands in front of her.

"Do you know why we brought you here?"

Jodie and Gill gave each other a passing glance before looking back at the woman. Gill's mouth hung open as she searched for words that wouldn't get her and her girlfriend arrested for what must've been the second time that year. Jodie leaned against the chair and stared at the table's metal surface. Nearly a thousand different reasons why they could've possibly been taken into custody ran through her mind. Was it the leaks? Which leak was it? They've been whistleblowers for years, it could be anything. Oh god, was it the podcast?

The man leaned forward.

"I am Dr. Ishiro Serizawa," he nodded toward his partner. "And this is Dr. Vivienne Graham. We're both with an organization that we've been told you've had previous encounters with."

Gill's eyes widened as she leaned closer to Jodie, lowering her voice. "Are they the FBI? They don't look like FBI." Jodie shushed her.

Graham hid a smile as she looked off to the side.

Serizawa remained unfazed. "We are aware of your previous...infractions."

"But there's no need to be nervous, you aren't in trouble with us."

Serizawa's eyes flickered over to Graham and vice versa as though they were having their own private conversation within the confines of their minds. Jodie's eyes passed back and forth between them.

"Not anymore, at least. In fact we'd like to discuss something that might be of your best interest." Graham said in a calm voice.

"We want to talk to you about Project Monarch."

Earth, 2014: San Francisco, California

It had all happened so fast - too fast - for Madison Russell to process, but what she was sure of was that the world was dark and she was scared.

And yet she refused to bury her head in her mother's shoulder as she called out for her brother amidst the burning rubble. Where was Andrew? They had all been together, she was sure of it. Coughing from the black smoke rising from the ground all around her, her eyes hit the floor as a sudden emergence of tremors shook the earth before them. In an instant her parents' cries for her brother ceased, as did the muffled shouts from the group of firemen and police all around them. But it was no earthquake.

Her mother gasped, eyes widening with what seemed to her a mix of fear and something else. Wonder? Madison resisted when she felt her familiar hand attempt to coax her eyes away from the creature. But instead her gaze trailed upward, following the scaly outline of a leg about the size of one of the buildings around it. Her eyes went further upward, so far that she had to crane her neck at an uncomfortable angle to see the face of the creature that caused all of this. At least, that's what she heard her father say just a few hours earlier. But she didn't believe it, not fully. There were those other things too that had caused most of the damage. And this thing...(in an attempt to remember what her mother called it, Madison's brows furrowed) Godzilla? Godzilla. It wasn't entirely their fault, she thought as she rested her head against her mother's. They were just too big, and we're just too small. It reminded her of that one summer when she went on a picnic with her family, when she and her brother wandered off to play in a nearby pond filled with tadpoles and water beetles. Only for her to run crying to her mother when she accidentally stepped on an anthill. She didn't mean to. So maybe there was a chance Godzilla thought the same thing.

As she watched the lumbering mountain slowly make its way to San Francisco Bay, she felt a sudden wave of fatigue overtake her. Madison yawned. Maybe by the time she woke up they would've found Andrew already. Then she could tell him all about her close encounter with a titan.

[fireflysummers]

Mob Psycho 100 Fanfiction Broken Promise

Serizawa tries to find his way home.

Part of The World Keeps Turning Series

A Little Tragedy || An Honest Assessment 

@bananacreamphi​ brought this upon your heads

Serizawa gets the news in the middle of a case.

The client is tearfully explaining a ‘haunting,’ and Serizawa’s phone goes off.

That’s rare, in and of itself. Despite the strides he’s taken in the past half-decade, it still takes him time to work up to calling people over the phone, with text messages as the preferred form of communication. Nobody is too critical of this. After all, social anxiety is an ugly thing with no real cure.

Serizawa’s phone rang so rarely that he never bothered turning off the sound, and even then was quick to silence it.  The few calls he got were either telemarketers or appointment reminders, neither of which were of extreme immediate importance.

But instead of taking his normal course, Serizawa starts at the number, recognizing it without having it registered in his phone. He scuttles off into a back room, leaving Reigen to handle the client on his own.

Reigen does well. He’s already gotten the hint from Serizawa that there is no actual spirit this time around, and that should be business as usual.

It isn’t.

Not even a minute passes from Serizawa’s sudden departure, before Reigen hears a crash in the back room.

“What’s going on?” demands the client, more startled than alarmed.

“My business partner has simply taken on the job of exorcising your spirit independently,” Reigen replies, without missing a beat. “It may get ugly from here, so I’m going to have to ask you to leave. No, no don’t worry about the payment this time. If you don’t see immediate signs of improvement, come back later and I’ll give a go at it.”

The woman is ushered out of the office just as the first items begin to float.

It’s been a long time since this has happened—Mob did it a couple times when he first started as a child, and Serizawa a few when he first joined up. Despite that, Reigen has long since become accustomed to keeping breakable objects stored where they are not so easy to pick up.

Reigen sighs, a sinking feeling in his stomach, then goes in after his employee.

Serizawa is in the corner of the room, curled into himself. He hasn’t noticed the various things floating around, and Reigen can see the shards of one of his teacups spinning gently in the air.  He avoids the sharp fragments before sliding down besides Serizawa, resting his back and head against the cool wall.

And they wait.

Reigen is not afraid. Has never been afraid, not since the strange, scruffy man with the umbrella had saved him from certain death.

Eventually, his arm wanders over Serizawa’s shoulders, grounding him in a half-embrace. Ignoring the shuddering gasps and telling sniffs from the much taller man.

Eventually, the objects come back down. Nothing crashes in any part of the office, so Reigen assumes his psychic-proofing has worked once again, but Serizawa isn’t done yet.

“Reigen-san,” he whispers at length, voice barely audible despite the silence of the back room. Reigen hums in recognition. “I think I have to quit.”

And just like that, Reigen’s brain shorts out.

“I’m sorry,” Serizawa says, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry—”

“Serizawa, what’s this all about,” Reigen interrupts. Some awful shock must have come, for Serizawa to revert back to this pattern. His concern for his employee overrides the general feeling in Reigen’s stomach, like somebody has snatched a rug from under his feet. “What happened?”

“My…my mother’s in the hospital,” Serizawa replies, “She had a massive stroke, and she survived, but…they just don’t know how much…”

Serizawa continues to babble, trying to relay the bad news that he had received not long before in a coherent manner. Reigen lets him, barely listening. His mind is already racing away, steps ahead in the entire process.

“Okay,” Reigen says, a little surprised at the resolution in his own voice.

“What?” Serizawa asks, clearly surprised at how well Reigen was taking the news. “I mean…are you going to be okay? With Kageyama-kun at University, who will you have to help you run the consultation?”

“Serizawa,” Reigen tells him, gently now, “That doesn’t matter right now. I’ll find a way to manage, trust me, but right now we have to take care of you and your old mother.”

And suddenly Reigen is buried in a hug, the other man drawing him as tight and close as physically possible. It’s been a long time since Reigen’s found himself in this situation—almost a year actually, at a bus station as he said his (temporary) farewells to his first pupil before seeing him off to university. ‘s a little surprised at how…not awkward it is.

“I don’t want to leave you alone,” Serizawa says into his shoulder. “I’ll come back. I promise.”

“I know,” Reigen lies.

(They almost never do.)

  Serizawa goes home.

It’s a little weird, because despite spending so many years in the same house, in the same room, seeing the same people day in and day out…he couldn’t exactly say that he had been homesick.

Terrified, maybe, in case the President’s promises turned out moot (and they had, but that was beside the point).

But homesick?

He isn’t sure he knows what homesickness feels like.

At first, the weeks pass by in a blur of activity, so busy that he barely has time to unpack. His mother is still in the hospital when he arrives, and his time is consumed learning everything he needs to know about her current condition.

“She survived,” a doctor tells him, “But we don’t know if she’ll ever recover full movement on her right side. Her ability to walk, talk, and eat…everything will have to change now.”

“I understand,” Serizawa replies, and he does, truly, for the first time understand.

He understands that it will be a long time before he returns to Spice City.

But he thinks of his room, now dusty with misuse, and the many patient years his mother waited outside his door for his powers to calm down. He thinks of the comfort she gave him as a boy, and as he failed to grow into a man.

She had enabled him, perhaps, but that had been beyond her. Neither of them had been lucky enough to find somebody like Reigen at that phase in his life, and she had done her best.

And now he must do the same for her.

Serizawa goes home, but after a few months there he realizes why it feels weird.

When he thinks of home, he sees a small but tidy office that smells of incense and occasionally of stale cigarette smoke. He thinks of getting ramen at the same restaurant. He thinks of a confident voice, showing him that the future is indeed bright.

For the first time in his life, Serizawa realizes that he’s homesick.

  At the beginning of the third year, Serizawa gets a new job.

His third one.

His mother’s savings only go so far, and there are medical bills and care professionals to pay. That aside, being in his house for long periods brought unpleasant memories and a fear of relapsing into what he once was. So he dons his suit and tie (the one Reigen had bought for him), and goes out looking.

Even though she doesn’t say it, he can tell his mother is proud.

It’s a lot easier than he expected it to be.  He’s channels his ‘inner Reigen,’ although he is sure that the other man would laugh if he ever said it to him.  But the question of what Reigen would suggest or do keeps him going, when the anxiety threatens to swallow him whole. And in the end, it works.

It’s mostly manual labor, but with the subtle use of his powers he finds it to be enough. However, his earnest commitment doesn’t go unnoticed by the management, nor his unusual but effective leadership style.

By the end of the third year, Serizawa has been promoted twice.

  By the end of the fifth year, Serizawa is finally secure enough in his job and his mother’s stability that he takes an entire month off, to go home to Spice City.

It would have been nice to say that nothing has changed, but that would be a lie. Despite acting as young and spry as ever, Serizawa can see that time marches forward even for Reigen Arataka. He wonders if, as two years older, it’s begun to etch lines into his own face too. He’s been watching the gray hairs for a while now, and he expects to wake up any day with a head as white as snow.

So yes, things have changed by now. And yet they haven’t.

Kageyama-kun graduated with his undergraduate, and then to the surprise of everybody went on to pursue a Master’s Degree abroad.

Perhaps to an even greater surprise, though, was after all that—when the young man had apparently showed up on the doorstep of Spirits and Such Consultation, soliciting for a job.

(Reigen had refused, insisting that Mob go out and get a real job, one that paid him more than 300 yen an hour. Mob had agreed, finding a suitable desk job in his home city.)

As they recount the stories of the past couple years, Serizawa wonders if he’s ever seen Reigen so…happy. There’s a gleam of absolute pride every time Kageyama-kun—still shy and reserved, but holding himself with an incredible poise and confidence—so much as speaks or looks his way.

He’s happy for Reigen. Deeply.

And yet, he can’t shake the faintest thread of…envy? For Kageyama-kun’s great fortune of keeping his promise to return to Reigen. And perhaps a bit of resentment, for how the fates have not allowed him to do the same.

Envy and resentment. As he downs his drink, he wonders if it’s possible to rip those feelings out of him altogether. But that self-examination could wait for a while. For now he plans to toast to the success of his friends, and the future set before him.

He wonders instead if it would be cruel to Reigen, if Serizawa confessed his feelings for him now, not knowing when he would be able to return.  

He decides to risk it anyways—promises himself he will—before his vacation comes to a close.

Serizawa never gets the opportunity. That night he gets another phone call, informing him that his mother is again in intensive care, this time due to a mini-stroke.

He leaves Spice City the next morning.

  His mother dies at the end of the eighth year.

It’s a small ceremony, and Serizawa wonders if he’s a bad person to feel…relief, at her passing. The eight years acting as caretaker had drained them both, likely her more than him.

He couldn’t begin to imagine the torture of being trapped in a body that no longer worked—barely able to speak, struggling to eat without choking, resigned to a wheelchair and mindless hours of television.

And then, after so many years, Serizawa is once again free to do what he wishes.

And yet, for a reason he can’t explain, he doesn’t.  

He wonders if he’s haunted.

He knows he isn’t, because he can see spirits, plain as day, and his mother had passed on in peace. But that doesn’t stop the heavy weight pressing down on his shoulders. Can’t stop the feeling that he’s trapped, more than ever before.

This goes on for two years before Kageyama shows up at his door.

Serizawa is almost immediately ashamed, before he even fully registers the man’s presence.  After all, he is wearing his comfy clothes, lying around the house. Admittedly this is a Saturday, and he dresses smartly come the week days, but he fears that Kageyama will think he’s regressed back to the state he had been when they’d first met.

There was nothing to worry about, of course.

It was Kageyama after all.

“You should have called to tell me you were coming,” Serizawa tells him as he makes tea. He’s managed to keep the house clean, a habit carried over from years of acting as a responsible caretaker. There is nothing in this home for him to be ashamed of, he realizes.

“Sorry,” Kageyama replies, “That was rude of me. But I was…worried.”

“Whatever for?” Serizawa replies. And he’s honestly shocked, because he can’t think of any reason why he wouldn’t want to see the young man—his first true friend.

“Master Reigen is afraid that he’s done something to upset you,” Kageyama replies, “You stopped replying to us, after your mother’s death. Master Reigen supposes that you’re too afraid of hurting his feelings, and don’t want to tell him that you won’t be returning.”

Serizawa splutters into his tea, torn between shock and shame. This wasn’t Reigen’s fault in the slightest, but he should have expected his former employer to assume it was. He was too kind.

(It was one of the things Serizawa loved about him.)

“No,” Serizawa says, with greater determination than he has managed to muster in a while. “I promised I’d return, and I intend to keep that promise. It’s been hard, these past few years. I was afraid.”

“Of what?”

“It’s silly, but I was afraid that there would be no place for me to return to.” Serizawa can’t look into Kageyama’s eyes, despite knowing that there would be no judgement. “I was afraid, after so long…”

He can’t quite put to words the irrational thoughts that had chained him to this house once more. There was no excuse for his actions.

“I understand,” Kageyama replies at length, his stoic confidence wavering for a moment. Suddenly, Serizawa swears he can see the uncertain 14-year-old sitting before him once more. “I was the same way, when I came home from abroad.”

“That’s foolish,” Serizawa counters, “Reigen loves you. He would always have a place for you!”

“I know, but that doesn’t make it any easier, does it? For people like us, that is.” Mob falls silent for a moment, then continues. “He loves you too, you know. In a different way from the way he loves me. But he loves you enough that he wants you to live your life, free of him, if that’s what you want.”

Serizawa finds his head shaking of its own volition, tears brimming in his eyes as he listens to Kageyama’s words. “No. I don’t want that at all.”

“Then come home, Serizawa. Everybody is waiting for you.”

 Kageyama doesn’t stay for more than the afternoon, catching a late train back towards Spice City. Serizawa has barely said his goodbyes before running back into the house, mind suddenly abuzz with the things that must be prepared.

It wouldn’t be as simple as it had been before—he has a job to quit, an old house to care for, and new housing to search out. But for the first time in a while, he feels that the future is again bright before him.

  Serizawa never makes it home.

At the beginning of the eleventh year, the Spirits and Such gets a phone call without warning. There are no customers around, so Reigen takes the call.

When Mob visits that afternoon, he finds Reigen missing from his usual place. Instead, he finds his master tucked into the corner in the back room, every teacup he owns smashed to pieces against the floor.

Stroke runs in the family, after all.