#both he and shigeo see these qualities in reigen

[hellolulu]

Serizawa is really the best partner for Reigen, no doubt. Like, this man sees Reigen's true self, and he just accepts it, because he's extremely perceptive and empathetic. Because they both are.

What I mean by him accepting it is that, rather than going along with his ruses/lies for the sake of "the flow", he's been able to watch Reigen closely and learn that people don't actually have their shit together. He's been able to see that he didn't waste as much time as he'd thought he had, being an adult shut-in - and that by going to school and working with s&s, he's actually been able to live a pretty normal life.

Reigen started out as this Big Boss to anxiously impress - to the point of hiding note cards in his sleeve and feeling unable to criticize him - and he was constantly way-too overly impressed by the things Reigen does as part of his work. But Reigen becomes more and more just another normal person to him as the story progresses, and despite how Reigen feels about people knowing his true self ("they'd reject me immediately"), Serizawa treats Reigen's normalness as a positive thing!

He's not thinking of him in a "he's lying to everyone" or "he's just another face in the crowd" way, but he sees him as someone like him, who just happens to be better at acting like a normal citizen. And as someone who has a hard time feeling normal, it's comforting for him to see that actually, Reigen's working just as hard as he is. In this way, he sees him as a true friend and equal - which is also touching because Reigen wants nothing more than for everyone in the world to realise they're all equal at the core.

And of course, he's still always amazed and impressed when Reigen shows intense maturity and understanding of the world, because this is something he can learn from, even though Reigen is actually younger and oftentimes just as lost as he feels. Regardless of the setting, Reigen is someone he can look to. He doesn't look up to his displays of power, like he had been encouraged to do in Scar, but he sees firsthand his ability to see the world, and others, in a way nobody else can. He looks to him for support, and to grow, and in doing so, has been able to help Reigen grow too.

[orchestrated-serirei]

SeriRei Week Day 3: Love Languages (900 words)

Decided to change it up for today and write about them instead!

(I don't typically write and post it so I hope this formatting is okay lol and it's 4:27am sorry for any grammar or tense inconsistencies)

Reigen: Words of affirmation/acts of service

Serizawa: physical touch/quality time

Hope y'all like it~

Anyone that’s been around Reigen for any period of time will know that the man has quite a way with his words. Most of the time, he can talk his way out of any situation– which is a handy skill to have when dealing with all sorts of people in and out of the office. What actual psychic power he was lacking in, was made up for by the power his of words. 

A part of Reigen was grateful that he could be eloquent when he needed to be, but he knew more than anyone else that his words could and did cause harm to the people he cares about. This was a side of himself that Reigen hated, but being completely transparent with his feelings and being genuine through words is something that doesn’t come naturally to him. 

Reigen does his best not to hide behind his words as much as he’s gotten used to doing– but he finds that it’s easier for him to show someone that he cares for them by showing up and supporting them from behind. 

Before Reigen and Serizawa officially got together, they had spent several nights having conversations over drinks and ramen. After one too many lemon sours one night, their topic of discussion eventually devolved into Reigen briefly opening up to Serizawa about how he hated the side of himself that found it difficult to be honest and how he hurt Mob in the past. 

Ever since Serizawa started working at Spirits & Such, he had observed that Reigen wasn’t always the most truthful. He could also only recall at least one other time where Reigen unexpectedly confided in him, so hearing him do it again really caught Serizawa off guard.

Just as Reigen was about to move on after taking another swig of his drink, Serizawa piped up.

“Reigen, I know it’s not always easy for you, but I can see that you’re doing your best to change.”

He paused and stared at his drink before continuing. 

“Even if it doesn’t always work out, I know that you have the best intentions in mind, especially for the people you care about. I’m sure that Shigeo-kun can see that as well.” 

Serizawa finally breaks away from staring at his drink to finally turn to Reigen– who was now extremely teary-eyed and doing his absolute best to hold it all in. 

Maybe it was the lemon sours, or Serizawa’s genuine words of reassurance, or maybe it was both that got Reigen choked up; but whichever one it was, Reigen learned that it actually felt really nice to hear that he was doing something right.

— — — — — — — — — —

It had been about 5 months since Reigen and Serizawa started dating each other. Despite their hectic schedules, the pair made it a point to set aside time every weekend to spend at least a day or a couple of hours together uninterrupted. 

During this particular weekend, the couple decided to try out a new co-op game that had been released the day before. Reigen wasn’t much of a gamer in comparison to his partner, but he knew how much trying this game out together meant for Serizawa, so he gladly agreed to it. 

On the way home with the game in tow, Serizawa passed by a burger place that had recently just opened up. He figured it would be a perfect surprise for Reigen tonight, especially since he had mentioned wanting to try it out a few days prior. 

Eventually 6 pm rolls around.

“Taka should be here any minute.” Serizawa mutters to himself. 

As if right on cue, Reigen rings the buzzer to Serizawa’s unit. 

After greeting each other with an embrace and a short but sweet kiss, Serizawa invites Reigen to sit down on the couch. “Before we start anything, I figured you’d be hungry so I got you something.” 

Serizawa pulls out the bag filled with the burger and fries from behind his kitchen countertop. In an instant Reigen beams, gasping loudly and practically bolting over to where Serizawa was standing. “Tsuya! OH MY GOD YOU REMEMBERED.”  Reigen wraps his arms around his boyfriend before thanking him verbally and with another kiss. 

Once dinner had been consumed, they made their way back to the couch to start the game. A few minutes into playing, Reigen took the chance to snuggle into Serizawa’s side even more, resting his head in between Serizawa’s neck and shoulders. 

In turn, Serizawa pauses the game and re-adjusts himself and Reigen. He wraps an arm around Reigen and pulls him in even closer, fully enjoying the warmth between them. Serizawa then plants a kiss on Reigen’s temple and smiles at his partner warmly. “You make me feel so loved, thank you for everything.” 

Reigen’s face immediately flushes and for a moment, he is at a loss for words. Serizawa has been the only one so far to make Reigen forget how to talk at times with his sincerity– not that Reigen’s complaining. 

He regains composure and manages to respond. “I feel the same way, thanks Tsuya.” 

He smiles back at Serizawa, who’s internally melting at the sight of his boyfriend still getting flustered even after all this time.

“So how ‘bout that game? I wanna see what they’ve got in store for us. I was starting to get invested.” 

Serizawa lets out a small chuckle. “Alright, alright I’ll unpause now.”  

[impassiveesper]

[ On “Mob” and on being both gently and bullied profoundly loved by the same syllable. ]

(Sorry if this reads weird, this is basically a chat log that I edited into a cohesive paragraph to somebody who asked about why I use “Shigeo” instead of “Mob” in the middle of narration for RP)

Like many of my RP partners, I also frequently write Mob on the narration and have to go back and delete because I’m not sure that Shigeo identifies with the name ‘Mob’ in most contexts.  I try not to use it from his perspective in most situations bc I low key headcanon that he has complicated feelings about the nickname, but of course he hasn’t addressed them bc when does he ever address feelings

Not a ton of people call him Mob, of course. Reigen, chiefly. In fact I can’t think of a single time where Reigen says “Shigeo”. I believe Tsubomi uses “Mob” at one point and so does Mezato, but neither of those were cases where they said it to Shigeo’s face. Shigeo’s classmates still call him by his last name when talking to him for the most part.  What this implies to me is that all of his classmates know about this name at the very least, if they don’t use it themselves in private. Mobu モブ is a word in Japanese that is used to describe an extra or background character, and we know he was given the name for his "lack of presence". I've always assumed it was something belittling his classmates placed onto him. Even if it's not as direct as calling him a loser or a nerd or something, I'm sure he still felt something about it.  But also the characters in “Shigeo” could be read as "Mobu" if you were to read them as willfully incorrectly as possible in the context of his name, so other kids could possibly get away with saying "no no I'm not being mean it's just a fun way to pronounce how your name is spelled”

I do think Mob feels a little weird about the nickname because it does have a sort of teasing quality in that it boils him down to traits he's not the most proud of.  BUT Mob is also somebody who lets people use him and lets people treat him how they want to without complaint even if he doesn't like it, so the nickname largely goes unchallenged. It’s not a nickname he necessarily grew up liking, but with repetition he could at least come to tolerate it.  

But I also think his relationship with that name evolves a lot specifically because of characters like Reigen. Reigen has such a laid back bro-ey way of speaking that it would not be at all out of place for him to call his subordinate something a little shitty out of affection.  That occasionally gets lost in the dub, imo. A really good example is the famous "Just be a good person, alright" // "My master is genuinely...a good guy" 😭 from their first meeting and the separation arc respectively. I watched the dub at first so I didnt even realize that Mob was making a deliberate callback there. The lines are いい奴になれ。以上！ // いい奴だ where Reigen uses the word 奴 "yatsu" when he says to be a good person. Yatsu can be either friendly or derogatory depending on who is using it and how. It's not a polite word. It has that rough sort of bro quality where its either really rude or shows some endearment. The reason we know that he's referencing the day they met in the scene where Mob makes up with Reigen is that he tells Reigen he's a good person using the that same word, "yatsu". That is not the type of speech Mob uses. Ever. Seeing these two connect over a shared bit of language, one that highlights both their differences and their closeness, absolutely ruins me every time. 

The way I feel when I watch that scene is the way I feel about Reigen's use of "Mob" as well. Reigen is the kind of person who would use a rather rude word to tell you he loves you rather than be forward with it. The two have a history now where Mob trusts him implicitly. He knows Reigen wants to protect him from things that he, as a child, is not ready for yet. He knows Reigen can and will and HAS put himself in danger to protect him from situations that no sane person without psychic powers has any business touching with a 50 foot pole. I think about this and I cry my eyes out. I don't imagine Shigeo necessarily always likes being called Mob even late in the series, but I do think because of characters like Reigen, he's come to a point where he can hear that word and hear nothing but love in it.  Yes, Mob is somebody who lets people use him and who lets people treat him how they want to without complaint even if he doesn't like it, but I also think “Mob” is something that Shigeo has almost reclaimed at this point. He's in a lot of relationships where he hears that word and he can feel like he's hearing it on his terms. 

[strawbrymilkshake]

smoking is bad for you, you know

Dad!Reigen Week 2019 Day 3: Sports || Lessons

AO3 Description: Ritsu, eventually, learns to trust Reigen. (4.7k words)

Ritsu trusts his instincts.

It’s only been quite recently since he learned what instincts even are, but he knows himself and he knows he’s usually right. So, when Shigeo introduces him to his new master, Ritsu knows what to think about this man based on how he first feels.

“Hi, Ritsu,” Reigen smiles. He crouches down to be on eye level with him. “Shigeo didn’t tell me he had a brother.”

Ritsu doesn’t like Reigen.

“Ritsu’s in the grade below me,” Shigeo tells Reigen. “He’s ten and really cool.”

“Oh, awesome,” Reigen says. He turns to Ritsu. “Do you have psychic powers like your brother?”

“Ritsu doesn’t have psychic powers,” Shigeo says.

There’s something bristling within Ritsu when Shigeo says that, but he can’t tell what. He would have been happy to tell Reigen that himself.

“Oh, that’s a shame,” Reigen says.

Ritsu really doesn’t like Reigen.

“You’re a psychic?” Ritsu asks.

Reigen nods, the movement natural.

Ritsu looks away.

“Master’s the greatest psychic,” Shigeo tells Ritsu. “The greatest ever.”

“Of the twenty first century,” Reigen corrects, and stands up. “I’m the greatest psychic of the twenty first century.”

Ritsu really doesn’t like Reigen.

Nobody talks for a few seconds, and Ritsu is okay with that. Shigeo’s busy looking at Reigen in awe, and Ritsu is busy mentally cursing out the inherent injustice that comes with being alive.

Why should this guy get psychic powers, when Ritsu’s been trying his whole life, and gets none? What makes him so special? Is he an older brother too? Maybe younger siblings just don’t get them. And what makes him so great, anyway?

The more he questions Reigen the more he doesn’t like him. Ritsu doesn’t know what it is — Reigen’s too tall, Shigeo likes him too much, and he kind of smells a bit, too. It’s a little…familiar? But Ritsu can’t place it — and his face falls into a scowl as Reigen looks down at them. It’s his instincts, he reminds himself, he doesn’t need to have a reason. He just doesn’t like Reigen.

Still, no one has said anything since Reigen has proclaimed his greatness — there’s no way he’s actually the greatest psychic of the twenty first century, anyway, if anything, Ritsu thinks his brother should hold that title — and he doesn’t see the point in being here any longer if nothing else is going to happen. He doesn’t want Shigeo to think that he’s getting bored or anything, though, so he just glares up at Reigen instead, hoping to leave the strange man as soon as possible.

Reigen looks between the two of them.

“Has anyone ever told you guys that you look the same?”

Ritsu’s heard it before — from teachers, strangers, friends at school. It wasn’t even all that uncommon when people mistook him and his brother for twins. They both nod.

Reigen lets out a small laugh. “You two must get along well, huh?”

Ritsu nods.

Later, when they’re at home and Ritsu has all but forgotten about his meeting with Reigen, Shigeo tentatively asks him what he thinks of his master.

Ritsu looks at Shigeo. He can’t tell what he’s thinking, or what he wants Ritsu to say.

“I think he’s cool,” he lies.

—-—-—

Ritsu doesn’t see Shigeo all that much anymore.

He often walks to school alone, which, granted, is because of his own decision to join the student council, so that one’s on him. But even then, before he entered middle school, afternoons at home were a little quiet and dragging without his brother around, and they still pretty much are — the house is just him and his parents. It doesn’t feel empty, per se, but Shigeo’s absence from the house is far too noticeable. 

Ritsu’s more than used to it by now. Now, afternoons where Shigeo comes straight home from school can leave the house a little crowded; Ritsu thinks of it as a chance to get closer to his brother from all the days they’ve missed. The few off days where, walking home, Ritsu and his brother take up twice as much space on the sidewalk, he thinks of as quality bonding time.

But still, for the trailing end of elementary school, and now as he begins planting his roots in middle school, Shigeo is becoming less and less of a constant in his life.

“I miss you,” he tells his brother, suddenly one day, not sure where it comes from. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Oh,” is all that Shigeo dignifies it with at first. Then, a pause, a consideration, then: “Sorry, I didn’t notice.”

“It’s okay,” Ritsu finds himself saying.

“I’m always at Master’s,” Shigeo explains, even though they both already know it. “You don’t really like him, do you?”

Ritsu blinks for a second, not sure where this is coming from. Sure, he wouldn’t mind blaming Reigen for the slow drifting apart of him and his brother, but it’s a little weird to him that Shigeo is basically offering him that on a plate. He chooses his words carefully.

“I don’t think our personalities mesh well.”

Shigeo nods, satisfied.

And for all Ritsu knows, that could really be it. He never really dedicates much time to thinking about Reigen, or thinking about how much he doesn’t like Reigen — deciding from the get-go to avoid him was really enough. But Ritsu likes to think of himself as somewhat dignified and respectful. Incompatible personalities is a bit of a lame excuse to justify not getting along with somebody — he’s more mature than that.

Ritsu suspects it’s something to do with the fact that Reigen reeks of being inauthentic. Not necessarily in his personality — for all that Ritsu is concerned, Reigen is damn near an open book when it comes to that — but Ritsu has not once believed that this man is in possession of psychic powers. He can’t sense it, he doesn’t have any powers of his own, but he’s lived with Shigeo his whole life. He knows what espers are like. And besides that, Ritsu knows what it’s like to live a whole life without psychic powers, and he can see that in Reigen. He relies on his brother just a little too much.

Ritsu hasn’t discussed any of these thoughts with Shigeo, mostly because he has no idea how to bring it up. He knows, also, just how much Shigeo likes Reigen, how important a place he holds in his brother’s mind, and he knows better than to go about calling the man Shigeo trusts most untrustworthy. There’d be hell to pay.

As worried as he is about Shigeo’s reaction, though, somewhere in the back of his mind Ritsu wonders if it would be better to tell his brother upfront that Reigen doesn’t have psychic powers. It would be better than letting it play out and reaching a point that could have been avoided if Shigeo knew, right? Reigen can’t protect Shigeo if something goes wrong, and Reigen can’t protect himself if something goes seriously wrong, and that’s the last thing Ritsu wants, right? 

He doesn’t want either of them to get hurt, right?

Right?

Right, yes, of course he doesn’t want either of them to get hurt — it’s not something to dwell on, how obvious it is. There’s no way in hell he’d want either of them to be anything other than healthy and sound in mind and body; as much as Ritsu would prefer to avoid Reigen, he’s still a decent person who doesn’t want to see him get hurt. And Shigeo is his brother. Of course Ritsu cares about him.

And despite that, Ritsu still hesitates to tell him. He doesn’t think too much about why.

The conversation between the two reaches a natural resting point, and they’re both comfortable in the silence. Faintly, from their dad’s room, the smell of cigarette smoke gently wafts between them.

Shigeo scrunches his nose up. They never really talk about their dad’s smoking habits — the most mention it gains is a quick, understanding look between the two brothers. So Ritsu isn’t sure what overtakes him now.

“I wish he’d quit.”

Shigeo nods in understanding. It’s something they both feel, but have refrained from saying out loud before. Ritsu is noticing that — most of their conversations go unsaid. He supposes it can’t be helped, with their opposing schedules and all.

“We should tell him to quit,” Ritsu suggests when Shigeo doesn’t continue the conversation. “He’ll listen to us, right?”

Shigeo considers it for a second. “It’s Dad," is all he says. Ritsu understands.

“Well, we can ask Mum and she can tell him to quit.” Shigeo still doesn’t look sure. “They have to start listening to us eventually, right? We’re not kids anymore; we should have a say in family matters.”

Shigeo cocks his head to one side. “You only just graduated elementary school.”

“Exactly. We’re growing up.”

Shigeo hesitates for a second. “Well…if you want to ask Mum then you do it. She won’t like it if I’m the one who asks her.”

Ritsu nods. “Fine. I’ll ask her.” He hesitates. “I’ll…do it later, though.”

“…Okay.”

—-—-—

Ritsu needs to learn to stand up to his brother. He ponders this frankly terrifying concept for not the first time in his life as he stands, arms crossed over his chest, at the front desk of the Spirits and Such Consultation Office. Shigeo’s been out sick with the flu all week. Reigen needs someone to do some actual work around here. 

“Stop glaring at me like that,” Reigen tells him.

“I’m not glaring at you.” He wouldn’t be in this situation if he’d just told Shigeo how much he really, really does not like Reigen. And yet, here he is. Here they are.

Reigen exhales through his nose. “Is it gonna be like this the whole time?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Okay.” Reigen stands up from his seat and starts walking over to Ritsu’s side of the desk.

Before he can say anything, Ritsu speaks up. “I mean, come on. This isn’t going to be fun for either of us. We both know you would have much preferred it if my brother had gotten Hanazawa or someone to fill in.”

Reigen stops in his tracks. “When did I ever say that? Do you think I don’t like you?”

Ritsu doesn’t have much of an answer, aside from a non-committal shrug.

Reigen blinks for a second, as if shocked. “Well, I do. You’re a good kid.” He walks past Ritsu, grabbing something from a bookcase. “You’re a fine replacement for your brother.”

Ritsu’s heart drops, and he feels his jaw clench impossibly tight. He’s pretty sure he stops breathing for a few seconds, and his nails are digging into his skin. He stands, a statue in the office, and it’s only when he hears Reigen continue to mill about that the tension in his body drops. He takes a few breaths.

“Do you know what I think is funny?” he asks Reigen, turning to him. 

Reigen’s got some kind of folder full of paperwork in his hands, and an expression like he’s not used to this much amount of talking. He doesn’t particularly look like he wants Ritsu to continue, either.

“If my brother thinks that you have psychic powers,” he continues anyway, “then he should have no reason to get me to fill in for him.”

Reigen is still looking at Ritsu unimpressed, but he hesitates slightly in his movements.

“Do you think he trusts you?”

Reigen doesn’t say anything, doesn’t move for some moments. It’s a stalemate of sorts.

Just when Ritsu is about to break into a really quite polite smile, Reigen drops the folder into his hands. Ritsu startles slightly, trying not to drop it.

“Of course Mob trusts me.”

Reigen doesn’t expand upon that any further before he walks back around to take his seat at the desk. Ritsu is busy looking at the paperwork that Reigen oh so kindly handed over, not even really taking it in as he flicks through the pages. He looks to Reigen for an explanation.

“You know the work Mob does here isn’t limited to his psychic powers, right?” He’s pulled out his laptop, giving it more focus than he is to Ritsu. “I give him work experience. He learns how to deal with customers. Hell, he may have even picked up a thing or two about how to successfully run a business.”

Did you teach him about self-aggrandising, too? Ritsu thinks.

“Get to work on sorting those. When you’re done, I’ll give you something else to do.”

Ritsu can’t help but think that Reigen just wants him to sit down and shut up. Gingerly, he takes a seat at the side desk of the office, watching Reigen do his ‘work’ from the side of his eye.

He doesn’t tell Reigen when he’s done with the menial task, instead opting to think on how he should go about organising his pay for today. He supposes putting up with Reigen won’t be all that bad if he gets some compensation. He sits there for a minute or two, not really bothering to hide the fact that he’s doing nothing, and before long he realises that the clicking of Reigen’s keyboard has quieted some time ago.

He waits for Reigen to speak up.

“So… Are you and your brother close?”

Ritsu sighs.

“Hey!” Reigen exclaims. “I’m trying to make conversation, here!”

Ritsu turns to look at him. He looks more frantic than anything. “Do you…” He trails off, trying to look past Reigen’s weirdness. “Do you really care?”

That sets him off. “I don’t know what makes you think that I don’t!” He throws his hands down on either side of his laptop. “Did I do something? Did I say something wrong that I don’t remember?”

“You’re asking me why I don’t…” Ritsu trails off again, for whatever reason unable to say out loud that he doesn’t like Reigen. “You really want to know?” He scoffs. “Well, for one, you’re not exactly the best influence on my brother.”

Reigen blinks, processing the information. “Oh, right,” he says. “This is about your brother.”

“Don’t talk to me about my brother.”

“…You brought him up, though…”

The conversation sort of stutters and skids to a halt. Ritsu knows that he’s not being the most tolerable person right now, and that Reigen doesn’t entirely deserve this out of nowhere — but if he wants an explanation, he’s going to get one.

“It’s not just about my brother,” Ritsu says. “You’re also just…really shady.” 

Reigen doesn’t seem fazed. That seems to be enough evidence to Ritsu — if Reigen doesn’t bat an eye at being called shady, then he’s been called it enough times over the years by enough different people that it must hold some ground. And in all that time, did he never once work to combat it? Did he never put in effort to not give off the worst vibes he could when he meets someone? There must be something inherent to them, Ritsu reasons. Reigen is a fundamentally shady person, and he’s right not to trust him.

Slowly, Reigen’s expression shifts to expectant, and Ritsu realises he hasn’t offered much more than that one statement. The seconds tick by, and as Reigen and Ritsu stare silently at each other, he finds his brain scrambling for what next to say, frantic to build his impromptu case against Reigen.

Except, wait, shouldn’t he know what he doesn’t like about him? He’s been avoiding him all these years; he should know the reason behind it.

And then, a revelation; Ritsu works to keep the epiphany internal, to not show his mind on his face as he realises it. He avoids Reigen at every chance he can get, so much so that he hasn’t even put thought into what he doesn’t like about him — he knows there’s something, obviously, and the actual fact of not knowing the reason behind his avoidance isn’t really his most pressing issue right now — it’s the fact that he’s backed himself into a corner where he has to admit that.

“Nothing you do seems genuine,” he says quickly, hoping Reigen won’t pick up on the non-explanation.

Reigen still looks expectant.

Ritsu clicks his tongue. “I don’t know,” he hesitates, again, searching for what to say, “you clearly don’t have psychic powers. I don’t know how you did what you did at the Claw base, but… Well, if you do have psychic powers, then you’re using them wrong.” 

Reigen leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. 

Ritsu could get into some serious trouble for this, but he continues regardless. “You’re always so flippant about everything, like exorcising spirits is just some fun side-gig to you, and…” He doesn’t know why he’s still talking. He looks around the office. There are some tacky figures dotted about, questionable books on the shelves, the (frankly) shoddy paperwork in front of him, an ashtray across the room from him. It’s good enough for him. “This place is hardly a professional business, you smoke, your handwriting could be better…”

Ritsu blinks, suddenly aware of his words. It’s all kind of nonsense at this point. “Oh. I’m sorry.” Reigen still looks unaffected, both by the words and the apology. It’s just a matter of formality, anyway. “That was pretty rude of me to say, huh?” he continues regardless.

Reigen shrugs. “I asked for it.”

That isn’t necessarily the response that Ritsu wants, but he’s not sure anything Reigen could have said would have satisfied him.

Reigen throws his head back over his chair, apparently taking in what Ritsu said. After a moment or two has passed, he locks eyes with Ritsu again.

“I don’t smoke.”

“What?” Ritsu furrows his brow. “Yes, you do.”

Reigen shakes his head. “Nope.”

Faintly, from somewhere in the back of Ritsu’s head, a memory from a while ago — it would be about three years, now — wafts through his mind. “Yes, you do,” he repeats. “I remember — the first time I met you. Pretty much the only thing I actually remember from meeting you. You reeked of cigarettes.”

Reigen doesn’t respond for a second. Then, “That’s the only thing you remember from meeting me? It wasn’t that long ago, was it?”

“I try not to remember our meetings.”

“…Okay… It must have been a really bad first impression, then.”

“Something like that.”

“Well, anyway, I quit. A couple of years ago, I think.”

Ritsu points to the ashtray on the other side of the room. “What’s that, then?”

Reigen follows his gesture. “That’s for customers. Sometimes they smoke in here, I only smoke at home.”

Ritsu scoffs. “So, in other words, you didn’t quit. You do smoke.”

“Ah, well—” Reigen fumbles for a bit, and Ritsu is interested to see how he pulls himself out of this one. “I don’t smoke here. That’s what I meant when I said I quit.”

“…Uh-huh.”

“Look, I—!” He stutters. “I don’t smoke around Mob, that’s something, right? He asked me not to, so I don’t. I’ve hardly smoked since then, so it’s basically quitting.”

Ritsu’s positive that that’s not how it works, but his mind is a little preoccupied at the moment. “Wait, what? My brother asked you to quit?”

“Yeah, when he was younger. I mean, I get it, it must have been annoying to be around.” Ritsu bites back a remark about how it’s not the only annoying thing about him. “And besides, I’d been meaning to quit anyway. I guess that was just the push I needed.” Reigen looks at Ritsu. “What, is there something wrong with that?”

“What? Oh, no. It’s just…” Something overtakes him for a second — it’s not confusion exactly, but it’s something akin to it. “Well, our dad smokes.” 

Reigen cocks his head to the side, not replying but waiting for Ritsu to continue.

And for some reason, he does. “Neither of us have really talked to him about it.”

Reigen nods. “Ah, yeah. Both of my parents smoked. Still do, actually. I just picked up the habit.” He leans forward, resting his arms on his desk. “Don’t smoke, Ritsu.”

“Yeah, I know not to smoke.” He sighs, picking back up on his train of thought. “I don’t know, I guess it’s kind of weird to me that my brother would actually speak up to you about it.”

“It is?”

The words are practically flowing out of him at this point, a steady waterfall of vented frustrations. “I mean, our dad’s smoked our whole lives; I thought he— I mean, I guess we just accepted it.”

Reigen leans back on his chair again, bringing his hands together behind his head. He takes a long, slow breath. “Mob’s been changing a lot recently, underneath all our noses.”

“Oh.” Ritsu looks down. 

The room’s changed. He doesn’t feel closer or further away from Reigen, but the distance between them is different, somehow. Like one of them’s floated higher and the other’s drifted downwards, or they’ve each changed colours and the lighting of the scene’s all off. He feels further away from himself.

“What are we talking about?” he asks.

“Um, smoking?”

“No, I mean… Why am I saying this to you?” 

“What do you mean?”

Now, what is the best method for telling someone ‘I don’t like talking to you and the fact that I’ve talked to you as much as I already have talked to you makes me like you even less’ without saying those exact words? Ritsu suffices with rolling his eyes.

“Reigen, you know what I mean. I…” He’s not sure what overcame him during the course of this conversation that convinced him it would be a good idea to open up to Reigen — like, seriously, Reigen? Reigen? Really? Opening up to him? — but whatever the reason, he’s there now. And he can’t exactly back out without awkwardly cutting the conversation off. “Look, I don’t talk about this stuff to anyone. I haven’t even talked to my brother about this. I shouldn’t be talking about this to you.”

“I think that means that you’re warming up to me, Ritsu. Have you finally learnt to trust me?”

Ritsu actually recoils at the thought. “Uh, no.” Reigen looks almost exasperated, leaning forward in his chair. 

Ritsu looks away from him. None of this makes any sense. He doesn’t feel confused, but something close to it, he’s not uncomfortable, but it’s almost there. He should have told Shigeo that he didn’t want to come.

“Oh, wait,” he speaks up after a moment or two of silence, “I know what’s happening now.” He looks back at Reigen.

“You do?”

“Oh, my god,” he whispers under his breath. It all makes sense now. Why the room feels different, why he had a heel-turn change of heart, why he can’t make sense of his own thoughts — it’s all coming together. He brings his hands to his temples, protecting either side of his head. “Do you have telepathy!?”

“What? No!” Ritsu continues to cover his temples, convinced at this turn of situation. Reigen rolls his eyes. “I’m not telepathic, Ritsu. I have no idea what you’re thinking. I didn’t make you open up to me, that was something you decided on your own.” Ritsu still isn’t relenting. Reigen sighs. “You know that’s okay, right? It’s okay to talk to me differently than you’re used to. And that…you talked to me about this before your brother. Things like that happen sometimes.”

Ritsu slowly lowers his hands, crossing his arms. He takes a sharp inhale. “Okay, dude. I get it. You’re cool, or whatever, and…I’ll try not to avoid you anymore. I won’t insult you, either, okay? Let’s just work the rest of this day—”

“No, Ritsu, look,” Reigen cuts him off. He breathes deeply. “In all seriousness, I know you don’t like me. I know I’m not your favourite person in the world. And when it comes down to it, that’s perfectly fine; who you do and don’t like is entirely your business, and more often than not, it’s something that can’t really be helped.

"But you’re gonna learn this one day — or, hell, why not learn it right now? No time like the present, right? — it’s a fact of life that you might not like someone, but you still have to work to get along. And sometimes, it’s not even that bad. Sometimes, you realise you were wrong about them. That happens more than I’d like, actually.

“And sometimes, I know it’s humiliating, trust me, but people you don’t like will have opinions that make sense, or good points that will change you, and you pretty much just have to learn how to navigate people. And how you fit in between them.”

Ritsu hates to admit it, but Reigen’s actually making sense. Maybe it’s a little over-generalised, or a little far out of Ritsu’s scope of caring, but he doesn’t get the urge to completely tune out Reigen’s voice. 

“And, also,” Reigen continues, and Ritsu knows that he’s slowly coming to grips with Reigen actually having meaningful advice, but he’s pushing it a little right now, “I know it’s not entirely my place, but you should learn to trust your brother more.”

“Excuse me?”

“All that stuff about me not being a good influence on him, or how you didn’t expect him to tell me to stop smoking — you know Mob’s his own person, right? If I was really such a bad guy, don’t you think he’d pick up on it?”

Ritsu feels like the air in his gut has been completely punched out of him. However slowly he was coming around on Reigen before, he’s now had the rug pulled out from underneath him, and the hard smack of the ground is stinging his conscious. 

Reigen is completely right. How on earth did this happen?

Has he really not been trusting Shigeo? Since he got his psychic powers, Ritsu thought that any of the conflict between them had all but faded away, and they can now relate to each other through common goals, through similar ideals. How is it that Reigen can understand Shigeo better than his own brother can? Is Ritsu at fault for this?

It makes sense, though, Ritsu reasons; Reigen is older, he knows more about people and he spends enough time around Shigeo. Maybe Ritsu can take some cues from him.

Awakening his psychic powers always seemed like a reset button for Ritsu, like that point in his life was where everything turned on its head. He got the powers he always wanted, and now he never has to succumb to his brotherly envy again. But, maybe he’s simplifying it too much. There’s more to his relationship with his brother than their psychic powers, and there’s more to himself than whether or not he has powers — there always has been. That much should be obvious to him, so shouldn’t he grant the same point of view to his brother? Shigeo’s more than just the greatest psychic — he is not his powers. He’s his own person, and if Reigen is right about him changing so much so recently, then Ritsu’s really got nothing to worry about.

“Ugh,” Ritsu scoffs, the weight of his realisation finally taking hold on his shoulders. “You’re right.” He sits up straighter, looking around the room. It doesn’t feel any different to before, just the way that he fits into it has changed. He looks back to Reigen, and sighs. “So, how am I getting paid for this, anyway?”

Reigen thinks for a second. “What’s your favourite food?”

“Um…I like tofu. And boiled pork.”

Reigen nods, storing the information away. “Let’s see what we can get you after this, okay?”

“Wait, really?” Reigen would really be willing to buy food for him, even when he’s been adverse to him this whole time?

“Of course. Just make sure you don’t tank my business today, and we’ll get something afterwards.”

Ritsu blinks. Yeah, he definitely should learn to trust Shigeo more. His master is pretty alright.

“Thank you.”

[thegameslave]

The Professional Gamer - February 9, 2019

Well, this has been a fun end to a week. I had a quick day trip out to Albuquerque (via plane) to have a look at a project site. I'll be posting this on Saturday afternoon, but as of late on Friday, I'm on a train heading from the Denver Airport back to my house. In other news, I caught back up on the seasonal anime. Well, for the most part. I have one more episode of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime to watch. Come to think of it, I guess I'm not actually watching a whole lot of anime this season. I'd change that, but it might mean watching some of the shows that, at least on first appearance, seem a little trashy. This intro has gone on long enough, let's get to the meat. Spoilers abound for Mob Psycho 100 and Slime; you have been warned.

First up is Mob Psycho 100, which has been an emotional ride in the last few weeks. Shigeo was really tested and presented with an alternative way to live his life and use his powers. We'd seen him start to question what might happen to the world if he was to become selfish. "Who would be able to stop me?" he asked. Then, just a few episodes later, an evil spirit is trying to show him how terrible the world is, and how he should use his powers for his own benefit. In the end, Shigeo not only rejects this premise, but turns it around. He sees the wonderful people around him as a gift, and remonstrates himself for not thanking them enough. Through all of this, we see a somewhat different side of Reigen too. He still seems to be rather exploitative of Shigeo, but there seems to be a greater sense of care behind it. The fact that Shigeo has taken Reigen's edict to "never use his powers against humans" to heart, is a huge part of Shigeo’s character. The fact that one of Shigeo’s guiding principals comes from a man like Reigen is incredible. I suppose everyone is rather lucky that Shigeo took up with Reigen and not someone with serious ambitions. I look forward to seeing how this character development continues.

On another note, this season of Mob has been amazing for its animation and visual effects. The fight in the world of the subconscious is fluid and complex, looking more like the quality of animation that I expect in a feature length project, rather than a television show. The success of the first season seems to have provided the folks who control the money with incentive to invest in this property, to ensure that it is off exceptional quality. I just hope that the last few episodes didn't blow the entire budget and we'll have stick figures animated at 12 frames per second for the rest of the series.

This is the part where I put my recommendation. Mob is an enormously fun show, which manages to include both comedy and poignant emotional beats. It is a bit hard to classify. I can't just say, "If you like comedy, this is the show for you." Like most shows of great quality, Mob is complex, offering action, comedy, slapstick, and drama, usually all in one episode. You should watch Mob Psycho 100. You may have a bit of catch up to do, if you haven't seen the first season, but there is nothing else that would be a better use of your anime viewing time right now.

Moving on to That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. I have previously discussed how this show seems to be moving from an RPG inspired isekai to something more akin to a strategy game. Now, having watched a few more episodes, I'm not sure that this has been the best decision for the show. If nothing else, a lot of things feel too easy for Rimuru. The thing that really stuck me, was the short development time for the Max Potions, and then subsequent lack of exploitation. In the space of a single episode, they had solved the problem of refining the herbs to the level necessary for creation of the Max Potions, and then promptly stopped caring. I have to assume that researchers had been working on that problem for awhile. Finding solutions to issues like that usually take some time. At least in our world. And you better believe that someone would exploit that development. Powerful creatures in the world would certainly pay handsomely for a potion that can restore even their massive hit point pools during battle. Imagine the Demon Lords stocking Max Potions for their favored lackeys, or Kings purchasing them to keep their champions on the field.

I also take issue with the tendency for everything to look more human as it becomes more powerful. This choice feels more centered around a desire to make the female characters sexually appealing than to make them compelling and interesting. On a similar note, the Demon Lord Milim’s costume is off-putting. Why does she walk around in clothes that don't even fit her properly? Again, this is a choice made that intends to reward the male gaze rather than create a compelling character. I don't think that skimpy clothing is wrong, but it needs to make sense with relation to the character. Milim is a kinda goofy and child-like person, and a skimpy outfit doesn't make sense in that context.

As you may have gathered, I'm not as excited by Slime as I was earlier in the series. My recommendation is therefore made with some reservation. If you really care about politics and strategy, this might still be a good series for you. If you enjoy breast physics, there might be something for you here as well. As for me, I'll probably finish watching this season due to the sunk cost fallacy and a sense of inertia. But at this point, if you aren't already watching, I don't recommend picking it up.

The last little bit of news that I would like to share is that I've successfully paired one of my old WiiU Pro controllers to my computer and figured out how to play Stardew Valley with it. I never got super into Stardew Valley, in part because I have never been a big Harvest Moon fan. I think they are fine games in concept, but they don't hold my attention very well. On top of that, I was not a fan of the mouse and keyboard control scheme in the PC version. Now that I have a portable computer and a controller, I'll be much more inclined to play it. Maybe Crystal and I can try out the co-op? We had been planning to for some time, but never got around to it.

And that's it. I'll be spending my time tomorrow running around: first with an 11 mile training run, a breakfast meeting, and then heading out to my favorite running store to get some new shoes. I hope to catch you all again next time. Until then, have a great week and game on.

[joycrispy]

Mob Psycho 100? 😀 (& maybe also NGE if that hasn't already been asked??)

YAY!!! I’LL DO BOTH.

MOB PSYCHO 100

§  CharacterI first fell in love with:

Reigen! Liked him right away, skeevy as he seemedat first. Then he just kept getting better. One of the few people in the worldof animation who seems to know how to look after a 14-year-old boy.

§  CharacterI never expected to love as much as I do now:

Teru. Bad, baaaad first impression. But he’s a goodkid. Terumob is a sweet ship, also.

§  Charactereveryone loves but I don’t:

I’m actually not very in-touch with the MP100fandom, so I don’t know who’s generally liked or disliked, but…Dimple??? I don’tdislike him, I just wouldn’t call myself a fan either.

§  CharacterI love but everyone else hates:

I don’t know who everybody hates so I’ll just takethis opportunity to say Mob/Shigeo is a sweetheart and I want only happinessfor him.

§  CharacterI used to love but don’t any longer:

Hey so the art in this series is really great, huh?Studio Bones did some great stuff there. Love the paint-on-glass technique (noreal answer for this one either).

§  CharacterI would kiss:

I would kiss Shigeo on his little forehead and givehim a lunchbox, if he was cool with that.

§  CharacterI want to slap:

Anyone who ever causes Shigeo even a modicum ofstress.

§  Apairing I love:

I don’t feel very strongly about any potentialpairings in this show. Whatever makes the characters happy, I guess.

§  Apairing I hate:

Anything that puts an underage character with anadult/their parent figure. No. No. No.

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION

§  CharacterI first fell in love with:

SHINJI, in a big way. I also liked Misato and Rei rightaway (and Gendo, though in a different, antagonistic way), but Shinji became afave very early on and all at once. It was one of his early hellscreams thatmade me go ‘ah, yes, I’m going to like this character very much.’ I enjoy agood Shinji Ikari™ hellscream.

§  CharacterI never expected to love as much as I do now:

Asuka, actually! Hers was an arc that I reallyneeded to see in full before I could appreciate it. Please imagine me justFREAKING THE FUCK OUT during her fight against the MP EVAs and being SO PROUDOF HER.

Anyway, now all my favorite scenes in the seriesare Asuka scenes and I bought a cake for her birthday this year. So.

§  Charactereveryone loves but I don’t:

…Kaaaaajiiiii. I mean, not *everyone* loves him,but…

§  CharacterI love but everyone else hates:

I don’t think she’s *hated,* necessarily, but I dowish I saw more quality Ritsuko content/meta around here. She’s one of the corecharacters of the original series, after all.

§  CharacterI used to love but don’t any longer:

I do feel Gendo’s writing has gone downhill in theRebuild series. Maybe it’ll pay off somehow. ‘Til then…*shrugs*

It doesn’t matter much. I still love the originalGendo.

§  CharacterI would kiss:

Misato, for sure.

Also I would kiss every one of the children ontheir little foreheads and give them lunchboxes. If they were cool with that.

I don’t see why I can’t be a loving aunt to all sadanime children.

§  CharacterI want to slap:

GENDO. KAJI.PUT ALL OF SEELE IN A LINE AND I’LLRUN DOWN IT SLAPPING THEM ALL.

§  Apairing I love:

…

*slightlyunhinged laughter*

Someone help me.

§  Apairing I hate:

…I’ve typed and deleted a lot of stuff. It’s asurprisingly complicated answer. Mostly because “hate” is entirely the wrongword.

Okay, look, let’s just say…same as my MP100 answer,okay? Let’s leave it at that.

…This fucking show.

[takemob-stuff]

Breaking Routine, chap.2

Kageyama Ritsu is known for being good at a lot of things. He knows how to look at the root of people’s problems and address these concerns accordingly. This makes him a good second year’s student council representative. He’s athletic which is why he gives the higher level students a run for their money when competes against them. His intelligence coupled with efficient study methods and scheduling is why he has good grades and track record of being an honor student. And, just last year, Kageyama Ritsu became an esper. And after a year of training with his peers, he’s at least an above average psychic.  With all these under his belt, Ritsu considers himself, at the very least, to be a capable person. There were a lot of things he can do. Yet despite all of this, he isn’t able to relate to his older brother, a person he’s known his entire life.

At first, the younger Kageyama thought that the only thing he doesn’t understand is his brother’s animosity towards his own psychic powers. But as he immerses himself in the world his brother has known since meeting Reigen, he finds that there are a lot more things he doesn’t understand about the older Kageyama. One of which is Shigeo’s trusting nature. Ritsu initially assumed that his brother may just be gullible. And yet each time his brother chooses to trust someone who was only out to use him (i.e. Reigen and Dimple), he manages to prove that they were worthy of his trust. The honor student was unsure if his brother could see the redeemable qualities in people or if he just happens to bring them out without meaning to.

Ritsu asked about how the elder knows whom to trust.

“I just do.” Shigeo says with a small smile.

The answer does very little to reassure the younger Kageyama.

This means that his brother is using his instinct which is pretty much dictated by probability. Given that his brother has no reliable method to know, Ritsu’s afraid that one day, Shigeo would trust someone that would end up hurting him. His brother has good streak of luck so far. He was bound to make a mistake soon.  

The younger Kageyama contemplates all this while absent mindedly staring at the news reporter babble about something that probably wasn’t important.

The atmosphere around their home shifted.

“I’m home.”  

Ah. That’s why.

“Welcome home, Nii- ah. You’re soaking wet!”

“I forgot to bring an umbrella.” Shigeo says meekly.

“Shigeo! You’re home early. You should’ve at least waited for the rain to stop first. Although this was certainly unexpected, the weatherman said the storm wouldn’t come for another three days! Ritsu, can you get a towel for your brother, please?” Their mother asked.

“Okay” Ritsu proceeded up the stairs to do as he was told.  

So that’s what the reporter was saying. But more importantly, the elder esper simply could’ve put up a barrier.  

Their mother turned back to her elder son. “I’ll make you some tea.”

Shigeo shook his head. “I’d just like some soup with our dinner please.”

“You still have some appetite even after your snacks?” Even from the top of the stairs, Ritsu could see his brother flinch.

“Y-yes.”

Their mother was skeptical but let it pass. “I suppose you are a growing boy.” She ruffled his still dripping hair. “Well, I’ll go prepare dinner then.”

That was odd. Ritsu looked at the clock. His mother was right to note the time. His brother is hardly home this early when he goes out with Takenaka.

“Here you go nii-san.” The younger Kageyama hands the towel to the elder.

“Ah, thank you Ritsu.” Years of living with Kageyama Shigeo taught Ritsu how to recognize the slightest change in his brother’s tone. He could detect mild somberness in the one used just now. His worry pushes him to pry.

“So Takenaka-senpai didn’t have an umbrella either?”

He sees his brother stiffen. “Y-you could say that.”

“Did something happen, Nii-san?”

“Um…” He follows his brother’s gaze towards the dining area where their parents were.

“Right, later then.”

Their mother wasn’t one to concern herself with the affairs of her children. As long as they were safe and happy, she wouldn’t pry. But Ritsu knew their mother had tendencies to pry when it comes to their relationships. Thankfully, the younger Kageyama brother picked up a few diversionary tactics from Reigen. He hates to admit it but he supposes hanging out in his office has done more than just help him hone his powers. Dinner time went by without a hitch. The spoons twisted that night were blamed on Shigeo’s impending cold.

After Ritsu helped clear the table, he made his way into his room and saw that Shou was spaming his messenger again. He scrolled through them to see if it was about something important. Memes. He should’ve known. Ritsu rolled his eyes before placing his phone on his desk only for it to levitate alongside random objects in his room. The younger Kageyama sighed and looked at the wall separating his brother’s room from his.

It was that bad, huh?

Ritsu grabbed the various levitating objects and stuffed all of them in his drawer and locked it. He’d fix that later he reassured the part of his mind that was nagging him to put everything in its right place. He then made his way to the room next to his and knocked. He heard sniffling noises and the door unlocking.

When Shigeo opened the door, Ritsu could see red rimming the elder’s eyes. Guess the warm bath didn’t help much.

“Oh sorry, nii-san. Are you tired? Maybe we can do this when you’re feeling better.”

Shigeo shook his head. “I might not be able to sleep well if I don’t talk about it.” He stepped aside and let the younger Kageyama in.

Heh. I might not be able to sleep either, thought Ritsu.

Ritsu’s been inside his brother’s room a thousand times or so and yet he still couldn’t wrap his head around how his brother was okay with this set up. Shigeo’s room contained a closet and his futon. His school bag sat at one of the corners along with his other school materials. It was barely furbished compared to Ritsu’s. He didn’t get the rationale behind it. It’s not like lessening the furniture is going to make Shigeo’s powers less dangerous. Even now, Ritsu could hear the faint clattering of the various objects struggling to break out of the drawer in his room.

Shigeo fixed his futon and sat cross-legged on top of his blanket. He pats the space next to him and manages a small sheepish smile despite looking sick. Ritsu took this as his cue to sit down.

“So. Uh…” Ritsu struggled to start.

“Tsubomi-chan was Takenaka-kun’s partner today.”

The younger Kageyama was taken aback by his brother’s abruptness in talking about his issue. Ritsu felt a chill run down his spine. The information disclosed wasn’t particularly shocking so it was surprising that that happened. Unless-

“He made me sit up front. They won and then…” Shigeo wouldn’t meet Ritsu’s eyes and fiddled with a loose thread on his pajamas. “T-they hugged. And…I shouldn’t be this upset but…” Ritsu could see his older brother struggle. “They look good together.” The older Kageyama’s shoulders slumped with resignation. The younger Kageyama knew then that his fears were confirmed. His brother trusted the wrong person. The younger esper could feel anger bubbling in his chest.

“He seemed so happy, Ritsu. And, as a friend, shouldn’t I be happy for him? I…I just don’t understand why I couldn’t feel happy.”

Takenaka is a jerk and you shouldn’t feel the need to sympathize with him is what Ritsu would’ve said. That was probably an explanation that was too hostile for his brother to accept. And that was already a heavily edited version of what he originally had in mind.  

“Well you have been pining over Tsubomi-senpai for quite some time. And you’ve been trying really hard to be someone she’d like. It’s understandable that you wouldn’t feel happy since his happiness is contrast with what would make you happy.”

You can be selfish for a change, brother, assert yourself. Don’t feel bad about this. He’s not worth it. Ritsu thought to himself.

The older Kageyama considered this for a few moments before shaking his head. “I don’t think that’s it.”

“I’m sorry?”

“T-that’s not it. I’ve realized that I could be happy even when I wasn’t walking home hand in hand with Tsubomi-chan. I was content when it was you, Teru or Shou I walked home with. I felt glad to know that I got stronger with the Body Improvement Club. I’ve been happy with my improvements even without the goal of needing to impress her.”  Shigeo idly drew swirls on his futon with his finger.

“Do you ever think about what you’re going to do after you confess to Takane-san?”

“Hm.” Shigeo pondered the question. “Yes, we’ll walk home together hand in hand while the sun sets.”

“No, you goof. That’s not what I meant.” Takenaka chuckled. Shigeo just stares at him. The telepath takes this as a sign to explain.

“Okay. One, you’re not even sure if she’d accept your confession walk home with you. And two, what’s with you and sunsets?” Shigeo broke eye contact meaning he was seriously thinking about the question. “No. Wait. Don’t answer that.” Takenaka rubbed at his temples but he was still smiling. “What I meant was, do you have other goals in case things don’t go according to your plan?” The psychic continues to stare at him, his head cocking to the side.

“Look, Kageyama, we both know that...” The telepath takes a pause, looks down on his shoes and considers the words he would use. And Shigeo thinks he might be insulted again. “…things don’t always work out the way we plan. We want to help out but end up making things worse sometimes.” Takenaka has weak smile on his face. The telepath absent mindedly re-adjusts one of his earplugs.

Oh.

“And…well, isn’t it bad that you’ve been doing all this for just one goal?” Takenaka looked at Shigeo to see if there was any hint of understanding what he meant. When he found none, he sighed.

“It’s either you really don’t understand what I’m saying here or you’re so dead set on winning Takane-san over that you don’t even consider anything else.” The telepath chuckled. He repositioned himself so he’s facing Mob.

“But it’s like,” Takenaka grappled for the right words. He spotted a discarded tennis ball he was supposed to be looking for and grabbed it. He began tossing the ball up and catching it. “It’s like training your whole life for one tournament. If you come to the competition with the singular goal of winning a championship and you don’t win it, what was your whole life for then? You’ll just end up unhappy.”

The telepath glances at his friend who seems to be deep in thought. He continued, “But if you train with people who care about you, measure how much you’ve improved each day, and do something else you love in the little breaks you get between training sessions, you’ll find that losing isn’t as painful. And that you’d find yourself willing to go through that training all over again. The point is, just enjoy the little victories.”

“I think I get it now,” Takenaka caught the ball and gazed at his friend who was intently staring at his own fingers.  Mob meets Takenaka’s gaze “Thank you for your concern Takenaka-kun but I won’t be unhappy even when she rejects me because I know I’ve gained friends along the way that I can rely on.” The timid boy smiles, “friends like you”

Takenaka was taken aback. His face flushes and he looks to the side. “It’s not that I’m concerned about you, idiot.” He glances at Mob and grins. “But I’m glad you understand.”

Shigeo manages a small smile at the memory. He looked up at Ritsu, “And I feel especially happy when Takenaka-kun and I- Oh.” The elder Kageyama’s eyes widened slightly at the realization. The third year’s study materials begin flipping themselves open and float around. In the other room, he heard a thud. He’s not sure if something fell out of place or if it was just Shou breaking in again.

“Ritsu” his brother said with faint urgency.  “Ritsu, I l-like…Oh no.”

Ritsu could feel his own panic rising. He’s filled with conflicting emotions because his brother is falling for someone who’d likely break his heart. He swallows thickly, “You like Takenaka-senpai?”

Shigeo blushes furiously. The light bulb in Shigeo’s room broke, just like a part of Ritsu’s sanity. He was so exasperated with the situation that he pulled at his hair, controlled his urge to punch something and opted to lightly pound at the futon they were currently sitting on, and screamed all sorts of profanities in his head in case Takenaka was listening. By the time Shigeo fixes the light in his room, Ritsu had the same expression he had prior to the lights going off. The younger Kageyama manages an eerily calm, “Oh.”

“You don’t seem surprised.” Shigeo draws his knees closer to his chest.

“Nii-san, it’s not that surprising to be honest.” But I’m still fucking pissed about it.

And it really wasn’t. They suspected it for a while. But what was particularly infuriating for Ritsu is that his brother figures it out only when Takenaka decides to show his true nature.

Making my brother sit up front while you flirt up a storm with Takane-san. You shit. I’ll show you. Hostile thoughts aside, Ritsu still has brotherly duties to attend to since his brother was giving him a questioning look.

“Things float around without your knowledge when you’re with him,” Things I’d like to smash on his head.

“You only talk about the best things about him,” Despite that fact that he’s a fuckin’ jerk since day one.  “And that’s just to name a few” Fuuuuuuuck. Ritsu smiled, his lips twitch a little due to the effort but the older Kageyama isn’t likely to notice.

Shigeo stared at his feet and sniffled “Y-you think he noticed too?”

Ritsu was not a mind reader and he knew. And Takenaka was. Which means he probably knew before anyone else did yet he still pulled that stunt. But for the sake of his brother,

“No. It’s not likely that he’d notice. Takenaka-senpai is usually preoccupied with something else.”

While you, nii-san, were preoccupied with him. The thought makes him clench his fist in anger.

Shigeo visibly relaxes. He proceeds to draw little swirls on his futon again, “I-I don’t think I want to see him for a while, Ritsu. At least not until I figure out how to tell him about why I didn’t wait for him and left.”

That’s odd. The younger meant to ask why but now probably not the best time. Ritsu considered the conundrum.

“Hm. That’s pretty difficult since you’re in the same class.”

Shigeo deflates at that statement. “But he does still tend to skip classes a lot. I’ll help you come up with a plan just in case he’s there.” Finally, something in his skill set can be used to help his brother.

“Ah. Thank you, Ritsu.” The smile Shigeo gives him almost erased all the pent up hostility against the telepath.

“So here’s what we’ll do,“

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 1/14/19

After Hours, Vol. 3 | By Yuhta Nishio | Viz Media – The scenes in this book of the rave, before, after and during, as well as what comes next, are fantastic, and the volume is worth picking up for that reason alone. That said, the romance in this third volume is the weak point. Kei abruptly disappears from Emi’s life right as Emi is ready to move into Kei’s life permanently, and while the family issues that Kei has to deal with are understandable, the author seems to think it’s 1959 and not 2019. You have phones! The journey by bus is a long one, but completely doable! There is no need for the ambiguous “maybe ever after” of this ending. That said, overall I found this series highly enjoyable, and if they want to do a sequel with Emi alone running raves, I’m cool with that too. – Sean Gaffney

Chihayafuru, Vol. 14 | By Yuki Suetsugu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Mizusawa has made it to the semi-finals of the national tournament, facing a team led by Megumu Ousaka, a candidate for Queen. Although Chihaya ultimately loses against her, she makes quite the impression on her opponent and others, causing one observer to think, “I never knew another girl this good existed.” I loved that it’s Desk-kun who seals the team’s ultimate victory, but less than an hour later, they’re facing formidable opponents in the finals. Fujisaki is full of Class A players but Chihaya’s opponent has an additional advantage: her grandmother is the reciter and she’s especially attuned to her nuances. Tense, fun, addictive, emotionally rewarding… I always want more when I get current with this series. – Michelle Smith

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vol. 29-30 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | Viz Media – In Japan, sports manga tend to have varying endings, with either the team winning it all or losing in the semis and resolving to try harder. North America tends to see a lot more of the former, so hope you like our heroes winning. It’s as well-handled as you’d expect, and I really enjoyed the development shown in Kuroko, Kagami, and Akashi here. There’s also a nice epilogue where Riko reminds us there’s a new tournament in the Spring, and they have to recruit! But for now let’s enjoy both their victory and the fact that the old Miracle Generation have mostly resolved their differences. The last shot has the old middle school picture balanced with his high school team, which is lovely to see. Do we get the sequel? – Sean Gaffney

Lovesick Ellie, Vol. 7 | By Fujimomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Last time, I was a little worried that drama fueled by misunderstandings would become the norm for Lovesick Ellie, but I’m happy to report that no longer seems to be the case. While it is true that Ellie’s classmates get the wrong idea about her relationship with Kaname and Ohmi is freaked out by this rival, never at any point does Ohmi think she’s actually cheating on him. In fact, he opens up to Kaname about his insecurities, potentially making a friend in the process, and takes a good look at the kind of boyfriend Kaname could’ve been to her that he presently can’t be. With his focus on acting how other people expect, and remaining the other girls’ princely ideal, he’s never acknowledged Ellie as his girlfriend. Now, he’s ready for people to know how special she is to him. I’m so glad this series is back on track! – Michelle Smith

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 33 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I will admit the high point of Magi for me was the resolution of my ship, and the rest is just gravy. (Though I did enjoy the naive Alibaba being horrified at having a fight with Morgiana—that seems to have lasted five seconds.) But yeah, Sinbad’s still trying to make the world be at peace, and his methods are growing more and more horrible, as Kou’s dramatic cessation from the Alliance causes him to challenge God and emerge with the “it’s OK if I just mind control everyone to see it my way” solution. Sadly, Aladdin does not see this as anything but despotism. Aladdin is right, of course, but this is still Alibaba’s title, so he gets to mediate between these two. Who will he side with? – Sean Gaffney

Mob Psycho 100, Vol. 1 | By One | Dark Horse – There were several reasons why I was interested in reading Mob Psycho 100, the two most prominent being that One is the original creator of One-Punch Man (which I have been greatly enjoying) and that there was so much excitement surrounding the Mob Psycho 100 anime (which I still need to watch). But the main reason that I’ll continue to read Mob Psycho 100 is that I absolutely loved the first volume. Shigeo is a young man with superhuman powers which he tends to control by suppressing his emotions. Life being life, and middle school being middle school, there’s only so much he can bottle up before exploding. His mentor is Reigen, a spirit medium whose only extraordinary skill seems to be the ability to somehow convince others that he’s a legitimate exorcist despite all evidence to the contrary. Mob Psycho 100 is terrific, with a great sense of quirky humor and heart. – Ash Brown

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 6 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – The volumes of Queen’s Quality seem to alternate between characters saying that Fumi is too weak and characters saying Kyutaro is too weak, and this time around it’s the latter, as he really gets put through the ringer here. The training they have to take on may involve some unsettling looks at Fumi’s background and heritage, which to be fair we’ve known was coming since the first volume. I admit I am somewhat surprised by Ataru’s promotion to sidekick-type character, but he serves it well, though there’s also a nasty flashback to his past I’m sure he’d rather do without. This wasn’t the best volume of Queen’s Quality, but that’s likely as it was transitional, and it’s still pretty solid. – Sean Gaffney

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 8 | By Rei Toma | VIZ Media – Asahi’s time as a captive in the underworld is brief, though it does afford us a few nice scenes in which the worried Water Dragon God is trying to find her. Instead, most of the volume is focused on Kurose, a boy from our world who seems to have become the plaything of Tokoyami, the god of the underworld. Kurose had a horrible home life and after potentially dying, he wakes in the underworld and is promptly whisked off to a village where he experiences kindness and a loving family for the first time. That is, until war comes and the Water Dragon God refuses to notice his desperation to save someone he cares about. I’m left to wonder… did this all really happen, or was Tokoyami mentally torturing him to create an ally in a vendetta against the Water Dragon God? Very intriguing! – Michelle Smith

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 8 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – There was a surprising swerve in this volume. After dealing with rescuing Asahi from turning into a rotting zombie, and seeing the Water Dragon God have to deal with these pesky things called feelings, the rest of the volume is devoted to sketching out the tragic backstory of Kurose, the mini-villain from the end of the last volume. Not only is he merely a useful puppet to the true Big Bad, but he’s also a lot closer to Asahi than she might suspect, and has a suitably tragic backstory—in more than one world. I was expecting the adorable little girl he befriends to be horrible killed, and she is, but that may not be the end for her, unfortunately. Riveting. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown

[mashimarorabbit]

1. Favorite anime?

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, and if I had to get specific, DiU. It’s not my favorite part but obviously the others have yet to be animated. We shall see. I also really love HxH, Cowboy Bebop, Mob Psycho and Fullmetal will always have a place in my heart. Yeah, I know, kinda generic answers. *shrugs*

2. Your worst anime?

I can’t do SAO, and I absolutely loathe Fairy Tail. The sudden “THROUGH THE POWER OF NAKAMA, I AM S TRONK” stuff makes me cringe when it’s in sheer excess. But honestly, if I find it horrid, I just stop watching and wipe it from my memory sooooo I can’t think of too many. I also can’t call anime “my worst anime”, just anime I couldn’t get into or didn’t like. Watching DBZ, for example, becomes a drag because it’ssofreakingslowfinishthefightalready. But there’s no denying that it’s a classic and inspired a lot of stuff that came after it.

3. Do you read the manga that goes along with the anime you watch?

I actually read manga far more than I watch anime. It’s faster for me and I get the author’s original intended plotline. Also, I’m impatient and I wanna know what happens. I usually watch the anime after I’ve read the manga. Though, recently, I’ve finally started watching more anime without the manga. 

4. Most favorite genre?

I guess shounen? But there are plenty shounen I can’t stand as well. I can’t say for sure one thing, but I do like the introspective psychological thrillers like Paranoia Agent. I also like anime that kind of poke fun at its genre and doesn’t take itself too seriously like Jojo’s and OPM. And honestly a lot of anime switches tones/dives into all sorts of different genres (HxH), but I do need my action.

5. Least favorite genres?

See, I want to say Shojo, but I love Akagami no Shirayukihime to bits. Maaaybe straight-up horror. Not because they’re not good, though. It’s because I’m a chicken.  

6. Favorite character/s?

We’re gonna be here all day pls. Caesar, Jotaro, Kakyoin, Rohan, Gyro, Diego, Hot Pants, Yasuho, and Jojolion’s Kira from JJBA because I love WAY too many chars from that. Akutagawa from BSD. Shigeo, Teru, and Reigen from MP 100. Arima from Tokyo Ghoul. Those are the ones off the top of my head. I’m bad with favorites.

7. Least favorite character/s?

I can’t stand Sakura from Naruto, but I mostly blame the poor handling of her story because she was cool in the saving-Gaara arc. I really don’t like Koichi from JJBA idk why. 

8. Qualities you like in a character?

Clever, I guess. I don’t care if they’re goofy (Joseph Joestar) or an edgelord (Itachi). As long as they don’t come off horribly annoying, they can really mix up a show and make it more interesting. I also really do love my villains. Like Hisoka from HxH is unpredictable, so when he’s around, it’s hard to tell which way the story’s gonna go next. I’m just a sucker for morally gray (or just not moral) characters. 

9. Short or long anime?

Short lately for saving time’s sake. I also have the worst attention span. But I have made it through long stuff. *cough Jojo’s cough*

10. Anime or manga?

Manga for getting more story faster and just aaaart. Anime for VA, animation, music, ughhh. I like both. So much effort goes into both. I just hate it when the anime stops being faithful like Tokyo Ghoul’s s2 COMPLETELY GOING AGAINST the manga’s story. The choices they made for that also lacked logic. Waste of decent animation and budget >.<

11. How do you choose the anime you watch?

Usually good reviews, friends’ recs, the studio, and seeing if I like the plot summary. 

12. Skip or listen to intros/outros?

Depends on the OP/ED and if I’m in a hurry to squish in an episode. If it’s pretty and catchy I usually don’t skip.

13. How do you cope if your friends or family don’t like you watching anime?

I separate my friend groups so I don’t dump my weeb fangirling woes on them. As for family...ahaha... I watch when they’re not around. It’s been easier for me to do so now because uni so. 

14. Do you stop an anime midway if you don’t like it?

Eyup. Definitely. I’m picky as hell and if something seems too generic I’ll stop. I usually give something 4 episodes to get me hooked unless my friend begs me to keep going. Usually seeing tropey things make me wanna stop immediately.

Errrr. Gonna tag @seridano