#hes like if touichirou sucked

[1o1percentmilk]

i like hearing commander amarao whimper

[shoezuki]

the surprise for reigen's birthday, where he IMMEDIATELY gets (lovingly) bullied by a bunch of kids, is the cutest thing ever. god this anime is so good. it has catapulted itself into my top 3 favorite anime so quickly and i wasnt expecting that. a beautiful story, amazing art, brilliant characters. truly a masterpiece. i see why you love it so much egg, and one again, thank u for constantly talking about it and getting me interested! very well deserved hype and i will hold it dear to my heart. 10/10, will definitely watch again multiple times

-🍁

Dude i am SO fucking glad uve liked mp100 so much like genuinely i can never put into words how much that show means to me its So Good.

Like ya All the characters are So so good n complicated n well written even when they fuck up n do horrible things. Like the underlying idea/moral that our bad deeds/mistakes dont keep us from changing for the better is SO present on all of the characters from mob himself to teru ritsu serizawa even fuckin touichirou. Like usually w shows its like ya this one character is Better than others n the others suck or smthin like that but w mp100 theyre all amazing. Teruki is amazing

[mineqishis]

serizawa and shou actually get along and are close to each other please stop saying otherwise :(

[katyatalks]

Mob Psycho 100: The Stage Play 3 - Final performance content spoilers

Here are all the notes I compiled after getting the chance to see the final performance for ‘Mob Psycho 100: The Stage Play - A Clash with Claw’s Seventh Division!’ live. Note this is essentially a write-up of the play from beginning to end - this will also likely be the version of the play that is used for the DVD release in December. I will also edit this when the recording becomes available for viewing and I can gain some clarity on sections I missed...

PRE-SHOW

- Reigen and Mob do a pre-show announcement relating to covid prevention measures (referred to not by name as Covid but an evil spirit) plus standard theatre etiquette rules (don’t use your phone, put it on silent, etc.)

SHOW

- Begins where stage 2 left off as a ‘Previously…’ segment for the audience. We once again witness Koyama knocking Mob out with the spray and kidnapping Ritsu.

- In the Teru/Dimple/Mob discussion part of the stage 2 recap, Teru takes the bird’s nest off his head and throws it off stage - we hear the birds within fly away.

- ((We immediately see how the reduced audience affects the play - a funny physical gag where Teru and Dimple bash heads happens but this receives no response from the audience))

- We reach the end of stage 2 recap with Mob stating he’ll destroy Claw as he does at the end of stage 2. The screen goes black and we hear the echo of a voice saying ‘Give [it] back… give [it] back, [It’s] mine, give [it] back…’ - this is implied to be Mob talking about Ritsu but the lights turn on to reveal S&S and turns out it’s Shou talking to Reigen about Touichirou’s card

- Reigen gives the card back to Shou, calls him a ‘baggy-clothed asshole’ and tells him to leave since Reigen is busy. Reigen puts his feet up on his desk and goes on his phone, leading to;

S: “What are you doing?”

R: “Reading the news.”

S: “You’re not busy, you’re bored!”

- Shou mentions that he’s also got 10k yen missing from his wallet and accuses Reigen of stealing it - Reigen insists he didn’t but starts doubting himself

- When Shou leaves, Reigen salt splashes in his direction (An English translation is now given under each of Reigen’s special moves ala Olympic parody)

-Reigen calls Mob, leading back to the Mob/Dimple/Teru scene - Terada and his cronies enter and Mob tells Reigen he can’t talk right now, hang up which leads to…

***

OPENING

- Yoru no Honki Dance - Call Out (as the previous two plays)

- Action takes place on the upper and lower stage - Ritsu and the lab kids on the lower stage with Ritsu in anguish with Mob, Teru, Dimple on the top stage

- Action shot with the show’s “Yeah!” line focuses on Reigen and Mob on the top level

***

- Teru tortures Terada with a taser rather than water - Terada is also wearing a ballgag with multiple kazoos inside it leading to a great sound whenever he screams

- Mob and Dimple are terrified of Teru’s taser torture whenever he does it

- Matsuo’s performance is sensual and slimy - great stage presence

- Ishiguro’s voice is distorted using a pitch filter resulting in something creepy rather than the female voice used in the anime

- Ritsu and the lab kids are seen in the jail cell - great banter with them and their Claw guard (Guard to Rei: “I won’t hit you because you’re a girl!” Kids: “A gentleman!”). Guard tells them they won’t get any food and they start rioting

- Mutou is VERY creepy and accompanied by terrifying music - he skulks around the stage with his ridiculous silicone chin

- When Mutou “kills” Kaito off screen we get a ridiculous extended segment featuring Daichi reacting to what is initially cries of his brother’s pain that turn into pleasure as if he is getting a massage - then turns back into pain

- Kaito is wheeled back on in a luggage/weight carrier with 4 knives in his chest

- Teru vs Terada is visually very fun - movement choreography is great, lots of Teru’s dance techniques that got cut from the anime

- Back in the jail scene Ritsu states he doesn’t remember the kids names so they re-introduce themselves to the audience

- Asahi and Hoshino heating up the spoon/bending spoon/on repeat is very well performed

- Ritsu tries to high-five with with one of the other kids when they escape the jail but finds he has no-one to do it with :(

- Back to Dimple/Mob/Teru - when Dimple-chan(puppet) says “Oh who’s that good looking guy? A model?”, Nadagi pulls a whole bunch of model poses

- When Teru tries to knock the security guard out he screams for AGES leading to one of the funniest moments in the play - he finally is knocked out but when Dimple tries to possess him he takes ages to be possessed - Taa (Teru) breaks character completely and doubles over laughing and Itou (Mob) refuses to face the audience making it clear he is losing it as well

- Muraki is creepy looking but his cloak is see-through and sparkly - his actor plays him as quite a timid guy

- Great visual gag with Mob throwing Koyama around and then sending him through the stage wall

- Ishiguro has a moment where he talks to the audience/the new recruits where he shows off the Claw face mask available as part of the merch

- Great fight choreography between SG!Dimple and Gen (played by Baba) - ends with SG!Dimple pulling his trousers down

- Teru tasing people left and right in this play…

- Great stage effects in Teru vs Miyagawa - Teru tases Miyagawa as well

- Tsuchiya calming down Mukai is lovely - followed by Mukai finding a puppet that she believes hasn’t been destroyed by Mob and getting excited - but the head rolls off so she breaks down crying again

- ((My stream cut here so I didn’t see the start of the Ritsu vs Shou interaction and whether or not he recognised Shou from their interaction in stage 2))

- We see a little Shou vs Ritsu - Ritsu flings an array of spoons at Shou - Shou lands a punch that sends Ritsu off stage

- Character design for Takeuchi has been corrected slightly from the anime

- Matsuo vs SG!Dimple stage effects are great. They’re both very flashy actors which creates fantastic visual comedy

- Matsuo takes off his jacket like he’s at a strip club - it’s all very flamboyant and fun

- ((Stream cut again so I didn’t actually see the joke, but some kind of adlib happens with Reigen in the taxi scene that causes Baba to break character))

- When Mob uses his powers to blow Takeuchi away someone comes on stage with a leafblower to blow his hair away

- Screen goes black and we cut back to Shou delivering the final blow on Ritsu. Shou says someone interesting is coming and leaves stage for Mob’s entrance

- Mob finds Ritsu passed out and holds him, finds he’s breathing but won’t forgive who did this to him

- Mutou enters and stalks around the back and creates the image of Ritsu dead on the floor with a knife in his chest for Mob which causes his freak out

- “What a great pair of brothers” - Shou leaning over Mob and Ritsu’s passed out bodies

- Shou floats Mob and Ritsu into the room with Sakurai/Teru/Ishiguro

- Small cut away to Reigen - he sees 500 yen on the ground and immediately runs to go pick it up

- Mob and Ritsu’s hug is very emotional - Ritsu is more panicked asking Mob if he’s okay and Mob is more emotional responding than the anime

- Mob pats Ritsu’s head to calm him down

- Visual gag where Shou steps on Ishiguro’s shoe - Ishiguro freaks out trying to clean it and Muraki offers emotional support

- Guy walks into the room with Sakurai/Muraki/Ishiguro/Matsuo/Shou and informs them “The boss is coming”, which piques Shou’s interest and he comes along to meet “the boss”

- Play then gives us a “5 minutes earlier” scene. Baba’s performance in the Claw break-in is more on the eccentric/aggressive side than the calmer calculating tone Sakurai had - changes the atmosphere for the scene

- The whole scene with Reigen saving the lab kids is redone to be so eccentric with everyone chanting BOSS! BOSS! BOSS! at the end for Reigen

- When Reigen starts making a comment about Teru’s wig and cuts himself off to not offend him, he goes to Mob like “wtf” and Mob whispers in his ear what happened

- Shou included in the scene when Ishiguro etc. face off against Reigen

- ((ARGH my stream cut out again, when it came back Shou had moved over to Reigen’s side - probably some good dialogue there between them that I missed))

- Shou says to Reigen ‘Give me back my 10,000 yen’ - Shou decides to stand back to watch the show

- When Ishiguro attacks, Mob protects Shou as well as everyone else

- We have Shou/Teru/Mob/Ritsu/Reigen all on one side vs the Claw guys on the other (Ishiguro/Sakurai/Muraki/Matsuo)

- When Reigen does his Anti-Esper Drop Kick, they choose to translate this in English as “Dropkick to the espers”

- Shou: ‘You’re really taking [Muraki] on? lol’ Reigen: ‘Shut UP you brat’

- When Sakurai attacks Reigen (first time), Ritsu helps him up

- Lots of good banter between Shou and Reigen (”Stop calling me ‘old guy!’”)

- Shou sits to the side and enjoys the show while Sakurai/Muraki/Ishiguro/Matuso vs Reigen/Mob/Ritsu/Teru happens, makes some comments (ie. “Damn you’re in a pinch, whatcha gonna do now?”)

- When Reigen is getting sucked up by the anti gravity bubble, Shou helps Teru/Mob/Ritsu out with saving him

- Sakurai cutting off Teru’s wig is made into such a Dramatic moment

- Shou joins the fight against Ishiguro - Ishiguro manages to knock him out of the field and Reigen expresses concern (‘Oh crap! Kid are you okay!’)

- Lots of stage theatrics - now that Shou is no longer in play scene plays out as it does in the anime

- Lots of Reigen protecting Mob and leading him away from danger until the climactic moment where Mob decides to fight

- Mob’s scream of ‘Shishou!!!’ is filled with emotion - Reigen collapses quickly and without theatrics, facing the audience

- He doesn’t get a cut in his jacket, nor does he remove it

- When Reigen destroys Matsuo’s pet - ‘Oh Jesus I’m sorry I didn’t mean to destroy your toy’

- More protective Reigen - puts his arm out to protect Teru and Ritsu & get them behind him

- Reigen’s “Purifying Salt Punch” -> English given as Prime Salt Punch

- ‘It’s rude to wear a mask when talking to people!’ - here his mask doesn’t come off - unsure if intentional

- ((The bento story is REALLY well performed comedically but doesn’t land with attending audience))

- Sakurai shoots Reigen and Reigen catches the bullet

- Reigen uses the spray to spray his armpits

- Reigen at Muraki’s forehead “what is this? A doorbell? Ding dong ding dong”

- Lab kids start making fun of Muraki as well (Rei: What is that, cosplay?)

- Rei has a crush on Reigen in the same vein as her crush on Ritsu - Calls him cool and stuff and tries to reach for him

- Mob: ‘Having powers doesn’t make you popular’ Rei: ‘Lame.’ Reigen: ‘Well there you have it.’

- Shou comes back in centre stage and knocks Ishiguro out - goes to Reigen and says it’s time to repay the debt he owes Reigen - knocks Ishiguro out fully as per anime/manga

- As Shou leaves he pats Ritsu on the shoulder

- When Reigen says ‘is this an evil spirit?’ He hold his nose as if Dimple stinks, then grabs his head and shakes him around. Gets some salt from his pocket and throws it at Dimple

- Rei goes up to Sakurai and asks to date him

- Shou goes on the phone on stage top level and calls Touichirou as per manga/anime lines

FINAL SCENE

- Shou returns to S&S - as it turns out Reigen had the 10k stuck in his pocket the whole time and returns it to Shou

- Mob and Ritsu (with a bag) enter S&S while Shou is still there but leaving - Mob thanks Shou for helping them and asks Ritsu to do the same - Ritsu complies

- Shou looks back at Reigen, then toward Ritsu and Mob and tells them all they’ll meet again

- Mob and Ritsu share a heartfelt moment - “Ritsu, you’re amazing” - “No you’re the amazing one Nii-san”

- Ritsu gets out Takoyaki for Reigen/Mob/Ritsu to enjoy and Dimple joins them

ENDING SONG - ‘mob.’

https://katyatalks.tumblr.com/post/659597484715278336/mob-ed-for-mp100-stage-3-a-clash-with-claws

- Itou’s voice is STUNNING

CAST COMMENTS

- Kawaharada Takuya (Teru) addresses the fact that he’s the person who laughed the most out of everyone

- Nadagi says he wants to do a stage 4 and that’s the general vibe with everyone  and it’ll be nice if the anime gets a S3 too

- Lots of talk about stage 4 and it only being possible if everyone comes together

- Itou: ‘Us being able to do this again out of the blue so suddenly is thanks to all of you’

ENCORE

- Itou and Baba

- Lots of crying from Itou relating to covid and how it has cut the audience - he is grateful but he’s still upset about it - Baba gives him a huge hug

[b4kuch1n]

designs with actual color for the previous comic

still cant draw swords still cant draw wings what am I doing

[arshoun]

she knowingly left him in an abusive environment and by the sounds of it waited until shou reached out to Her before getting into any sort of contact with him after the fact bro. bro she is not epic

noah fence but shou's mom sucks x

[gittetj]

I'm sorry please tell me about the prime ministers scene bc I'm curious 👀

I’m assuming you’re asking because you haven’t read the scene before. Bones didn’t really take anything away from it, but the way it was timed and staged sucked all the humor out of it and weakened what I consider Serizawa’s “real” introduction as a character.

Anyway here it is, my next-most favorite piece of visual and character-based comedy in the entire mp100 manga: 

If you don’t think that second page is funny then there’s nothing I can do for you, but I’m me so watch me go off on a tangent about everything I love about this little scene ASIDE from the humor!

At this point in the story we know very little about Serizawa apart from the fact that he’s very strong and very devoted to doing whatever Touichirou tells him. This is the first introduction we get to what he’s like when he has to think for himself. In a very small number of panels, we learn that: Serizawa doesn’t really know what’s going on or why Claw is holding this seemingly random man hostage and he hasn’t bothered asking. Serizawa will favor his own moral judgment over his orders if you let him out of your sight. Serizawa has no idea who’s currently the Prime Minister of Japan. And, Serizawa is childishly awestruck by the fact that he’s met the Prime Minister but doesn’t apologize or show him any kind of respect after learning who he is. In short, Serizawa is pretty out of touch with the world around him - both inside and outside Claw, not to mention on a more interpersonal level.

In the middle of all the drama and action and danger going on in this arc, Mob has this little moment where we’re reminded he’s still a regular, impressionable kid - awestruck to meet the Prime Minister, just like Serizawa is. I think this is a good starting point for the way Mob and Serizawa reflect on each other a little later on. Serizawa is an adult, but at this point, he isn’t any more mature than Mob. In fact, he’s less so and Mob immediately sees that and slips back into the serious state of mind he’s had while confronting all the other Claw members. He already knows something’s very wrong with this guy.

Finally, the Prime Minister himself! What a brilliant way to drop in an everyman character by not making him an everyman at all. This poor man, look at him, stuck with this bunch of lunatics. I don’t know, it just says a lot about how all-around bizarre the whole situation is and how unorganized Claw is that they kidnap the Prime Minister and then they’re like oh well, we don’t actually know what to do with you, here, you take him, Serizawa.

[mohegan567]

Mob compared to Steven *Spoilers*

I finished all Mob Psycho 100 episodes and now it’s waiting for a season 3. 

And I can’t help but compare Mob with Steven Universe when it comes to Pacifism and doing the right thing and how to handle villains.

I’m not an avid viewer of SU, but Future had me kinda interested, though it’s becoming a bit too angsty, so much it’s getting a bit melodramatic. Plus I’m always bothered how every villain seems to be redeemed in SU, even if they were tyrants who commited genoicide.

That’s why I enjoyed Mob’s approach to the villain in the season 2 finale. At first he tried to do the same thing Steven would’ve done. Show compassion, trying to understand the villain and reach out to him. But the MP 100 villain Touichirou is so far gone and egocentric that it’s no use. After trying to kill Reigen, Mob’s basically like: ‘Alright! That’s it! I’m gonna beat the shit out of this asshole!’ XD

Touichirou is eventually beaten, not killed, and taken to jail. Mob managed to reach him in the end, but I suggest you watch the anime, because I’m a bit too tired to write a whole thing about it. Basically the villain is spared, but he still must face the consequences of his actions. Also, if Mob is pushed too far, he isn’t afraid to beat the crap out of a villain. And I have to say that I admire this approach a lot more compared to the way SU handles it’s villains. Not everyone can be redeemed and it sucks, but that’s, in my eyes, a better message than ‘We can all be friends!’ like SU seems to say.

(Dang I’m so bad with these Japanese names, I only remember Mob and Reigen’s. And that’s because Reigen sounds the same like that American president. Hahaha!)

[malandi]

superhero au thoughts

reigen is trying to make it big as a world class hero and mob is his sidekick

teru is a villain terrorising seasoning city by grave misuse of his powers

examples include: snowstorms to cancel classes because he's not confident he's gonna get an A on the upcoming quiz

earthquake in the neighboring city so his favourite heavy metal band would skip that venue and get to seasoning city early

makeup store robbing sprees because he maxed out his credit card for the month

among other shenanigans

reigen is eventually sent to deal with him but his special lecturing kids move is -9999 effective so he deploys mob

teruki arc proceeds as canon

If this is an aged up au:

mob faces the same dilemma as saitama does and seriously reconsiders his career path

he and teru are the rivals

mob decides he wants to be a vet and quits his hero job

the world is shaken but not as much as teruki who suddenly has no purpose in life anymore

he tries to continue being a villain but the other heroes don't give him the same thrill also he's not in love with them so that sucks

teru and mob cross paths not as their hero/villain alters but teru recognizes him and goes feral

you left me you son of a bitch!!!!!!

after mob yeets him into the sky they have a heart to heart talk about what they really want in life

mob straight up tells him it's not healthy to be too dependent on a person

teru's like oh. then mob wishes him luck

teru decides he wants to be a commoner now, to be a peasant, to be an ordinary person~~~~~~

he romanticises catching the next train, paying the bills and doing groceries so much he sells his mansion and his headquarters and rents a cheap apartment

and gasp mob is his roommate!!!! life could not be better and he and mob do normal people things together like sleeping through the alarm and doing laundry and eating cheap food

he doesn't immediately realize that mob is actually poor and not doing this for the aesthetic

mob is surprised that teru's here and he's a bit weirded out by how happy teru is whenever they're threatened to get kicked out for paying the rent late among other misfortunes

ritshou time:

ritsu always wanted to be a superhero like his brother

his views on heroes are warped because he determines their value based on their powers and not by their morals

he's still afraid of his brothers powers because of how they tend to escape him

the ???% incident still took place

when he awakened his powers he decided to become a villain but infringed on teru's territory who knocked him out with a handshake

claw arc proceeds as is so ritsu is okay now and wants to be his brothers sidekick

he is pissed that reigen calls mob his sidekick and would've challenged him long ago if not for his brother

shou is part of a villain org but he thinks his dad is a super lame villain so he's still gunna betray him

he really really really wants ritsu to be his rival so he messes with him a lot

he uses his invisibility powers to sneak into ritsu's classroom, stand behind his seat then call the teacher names so he would get in trouble

then he'd leave a note in ritsu's locker, something like

had enough? think you can handle more?

shou spreads a rumour that ritsu likes this girl and now everyone thinks ritsu has a girlfriend

ritsu doesn't care enough to address it and now shou feels weird

that plan backfired on him big time

next he ties mob's shoelaces together while he's jogging with the body improvement club

ritsu finally snaps, engages in battle and gets his ass kicked

shou is hyped because he thinks ritsu will seek his revenge

ritsu doesn't

shou posts on the villain forums for advice

there's this super cool hero i want him to be my rival but he won't notice me here's a list of the things I've done what more should i do?

teru replies (he's popular on these forums) god SAME these heroes are so annoying ashkdldofif why won't they hate us back

and serizawa comments there like

speaking as an ex-hero, generally we're not really into making rivals, we're just trying to stop crime, at least that's my take on it

shou and the rest of the super 5 only responds with keyboard smashes

AVDKDLDMRKIE??? hxxkdkdnehbw

on god???? for real is this facts??

that's so unsexy im gajskskdje

touichirou posts heroes are lame and immediately gets banned

teru complains who the hell is that touichirou guy he's like so fucking lame but i see him everywhere with his cold takes and he gets so many upvotes he breaks the previous record

shou is embarrassed. this teru guy was internet famous and made the best villain vlogs. he hates his dad so fucking much

shou time:

shou is a very moral guy but legally speaking? hm

he thinks laws are worthless because of how the government is run

laws only apply to the poor but not to the rich apparently and he just had to lmao on that

that's why he agrees to be a villain

but upon seeing that his dad's just the exact same as the current establishment he's like wtf? what's the purpose of overthrowing the government then?

touichirou:......... i get to be in charge

shou has a breakdown over the fact that his dad is an actual child

then he goes to ritsu for help because you're a hero right uwu? you wanna stop my dad?

ritsus like oh okay let me ask my brother he can clean this up real quick

this was not as planned. shou wanted this to be between him and ritsu only. they'd be a rad, fabulous ass kicking pair and when the romantic night of crimefighting was over maybe ritsu would ask him to join his minecraft server

but he says ok because he's not actually a child like his dad is

personally shou thinks the government should still be overthrown and be replaced by, maybe reigen, mob was the best option but he hasn't even graduated high school yet so that could be a bit of a problem

but anyone's better than his dad so for now he leaves the government uprising alone

serizawa time:

he was fed anti-hero propaganda by touichirou

there were some actual good points there like how the top heroes did things for money and reputation now and how they viewed people as a means to an end instead of actual humans

and threats that his powers would only be abused by the government

but if he joined touichirou he wouldn't be controlled

100% friendship still happens

[snowstories]

fanfic idea I’m probably never gonna write bc it’d be a longfic/multichap and I suck at writing those but anyway. Time Travel fic where post-Claw/Reigen spin-off era Serizawa switches with shut-in Serizawa. 

An exorcism goes horribly wrong as Serizawa and Reigen encounter a spirit way above Serizawa’s level, and Serizawa ends up being switched with his past self. 

Post-Claw Serizawa lands in his room right as Touichirou comes to visit, and must make the snap decision on what to do. He’s panicking, confronted with his past in the worst way possible, and knows that he couldn’t possibly beat Touichirou in a straight fight, but also knows he can’t afford to ignore him and his world domination plans, so he agrees to Touichirou’s offer with full intent to somehow sabotage Claw from the inside while trying to find a way back to his own time.

This Serizawa immediately decides to do right by Shou and takes the kid under his wing. This Shou’s mother would’ve only left two or so years ago, and Shou is only just now starting to get clued in that his father’s organization should probably not exist. He’s about 9/10.

Plot-wise, this Serizawa’s plotline would focus mostly on the suspension/intrigue of trying to destroy Claw from the inside while simultaneously appearing loyal/helpless to Touichirou. 

Character development wise, it would be heavily focused on a) Serizawa being confronted with who he used to be and how much he’s changed and trying not to fall into the same bad habits he had back when he first joined Claw, and b) the bonding between Shou and Serizawa, who in the present timeline don’t have the best relationship due to Shou having a (completely justified) grudge against Serizawa for being complicit in the abuse he faced and actively helping Touichirou with his world domination scheme.

Will somehow involve Reigen, who is still an incredible mess, but also just about the one adult Serizawa can trust at the moment, getting dragged into all this esper world domination nonsense against his will, and starting his ‘dude stop lying’ character development arc early. His arc is a secondary focus of this timeline.

Climax is Serizawa beating the shit out of Touichirou by catching him off-guard with some non-esper technique, such as getting close and just straight-up decking him. Serizawa gets that sweet sweet catharsis. 

Meanwhile, Shut-In Serizawa is having a Bad Time, like infinitely worse than Post-Claw Serizawa. This version of Serizawa hasn’t gone outside in a decade and hates himself and his powers, and now all of a sudden he’s being thrown into an exorcism with a guy he doesn’t know, so, understandably, he freaks out, causing his powers to go haywire, which only makes him freak out MORE.

Luckily, Reigen has more than a bit of experience calming down overpowered espers, and manages to get Serizawa to calm down long enough that they can run away from the spirit and hopefully call in the back-up. Problem: he fell back on his old lie of being a super powerful esper to do it, and in true Reigen fashion, has no idea how to dig himself out of this hole. 

Plot in this timeline would focus on the Spirits and Such crew + the other espers of Seasoning City trying to find a way to force the spirit to switch the Serizawa’s back. Mob can’t brute force it because [insert reason here].

Character development would focus on both Serizawa and Reigen, primarily. 

Serizawa has to deal with the whiplash of apparently having a perfectly happy life in the future, but only gaining that after having made terrible mistakes, and struggling to deal with his mental health issues with the knowledge that if he doesn’t he’ll end up joining a damn terrorist organization, and having to deal with the mortifying knowledge that he IS capable of good things. 

Reigen has to struggle to maintain the development he’s gotten over the course of the series, when everything about this situation is trying to get him to relapse into his pathological lying again. 

Secondary character development plot focuses on Shou and Serizawa trying to work out their differences when Shou still has massive issues with him, but is also trying to recognize that Serizawa had his own problems going on and was a victim as well, while Serizawa has no idea what Shou is even mad about and hasn’t actually done anything yet.

Anyway, in the end they do switch back. Shut-in Serizawa, having gotten a sweet dose of therapy, continues to work on himself while also adopting the hell out of tiny!Shou and becoming friends with still-an-absolute-mess-but-trying!Reigen. Post-Claw Serizawa gets a chance to mend his relationship with the current Shou, has gotten a newfound confidence in himself and his character growth, and has strengthened his bond with Reigen now that they’ve both seen the less-than-ideal people they used to be and how much they’ve grown. 

[1o1percentmilk]

sorry guys im like fully insane abt a gendo ikari knockoff touichirou suzuki predecessor and like in a way that i was never obsessed with touichirou. like okay i was there for touichirou bc i thought he was kind of funny to like but i always had this insecurity abt not understanding him and not really taking him seriously (sorry im fake toyichirou fans when real suzuki fans walk into the room).

but amarao.. i care him.. as a character and how he interacts with haruko and naota and kitsurubami.. i've met people who are like him and hell.. i've gone thru stuff like him and i understand why he acts that way.. im reading a bit too much into funny haha nonsequitur anime but wow u can see exactly how much haruko messed him up. and that makes me sad.. he just like me fr..!

also he can get itt

[turning-the-kaleidoscope]

“Words Fail”

this was written for @physical-manifestation-of-spite ’s Dead Sea AU, which is absolutely heartbreaking and has decked me more than once. it breaks my heart i just,,, jdkflgdfg wow it breaks my heart. so much so that i was really inspired to write this lil something. 

thank you for the heartbreaking AU!! i don’t know how well this turned out but i tried my best, I hope you like it!! <3 <3 

[major character death ahead, just in case anyone’s sensitive to that]

Frankly, Reigen never expected to get this far.

He never expected to be able to become someone. To become a businessman. To become a person motivated by something more than “boredom.” And when he got into the psychic business, he knew it was only a matter of time before he, the most non-esper person you could ever meet, was struck down by more than he could handle. Death was just another walk through the park. It’d never scared him because he’d never had anything to lose.

He has things to lose, now.

He has everything to lose.

The blast is so bright that it blinds Mob’s face from him, but not before he sees the kid’s eyes, blown wide as realization sets in, hand outstretched, mouth open. There’s no shout, no scream. Or maybe there is and the explosion is drowning it out. Hell if he knows.

He feels the heat of it first, burning and then overwhelming, until it chokes the air from his lungs and winds smoky tendrils around his throat. Somewhere, distantly, he feels the pain of it. Burning like the sunset as he and Mob headed down sidewalks to their favorite ramen shop after a long day of work. The smoke makes his eyes burn, too, like they’d burned when Mob accepted him as who he was, who showed him that he was somebody. That he was enough. Not perfect, but. Enough.

He wants to speak but the burn sucks the air from his crushed lungs and the words get stuck on the heat in his throat. He wants to say it’s not your fault, but there’s so much pressure, so much heat, so much chaos that he’s barely thought the words before they’re replaced with a much closer, much more real kind of pain.

He can’t tell who’s screaming, himself or Mob.

He wants to apologize.

The one time he thinks his words might actually mean something, he finds he can’t speak at all.

It’s one of those things.

One of those things you have a list for, but don’t realize you have a list for. One of those things that’s so inconceivable that the thought of it happening had never once crossed Mob’s mind. One of those things where you don’t think, “Oh, that could never happen,” until it actually happens and you’re thrown headfirst into denial.

One of those things is happening, now, and Mob’s heart climbs into his throat, slowly at first and then all at once. The flames burn the air bright and fill the room with smoke. Distantly, he hears Touichirou’s voice, though he can’t make out the words. He’s on his feet but he doesn’t remember how he got there.

The blast dims and disappears and Reigen’s body hits the floor like a broken marionette.

A beat passes in silence.

“Sh… Shishou?”

Another beat passes.

“Sh-Shishou, I-I--”

“Do you understand, now? The difference between us?”

Touichirou’s voice seems to come from far away. The rest of the world rings and spins. The ground buzzes like a plucked bass string.

“What do you gain by caring for others? All they are is a weak spot in your side. A vulnerability.”

“Reigen-san?” He can barely hear his own voice. It doesn’t sound like him. The body on the floor doesn’t look like Reigen’s, either. Reigen would never be that still, that quiet. “R-Reigen-san--”

“You can give it up now, boy. Nothing you do now will bring him back.”

“I’ll teach you how to use your powers.”

It clicks into place. Slowly, then too fast. The gravity of what just happened runs to slam into him. It grabs him by the throat and forces him to look closer. To realize.

Something twists and snaps in him. He isn’t sure what it is. It could be his heart and he wouldn’t care.

[ A N G E R ]

He doesn’t remember when he got to his feet. His body doesn’t feel like his own. He has no thoughts. The floor beneath him doesn’t feel like anything.

[ G U I L T ]

Through a tunnel, he sees Touichirou’s empty eyes and empty face with empty features and an empty heart. He sees a monster. He sees a murderer.

[ R A G E ]

Distantly he hears Reigen’s voice. Those words--that warning--words he lived by. Words he always held close to his heart. Reigen wouldn’t want him to do this. Reigen wouldn’t want him to do this. Reigen wouldn’t want him to do this.

Reigen isn’t here, anymore.

[ Ṛ̗̥̰̙A̧̠̖̻G̪Ę͖̺̠̟͚ ̞̀R̛̠E̳G̷̩̞RE̱̳T̖̥̦̝̖ ̼̦P͇̩͚̯̯̲̬A̛I̯̞͈̤̮N͚͎̱̮͞ ̼̱̫̘G̘̹̺U̡I̧̗̯̰͖̳ͅLT͎̣̬͍̼͘ ̣̣͙̩͠B̮̠L̠̣̰̣̦̗A̛̭͔͉̳̙M͕͚͉̭̲͉̙̕E҉̱̮̦͉͔͉͔ ͔̬͚̬̬ͅḪ̺̰̦̖̞U̘̫͉͚̙̯R̮̰͔̝̠T̞̝͉̤̮̹ ̣̬̜̦̼̮̖F̞̰̣̀E͕À͕̙̖Ŗ̭͎̞̲̤̰ P̵̲̯A̞̖͖͉̬̥I̪͕͚̟̟Ņ͚̣̠̤̥̣͔ ͓G̴̼̮̪U̢͉̲͇I͈̻L̰T̷̥͎̟̺̤ ̞̭̼͕̠̱PA̗̺͎̭̼̲ͅI͎̩͉̙̟̮N͓͚̣͇͢ ̺̳̣̹̤̜̰A̧N͔G̱̟͙͚̟͘Ṳ̦͘I̜̦̘͈̻S͓H̜̥̖ ̱̺̠À͈̗̺͚N̹͇̮̯̠̦͢G͢U͇͔̫̜̱̻̠͞I̲̰̫̘S͓̦H̗̦͈̝̺ ͇̼̞̟̙̺̭̀A̼̙̺͓̝̗̝Ǹ̙̳͖̪͖G̱̳̭͍̺͙̤U̠͍͕̭̣̳̣I͎S̠̜͓H̢͔ Ḥ̶̬A͇̻͙͓̺T̞̹̭̩̼͈̻R̠̤̩̝̹͢ͅE̥D̬ ͚̯̺̗̰̹H͕̠̟̙͜Á̬̰̞̰̫͓T̶̤̳̫R̠̥͖͎̦E̸̮̯̦͖̞̝̜D͓̫̼̣̥ ̦H̯̞̠̫͔͢A̘̠̭Ț̢̞̳͍̰̲ͅR̯͔̱Ȩ͈̯̝̙D͕͚̮̖͖ ̻̘͎̫̖͎̕H̱A͎̯͙̙͙͚̱T͟R̵͖̩̭E̩̤͓͠D̨̩̤͍̣ ̜̫H̝̹͝��͓ͅA͚̤̣̲̲̼̥T͢R͉̥̱̙̙̟̮E҉̱̬̮D̯̟͎̯̣͈͖͟ ]

The world as he knows it explodes and burns, and he explodes and burns with it.

Shigeo is missing.

He never came to the office that day, when he’d been there consistently for the past three months. Upon inquiry, Ritsu couldn’t tell Serizawa much of anything, but there was something distant about the look in his eyes, like he should’ve said something but really didn’t want to. Serizawa asked a couple others he knew, but their answers were more or less the same.

No one knows where Shigeo is.

And, it’s that reason that leads Serizawa to the one place where he knows he’ll find him. On a high, grassy hillside, dying rays of sun stretched like shining ribbons across rolling fields. It’s close enough to the ocean to smell the salt in the air, feel a cool breeze, but its crashing waves can’t be heard from here. There’s only quiet.

Shigeo is sitting before a stone shrine, its shadow cast over him with the sun behind it. He’s wearing a hoodie and jeans instead of his uniform. The breeze caresses his messy hair. His knees are drawn up to his chest and his arms are wrapped around them.

Serizawa stops short but close enough, silent. Shigeo doesn’t say anything and he doesn’t, either.

“... I, um…”

Shigeo’s voice is small, and it cracks on the end. He takes a second before starting up again.

“I-I’m sorry I haven’t… visited, yet. I-I meant to, I promise, I j--” He stops short again, this time squeezing his knees closer to his chest and resting his head against them. “... I’m sorry. I… I thought about this for… for a long time. Before coming here. But, now, I don’t… I don’t know what to say.”

Serizawa tries to swallow the lump in his throat with little success. He feels like he should do something, say something, but can’t find a single thing worth saying.

“... I-I guess, I should… I should probably say thank you,” Shigeo manages, struggling. Serizawa can’t see his face, and he’s not sure he wants to. “Thank you for… f-for everything. I don’t think I’d be who I am now, without you. I-I don’t think I would’ve gotten as far as I did. S-So… I just…”

The wind is cool, but the setting sun casts warmth through the grassy fields, and there’s no mistaking it.

“... I-I hope you realized it. How much you did for me. H-How much you did for everyone you met. I hope you--” Voice breaks. He takes a shaky breath. “I-I hope you’re okay. I hope you’re at peace. A-And, I hope--I-I hope you realize how much you mean to all of us. How much we all love you.”

The lump in Serizawa’s throat is choking him, now. But before he can say anything, Shigeo hauls himself to his feet, eye-level with the inscription of Reigen Arataka carved into the face of the shrine. The wind blows a little stronger, but somehow, warmer.

“I’ll come back tomorrow,” Shigeo says, a promise. “I-I’ll… I’ll come back whenever I can. I-I’ll bring flowers next time, I-I think. D… Do you like flowers? I…”

Serizawa holds his breath and moves forward, drawing closer, until the distance between them is no more and he can reach out and settle a hand, cautiously, on Shigeo’s shoulder.

Shigeo flinches, and his head snaps around, wide eyes meeting Serizawa’s. It strikes Serizawa for a moment, that he might’ve been expecting someone else, but he pushes that thought away as far as it goes and squeezes his shoulder.

The panic ebbs from Shigeo’s eyes, and he turns his gaze toward his shoes. Serizawa can’t see his face again, but there’s the slightest of trembles beneath his hand.

“... I’m sure he would like anything you brought him, Shigeo.”

Shigeo swallows hard, bringing an arm to wipe at his eyes. “You think so?”

“I do.” He squeezes his shoulder again. “No, I know he would.”

A silence falls between them, broken only by the rustle of grass as the wind cards its fingers through it. Serizawa isn’t quite sure how long they stand there, but soon the sun is gone and it takes its warmth with it, leaving the chill of night in its wake.

“... Come on, Shigeo. I’ll walk you home.”

Shigeo is already nodding, wiping at his eyes again, and Serizawa squeezes his shoulder one last time before lowering his hand and turning away. Shigeo lingers a moment longer before jogging to flank him.

“Can…” Shigeo’s voice doesn’t break this time. “Can we come back again tomorrow?”

A tight smile tugs at Serizawa’s cheeks. “Of course we can, Shigeo. First thing.”

Shigeo nods and Serizawa turns away.

It might’ve just been his imagination, but he thought he felt a warm touch on his shoulder as they drifted further from the shrine. He turned to see if, perhaps, it was Shigeo, but no. Shigeo was, however, reaching to touch his own shoulder with a faint, broken kind of smile.

The warmth accompanies them through the darkness and all the way home.

[ao3feed-esperboys]

One I'm Scared of the Most, Can You Scare Me Up a Little Bit of Love?

One I'm Scared Of The Most, Can You Scare Me Up A Little Bit Of Love? by Not A Valid Opinion

“You guys better share that icecream with me,” Dimple says as he floats towards the group. He turns to look at Shou. “Ah, I see you don't have one. Maybe you can just get some ice, then, if the cream part didn't work out for you. You look like you could use it.” Shou scoffs. “You look like you could use some manners.” “I don't have to use manners, I'm dead!” “So am I, legally. I'm still nice!” Shou defends, and the ghost falters a little. Shou ignores the look Ritsu is giving him and crosses his arms, taking care to not squeeze his injury in his own grasp. “Fine, okay, I'm nice-ish. I'm not the best example of ‘nice’ but I am the best example of ‘ish’.”

In which Shou isn't exactly a legal citizen of Japan, Joseph "from the government" finds out and blackmails him into working for him, and Shou is forced to leave behind everyone that had come to matter to him overtime. He just wants to get back to his hamsters. To prove to his mother that he's not his father. To see Ritsu again. The thought alone is enough to keep him going.

(Can be read as a stand-alone oneshot!)

Words 27068, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 5 of Shou and His Bucket Full of Animals (That Are Really Just Distractions From his Problems and Growing Relationship with Ritsu)

Fandoms: モブサイコ100 | Mob Psycho 100

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Suzuki Shou, Suzuki Shou's Mother, Kageyama Ritsu, Reigen Arataka, Serizawa Katsuya, Hanazawa Teruki, Kageyama "Mob" Shigeo, Dimple, Fukuda Hiroshi, Ootsuki, Higashio, Suzuki Touichirou, Joseph

Relationships: Reigen Arataka/Serizawa Katsuya, Kageyama Ritsu/Suzuki Shou, Kageyama Ritsu & Suzuki Shou, Suzuki Shou & His Mother, Serizawa Katsuya & Suzuki Shou, Reigen Arataka & Suzuki Shou, Shou and his relationship with everyone and himself

Additional Tags: Mentions of many characters such as:, Kurata Tome - Freeform, Fukuda - Freeform, Higashiro, Otsuki - Freeform, Suzuki Touichirou - Freeform, Okay that's it for character mentions, Suzuki Shou Has ADHD, Suzuki Shou has Dyslexia, Animal Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Abusive Relationship mention, Shou is an Awakened Child, Suzuki Shou-centric, Minor Kageyama Ritsu/Suzuki Shou, Blood and Violence, Blackmail, implications of sexual abuse of a minor, in one line of dialogue, Shou has 5 hamsters, because none of you can stop me, This part in the serious can be read alone or as part of the series, not beta'd and very long so if I spell a name wrong or my grammar suck big oof but be nice pls, Non-binary character, Dimple is a lovable asshole but honestly such an asshole, Protective Reigen Arataka, dad Reigen all the way, Reigen and Serizawa adopt Teruki, Mob and Teru are Kinda Gay Fellas, Animal Abuse, Stabbing, cauterizing wounds, Gun Violence, Broken Bones, Shou just gets hurt A Lot Okay this isn't torture porn I promise, Character Study, Character Death, Shou feels a personal connection to a pitbull, bc he's just like that, lots of legal jargon, Reigen is ace bc I said so, Animal: Dog (Pitbull), minor Ootsuki/Higashio, Shou says owo, inconsistent Japanese formalities bc I dumb as shit

Read Here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/20531048

[ladysunamireads]

One I'm Scared of the Most, Can You Scare Me Up a Little Bit of Love?

One I'm Scared Of The Most, Can You Scare Me Up A Little Bit Of Love? by Not A Valid Opinion

“You guys better share that icecream with me,” Dimple says as he floats towards the group. He turns to look at Shou. “Ah, I see you don't have one. Maybe you can just get some ice, then, if the cream part didn't work out for you. You look like you could use it.” Shou scoffs. “You look like you could use some manners.” “I don't have to use manners, I'm dead!” “So am I, legally. I'm still nice!” Shou defends, and the ghost falters a little. Shou ignores the look Ritsu is giving him and crosses his arms, taking care to not squeeze his injury in his own grasp. “Fine, okay, I'm nice-ish. I'm not the best example of ‘nice’ but I am the best example of ‘ish’.”

In which Shou isn't exactly a legal citizen of Japan, Joseph "from the government" finds out and blackmails him into working for him, and Shou is forced to leave behind everyone that had come to matter to him overtime. He just wants to get back to his hamsters. To prove to his mother that he's not his father. To see Ritsu again. The thought alone is enough to keep him going.

(Can be read as a stand-alone oneshot!)

Words 27068, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 5 of Shou and His Bucket Full of Animals (That Are Really Just Distractions From his Problems and Growing Relationship with Ritsu)

Fandoms: モブサイコ100 | Mob Psycho 100

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Suzuki Shou, Suzuki Shou's Mother, Kageyama Ritsu, Reigen Arataka, Serizawa Katsuya, Hanazawa Teruki, Kageyama "Mob" Shigeo, Dimple, Fukuda Hiroshi, Ootsuki, Higashio, Suzuki Touichirou, Joseph

Relationships: Reigen Arataka/Serizawa Katsuya, Kageyama Ritsu/Suzuki Shou, Kageyama Ritsu & Suzuki Shou, Suzuki Shou & His Mother, Serizawa Katsuya & Suzuki Shou, Reigen Arataka & Suzuki Shou, Shou and his relationship with everyone and himself

Additional Tags: Mentions of many characters such as:, Kurata Tome - Freeform, Fukuda - Freeform, Higashiro, Otsuki - Freeform, Suzuki Touichirou - Freeform, Okay that's it for character mentions, Suzuki Shou Has ADHD, Suzuki Shou has Dyslexia, Animal Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Abusive Relationship mention, Shou is an Awakened Child, Suzuki Shou-centric, Minor Kageyama Ritsu/Suzuki Shou, Blood and Violence, Blackmail, implications of sexual abuse of a minor, in one line of dialogue, Shou has 5 hamsters, because none of you can stop me, This part in the serious can be read alone or as part of the series, not beta'd and very long so if I spell a name wrong or my grammar suck big oof but be nice pls, Non-binary character, Dimple is a lovable asshole but honestly such an asshole, Protective Reigen Arataka, dad Reigen all the way, Reigen and Serizawa adopt Teruki, Mob and Teru are Kinda Gay Fellas, Animal Abuse, Stabbing, cauterizing wounds, Gun Violence, Broken Bones, Shou just gets hurt A Lot Okay this isn't torture porn I promise, Character Study, Character Death, Shou feels a personal connection to a pitbull, bc he's just like that, lots of legal jargon, Reigen is ace bc I said so, Animal: Dog (Pitbull), minor Ootsuki/Higashio, Shou says owo, inconsistent Japanese formalities bc I dumb as shit

Read Here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/20531048

[serenlyss]

The Night is the Hardest Time to be Alive (And 4am Knows All my Secrets) Chapter 1

Rating: T for violence and character death (only in nightmares, though, no real death!) Pairings: Ritshou Summary:  Ritsu doesn't sleep much. He knows it probably isn't healthy, but he avoids sleeping anyway, because if he sleeps for too long he starts to dream, and those nights are seldom pleasant. Luckily, he isn't the only one with a habit of staying up far too late. Crossposted to AO3

Chapter 2

"The night is the hardest time to be alive, and 4am knows all my secrets." - Poppy Z. Brite

So I really love the headcanon I've seen pop up about Shou just sometimes appearing at Ritsu's window unannounced and letting himself in, and I also love the headcanon of Ritsu staying up late studying/dealing with insomnia. In this case, the insomnia is caused by Ritsu's nightmares stemming from the World Domination arc and other traumatic events he experiences after awakening to his psychic powers. It gets a bit dark at places but I just wanted to write these boys bonding over shared trauma and being there for each other to help them heal. It was really fun to write and ended up turning into a three-shot somehow, so more to come! Hope you like it!

Ritsu doesn’t sleep much.

His brother knows, in vague terms, how Ritsu tends to stay up later than him, studying and working on homework. In his head, he knows it’s probably not healthy for him to run off of as little sleep as he gets, but he likes the nighttime. It’s quiet, peaceful. At the early hours of the morning, it’s almost like time stops completely. No meetings, no plans, no school. No stress.

He hums, setting his pencil down on his desk and stretching his arms over his head. The pencil rolls a few times before catching on the edge of his open math notebook, and he watches it with boredom. He’s working on problems that are a chapter ahead, figuring that if he has time to waste, he should use it responsibly, but the motivation is quickly draining from his body. He glances at the clock. It’s half past midnight, which is still early as far as he’s concerned.

Ritsu doesn’t sleep much.

He knows it probably isn’t healthy, but he does it anyway, because if he sleeps for too long he starts to dream, and those nights are seldom pleasant. Bad memories haunt his dreaming hours, turning innocent images into nightmares of his own creation. Sometimes he finds himself in the alley by his school, facing down an evil esper while his brother lays, unconscious, on the shattered asphalt. Other times he’s deep in Claw’s seventh branch headquarters, trying to drown out the panicked thoughts that tell him he’ll never make it out again. On the really bad nights, he dreams that he’s standing in a post-apocalyptic Seasoning City, one where Suzuki Touichirou succeeds in his plans to conquer them. In these nightmares, he stands over his brother’s lifeless body, beaten and mangled. There’s no one else around, just Ritsu, forced to stare into his brother’s tear-filled, blank, dead eyes.

Then, once in a blue moon, he finds himself in the top of a radio tower he’s never been in, only seen from the outside. He’s supposed to be down on the pavement, fighting Shimazaki, but instead he’s glued to the cracked tower floor, watching powerlessly as Suzuki Shou confronts his father for the first time. These are the worst nights, the one where he has to watch Shou’s father beat him into submission, where Touichirou brutally grinds his own son into the dust beneath his foot as he cements himself as the world’s strongest human being. Ritsu has no way of knowing how the events of their fight had really gone down, and Shou doesn’t seem keen on revealing it, but the dream always ends the same way. Touichirou pins Shou up against the wall by his throat, squeezes him until he can’t breath anymore. He watches as Shou squirms and gasps for breath, digging his fingernails into his father’s hands until they draw blood, but Touichirou never flinches, and Shou never gets away.

Ritsu stands, his feet glued to the cracked tower floor, as Shou falls limp and the life drains from his eyes.

On his desk, Ritsu’s pencil snaps. He jumps, startled, and as he does half a dozen small objects that had been suspended in the air falls with a clatter to the ground. He winces, realizing that his powers has spilled out in his anxiousness. He hadn’t meant to let his thoughts wander. He sucks in a deep breath, threading his fingers into his hair and leaning his elbows on his desk, eyes fixed on the faux wood beneath him. It’s only a dream, it’s not real, he reminds himself, but he doesn’t feel any better for it. He never does, despite how much he knows it’s true. When his dreams bleed into his waking hours, it makes them feel all the more terrifying.

He lets out the breath he’s been holding in a long sigh, pushing himself to his feet. He picks up the cracked pencil, dropping it into the trash can by his desk. Bent spoons were one thing, but he never could find a way to fix what he’s broken. Then he moves around his room and replaces the little things that had fallen to the floor in his brief explosion: a few books from his shelf, his water bottle, the case for his retainer. Then he moves to the window and cracks it open. His room feels too stuffy, too cramped. The fresh air comforts him somewhat, and calms the erratic thudding of his heart and head. He leans his forehead on the thin sill, letting the cold of it chase away any drowsiness he might be feeling.

“Ah, you’re still awake after all!”

Ritsu’s head jerks up in surprise, and he feels his whole body go tense. It takes him half a second to place the voice as Shou’s, the same time it takes for his gaze to focus on the redhead now hovering half a foot away from his window. He’s wearing jeans and a graphic tee-shirt as though it isn’t past midnight, his legs crossed in midair and his hands clasped over each knee. “W-what are you doing here?” Ritsu sputters, mind rushing to find any explanation for Shou’s sudden presence at his house. “It’s late, you know, most of us are trying to sleep.”

Shou just grins in response. “Well, obviously you aren’t one of them,” he points out, gesturing to him with an open palm as though that proves his point.

Ritsu blinks, glancing down at himself, and realizes that he’s still wearing his school uniform, minus the button-up blazer. He has a plain black tee-shirt on underneath paired with his black uniform slacks. He’s barefoot, seeing as he isn’t allowed to wear shoes in the house, but Shou can’t see his feet from where he’s floating. “Er, I’ve been working on homework,” he says, “but you didn’t answer my question. Why’re you here as ass-o’clock in the morning?”

Shou laughs aloud in surprise. “Dude! I’ve never heard you swear before! That was awesome,” he exclaims, and the glee on his face makes Ritsu’s cheeks warm with embarrassment. He floats right up to the window, grasping the sill with his hands and straightening his legs out below him. “Mind if I come in for a bit?”

Ritsu frowns. Shou still hasn’t answered his question. Was something wrong? “Uh, I guess. Just… be quiet, my parents and brother are sleeping,” he answers with uncertainty, backing up a step from the window as Shou comes a bit too close. He usually doesn’t mind when people get close to him, never having been a very distant person, but Shou’s acting just a little strange, and Ritsu isn’t sure what to think. He makes enough room for his friend to slip in through the open window, watching Shou lower himself quietly onto his bedroom floor.

Shou shivers, tugging his jacket a bit tighter around him. “Thanks, man, it’s cold out,” he says, slipping his hands into the pockets. He looks around with a calm but interested expression on his face, taking in Ritsu’s tidy bedroom. “Nice place. It’s cozy in here.” His eyes drift from the bookcase on the wall to the doubt bed pushed into the corner, then to the desk beside the closet. He takes a few steps toward it. “What kinda homework are you doing?” he asks, as though showing up in the middle of the night at Ritsu’s window was a completely normal occurrence.

Instead of calling him out for it, Ritsu just replies, in a voice that sounds partly dumbfounded and partly amazed at Shou’s comfort, “Math.”

Shou wrinkles his nose, peering down at Ritsu’s notebook for a moment before turning away. “Booring,” he accuses. “Why don’t you try doing something fun instead?”

Because it’s almost one in the morning, Ritsu’s brain supplies, but he doesn’t say that. He has a feeling Shou won’t really acknowledge it, anyway. “It’s due tomorrow,” he says instead. It’s a lie, if an insignificant one, but it’s easier to say than “Every time I try to sleep, horrible nightmares make me wish I’d never closed my eyes.” He clears his throat, glancing away. “I just don’t want to get a zero on my assignment.”

Shou hums, raising an eyebrow at this, and Ritsu doesn’t meet his gaze. He’s fairly certain his friend can see through his white lies, but if he does, he doesn’t bring it up. “Hm, still lame. It’s not like math is gonna matter once we graduate high school, anyway, right? Maybe you should just go to sleep.”

Ritsu’s stomach clenches, and he tries not to let it show on his face how much he wants to do anything but that right now. Especially not after his near-panic attack not two minutes ago. “No, I really do need to finish it. I can’t let my grades slip,” he insists, sliding back into his desk chair stubbornly. He reaches for his pencil, but his fingers find nothing to grab. Oh, right. He sighs, pulling open his desk drawer and pulling out a second pencil. “You can hang around if you want, I guess, but you probably won’t find anything interesting to do.”

“Whatever you say, you try-hard,” Shou says flippantly, brushing off Ritsu’s fabricated concern for his grades. He does another lap around Ritsu’s bedroom while the older boy re-focuses on his math work, then sits down on Ritsu’s bed when he’s seen it all. Ritsu still can’t figure out why he’s here, and it’s stealing his focus away from what he actually wants to work on.

Despite this, he eventually falls back into an easy rhythm, mind filled with numbers and formulas. The monotonousness of the work takes his mind off his nightmares and diverts his stress from something he can’t face to something he can. Doing math is much easier than facing the source of his insomnia, after all. He relaxes slowly, the tension fading from his shoulders and the knot in his stomach unraveling so he can process his thoughts again. He goes over the PEMDAS order of expressions on his mind, as a refresher. Parenthesis first, then exponents. Multiplication and division are easy, addition and subtraction are even easier. The simplicity of it is charming. Math never changes. Math isn’t complicated. You can do math the same way every time, and it will always work. Ritsu wishes there was something like that that could chase away his bad memories.

“What kind of math is this, anyway? I don’t think we’re even working on stuff this advanced yet,” Shou says from over Ritsu’s shoulder, and with a start he realizes that Shou has slotted himself into his space, his hands gripping the back of Ritsu’s chair and his face hovering half an inch from his ear. “I mean, I’ve only been back in school for a few weeks,” he continues, oblivious to Ritsu’s surprise, “but I know we’re not this far in yet. Your teacher assigned this?”

“Christ, Shou, you scared me!” Ritsu accuses, feeling heat rush to his face. His shoulders are very tense again now, his grip on his pencil tight, and he has to visibly relax himself before he ends up snapping two pencils in one night.

Shou stifles a laugh at this, as though his distress is somehow funny. “Sorry, sorry. You got into the zone so fast, though, I didn’t think you would actually forget that I was here. I’m just curious.” Still, there’s a hint of guilt in Shou’s gaze, and he backs off in response to Ritsu’s tense posture.

Ritsu bites his lip. He hadn’t meant to make Shou feel unwelcome. “Sorry,” he mumbles, glancing down at his desk. His thoughts are overflowing. “I think… I might be a bit of a mess.”

The confession slips out of his mouth before he can stop it. He puts down his new pencil, running a hand through his hair and pushing it away from his face. I shouldn’t have said that, he laments, regret quickly replacing his guilt and then some. He leans back in his chair, gaze moving up and tracing the shapes on his popcorn ceiling. Eventually it tips all the way back, until he’s staring at Shou upside-down. He feels silly, but he doesn’t stop. It’s easier to look at Shou like this, when he feels like meeting his friend’s gaze will open the floodgates of things he isn’t sure he’s ready to put into words just yet.

Shou falls quiet for a moment, staring at Ritsu with an expression that isn’t easy to name. He looks somewhat surprised, eyebrows raised into tiny arches above eyes that are filled with the emotional weight of some sort of epiphany. His mouth is part way open, as though it frozen mid-word, but he quickly closes it, swallowing thickly. He breaks eye contact with Ritsu, suddenly very interested in the books on the opposite wall. “Yeah, me too,” he murmurs in the softest voice Ritsu has ever heard from the rambunctious teen.

The quiet empathy of Shou’s revelation is oddly comforting to Ritsu, reassuring him that he’s not the only one who feels like he’s barely keeping it together. He sits up, spinning around in his chair so that he’s facing Shou head-on. “Really?” he asks, leaning forward a bit too eagerly than he wants to come off. “I’m surprised. You always seemed so calm to me.”

“I could say the same for you,” Shou chuckles, tilting his head to the side as he looks at Ritsu. His light blue gaze is surprisingly soft, catching Ritsu off guard. He sits up a little straighter, sucking in a shocked breath, but as quickly as the moment starts, it’s over. Shou glances away, breaking the trance, and falls quiet.

Ritsu swallows, feeling as though his throat has gone dry. He blinks, taking a moment to let his stalled thoughts catch up again. What was that? His heart is beating noticeably again, but rather than feeling like he’s on the verge of panic, this feels… new. Exciting, almost.

“How’s school?” he asks, his voice coming out slightly breathless despite his best attempts as he tries to divert his own attention away from himself. “You’ve been going to Hanazawa’s school, since it’s close to your mom’s place, right?”

Shou nods with a thoughtful hum, leaning back on his palms from his seat on Ritsu’s bed. The odd moment is gone. “It’s alright, I guess. It’s, uh, kinda weird to be back in school after so long, though,” he admits. “My dad never really cared whether or not I ever went, but mom’s a different story. She makes sure I’m out the door in time.” He laughs softly at this, an easy smile coming to his face at the mention of his mother. Ritsu’s tries not to dwell on his mentions of his incarcerated father, focusing instead on the rest of his answer.

“Is it nice, living with your mom again?” he asks, curious.

Shou nods once more. “Yeah, it is nice. It’s hard, too, though. She’s always been really supportive of me, but I know she’s also kinda afraid of me, at the same time.” He leans forward, and doesn’t meet Ritsu’s gaze. “She gets uncomfortable when I use my powers around her, I’ve noticed. She never brings it up, but she gets this look on her face, like she’s scared I’m going to do… something bad.”

Ritsu frowns, leaning his chin on the back of his chair as he listens. “Why is she afraid?” he asks softly, hoping he’s not pushing farther than Shou’s willing to talk about.

Shou doesn’t seem annoyed or uncomfortable, though. “Probably for the same reasons why she left my dad,” he says. “She didn’t like the way he used his psychic powers to make other people listen to him. She was afraid he’d turn them on her, so she left before he could. I think she’s worried that I’ll turn out like him, even though she knows we’re not the same. I think it’s just going to take time for her to adjust to living with me again.”

Ritsu doesn’t answer right away, glancing down at the floor. He can’t relate to Shou’s dilemma, as much as he wants to understand what he’s feeling. “Is that why you came here?” he asks instead.

“I just… needed some space. Time to think, and figure out what I can do to assure my mom that I’m not the same as my dad is. Er, was.” He pauses for a moment, then reaches out a hand, sending tendrils of his aura snaking to Ritsu’s bookshelf. A book slides itself out of its nook and floats in Shou’s direction, hovering over his lap. “I inherited these powers from my old man, but there’s also plenty of stuff I got from mom, too.” The book opens by itself, pages flipping rapidly. “She wants me to grow up kind and gentle, with a good heart. So, even though I don’t really want to go to school, I’m going to go anyway, and I’m going to learn everything I can, so I can show my mom that I can be a good person.”

Ritsu cracks a smile, soft and sincere. It’s nice to see Shou have such earnest ambition again. “So you figured showing up at my house at one in the morning unannounced was the way to go, then?”

Shou laughs, to Ritsu’s relief, tipping his head back in amusement. “I didn’t think you’d be awake,” he admits. He runs a hand through his slicked-back hair, casting a sideways glance his way. “But, uh, I figured if anyone would be willing to put up with my nonsense, it would be you.” He swallows as he admits this out loud, breaking eye contact with Ritsu. His face flushes pink, for reasons Ritsu can’t determine, his fingers lingering in his hair for a moment before his hand drops back to his side.

Ritsu finds himself speechless, and not for the first time that night. Out of everyone Shou could have gone to, he decided to put his faith in him? “I dunno about all that,” he says after his swirling thoughts clear again, flipping back around in his seat to hide his own blush from Shou, “but I’m up late most nights, anyway. I don’t mind if you come keep me company sometimes.” His picks up his pencil and glues his eyes to his math textbook, as though if he stared at the numbers long enough it would dull the beating of his heart and cool the heat in his face. He hadn’t realized just how much trust Shou has in him, even after everything they’d gone through together to make it this far. It was simultaneously overwhelming and pleasing to Ritsu that there was someone who trusted him enough to confide in him about his struggles. Maybe if Shou could do it, Ritsu could too.

His thoughts are interrupted by the buzz of Shou’s cell phone in his jacket pocket, which Shou whips out and frowns quizzically at. Then his eyes widen in horror. “Uh oh, mom noticed I’m gone. This is gonna be trouble,” he groans, holding the phone up to his ear.

Ritsu doodles absentmindedly in the margins of his notebook, trying his best not to listen in as Shou explains where he’s at and promises to come home soon. Their conversation is short and to the point as Shou assures his mother that he’s quite alright and hasn’t been kidnapped, and it only takes a few minutes for Shou to hang up again. He quickly stands up, heading over to Ritsu’s open window. “Gotta go, pray for me as I face my mother’s wrath,” he says in goodbye, clapping his hands together in a universal gesture of prayer.

Ritsu suppresses a snort of amusement. “Good luck,” he calls, turning to offer Shou a parting smile, but he’s already gone, cold wind blowing in through the open window and replacing the warmth he’d left behind.

Ritsu sighs softly, standing up and making his way to the window. He pokes his head out briefly, but Shou is already nowhere to be seen, presumably making haste to soothe his mother’s frazzled nerves. He slides the window shut again, turning the lock shut. Maybe he’d leave it unlocked from now on, at least until he decides to go to sleep. Then he walks back to his desk, sits down, and gets back to work on his math practice.

The clock reads one-thirty.

Ritsu doesn’t sleep.

[shoezuki]

21, 29, and 30!

21) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

H ok i actually. Dont read much fics believe it or not so i cant think a any fic writers off the top of my head. but i’ve read the book aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe like 5 times and im digging into the Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s other works. how he writes in terms of like. emotionally charged scenes and terms and shit i fucking love. Another one would be the author of the Graceling series. I’ve read those books probably 10 times each lmao. the world building is amazing! and the concepts of like. the premise of the book is simplistic and sounds all ‘’’’’mary sue’’’’’’ on it’s own but what Kristin Cashore does w it is so so cool.  

29) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

I wrote Recoil when i was dealing with some serious shit and its kinda. a vent thing? kind of. AND i wrote it like. right after season 1 ended when the fandom was me and myself and like. that one other person. so its fair it hasnt got much notice. but its one of my favourites and i legit like. cried so hard writing it lkshfkjsghkdghdkgh.

it basically is one of my in dept analysis of like. shou’s feelings towards touichirou, child abuse, moving on from it, the concept of ‘maybe he’s changed/better’ that is pushed on a lot of us child abuse survivors. n i Wish more ppl read it tbh

30) In contrast to 29 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

My kir.ib.aku fics kfhskljfhdkfjh theyre the Only fics that Always get more kudos n like. i liked writing em but bn.ha sucks yknow