#he doesnt need a big grand goal anymore! hes figured out what he wants in life: and thats to have fun!

[teruthecreator]

one dumb little thing i wanna touch on that im curious why people do is when they age up the mop kids they always give ritsu like. a serious job. like a lawyer or some shit. and like dont get me wrong i think thats a good job for him, but i just feel like it doesnt embody the kinda revelation he has as a kid and like. the growth he experiences???

like ritsu is one of the smartest kids in the country. he does sports, hes on the student council, hes immensely popular, and girls think hes cute. but he's also miserable. like, objectively unhappy with where he's at because he's constantly reaching for the unattainable goal of having psychic powers (and finally bridging the impossible gap between him and his brother that hes been too scared to touch for all these years). he's seen as the model kid by everyone, but he hates being defined by this. he wants more than this--he wants to rebel.

so he does! he does something he knows is wrong and stupid because, well, he'd like to do something wrong and stupid right now to counteract all the good, normal things he's been doing his whole life. and then, through his compounding guilt at seeing what his rebellion is doing to others, he obtains the unobtainable: he gets psychic powers. his lifes goal is complete! and he's only like...13.

so, the question becomes: what does he want now? or, more accurately, what did he want truly?

he answers that whilst fighting shimazaki. he wanted that devotion to something; he wanted something he could strive for and dedicate himself wholeheartedly to. and now that he's obtained the psychic powers, he's no longer estranged from his brother. they're on equal playing fields (for the most part) and he doesn't have to be afraid anymore. so now? now he just wants to have fun!

so like. as much as i think ritsu continues to maintain his grades, extracurriculars, and whatnot, i doubt that is what he considers to be fun. i think he enjoys partaking in some good-humored mischief with sho and teru, or to just spend a day lounging with his brother. i think he allows himself to be more than just the model kid; he lets himself be himself.

which brings me back to what happens when he gets older.

frankly, i dont think ritsu goes to college.

at least, not right away. i think, for him, the world is still so young and new and bright and he wants to take it for all its worth now. i think he and sho travel the world a bit (sho doesn't go to college for a myriad of reasons, mainly boiling down to "fuck that we ball"), and when they return to japan ritsu just. chills! develops some hobbies. talks to friends. visits mob at his dorm and listens to him talk about his classes (rlly good fic ive read made mob a speech therapist and that works sooooo well so something like that maybe). goes home to see his parents and show them photos of his travels.

i think ritsu, for the first time in his life, lets himself just have fun. and i think he wouldn't be trying to tie himself down to any major work until he's had as much fun just being free.