#once again no sign of serizawa :(

[psykoe100]

NEW OFFICIAL ART!!!!!!

THEY ALL LOOK SO GOOD!!!!!!!!

also REIGEN FOREHEAD?????? REIGEN WITH THE SHIMAZAKI HAIR????

[emeraldoodles]

Shigeo is asking Reigen for advice on asking out a special boy!

I really love @pearliegrimm fic "Sometimes That's Better". It's hilarious and I was literally laughing out loud while reading it. I hope to draw more comics from the fic (adding to my long list of WIPs).

This is a scene from the very first chapter, so if you enjoyed it go check out the fic!

[acermp100]

WAWA WEEK PART 6: THE FINAL WAWA

Decided to post my combo tonight. So yeah, I wrapped together the last two prompts: Comfort and Birthday.

HAPPY BDAY WAWA!!!!!!!!

Serizawa is sick and Reigen comes over to care for him.

I have had many a respiratory diseases so sorry for the projecting.

Teen Audience. Seri Rei be here in full force. Depictions of illness and suffering. Dimple sass. Snuggles.

~3000k words

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Opening his eyes just led to more pain. Light, be it natural or from electricity, seemed to drive toward the back of head, increasing the dizziness before plunging into his stomach to do more damage. It wasn’t that he was hungry; more that he had tried to eat too many times and now lay in failure. And that constant, throbbing ache in his temples didn’t help either.

Serizawa rolled over hoping that lying on his back would provide a fraction of relief. Used tissues had long over filled the little trashcan he had brought to the side of his bed. Groping at the nightstand, he managed to find a clean one but nothing would stop the visceral coughing whenever he took more than a shallow breath. It started out at a little chest cold: a bit of a tickle in the back of his throat and a runny nose. Now a few days later he didn’t even have the energy to take medication let alone keep it down. Weary eyes wandered toward to bathroom door before Serizawa curled up in on himself under the blankets.

Nope. Too  hot. He thought he had managed to create a decent homeostasis with his legs outside and his chest protected, but instead all the heat would swell into his head bleed from there, leaving him sweating even with the blankets fully off. Then a shiver would start and he’d have to wake up long enough to bundle himself once more.

Sleep would be nice. That’s what his mother always said- just lie in bed for a day, drink some juice, have some soup and it will be fine. His clouded mind attempted to recall if he ever suffered an illness this severe and long when a kid, however that just brought back memories he’d rather keep buried. A groan as he rotated once more, limbs and joints ever sore.

None of this compared to the shame writhing in his guts at having to call off work. It was day three now and all of his desperate attempts to get back into shape had only made him feel worse. Still, he kept his phone by his head ready to text at the first sign of good news. The weekend lay far away and even then he was missing classes and running out of food and clean laundry. His head seemed to buzz with even more pain and he let out a grunt, one eye opening. It turned out to be his phone.

“Happy birthday, son!” Came the text, followed by several heart emojis. “I hope you feel better soon and the care package I brought helped. Love, Mom.”

He cracked a tired grin as tears weld up in his eyes, not helping his congested sinuses. His birthday. He had forgotten all about it. Lifting his head he could still see the quaint basket his mom had brought over a few days earlier. Cookies he was unable taste now, medication that sadly couldn’t tackle even a half of his symptoms, cans of soup he was too weak to heat up, and a little potted plant that was slowly drooping from lack of water. Wincing, Serizawa buried his face in an arm and began to desperately sob into a sweat drenched sleeve.

His phone buzzed again. Sorry, mom. I’ll reply later. Just assume I’m asleep. But it went off again. And again. On the fourth time, Serizawa gritted his teeth and reached for the annoying thing, laying back into the pillow while his eyes tried to focus on the screen.

“Hey Tsuya. I rang but you didn’t answer.”

“You in there?”

“Please answer or I’m going to kick down the door.”

“KATSUYA PLEASE DON’T BE DEAD.”

A moan followed by slow, heavy footsteps. Serizawa had to brace himself against the wall with an arm before gathering enough strength to even unlock and open the door.

“Heeeey there!”

Reigen stood just outside with arms full of packages and bags. From the reaction, Serizawa assumed his pale face and sunken eyes with a raw, red nose and cheeks wasn’t doing him any favors. Without the will to even crack a welcoming expression, he glared ahead as he took short, rasping breaths. No ill will intended but appearing sociable was not exactly the first thing on his mind.

“Door bell’s broken. Sorry.” A bit of a phlegmy hack followed his words.

“Dude, you look fucking horrible.”

While Reigen still wrestled with figuring out if Serizawa had turned into a zombie or not, Dimple chimed in.

“Wait. What?” Serizawa stumbled back a bit, still holding on to the door frame. “Why are you here? It’s still the middle of the day right?” A panic as he glanced at his phone. 10:23am and still Tuesday. Didn’t lose track of the date yet. “Don’t you have clients to-“

Reigen was already letting himself in and setting down all his bundles, organizing them on the mail covered table near Serizawa’s meager kitchen.

“I brought some soup and medications- the really good stuff I use when I used to get sick running on one meal a day.” Bottles and cans and veggies with other ingredients even a blanket and some cooling pads. “And Shinra send over this charm that is supposed to keep spirits from getting at you when ill.”

“Hmph.” Dimple rolled his eyes at the little golden and beaded tag. “Telling you right now that’s just gonna gather dust.”

Reigen glared up mid opening a bottle of cough syrup. “Can you not for like ten minutes?”

“Just saying!”

Having used his legs longer than he had ever in the past few days, Serizawa limped over to the table and used a chair as a crutch, wincing from muscles sore from both disuse and inflammation.

“Reigen-san. What- what about the office?” He stared down at a week’s supply of food and medication. “How long are you-“

“Nope.” Reigen held a finger against Serizawa’s lips. “I’m here to care for you for as long as it takes. And the office-” A glance away while he tried to come up with the right words. “I decided to close for a bit.” He couldn’t meet Serizawa’s eyes but still managed to turn back. “You need to get back on your feet.”

In the dark apartment it was hard to tell if anyone was blushing, but a confused joy swelled in Serizawa’s chest and he straightened up, only to be taken by a rough spasm of coughs. Reigen frowned. After a few short breaths to catch back up, Serizawa tried to speak again.

“You- you both came to take care of- of me?”

“Hell no.” Dimple pointed at Reigen. “He’s the one doing the gross stuff.” A grin as he started to float backward. “I’m here to wait outside and scare the pants off of any would be solicitors.”

“Yeah. He loves doing that now.” Reigen let out a sigh, brining a hand to his face. “I found out the hard way when MY PAKAGES STOPPED SHOWING UP.”

The angry gripe was not received as Dimple had already slipped through the closed door.

A long sigh. “Welp, start off by taking some of this.” Reigen help up a little clear, plastic cup filled with a bright red liquid. “It helps a ton with keeping coughing down and I assume you have a sore throat too.”

Serizawa nodded back. Even with his sense of smell and taste obliterated, he still winced as the syrup went down his throat. Strong stuff indeed.

“How’s that feel?”

Serizawa let out a shudder. “Like I took a shot of brandy.”

“Good.” Reigen grinned. “That means it’s working.”

He continued unpacking the mountain of supplies. Vapor rub, a small electric humidifier, movie DVDs, more vegetable even packs of noodles and spice containers already opened from his own apartment. The hands normally furiously gesturing in the air were now adept at separating, organizing, and readying everything. Serizawa felt himself growing a bit dizzy at it all.

“Reigen-san.”

“Don’t start that.” Reigen looked over, now finished. “This is far cheaper than a stay at the clinic anyway.” A clap of his hands. “Alright! Let’s get you off your feet.”

Serizawa couldn’t object to being helped back to bed. A few more pillows wouldn’t hurt either.

“No, not there.”

The sudden stop caused Serizawa to stumble but he was caught under the shoulder.

“I meant the couch.” Reigen forced a grin as he bore far too much dead weight. “C-come on. It’s just a bit further.”

Serizawa didn’t mean to, but the dizziness was starting to really get to him. So much congestion and needing to take short breaths left him grateful for the assistance. Now sitting, he brought a hand to his temples to try and alleviate some of the pressure while the room spun around him.

“Wh- why not the bed?

Frowning over at the one pillow, Serizawa just wanted to cocoon under his blankets and go to sleep. The sweating had returned and he wrapped his arms around himself as he began to shiver.

Reigen had walked away but now returned with more pillows and started to form a mound with them at the far side of the couch.

“Here, lay back but keep sitting. That will help the cough and let you eat.”

A grumble. Serizawa’s stomach protested at just the mention of food. “I don’t think I can eat.”

More pillow adjustment as Serizawa sat back, legs finally resting on the couch. He was going to complain more about the many fun times he had in his bathroom but a blanket was tossed over him. A grunt as he pulled it around himself and off his face.

“That’s wool.” Reigen had returned to the table but still spoke over his shoulder. “It’s not going to get soaked from your fever sweats and should keep you from overheating as well.” He returned with the little humidifier and got it plugged in and active. “And you’ll be able to keep the food down.” Their eyes met. “Trust me.”

Serizawa breathed in some of the warmed mist. At first a sneeze but his throat and airways slowly turned from raw and burning to a soothing dampness. He looked up to try and cough out a thank you but Reigen had already set his sights on the kitchen.

Pans, knives, a bit of oil, spices- the man knew where everything was. Soon water was boiling but Serizawa couldn’t smell what was cooking. Judging by the vegetables and large pot he assumed it was some kind of soup. Carrots were peeled with potatoes and onions chopped up all together while the waste and skins went into the pot to start forming a stock.

Serizawa watched with hooded eyelids, no longer dizzy just exhausted. He himself never got too skilled at cooking and cracked a smile watching the master at work. But how did Reigen even learn this when he ate fast food and instant noodles so much? Images and thoughts blurred together as Serizawa closed his eyes and slipped into an uneasy state between dreaming and being awake.

“Almost forgot!”

When he opened his eyes again there were several things cooking and stewing on his small stove now. Reigen was smiling down at him holding Serizawa’s phone.

“Here watch this.” It took a bit for Serizawa to properly take the phone with shaking hands but Reigen remained patient. “The kids all recorded a happy birthday thing for you.”

“Oh.” Serizawa tried to focus his eyes. “Thanks.”

“The soup needs more time so in the meanwhile I’m gonna wash your bedding and do some laundry.” Reigen already had a heap of blankets and sheets in his arms. “There’s some pills and a glass of water on the table, it’ll stop your stomach from going sour again.”

“Wait, Rei-“

Too late. The man was already out the door. His laundry? Serizawa felt terrible. His own boss tending to him like a spoiled child: cooking, cleaning, everything. A little visit would have been enough but this felt wrong. Would this be coming out of his paycheck? Even if his mom was here performing the same chores he’d feel just as guilty. Still, he was glad for the help despite his embarrassment.

After downing the pills, he settled in again, the phone screen glowing back at him as he pressed play.

“HEY SERIZAWA.”

Shou appeared in frame only to be playfully pushed out of the way by Teru.

“Happy birthday!”

Ritsu poked his head in. “Yeah, happy birthday.”

Then the camera focused on Mob. He gave a little wave. “Happy birthday, Serizawa.”

Tome was yelling something in the background. The only word that got through was ‘party’.

“Yeah! Don’t worry about missing anything!” Shou took over again. “You can always move your birthday!”

“No you can’t.” Ritsu mumbled from the side.

“I meant the party!”

There came the sounds of a scuffle. Pens and papers flew into the air as Mob stood in frame expressionless while he observed something off screen. After a bit, Teru refocused the shot.

“Anyway, we wanted to wish you a speedy recovery.”

Mob poked his head over Teru’s shoulder and spoke softly despite all the commotion going on in the background. “When you get better, we can go to that karaoke place again.”

“Karaoke!” And once again Shou forced himself into frame. “I’m so gonna get one of the Kageyama’s up there singing just you wait!”

“Pfff. You should at least go first.” Quipped back Teru.

Ritsu also chimed in. “Oh I’ve heard it. Like a dying bird.”

And there went everyone back to arguing, save for Mob. He smiled a bit and looked into the camera.

“This is getting a bit long so: Happy birthday once again! Hope you get over your cold too. Bye Serizawa!”

A few blurry fumbles before the video ended. There was a smile forming on Serizawa’s face throughout it all, but weariness also spread, leading to the phone and his hand to fall at his side. The throbbing headache faded away to much needed sleep mixing with memories of singing and drinking and laughter. Reigen sat next to him and grinned over. Can’t look into his eyes but the tingle in his chest Serizawa could feel even through asleep lying with sore ribs and lungs from coughing so much. Then he’d see Reigen’s hand on the bar, fingers tapped as a tale was spun. Just reach for it. It’s only a dream.

“Katsuya? Sorry to wake you.”

Serizawa cracked open one eye, mumbling something while the weight of reality pushed down on him once more. It took a bit for dizziness and focus to line up enough but in the end he was staring at a hand in his own. Was he still dreaming? He gave a weak squeeze back before noticing Reigen over him.

“Hey, there you are.”

The soft smile and eyes without a hint of judgment. Serizawa lifted his other arm in his addled state, wanting nothing more than to rest his hand against Reigen’s face. A memory of them on this same couch together, shoulders pushing against the other from the limited space. It would have been so easy to reach around a waist and pull him in for a hug. His arm faltered at his own chest while he jerked, letting out a rough, wet series of coughs.

“Sounds like you might need more syrup.” Reigen released the hand, concern on his face. “At least your fever is down.”

Serizawa held his breath as a palm was placed on his forehead, the thumb tracing through his hair. Thoughts raced back and forth, colliding into to one another until all he was left with was a quiet calm, leaning into the touch. This is nice. His boss here taking care of him when he needed it. But why did he feel so tense still? Muscles and thoughts always resisting. Serizawa let out a raspy exhale.

What had his mother said?  

“Don’t give me that face. Just because you’re all grown up now doesn’t mean you won’t need help from time to time. Never think of yourself as undeserving.”

Serizawa smiled up weakly at Reigen. “Thank you.” He had to take another breath in before continuing. “For all of this.”

A soft grin back, Reigen’s hand still gently resting on Serizawa’s forehead.

“No problem, big guy. Now!” He stood up, clapping his hands together, but Serizawa could see his red face. “I got your bed all set up and clean; however, you should really get some fluids and food in you before sleeping. How’s your stomach?”

“Surprisingly well.” Serizawa sat up a bit against the pillows, rubbing at his gut. The only pain there now was from hunger. “I’d like to try eating.”

“Good!”

Reigen turned toward the kitchen. The sounds of clacking plates and pouring liquids could be heard. Though still unable to smell, Serizawa remembered all the fresh vegetables and licked his lips, stomach complaining right along with his brain. The last time he had anything stay down must have been over two days ago, and that had been instant noodles.

“Tada!” Reigen knelt down with a tray, revealing its contents with a flourish of his hand. “Happy Birthday!”

A few lit candles were stuck in some peanut butter plopped between plain, salted crackers. Right next by sat a bowl of steaming soup with some fancy fishcakes floating amid chunks of vegetables and noodles. Reigen had even decorated the plate with shiny paper and crude origami animals he must have practiced just before coming over.

“Well- it’s not a proper cake and everything.” Reigen was grinning down but avoiding eye contact. “But you probably shouldn’t be eating that kind of stuff anyway. Not in your state.”

Serizawa felt warmth against his belly as the tray was placed down. He took up the spoon after a long inhale at the vapors trailing up. For a moment he could smell a bit of spices but mainly just basked in the pleasant sensation of it all.

“It’s wonderful, Reigen-san.”

A quick huff and smoke now rose from the small, colorful candles.

“Did you make a wish?”

Serizawa looked over the decorated tray of food again before glancing up at his boss hovering over him.

“Yeah.” He smiled warmly. “Hope it comes true soon.”

Reigen rubbed the back of his head, turning to look back at the kitchen.

“Oh! I forgot the tea!”

Reigen returned with a mug and set it at the side table. Beaming, he sat down at the opposite table waiting for a response. Serizawa started with a few spoonfuls of broth but soon went straight for some carrots and noodles with some of the fish cakes. The crackers were a bit annoying to chew compared to the steamed vegetables so he had only few, making sure to get his protein in with the peanut butter. After only five minutes, the bowl was empty along with the tray and the tea half gone.

Serizawa let out a pleased sigh. Not a stomach cramp in sight. Now full of food, he started to feel even wearier. He closed his eyes for a moment as Reigen cleaned up the dishes and returned.

“Ha. Guess you’re ready for a good rest.” Reigen held down his hand in offering. “Come on, I’ll help you over.”

There was a mild struggle to get Serizawa’s legs cooperating again until they settled on Reigen bending down a bit with the larger man’s arm slung over shoulders and neck like a drunk being escorted home. Serizawa still felt the annoying spells of dizziness so the going remained slow. Suddenly he froze, covering his mouth after letting out a weak cough.

“Reigen-san!”

Reigen looked up. “Crap, you ok? Don’t have to puke or anything?”

“N-no!” Serizawa pulled back but still couldn’t support his own weight. “I just realized! I’m going to get you sick too!” He turned his head away. “I’m so sorry.”

“Heh.” A nudge from Reigen’s arm. “Why do you think I closed the office? And brought so much food and medication? And that soup’s not going anywhere. Made about two day’s worth. Plus snacks.”

Serizawa kept his hand over his mouth. “Reigen-san.”

“Come on.” Reigen forged ahead. “You need your rest to get any better.”

There was already a bit of swelling in the man’s eyes with some minor sniffles between words. Serizawa flopped into the bed, rolling onto his back now as sore and tired as he’d ever been, yet sated with nutrients and medication garnering a feeling of a coming recovery instead of more suffering. Reigen fluffed up the pillows before bringing the blankets up while he failed to suppress a cough.

“There we go. All tucked in.”

Serizawa watched his boss smile. Reigen was still leaning down, hand feeling against his employee’s neck and forehead again. Nerves danced sleepily at the touch and Serizawa felt a flutter in his hands and chest.

“Fever still feels down.” Reigen started to pull his fingers away. “Need anything else?”

Serizawa took the hand, keeping it just above his face. His grip was light around the wrist while he slowly pulled his boss closer, eyes flicking up to meet flush cheeks and a shocked yet willing expression.

“Wh- you alright?”

Another arm reached out, trembling fingers lingering inches from the back of Reigen’s neck before resting there, waiting. Serizawa could feel Reigen giving into the suggestion, leaning ever closer. Their eyes closed and their lips met; the hand in Serizawa’s grip twitching as he’d force himself forward, wanting more, only to be pushed back with the same need. A gentle caress at his face, the bed creaking when Reigen supported himself with a knee. His taste came back along with being able to smell: a mix of Reigen’s cheap cologne and his heated, desperate breathes.  After a few moments they separated, faces still close, both quivering from the sensation.

“Ha. Haa.” Breathing hard, Reigen appeared exhausted, still leaning down with his knee and arm keeping him from collapsing.

“Arataka?”

A sneeze, Reigen turning his head away before he suffered through a brief coughing fit. When he looked back his face was beet red.

“Well. That’s one way to get inoculated.” His entire form was tense, showing in the edges of his smile. “Guess I’m staying here for a few days.”

He stepped back, eyes darting from side to side while stealing glances at Serizawa lying on the bed. Normally animated hands now sat still with one slowly rising to grip his chest no doubt feeling the heart there beating frantically.

Serizawa let out a chuckle before holding up the blanket. “Wanna join me? He found himself saying. “It’s warm, and the couch is pretty uncomfortable.”

Now one of Reigen’s hands was rubbing against his face. “Yes.” He whispered. “Let me take some cough syrup first.”

He downed a cup like a nervous bachelor at a party. Time moved in slow motion as Reigen crawled over Serizawa, settling in against the wall with part of his body resting on the man he had just cared for. A pleasant weight as they laid there, breathing gradually slowing in each other’s arms. Serizawa’s entire body was soaked in bliss from his heart to his stomach, all dancing together. He had started to drift off before feeling Reigen snuggling his shoulder and neck. Never having someone with him in bed before, he was content with cuddling until falling asleep. Still, he knew the illness would hit the worst in a few days and turned, pulling his boss closer.

“Come here.” Serizawa made sure the blanket was fully wrapped around them both. He blushed when Reigen buried his face in his chest. “Thank you for coming over. I’m starting to feel better already.” His hand pet through Reigen’s hair. “Guess I’ll have to take care of you now.”

A few muffled words, Reigen refusing to show his face, but the initial tense muscles had melted away to happy acceptance. Serizawa left it at that, closing his eyes and drifting towards sleep while wreathed in the warm and comfort of another’s hold. Before his brain fully committed he heard Reigen’s voice against his chest.

“Happy Birthday, Katsuya.”

[mangatxt]

For the wip ask, if you don't mind, I'd love to hear more about any of these(you don't have to answer all of them if you don't want!):

"your hand on the hot stove" "Serizawa Broccoli" "Matsuo Pokedex" ?! "Too many beds Serirei" this sounds hilarious, and the title instantly has me humming the 'too many cooks' song "Emi Writes a Novel" "Health Inspector / Blair Witch" ?!?! "Mob and Serizawa Lunch Gossip" this sounds Adorable!!

again you don't have to answer all of them, please forgive my inability to narrow my curiosity

Hope you're doing well!

Best wishes!

"forgive me for my inability to narrow my curiosity" you say, meanwhile i'm over here like

AHHH thank you so much for asking about all of these. i get excited about ideas and end up outlining a story or writing a particular scene i think would be fun. i hope to go back and finish off a lot of these ideas eventually -- or repurpose them into other things i'm working on.

i'll give a summary of these wips under the cut:

your hand on the hot stove

This is a backstory fic for screwball that I've been working on and off for the past year. The summary is: "Serizawa Katsuya will never touch a baseball again. The man who knocks on the front door every day says otherwise." More specifically, Suzuki Touichirou is determined to put together the best supporting team possible despite salary cap regulations, and thus, resorts to recruiting a handful of powerful and impressionable misfits. Among them is Serizawa, a major-league dropout after he accidentally struck a pitcher in the face and put him in a coma. The fic follows Suzuki convincing Serizawa to come out of retirement and get involved in the baseball scene once again -- and explores the twists and turns of Serizawa's simultaneous rehabilitation and indoctrination into the Claw org. Basically, it's a baseball-ified version of the Serizawa backstory and some thoughts about how professional sports recruiting takes advantage of people or invests them in the idea of winning at all costs (e.g. feuds, steroid use, etc). As for the title, the “hot stove” refers to the winter during the major league baseball off-season when free-agent signing and trades are most prevalent. This is one of the more complete fics I have in my WIP folder, but I find I can only work on one angst-y thing at a time, and android au has held that attention for a while.

serizawa broccoli

This was short, angst-y attempt to fill in Serizawa's missing scenes during the Divine Tree arc. In it he reacts to the strange vibes at work and school and eventually receives the candy from Reigen and encounters the brainwashing himself, which mirrors his entry into Claw so thoroughly that he panics and loses control of his powers enough to snap him out of it. In the manga, Serizawa is the first character to identify the roots having weird properties during the Yokai Hunt mini-arc. I think it would be interesting to explore how his Claw deprogramming experience interacts with the city-wide rise of Psycho Helmet -- the indoctrination patterns he might recognize or the tactics he would remain susceptible to.

matsuo pokedex

This is a character study of Matsuo from early life and through major plot points (7D, Mogami, World Dom). It was based on the idea that Matsuo internalized his own powers as a kid by comparing them to Pokemon games. As such, each snippet of his life has Matsuo's version of a PokeDex entry for a relevant spirit. Much of the fic follows Matsuo's journey from treating spirits like tools to something more compassionate and the grief he goes through every time he loses his pets.

too many beds serirei

(nsfw-ish) After an awkward one-night stand with Reigen, Serizawa -- in cahoots with wingman!Dimple -- attempts to spur on another hook-up by engineering a "there was only one bed" situation. He's foiled by "too many beds" at every turn.

emi writes a novel

This a 5+1 "5 times emi's writing was rejected and one time it wasn't" that goes over Emi's progress at her first novel before and after her encounter with Mob and how her writing follows her changes as a person.

health inspector / blair witch

The premise is based on this post. I think it's actually going to be separate from TPC, but still post-Reigen spinoff S&S. A resentful Roshuuto calls the Seasoning City equivalent of OSHA on Reigen and Serizawa, which forces them to cancel out-of-office case plans with Tome. Annoyed, Tome recruits Hoshida and Dimple into a "witch-hunting" trip of her own. The fic swaps back and forth between the comedy-of-errors inspector debacle and the increasingly-troubling Blair Witch situation (which seems to affect Hoshida exclusively) on Tome's livestream. The two situations finally intersect when Tome and Dimple (carrying an unconscious Hoshida) run into Reigen and Serizawa (carrying an unconscious health inspector) at the office stairwell and they're both like, "don't ask." It's only an outline right now, but I fully intend to write this.

mob and serizawa lunch gossip

Mob and Serizawa go out for lunch during Serizawa's first week on the job (sometime between 3x02 and 3x03). Serizawa has a lot of questions about the job and Reigen and society in general, and they talk about some of Mob's more troubling memories. Missing scene friendship stuff with minor references to upcoming Divine Tree arc.

pheeeew that's a lot. it was fun to write this out. thanks again for asking!!!

[chef-mordo]

The First King of the Monsters (Part Two)

“The Savior of Tokyo” (The last photo ever taken of Doctor Daisuke Serizawa before his sacrifice, it is also the only known photo of the Oxygen-Destroyer.)

[This Series is heavily inspired by Trollmans’ “FOLLY OF MAN” series on DeviantArt, so be sure to follow him if you enjoyed my work]

A scorching beam of bright blue plasma erupted in a spiral from Godzilla’s mouth. The foul beast began to turn its head down at the ground units, and within mere seconds no trace of them was to be found. It then turned to face the surrounding skyline, it cut through the buildings like a warm knife through butter leaving nothing but an endless sea of flame and rubble in its wake. When the creature had finally ceased its atomic ray, it continued its march deep into the heart of the city. It is reported by survivors of the Tokyo incident that it paused to stare into the window of a subway train before continuing its assault. For many years this was the only sign of the creature showing any sort of intelligence. As it continued to wade through downtown Tokyo, it eventually completely ceased the demolition and seemingly froze hunched over. 

Meanwhile, Doctor Yamane’s daughter Emiko had become aware that her former fiance, one Doctor Daisuke Serizawa had supposedly invented a biological superweapon. Nicknamed the “Oxygen-Destroyer” the weapon was a true scientific breakthrough. In his research, he discovered a microscopic species of crustacean that was supposedly millions of years old. It is said that this species thrived in oxygenless environments by producing a compound now known as “Micro-Oxygen”. He dubbed the creatures “J-MO7” and began to study the compound. He intended to find a way that his discovery could benefit humanity, but his effort was in vain as further testing only showed the potential destructive powers of micro-oxygen. With the purpose of lowering air quality through deactivating airborne pollutants, his invention instead seemingly did the opposite. It became apparent that the only use his device could ever have is as a super weapon, ripping flesh from bone as it destroys all surrounding oxygen atoms. 

Having volunteered to nurse others in emergency shelters, Yamane had witnessed the effects of Godzilla’s radioactive onslaught first-hand. She begged Serizawa to deploy his invention upon Godzilla, yet he refused believing that it would begin a new era of inhumane superweapons being used in the future. He finally reluctantly agreed after watching the live destruction of Tokyo on the news later that night. 

The following morning, another emergency summit was called. It had been agreed that if the American air raids were not successful, Godzilla would be lured out to sea, and the oxygen-destroyer would be used to finally end the demon’s rampage. 

When the American forces finally arrived, Godzilla was still hunched over, resting in the wreckage he had caused. Several “Mark 65” explosives were unloaded onto the back of the creature, though it only seemed to irritate the creature. Godzilla had awoken due to the shockwaves hitting its highly sensitive dorsal plates. The beast slowly rose as a massive blue forcefield released from its glowing back, incinerating the airborne bombardment as well as any surrounding structures. Its dorsal plates started to once again glow blue and a massive beam of light erupted from the crystalline structure present on the end of its tail. The blast shot down all five American aircrafts before it stopped. 

That afternoon another squadron of jets had been sent out to lure the beast out to sea. The “Shikine” was sent out to sea with a small group of government officials, reporters, and the Monarch research crew. A sonar system was used to find the gargantuan creature resting on the ocean floor. The previous night, Doctor Serizawa had set his lab aflame as to prevent his research from ever being seen again. He requested to be put in a diving suit so that he could perish alongside Godzilla so that all memory and traces of his research would be destroyed. Later that day, he was lowered down onto the ocean floor in a diving suit, clutching his creation. Onlookers watch as the surface bubbled non-stop as all oxygen was ripped from the water. 

No flesh remained from anything below a certain area of the waters of Tokyo Bay at the time. Millions of Godzilla’s unidentified victims were buried along with the dead of WWII in Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery. Doctor Serizawa’s skeleton was additionally found and a memorial service was held and televised to honor him. Godzilla’s skeleton was also extracted from the Bay and was held by the Japanese government for a time before being sold to Monarch.

Serizawa is now regarded as a national hero, a statue now stands of him in “Serizawa Memorial Park”. It is located on the site of his former lab. Though his research may not have been preserved, his legacy forever will be. This was the first of many incidents that brought kaiju to the attention of the world; as a result, numerous organizations were formed. The G-Force was formed by the Japanese government on October 27, 1954, to prevent and defend against kaiju attacks as well as tracking any known kaiju. Monarch was additionally expanded to further research other kaiju and would partner with the US government to develop anti-kaiju weaponry. 

Of course, after an event as grandiose and horrific as this, it was apparent that more enormous beasts lurked within the Earth. But it was not expected that another would be unearthed so soon…

Well, I hope y'all enjoyed the conclusion of the first chapter of "GODZILLA: Age of Monsters". I hope that as my writing and art skills slowly improve, more of you follow me on this journey. A few bonus works should release sometime soon, so keep tuned in for more! Feel free to share any thoughts, questions, praise, or criticisms of my work. As always, likes, comments, and reposts are welcome!

Tune in for more updates and future posts. Peace and love! ✌️🏽

[shinsengumi-archives]

The Shinsengumi’s first headquarters in the Yagi House

The Yagi House is located in Nakakyo District, Kyoto, Japan. Its geographical location is far from the key tourist areas, but it still attracts Japanese locals and foreign tourists to visit every day. What makes the Yagi House so popular?

The Yagi House was the initial headquarters of the Shinsengumi. On February 8th, 1863, Kondo Isami and his comrades from the Shieikan, including Hijikata Toshizo, Okita Souji, Yamanami Keisuke, Nagakura Shinpachi, Harada Sanosuke, Inoue Genzaburo, and Todo Heisuke, responded to Kiyokawa Hachiro’s call in Edo. They set out with the task of guarding Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi and going to Kyoto to maintain law and order. At that time, the number of Ronins summoned reached two hundred and thirty-four.

The Roshigumi who went to Kyoto on February 23 were arranged to go to Shintokuji Temple and Mibu town hall, while the Shieikan and his party stayed at the home of Yagi Gennosuke in the Mibu District. Yagi Gennosuke is the ninth-generation descendant of the Yagi family of goshi from Mibu. At that time, in response to the request from the shogunate, he reluctantly gave up his house temporarily to the ronin.

The Yagi House is listed as a designated tangible cultural property in Kyoto

The Yagi House provides guided tours in Japanese, and photography is strictly prohibited in the residence

Little did they know that on March 12th, Kiyokawa Hachiro asked the ronin to return to Edo to fight against the barbarians, because the British Far East Fleet assembled in Yokohama with a large number of warships, and was on the verge of war. At first, the Yagi family thought they were about to leave and they could breathe a sigh of relief, but Serizawa Kamo and Kondo Isami decided to stay in Kyoto. In their hearts, guarding the Shogun was more important than fighting the barbarians.

A team of 16 members of Serizawa Kamo and Kondo Isami’s factions formed the Mibu Roshigumi, which was later named "Shinsengumi" by the Lord of Aizu Matsudaira Katamori. After receiving support from the Aizu domain, the Yagi family once again thought that they would move to the Aizu official residence. Who knew that two days later, a hinoki wood sign, measuring 1m x 30cm, hung on the pillar to the right side of the front gate saying “Matsudaira Higo-no-Kami’s Shinsengumi Headquarters". It seems that Shinsengumi were living comfortably in the Yagi House.

Yagi Mansion is the birthplace of Shinsengumi, so it attracts a large number of tourists.

The famous Japanese confectionery store "Kyoto Tsuruya" that is connected to the Yagi Mansion is also run by the Yagi family

As the scale grew and the number of people increased with each passing day, the Maekawa House located opposite the Yagi House was also borrowed as a residence, while the Maekawa family moved to another place temporarily. In addition to the lodging of Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo, the Maekawa House was also the place where the Shinsengumi tortured suspects, specifically where he tortured Furutaka to extract confessions and learned important information from it, which triggered the famous Ikedaya incident that night. The Maekawa House was also the place where the Vice-Commander Yamanami Keisuke committed seppuku. There was also a moving scene of his lover Akesato making her final farewell to him in front of the Maekawa House window (some say Akesato is fictional character).

Maekawa Residence, where Yamanami Keisuke cut his belly and bid farewell to his lover Akesato

[venomous-ko]

Wine Drunk while watching Godzilla vs Kong

Some major spoilers up ahead!

Mans really just annoyed the shit out of his coworker until he left so he could hack shit, huh?...I love it! 🤣🤣

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You mean to tell me that the explanation for why Godzilla attacked the one tech company site by the dude who studied Kaiju communication and behavior for a living is just, “sometimes people (and creatures) change”???? Like some dumbass justifying a toxic person/relationship??? Like excuse me???? Why are the literal teenagers making more sense than you?????

Also, we’re all in agreement that this facility is either housing Ghidora’s dead head, Mecha Godzilla, or Mecha Ghidora, right?!?

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Lol! “Apex Cybernetics!” That’s not foreshadowing! 🤣

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Apparently, I didn’t get my fill of white nonsense from Falcon and Winter Soldier, bc someone decided to put this blonde-hair-blue-eyed little bitch in charge! That’s not ganna go wrong somehow. 🙃😑👀

Like this bitch literally wanted to send a fucking child into unexplored hollow earth territory without a second thought! 🙃🙃🙃🙃 I was literally like 🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕 for that entire convo.

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I’m sorry! This conspiracy man just met these teenagers, and his first impulse was, “yeah, theses seem like some good people to break into a tech conglomerate with!” 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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Why are these people surprised Kong knows sign language? These are people who study Kaiju (and presumably other animals in order to draw conclusions about certain behaviors) for a fucking living!!! We have primate species that recognize and communicate in sign language already! Why is this surprising???!?! Like...has NO ONE except this precious child tried this????

Also, nothing bad better happen to this child.

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That ship literally fucked around, and Godzilla let it find out! Lmao!

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Kong: Hey, Godzilla...look at me...

Godzilla: >:[

Kong: ...bitch.

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Precious girl: Thank you, friend 🧏🏽‍♀️

Kong: ☺️😴

THIS GIRL IS TOO PRECIOUS!!!!

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Bitch-ass White Man: How’s Kong with heights?

BITCH, you really ganna try that?!?! You really think you ganna find any aircraft(s) that are ganna be able to support all that weight?? Never mind any other problems with Kong trying to nope the fuck out of that situation and all kind of other hosts of problems!

And if you do somehow have one (or multiple) WHY TF DIDN’T YOU USE THAT BEFORE KNOWING FULL AND WELL YOU RAN THE RISK OF GODZILLA MERCING KONG’S ASS IF YOU TRAVELED VIA SHIP!?!?!?!

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Down the Hell Naw tunnel we go!

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“I think it’s romantic,”

I fucking love Millie Bobbie Brown’s character!! 🤣❤️🤣

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WHY IS THIS TEENAGER SMARTER THAN EVERYBODY OMG!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

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“This is page one in the ‘Playing God’ handbook, right?”

I’ve decided I love this character! 🤣

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WHY YOU GETTING INSIDE THAT THING—Oh god! 😨 Why y’all got eggs!?!? This is like if Weyland-Yutani succeeded in getting Xenomorphs! 😬

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Oop! Locked in! THIS IS WHY YOU DON’T HIDE OUT IN MYSTERIOUS ROOMS!!!!

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Oh shit! Apex Cybernetics think they on that Wakanda shit now!

Also, why was that one Apex Cybernetics bitch bitching about how one of those HEAV crafts could power Vagas for a week if y’all clearly have a whole network or transportation using this tech!

And I never understood how tech companies kept that shit to world domination shit! Build a public transportation system with that shit! Boss man said he likes ideas that make him rich! Pretty sure that would do the trick!

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WINE BREAK!!!

Saving the rest of the last bottle for coking Gumbo, so gotta open up a new bottle

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Aw, Kong is so sick of this bullshit! 😂😭

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“It’s not working”

Bruh! Give it more that two seconds!

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HOW DARE Y’ALL USE KONG’S LOSS AGAINST HIM!!!! HOW DARE Y’ALL!!!

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HEAV go Brrrrrrr Shoooooooooooom!!!!

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LMAO!!! Monarch has their own brand of bottled water!?!?! Idk why that amuses me so much!

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This hallow earth portal thing is some Pacific Rim bullshit right here, lol!

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NYOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM

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Are we...are we really Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaur-ing this shit rn??? 😂😂😂

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“It’s beautiful,”

Of course it’s beautiful! No hoomins have touched it! Lol

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Y’ALL GOT FUCKIN DRAGONS IN THIS BITCH!?!?!?!!! 8D YO!!! SIGN ME THE FUCK UP!!!!

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*marvels at the creature creation ideas*

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Kong’s first thought: *nom the dragon guts*

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THE ROCK HAND OMG IM GANNA CRY!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 It’s the same gesture the Precious Girl did OMG!!!!

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“We going in?”

“Yeah”

The BALLS on this child!

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“AAAAHH 😐”

*fear*

LMAO!!!!! I’M FUCKIN WHEEZING!!!

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“Sacrifice Pit”

OMG 🤣🤣🤣

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I KNEW IT!!!! MECHA-GODZILLA MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!!!! 8DDDDD

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YO PACIFIC RIM RAN SO MECHA-GODZILLA COULD FUCKIN SPRINT!!!!!!!!

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YO IT’S A GOOD THING I AIN’T SEEING THIS IN THEATERS BC I’D BE FLIPPING MY SHIT!!!!

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“Humanity, once again, will be the apex species,”

THERE it is!

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Why Mecha-Godzilla so skeeny?!? He need ta be thicc if he ganna take down REAL Godzilla!

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*Ryan Bergera conspiracy voice* Is this the real reason Kong was contained!? So this douche could snatch up Skull Crawlers without Kong intervention???

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OH SHIT!!! I think this thing is emitting alpha waves (or whatever we’re calling it) and THAT’s what set Godzilla off!!! He fought Ghidorah, heard this shit and went, “Nu-uh, bitch! NOT AGAIN!!!”

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Monarch dude: Yo, Godzilla’s headed to Hong Kong for some reason?

FUCKIN CALLED IT!!!

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This look like the door to fuckin General Grievous’s lair,da fuq?!? 🤣🤣🤣

 ——————————————

I got waaay too emotional over that handprint, y’all! 😭😭😭

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Y’all, the fucking art history major in me is fuckin screaming at this temple scene! The fact that some of these Kaiju not only had the urge and drive and capacity to build a fucking temple around this power source or some shit and create weapons like the axe that Kong just fucking Excalibured the shit out of that one skull crawler’s skull fucking implies the fact that there is intelligent civilization amongst these fucking Kaiju and all that shit! I want to know more about this shit! Take that you fucking racist-ass white historian motherfuckers!

(Note: I definitely needed to use talk to text for much of this bit, because there was no way I was going to be able to contain all my excitement in just typing, alone, lmao)

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BRUH!!! Why y’all exiting g the HEAV without no breathing apparatus or lead suits or nothing!?!?! In previous movies, y’all implied that these Kaiju lived in environments in which their environments were hella radioactive compared to our own!!!

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Kong is s the true heir to the iron throne, Lmao!

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FUCKING CALLED IT!!!! THEY HAD GHIDORA’S REMAINS IN THERE SOMEWHERE!!!!

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OH FUCK!!!! Y’ALL AINT JUST SENDING OUT ALPHA VIBES WITH YOUR MECHA-GODZILLA!!!! YOU SOMEHOW USING GHIDORA’S HIVE MIND OR TELEPATHY SHIT TO DO IT!?!?!?! AAAWWWWW SHEEEEEET!!! Y’ALL ARE BONED NOW!!!! FUCKIN BONEROWNED!!!!

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Godzilla! My bruh! My dude! You didn’t HAVE TO get up right where that bridge was!!! 😂😂 Ya douche bag!!!

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At the same time, tho, I can just hear him going, “Ah! FUCK! NOT AGAIN!!! Sunova bitch!! Motherfuckin!! STOP BUILDING sHIT SO DAMN HIGH!!! Goddammit!”

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You know, with all the Bright twinkly lights in Hong Kong, I can’t help but think of the sequel to the original Gojira movie ( that I can’t remember the title of ,rn) where he was fucking triggered by fucking lights. And I wonder if this little scene where he’s stomping all through Hong Kong is a tribute to that or whatever. But I’m probably overthinking it.

[Sober Edit: it was Godzilla Raids Again]

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*GASP* HOLY SIHIIIT!!! The axe is made out of Godzilla skute!?!?! GOLY BALLS THAT’S NOT ONLY COOL BUT CONTRIBUTES MORE TO THE FACT THAT THESE KAIJU (likely Kong’s species, in particular) WERE REALLY FUCKING INTELLIGENT AMD TJOUGHT, “Imma beat this muthafucka with their own spiky thing! Bc that’s what screws us over, so, why WOULD’nt it hurt them!?!” I need SO MUCH MORE of this Kaiju/Kong culture studied and shit! HOLY FUCK!!!

It even fucking glows!! Like ... they managed to fucking piece together that its glow was a fucking warning sign like Sting or some shit!!!! Holy fuck!!!!

Also, how does that work? How are the skutes still connected even after dismemberment???

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NO FUCKIN WAY WRE YOU—AAAAAAAAHHH!!! Excalibur that shit my boi!!!!

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I FUCKIN LOVE YHIS MOVIE HOLY SHIT!!!

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“ that’s Apex property now,”

Excuse me bitch! Are we really not gonna listen to the scientist who saying “hey we don’t understand the shit out of this fucking power! Maybe we should hold off on taking some fucking samples!”

Are we really just gonna ignore that shit???????

 ——————————————

Kong said: TRY ME BITCH!!!!

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Oh thank the GODS this Serizawa dude is taking precautions like his old man! Also, what is his relation to Ken Watanabe’s Serizawa!?!?!

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UH OH!! SOLDIER DUDES GETTIN ATE!!!

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OH SHIT!!! PILOT JUST GOT ATE!!! FUCKIN DRAGON BASEMENT UP IN THIS SHIT!!!

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BITCH YOU REALLY GON THROW A ROCK AT IT!!! FUCKIN NONSENSE OF THIS BITCH!!!

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LOVE AND FITE ME ENERGY IS STORED IN THE ATOMIC BREATH

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“Shoot him!”

WHY!!!???!! He literally had NO problem with you before then!!!

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Why does white man who don’t know anything about this vehicle suddenly know how to pilot this shit!???!?!!!!!

 ——————————————

Y’all love had SO MUCH wine!

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The FUCK this dude got a flip flop phone for!!!?!????!!!?

Da fuq!?!?! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 yeah that’s the most unrealistic part of this entire fucking movie! Not the fuckin Kaiju robots. Not the fucking hollow earth bullshit! The fucking flip phone! LMFAO!!!!

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“Maintenance! I’M MAINTENANCE!!! This bitch ain’t buying it”

That made me laugh WAY FUCKIN harder that it should have!!!!

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Y’all really ganna try to shoot at a kid!?! REALLY!?!?!??!

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GAWD, I’m so glad I impulse bought these oatmeal bites from Dominos! 🤤😋

[Sober Edit: I have no idea how my autocorrect managed to convert “Parmesan” to “oatmeal,” but okay! 😆😅]

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Kong be like, “Hey, bitch!!! You lookin’ for me!?!?”

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Find you a partner that bites your neck like Godzilla does! Lmao!

Sorry, I’ll be crawling back into my hell hole, now.

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EAT YOUR FOOKIN VEGETABLES GODZILLA!!!!!

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Did Godzilla just axe throw with his fuckin teefs!!!????!?!?!

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THIS IS THE FOOKIN MONSTER VS MONSTER FIGHTS IVE BEEN CRAVING SINCE KING OF THE MONSTERS HOLY SHIT!!!!

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“Really? Groupies, again?”

First of all, again!?! What happened last time???

Secondly, where tf are YOUR grpupies, asshole! No need to judge! Ya cunt!

——————————————

“There can only be one alpha,”

Really! You really gotta bring your toxic masculinity into a fuckin monster fight, my dude!?!

——————————————

Kong said, “Yeet! YEET SELF!!!”

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I am living for the feral fight scenes!!!!

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Kong’s expression , tho! 🤣🤣🤣

Like, “Can you ducking NOT, Godzilla?!? Can you, like, fucking chill??!!? Aight, fine! ASDASHKLSDJKLDZJL ADKLKDZDJ!!!!!!”

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Awwwww! Godzilla let Kong go, bc he knows what it’s like to be the last of his species! 🥺🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭

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“This is how we [...] win!”

Oh, honey, you ‘bout to die! Lmao! 😂

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Oh god! I knew he was going to use the sign for “coward” at the most inappropriate time! Lmao! At least the Precious Girls is smart enough to know what Dumbass White Man means, lol

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Oh, thank god we do t see this dumbass in any sequels!

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Dammit, he escaped!

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This girl is too good!

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Did y’all really think you were ganna break into a semi-sentient Mecha-Godzilla by GUESSING ITS FUCKING PASSWORD!!?!?!?!!!!???? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

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YEAH!!!! TEAM-UP COMING THROUGH!!!!!

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“I was hoping to die with adults, but that’s okay,”

🤣🤣🤣

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“I’VE GOT TO DIE WITB YOU AND SOBER!!?!?!”

GOD, I love this movie!!!!

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OOOOOOHHHH HOLY SHIT!!!!! 😱😱😱😱😱 He powering up the axe!!!!!

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YOOOOOO KONG WENT PREDATOR/YOUTJA ON MECHA-GODZILLA’s ASS!!!!

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Kong said, “I’m done, y’all! Imma take a nap!”

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“Dad. Uh...Bernie.”

I fucking love Bernie!!! 😂😂😂😂

——————————————

JIA NOOOO!!! Don’t go running between two disgruntled Kaiju bby!!

——————————————

Yo, why do monsters have less toxic masculinity than we do??? Lol!

——————————————

Yaaaaaay! Kong has a new home!!

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WELP!!! I fucking loved this movie, and I highly recommend it to everyone!!!

[katyatalks]

MP100 “Characters & Such Official Guidebook” - Interviews ENG Translation

The Characters & Such Official Guidebook was released mid-April 2019 as a guide for all things related to MP100 season 1 & 2. The guidebook also includes interviews with the voice actors of the main five characters (Mob, Reigen, Dimple, Ritsu, Teru), followed by interviews with Director Tachikawa, Series Coordinator Seko, Character Designer Kameda & finally with ONE himself.

Contains a bunch of interesting trivia and conversations (eg. Tachikawa and Kameda looked at fan art before they began the anime, an alternative past for Reigen was once considered, plenty of references to S3 & broccoli arc.) This is a pretty long read, so please enjoy!

Original thread on Twitter here. TN = Translator’s Note "Bold denotes a direct quote of a question,” & “italics denotes a direct quote of an answer.” I’m a little bit inconsistent with where I decide to give full question and answers rather than summaries here...

--

ITOU SETSUO [Mob]

On being asked how he approached voicing Mob during the audition, he says that he went for something flat as Mob doesn’t really inspire “main character” vibes in him.

He takes it as a compliment when he is told that he’s like Mob as a person.

Initially he didn’t think too much of himself in the role as Mob but after being told by co-stars just how well his voice and performance suit the character, he began to believe it too.

On being asked what’s so charming about Mob, Itou says his honesty, and that he doesn’t take a negative viewpoint. Brings up that when Mob is against a foe, rather than “are you my enemy?” he’ll ask “what are you doing here?”.

Itou’s favourite character is Teru, as he thinks the way Teru behaves with his powers originally is the most realistic in terms of standard human nature.

He says the same thing applies to Shou & Touichirou.

The fact that Mob is different is his strength; the fact that he doesn’t think of his powers as anything special. He gives credit to Reigen for Mob thinking this way about his powers.

“At first, Mob-kun suffered because of his powers. But then he meets shishou, who tells him that his powers are just one part of him - this is linked to why Mob-kun is so charming now.”

Mob considers “you shouldn’t use your powers against people” a given fact.

Itou originally found it difficult to know how far he should go adding emotion to Mob’s voice.

Since MP100 is the first show Itou has been a regular & leading part for, he wanted to be the first person in the recording booth for episode 1, and as a result ended up arriving 45 minutes early.

Asked about his favourite scenes from S1 & S2, he mentions the scene that’s stayed with him is when Mob first appears in S1E1.

Has a few scenes he mentions as favourites; he loves the whole Teru vs Mob fight, but especially when Teru is shouting while using his powers as he recalls the passion Matsuoka [Teru] had when recording it.

He mentions when Mob saves Ritsu in S1E8, also mentions that’s something they covered in the stage play, and that it makes him emotional thinking about it.

Says he loves the scene when Mob shouts “Shishou!” as Reigen is ‘killed’ by Sakurai in S1E11.

Mentions S2E1 as well. “Mob-kun doesn’t express his emotions much, but he does then. Showing his powers to another while crying. I remember being glad when I first read the script for episode 1 as it’s a scene I wanted to do. I think of it as the moment Mob-kun starts to change.”

When asked about the stage play, says he thinks the Mob he portrays in the stage play is slightly different to the one he portrays in the anime.

Asks the fans to please continue to watch over MP100 and Mob’s growth, and it would be good if we could all continue to support MP100 as much as we can, from a stage play angle as well.

SAKURAI TAKAHIRO [Reigen]

Sakurai says if he were to have powers he’d probably use them to commit wrongdoings with.

Asked on his impressions of Reigen, says he sees Reigen as an “unbalanced person”, but thought he was mysterious in season 1.

Thought of Reigen as a fraud and not a good person in S1, but with S2 we see his uchizura (private, more ‘real’ self) and real emotions, so his feelings re: Reigen changed from S1 to S2. “It was hard to know who he was, back in season 1.”

“So you felt pretty strongly that he was simply a fraud?” Sakurai; “Well, he lies to people, but at the same time he does actually put some work in (laughs). Clients go home feeling refreshed, so he definitely gives a good massage.”

Calls Reigen eloquent, and that the things that he says are sound. Calls him a good speaker. Brings up his speech to the “claw guys” (likely referencing S1E12). “He can be irresponsible, but he’s got a mysterious intelligence.”

Says that from the middle to the end of S2 there would be as many as 20-30 people in the studio.

Asked about his favourite episodes S1+S2 inclusive, says S2E1 and that the transition from the end of S1 to S2 is smooth with it. “A really fantastic episode”, “you can also see signs of Mob’s growth.”

“On that note, when Reigen hears that Mob got a girlfriend...” Sakurai; “It’s a shock (laughs). His mind goes blank. ‘There’s no way Mob managed to get a girlfriend,’ is what’s running through his mind. He doesn’t celebrate it. Actually, it’s an upsetting thing for him - since Mob would be all over her, Reigen’s business would end up in trouble (laughs).”

Sakurai describes the “Shishou and Deshi” relationship that Mob & Reigen originally have as something that’s quite fabricated and disregards a lot of truths.

“Reigen was an adult floating in limbo for some time, and starts a business in a calculating move. And it starts going well once he meets Mob in their chance encounter.”

“The nickname ‘Mob’ signifies him as a boy without a presence, and yet it’s from that point that Mob starts to grow, and something like a desire for recognition sprouts within him.” [TN: This appears to be implying that Reigen began the ‘Mob’ nickname.]

Sakurai considers Reigen arc 1) a story in which Mob's popularity skyrockets 2) a story in which we see a more raw side of Reigen and start to like him more.

On being asked if there’s any part of Reigen that he sees in himself, starts off with saying that he tends to give out advice to those younger than him (he’s in his 40s and implies he can’t compare himself to someone who’s young in their 20s). Then after knowing what’s running through Reigen’s head in S2; “I suppose we do overlap in one way or another.”

Sakurai says he was very much one of the “mob” (a nobody) in his 10s.

Finally, asked to give a message to fans; “I’d like to do a Season 3, so please continue to love Mob Psycho 100.”

OOTSUKA AKIO [Dimple]

Asked about his thoughts on MP100, Ootsuka says that the art style of the manga caught his eye - he thought it was fun that the anime doesn’t lose the style of the manga while making it more stylish.

Finds in modern manga, the trend is an ordinary kid will get powers by some chance & the adventure starts from there, but found it interesting that in MP100 Mob has had powers since he was tiny & the adventure begins after he comes crying to Reigen with “I don’t know what to do”.

Also enjoys how Mob isn’t exactly the “main character” type. Thinks that it’s a breath of fresh air in the shounen manga genre.

On being asked about Dimple’s charm, Ootsuka; “He’s bad, but you can’t hate him.”

Says that Dimple is ugly but that’s fun, since most of the time mascot characters are cute.

When asked what was running through his mind when preparing for the role of Dimple, he says “dishonesty, slyness.” Acting as if he’s smarter than people but he actually isn’t.

“Speaking of dishonest/sly adults, I feel Reigen is a different type.” Ootsuka; “I’d say Reigen is more dishonest/sly than Dimple... nah, actually they’re about the same. (Laughs)”

When asked if there was anything he finds difficult about playing Dimple, he says that with other acting jobs he finds it hard to play a character where he can’t connect, but “there’s a similar kind of guy to Dimple that lives inside me. So I just go, ‘oi, come out’ (laughs)”.

Says he thinks we all have a bit of Dimple in us.

Ootsuka is also the narrator in MP100. Said that originally he felt there was a difference in the way he played Dimple & the narrator, but that difference kind of became smaller.

He was told to no longer put on a voice that sounds similar to the person Dimple is possessing for season 2, which disappointed him as he wanted to put on a Mob-like voice for when Dimple possesses Mob in S2E4.

Discussion of how director didn’t like Hoshino’s [Serizawa] original takes as they were too silly. [TN: this is mentioned again by Inoue [Suzuki] and Hoshino [Serizawa] in this interview.]

He recalls bursting into laughter over Iwasaki Hiroshi’s performance as Ishiguro in S1E12.

“Reigen becomes able to see Dimple as well in the last bit of Season 1, so he gains another conversation partner.” Ootsuka; “Reigen and Dimple, they both view the other as unnecessary (laughs). So the back-and-forth they have with that in mind is pretty fun.”

Asked about his favourite scenes or episodes, he says the end of S1E3. Dimple’s “Great morning, isn’t it, partner?” line really stuck with him.

Compares Dimple to a dog by Mob’s side.

“Dimple has the kind of face that you just might want to slap (laughs).” Ootsuka; “Well, that’s why I was careful to not give him a too audacious manner of speaking.” Says the interesting thing about his line of work is really having to think about how to say lines.

Also voiced Dimple for the live action adaptation [TN: AKA Netflix ver]. Says it was fun but found it a massive shame that he wasn’t able to bounce lines off of anyone.

“I really didn’t do much in middle school. I was just a chuunibyou (laughs).”

When asked to give a message to MP100 fans, “You guys wanna see more, right? There’s still more to adapt, isn’t there ;) (laughs). So, we can make a sequel to S2 a reality if everyone works together. A ‘if you speak up, then your dreams might come true!’ vibe (laughs).”

He makes a sneaky reference to Broccoli Arc and wanting to see it animated.

IRINO MIYU  [Ritsu]

On being asked his initial thoughts on MP100, Irino states he originally thought it was a lighthearted jokey manga based on the art style and the way the story was introduced, so he was surprised as the story progressed.

States that Ritsu is a relatable character with the issues that he faces (eg wanting something that’s out of reach so hiding your want).

Asked about anything that was difficult to perform as Ritsu, he states his two-sided nature; his general honour-student self and the other side of him.

Says that when Ritsu enters into his darker side, rather than playing some kind of bad guy Ritsu is simply more frank with how he expresses himself. “He lets the emotions in his heart be heard one by one.”

Irino is asked if he personally admires Mob, to which he replies that he’s jealous of the fact that Mob is so unbeatable.

He says Ritsu must also have the experience of looking at Mob and thinking something like, “Compared to him, I’m just...”

States he himself, Ritsu, and just about anyone has likely yearned to become something overwhelming, but we don’t believe in our ability to achieve that.

Following this, interviewer comments that Mob carries feelings of unease in his heart even though he’s so unbeatable. Irino comments that something fun for him with MP100 is that Mob doesn’t really realise how unbeatable he is.

Something that Ritsu admires about his brother is that he doesn’t show off the fact that he’s unbeatable.

“Even with powers, there’s plenty of things you can’t do.” Irino; “Such as not being able to confess to the girl you like (laughs).”

“Seems like even if he abused his powers he’d still be able to turn heads.” Irino; “Because he’s charming - that’s something good about him. That’s why everyone loves him, and why he gives off main-character-of-a-shounen-manga vibes.”

Asked about his favourite scenes/episodes from seasons 1 & 2, Irino says around when Ritsu's powers are awakened in season 1. He found it interesting to watch how his heart becomes disturbed.

"He finally obtained the thing he'd been longing for, but everything around him that was once so calm gets thrown into disarray."

He also liked it when Ritsu stands atop the telephone pole in S1E7.

Speaking in terms of Power Rangers & character colour association, ever since he was a kid Irino has admired characters that are more blue or black rather than red.

Interviewer comments that Ritsu holds the ‘blue’ role in MP100.

After Mob & Ritsu reconcile, Irino states that he feels Ritsu has come to understand his brother more.

“How should I put it; Ritsu is overprotective, or there’s a side to him that’s too fussy over his big brother...” Irino; “but that kind of brotherly love is pleasant to see.”

“In Season 2, Ritsu and Shou go through a joint struggle.” Irino; “Shou’s father has tremendous powers, and he has one fear with that; he doesn’t know when his father will go on a rampage. Their circumstances are similar, in that sense.”

“Truth is, in parts MP100 is quite like your typical shounen manga.” Irino replies that there’s a bunch of great lines in the manga, and importance hidden within casual words.

Following this response he’s asked if there’s certain line(s) from MP100 that have stuck with him, to which Irino replies quite a few of Reigen’s. “During the last part of season 1 when he marches into Claw’s hideout, you get to hear a lot of his thoughts. It’s hard to tell if he’s being truthful with the things he says or if he’s lying, and on top of that he says quite a few important things. That unbalance is interesting.”

“The broadcast of season 2 has already come to an end...” Irino replies that he’d like the MP100 anime to continue and adapt the manga to the very end.

“I’m sure all the fans feel the same way.” Irino; “Everyone worked together as one to create the MP100 anime. For it to continue, we need your support; so please continue to give that to us.”

MATSUOKA YOSHITSUGU [Teru]

Asked his initial thoughts on MP100, Matsuoka says it was that it’s a piece that you can easily empathise with; regardless of if you’re in primary school, middle school, high school, an adult, an old man or woman...

Matsuoka thinks of the anime as something you watch and go, “I’ll try my best tomorrow, too.”

Matsuoka voices both Teru and Tokugawa in MP100. He was first offered the voice of Teru, and then it was decided he’d also voice Tokugawa.

It’s brought up that Tokugawa appears earlier in the show than Teru. “They’re two very different people, so in that sense performing both roles was easy. If they’d been similar characters I think there would be some confusion.”

Regarding Tokugawa, Matsuoka describes him as being quite firmly in the “student council” role with how strict and resolute his character is, in a way that Matsuoka himself very much isn’t.

Describes him as a cool-headed person, but given the way he interacts with Kamuro and is able to persuade him, says he has a hot-headed element to him as well. Matsuoka uses this as an example of how MP100 shows us the multifacetedness of human nature.

Regarding his other character, Teru; describes him as the personification of ‘chuunibyou’. “I think of him as the embodiment of the answer to the question, ‘if you had powers, what would you do?’”

One line he still remembers from S1 is Teru’s “Muscle training? Studying? That’s for ordinary people!” Matsuoka says that there’s a part of him that agreed with that line, and he says that if he were to get powers he’d likely be as conceited as Teru was.

States that Mob’s “From my perspective you’re just ordinary” line also stuck with him.

“From S1E5?” Matsuoka; “Yes - and then Teru replies, 'shut up!', and strangles Mob.” He says that he was really able to project his own emotions during this part and mix them with Teru’s own.

“People can’t change so easily” - Matsuoka says the things that Teru was saying to Mob, he was also saying to himself, like looking in a mirror. Uses this as an example of Teru’s own multifaceted nature.

Matsuoka says that the original Teru we see (who the interviewer describes as having a "poisonous nature" & putting on airs) is simply playing the role of what he considers to be an 'ideal' person, but then that comes away and we're left with the real Teru.

Interviewer makes a joke that Teru gets his personality trimmed along with his hair.

Is asked about Mob & Teru's rivalry, and says "No way, no way - there's no way they're /actually/ rivals." Says the power difference between Mob and Teru is way too big for that to actually be the case - "compared to Mob, Teru is ordinary."

Calls MP100 a work from which you realise "Everyone is a hero, and everyone is ordinary".

Asked on his opinion on MP100 season 2; says that there's more moments that get to you emotionally than season 1. Brings up S2E8 as an example (when Mob's house burns). "Say if that was actually Mob's family who burned in there... I think he'd destroy the world."

Asked about his favourite scenes from season 1 & 2, he says (as previously mentioned) the part where Mob says “From my perspective you’re just ordinary”. He also likes when Teru says to Onigawara, "it must be sad to be ordinary."

He likes the whole of S1E4, and calls Dimple a "famous-saying-production-machine".

Continuing on the topic of Dimple, interviewer says that Dimple is an ally, but teeters between good and evil. Matsuoka; “Setting aside his actions for a moment - the things that he says are essentially evil (laughs). He tries to tempt Mob and the other characters.”

He is asked if he has anything to say to fans of MP100. Matsuoka; “Season 2 is over, and now you’re holding this Character Guidebook in your hands. The fact that we’ve reached this point is thanks to the support of you all, the fans.” [...] “Season 2 brings an end to the grand fight between Shou and his father, but as those of you who’ve read the manga know, Mob Psycho 100 doesn’t end there. The giant broccoli is yet to come (laughs). I personally would like to do the whole of Broccoli Arc. As for when we can do that, I don’t know - I don’t even know if it’ll be possible to do it - but I’d like to believe that we’ll do it. I think that if you all believe in it too, then it’ll become reality.”

TACHIKAWA YUZURU [Director]

On being asked why he decided to work on MP100, Tachikawa; “Naturally, it was because of how charming the characters are.” There’s a lot of main characters who hold immense power, but Mob doesn’t want those powers, which is rare - this is why he finds Mob charming.

He compares and contrasts to Reigen - “[He] has no powers, but puts on a bold front and deceives people… well, that’s a misleading way to put it (laughs).” He thinks Mob and Reigen’s combo is amusing as a result.

He’s asked about MP100s character design, to which he describes Kameda drawing up a whole bunch of ideas. There’d be designs that were similar to ONE’s, and designs that made Mob a bit more handsome, “since at the time, if you looked at Mob Psycho 100 fan art on the internet, there were plenty of depictions of Mob being all sparkly and good-looking.”

“But looking at that, Kameda-kun and I decided we both wanted to go for something more akin to ONE-san’s art. When we showed ONE-san the rough sketches of the more handsome designs, he said ‘they’re attractive - I'm good with that’, but Kameda-kun and I replied ‘no, no - ONE-san, your art leaves more of an impression than this, so let’s go for something more like what you draw.’”

Tachikawa wanted to include the more ‘catchy’ kinds of stories in the anime. He brings up that Mob and Reigen dressing in women’s clothing and infiltrating the school happens in Volume 7 of the manga, but they decided to bring that to S1E2.

Asked about convos that happened with ONE regarding scenarios in the anime - Tachikawa mentions how in S1E11, there’s a segment where a younger Mob and Ritsu are lost in a forest. “I expressed to ONE-san that I’d like to witness why Mob respects Ritsu, to which he gave this idea.”

“In the manga, what Reigen did before he began S&S isn’t shown to us, but we get an implication of his past based on a line he says to do with businesses. I said the following to ONE-san; ‘An insurance salesman, or water marketing?’, to which ONE-san replied ‘water marketing.’”

Also mentions that Tsubomi coming to S&S in S2E8 wasn't something they adapted from the manga, but something ONE specifically created for the anime because Tachikawa expressed he wanted to see that kind of scenario, and then ONE added it as an omake to the manga. [TN: This is mentioned again here.]

He thinks he would have had the choice to handle both the screenplay and the series coordination but decided to ask Seko to handle Series Co-ordination instead.

He is in charge of the screenplay for S2E6-7 (Reigen arc). It was decided that Tachikawa would be in charge of storyboards for S2E7 before it was decided he’d handle the screenplay.

“Do you feel you have an emotional attachment to Reigen?” Tachikawa; “Yes, I do (laughs).” Calls him a character surrounded by mystery back in S1, and other than his courage and the occasional line that would resonate with Mob there’s a lot about him that’s unclear. “But with S2E6-7, we step into his uchizura (more private, “real” self). It’s interesting to see who a character appears to be on the outside, and their uchizura.”

Tachikawa finds stories in which someone falls to their lowest point and then recovers charming - thus, Tachikawa was charmed by S2E6-7 which depict Reigen’s fall and his subsequent recovery. Says that Ritsu and Teru also go through something similar (fall and recovery).

He loves when you can feel the humanity of characters. Says that when you show character development the charm of that character increases, and so does the popularity of the whole work. “I suppose it’s not just me who likes that, it’s all the fans, too”.

Makes a point of mentioning that all the characters have reached a turning point by the end of season 2, apart from Dimple.

Asked on his opinion of Mob, he says he relates to him and he was the type of kid in school to be in a position removed from everyone else. “He’s a character I really like, though I’m told by others that I’m ‘Reigen-ish’ (laughs).”

“I think there’s a few ways you could take ‘Reigen-ish’...” Tachikawa; “To put it another way, ‘shady’. Kameda-kun made that clear to me (laughs). As if I’m feigning friendliness.”

Tachikawa handled the rough layout of the illustration cover (Kameda finalised it). “It’s something I could imagine happening that wasn’t shown to us during S2E8. I thought to myself, it would be nice to show Dimple, Reigen and Ritsu working together for Mob’s sake. A theme of season 1 and 2 is Mob’s growth, so I thought the marathon episode would fit as a cover for this guidebook. As a result of his growth, he’s got people gathered around him…”

“I think Reigen would’ve run with them on the first day they trained together, but then he’d start using the bike instead. Since his muscles hurt (laughs).”

Asked to give a message to fans, he says that all the support from fans gave them a lot of energy throughout the production of seasons 1 & 2. Tells the fans to enjoy the OVA.

SEKO HIROSHI [Series Co-ordinator]

Asked on his thoughts of the MP100 manga, Seko; “it’s a work in which the characters are all charming. This is a misleading way to phrase it, but they’re a hopeless bunch; yet, the way ONE-san deals with them is very warm.”

“They’re not just characters, they’re much like us - nothing but human.”

Asked about how he wanted to deal with coordinating the series; “At the time of season 1 discussions, the most recent volume was around 9. I’d read up to that point and thought that if the anime is covering 12 episodes, then we should reach up to the fight with Claw’s seventh division in volume 6. My thought process from there was, ‘in what way can we make it so season 1 ends there?’, and with that I began.”

Asked if there was anything he fussed over, “making sure to not tar what makes the manga so charming. For example, when Mob reaches 100% for the first time in S1E3, that’s a highlight of the story, and I wanted to keep it that way.”

Reason for the movement of the high school infiltration from Vol 7 of the manga to S1E2 was to help build up to Mob’s 100% in S1E3.

The “student council” part of the manga spans S1E6-7 of the anime. The decision to condense it was due to the anime having only 12 episodes.

Reigen & Mob’s initial meeting being portrayed in S1 is brought up; “In a screenplay meeting with Tachikawa-san, we discussed depicting their initial meeting from Mob’s point of view, whereas in the manga it’s from Reigen’s. It comes up a little later in the manga but we thought it would be good to show their meeting in S1. And, if we ever got the chance to make a S2, we’d have the scene again much like it appears in the manga from Reigen’s perspective. So they wouldn’t be entirely the same scene.”

To being asked if there were any requests from ONE regarding the screenplay of the anime, Seko; “We had a discussion in which he said that while the final part of S1 has a serious atmosphere due to the fight, he didn’t want it to end that way. For that reason I proposed that we could end S1 with the tsuchinoko segment. I think ONE-san is uncomfortable when there’s nothing but seriousness.”

Seko says he had a feeling that they’d get a season 2. Much like season 1, he finished off season 2 in such that way as to give off the impression that there’s more to come.

“Did you struggle figuring out how to start S2E1?” Seko; “Regarding that, I’d already decided that if we were to make a S2 we’d start it off with Wriggle Wriggle.”

A deliberate choice was made to start off S2, and finish S2, with the broccoli (Mob receives the broccoli seeds at the start; broccoli becomes the giant broccoli at the end).

The interviewer describes an important part of S2 as being “hold your emotions dear to you”.

Seko; “Wriggle Wriggle is a pretty silly story, so I thought having a pleasant story after that would keep the balance. I think that balance between silly and serious is representative of what Mob Psycho 100 is.”

“Season 2 has one more episode than season 1, making it a total of 13 episodes. Could you tell us why?” Seko; “The original plan was 12 episodes. Had we kept to that, the scene in which Mob’s house burns would come at the end of part A of episode 8. But Warner Bros. producer Matsuda-san said, ‘I’d like that to come at the end of the episode.’ However, doing that would mean we’d have to give the battle with Claw that follows that a squeeze... so Matsuda-san said, ‘let’s go for 13 episodes then.’” [TN: This is mentioned again here.]

“Are there any scenes from S1 & S2 that you feel an emotional attachment to?” Seko says when Reigen is invincible in S1E12. “The scene in which he scolds the 7th division embodies what Mob Psycho 100 is all about.”

Says that in typical shounen manga the situation would be resolved with a fight but MP100 isn’t like that. “The things that Reigen says are completely justified, realistically. The things an evil organisation does are a crime; the clothes that they wear are weird... (Laughs)”

“Speaking of Reigen, a phrase of his that leaves an impression in S1E11 is, ‘When things get tough, it’s okay to run away!’” Seko; “In conventional shounen manga, there’s the belief that the protagonist shouldn’t run away, but with ‘it’s okay’, ONE-san’s personality shines through. Reigen is truly an intelligent person. The things he does are questionable, yet he has common sense that comes out at strange times.”

“You can’t sum up his character in a single word.” Seko; “I think he’s a respectable person, but he also cons people (laughs).” He enjoys the back and forth Reigen has with clients, and his stinginess and the way he edits ghost photos. “He’s both eloquent and skilled, which is unbearable (laughs). Despite that, he doesn’t rip people off with what he charges. You get the idea that he’s got some sense of ethics, which is calming.”

“He’s simply a difficult character to understand.” Seko; “Honestly, at first I couldn’t understand him at all. It was difficult to think of things that he might say when creating scenes that weren’t in the original manga. But when it became clear to me that he has morals, it all fell into place. I’ve forgotten when exactly this happened - it was at some point near the start or middle of season 1 - but I came to understand the kind of person Reigen is.”

Speaking about Mob, “He’s introverted, quiet and bad at socialising, but he has this immense power inside him... when you hear that, some other works will probably spring to mind, but when you read MP100 you realise this is different. Mob is Mob[.]”

“It’s interesting to see a character as powerful as he is work very hard at training his muscles.” Seko; “And his incentive for that is that he wants to be popular (laughs).”

Seko was in charge of the next episode previews (which Reigen would announce in a meta-ish way). He says that he ran out of ideas of what to end them with by season 2 so they start repeating a little.

Asked to give a message to fans, he says thank you for watching S2 and look forward to the OVA.

KAMEDA YOSHIMICHI [Character Designer]

Asked his thoughts on the MP100 manga, Kameda says he didn’t have much of a clue what direction the story would take upon finishing the second volume. “After Claw gets introduced the story takes on an action-like atmosphere so I thought it would carry on that way, but then the story starts digging deep into uchizuras. I was surprised at that. That’s a true-to-life middle school boy being depicted.”

Kameda says that he took on working on the MP100 anime after reaching the part of mob psycho that explores uchizuras. “The way I felt was, ‘I want us to make a season 2, so we can definitely animate this part. I’m doing season 1 for this purpose.’ (Laughs)”

“What were your first thoughts with the character design?” Kameda; “In the manga there aren’t really any illustrations that are coloured. Even the front covers of the volumes aren’t too expressive with how they use colour. The way lines are drawn is dependent on colour, so the first decision to be made was on that subject, while checking my choices with ONE-san. In the manga, Reigen’s tie is black. But in the anime Mob is painted all black, so I thought it’d be a bit too heavy to leave his tie that way. Reigen was the only one with a coloured illustration in which his hair is painted yellow, so based on that I tried creating a whole bunch of tie patterns - purple, green, blue, pink, etc. ONE-san wanted to go for a blue tie, but I thought that was too salary man-ish, and didn’t give off fraud vibes. The final decision was made based on a colour necktie that the average person wouldn’t buy - it would be pink, wouldn’t it.”

Asked if there was anything difficult after colours, he describes having difficulty trying to figure out how to convert ONE’s style to the screen. “It would’ve been interesting to leave his art as it was for the anime, but it seemed like it would’ve been very difficult to do so.”

Describes ONE’s talent as being the way he applies shadow, calling it very real.

Interviewer follows on this by asking anything else that marks ONE’s art as ONE’s, to which Kameda replies the shape of ears, and describes his struggle trying to replicate the way ONE draws them.

Kameda would correct the ears drawn by the other animators to try and match ONE’s style. Leading on from this the interviewer mentions hearing that Kameda would touch up any cuts that caught his eye. Kameda; “Around 10 cuts an episode.”

Calls Mezato a favourite character of his, to the extent that he volunteered to do the part that she appears in S2E13 (and did so).

Says that S1E5 was the only episode in S1 he didn’t touch, which Fujisawa Kenichi was animation director of. “The character design in that episode is a little different but I thought that episode would be better off with Fujisawa-san’s style.”

Kameda proposed the scene that happens at the start of S1S1 (Mob fighting the “evil apparitions”) by saying he wanted a depiction of a middle school boy fighting with his powers as our start, but he actually proposed it in anticipation of the kind of action we’d see in S2E5. [TN: I think it’s been a rumour for a while that the start scene is from Mogami arc and this sorta confirms that the line of thought there is correct]

The first episode in S2 that they started drawing production work for was S2E5.

When Kameda watched S2E5 what he was most surprised by was Part A of the episode (ie. Mob’s day to day life), rather than the action scenes. “The layout is good, as are the use of bugs as an expression device[.]”

Kameda speaks of S2E7 as a part of Mob Psycho 100 so important to him that if it didn’t exist he wouldn’t have chosen to work on MP100.

He fussed over the press conference and Reigen’s expression(s) when he talks to Mob by the river at the end of the episode.

Interviewer mentions that we don’t see Reigen’s face in the manga when Mob calls him a good person, so seeing it in the anime leaves an impression. Kameda; “we struggled with that cut, but we struggled with Reigen’s expression when he’s walking alongside the river more so. Originally his expression was hidden as he approached, but when the camera pulled in close you could see his face.”

We end up seeing his face the whole way through. Kameda calls Aoyama Hiroyuki (who animated the whole end segment) a “super(hero) animator”.

Kameda makes an edit to Reigen’s expression upon being told by Mob that he’s a good person, with respect to the expression Reigen pulls in the final volume, “when [he] lays bare his real emotions to Mob.” [TN: This appears to be implying Reigen was originally drawn with tears in his eyes that were removed to make sure that the scene in which Reigen finally cries maintains its impact.]

“The performance by Reigen’s VA, Sakurai-san, was amazing... and I loved Mob’s ‘By the way, Shishou. Happy birthday.’ Itou-kun’s way of speaking is so gentle... I can’t quite express the feeling properly, but hearing him say those words, I was brought close to tears.”

Kameda is asked if there’s anything that proved a lot of work, to which he says, “Hmm... there’s a lot of characters in MP100, aren’t there. (Laughs)”.

Describes that he designed ~90 characters for S1. “I thought I’d get to relax a little for S2, but in the end I ended up having to design around 90 more. (Laughs)”

“Some of the main character designs that were established in S1 changed a little for S2, didn’t they.” Kameda; “Ritsu changed a little with S2. In S1 he had a bit of antagonism toward Mob, so I had the hair that frames his face be a little longer to try and hide those emotions.”

“A character’s state of mind is something that can be expressed through their hair.” Says that Ritsu’s hair gets a refresh in the final part of S1 when he’s talking to Kamuro in the park, to represent that the “demon plaguing him is gone”.

He’s asked if there are any characters in the huge cast of MP100 that are memorable for him. He mentions Tarou and Hanako as two characters that were fun to draw as they set the trend for the other “guest characters” in the show.

Also says he likes Mitsuura as a character with high energy who was fun to pose, though he’s unpopular with the animators due to the patterns on his clothes being a pain.

“I’ve mentioned this here and there before, but I really love Shinra Banshoumaru. The reason why I was the animation director for S2E2 is because it’s his entry episode (laughs).”

“Why did you want to draw Shinra Banshoumaru so much?” Kameda; “Because he’s chubby!! The swell of his cheeks, his tummy, his large butt... I’m obsessed (laughs). I was so charmed, thinking, ‘I want to make him even bigger and move him around!’”

He’d do things like add extra belly sways to the storyboards. “I didn’t intend to go as far as I did, but I think I went overboard in a lot of ways (laughs).”

Asked to give a message to fans, Kameda; “I’m happy that you all continue to involve yourselves with Mob Psycho 100. Since we’ve come this far, I want to finish off animating what remains of the MP100 manga. A television season 3 - no, wait, perhaps even a film...? Please be sure to continue to support Mob Psycho 100.”

[TN: this marks the fourth mention of a MP100 film I’ve seen from Kameda, and also marks him as the only member of production staff interviewed in this book to explicitly state anything to do with season 3.]

ONE [Original Author]

He is asked how Mob Psycho 100 came to be. ONE; “I love psychic powers as a theme, so I thought to myself, in what way can I make the most of that theme? How can I add colour to it? Through that thought process, I incorporated puberty, stress, ‘being used’, complexes, unrequited love, ‘shishou’, lies, the dual nature that exists in many things, and so on… then, the protagonist; a passive, introverted person, but someone who is able to become the eye of a hurricane, someone who through the influence of their relationships changes, grows… it was with that foundation that I began developing the plot, and through that process I solidified the setting; this protagonist would have their heart burdened by a buildup of stress and the shift of their feelings, and after passing a certain boundary they’d explode, and their powers would run wild… I thought it would be nice if the manga was a little strange, with the buildup until the boundary crossover being shown to the reader via a numerical percentage value. Ideas for titles included things like, ‘Mob Psycho’, ‘Psycho Helmet’, and ‘Mob Psycho 100%’.”

He is asked to recall how he felt when the MP100 anime was confirmed. ONE; “I was delighted. A lot has happened in relation to Mob Psycho 100, but for me the anime has been the thing to make me the most happy.”

He is asked what he hoped for with the anime, to which he replies the happiness of the fans, and for MP100 to bring a smile to the faces of the staff working on the anime.

What he looked forward to was the way the voice actors and animators would approach the characters, and how they’d flesh out the MP100 world as a result.

“What kinds of conversations did you have with director Tachikawa?” ONE says he doesn’t really remember their initial conversation(s) but he knows that he told Tachikawa that he has the freedom to be as creative as he wants. “I didn’t want to be a nuisance.”

He recalls being told by series coordinator Seko that he may need to shift around a few of the chapters to make the story in the anime flow a little easier.

Asked his thoughts on Kameda’s character designs, ONE; “Amazing. I’d resigned myself to the fact that the characters would get an overhaul for the anime and become more handsome, but Mob has remained Mob, Reigen has remained Reigen. Their anime designs are charming. I was moved.”

He says he holds several pages of character designs drafts that Kameda drew up dear to him, and mentions that the Body Improvement Clubs designs were perfect from the get go.

ONE says that he feels blessed with the amazing voice actors giving depth to the characters, describing how when they’re given voices it feels like they’re alive, and regrets that he didn’t go to recording sessions more.

“How did you feel when season 2 was announced?” ONE: “Season 1 was amazing, so I expected there’d be a season 2.” Describes Tachikawa and Kameda’s hard work, to which he responded with his own. “It was around the time that I was ending the manga, so I buckled down to finish it.”

He looked forward to seeing how the anime would deal with adapting the more “drama” feel of season 2, with human emotions being explored.

He describes his process with writing problems and their solutions in MP100. “Mob & Reigen each have their own way of dealing with a problem, so I’d say, ‘this is how this problem would generally be dealt with’, and from there I’d explore different ways of solving that problem.”

“I let the characters start thinking for themselves - that kind of delusion awoke within me. Like, ‘Hey, Reigen, I’m going to sleep, so think it over for me.’ With that, it became easier to plan.”

He is asked his thoughts and feelings on the anime; he states he doesn’t really watch anime but was reminded of how interesting it can be, and the power of anime as simple entertainment. “I was able to recognise anew just how amazing the production team is. [...] I felt so grateful that they chose to work on Mob Psycho 100, devoting their precious time to really putting their all into the production work. It’s how I’ve felt with every episode. Right now I’ve watched up until the end of S2E5, but I’m already running out of tissues.”

He is asked anything that’s left an impression on him during the broadcast of MP100; “The amount of correspondence I’d receive from overseas Mob Psycho fans increased with the anime broadcast.” Says that it’s amazing that even with a translation foreign fans are able to laugh at the same things, be moved by the same things, etc.

Finally, he is asked to give a message to the fans who purchased the guidebook. ONE; “Thank you for always supporting Mob Psycho 100. The way I see the situation regarding Mob Psycho 100 as a work is as something that overlaps with Mob’s own development. Mob Psycho’s value as a piece of entertainment greatly increased with the powerful aid of the anime, and with everyone who offered a hand, gave their opinions and support, and reached out. I’d always thought to myself, ‘I want to create a manga that’s able to influence those who read it in some way, if only even a little,’ but as it turns out it’s Mob Psycho 100 that has become what it is now thanks to all of you. I’ve still got my eye on what Mob Psycho 100 will become in the future. Nothing would make me more happy than for all of you to continue enjoying Mob Psycho 100.“

--

Thank you for reading!

Posted on twitter here.

ONE & Director Tachikawa’s comments on the main five are here.

[awesomejustgotawesome]

So I wrote out a lot of my thoughts on Godzilla vs. Kong and it ended up quite long, so it’s under this keep reading thing. The summary is I liked it but there’s a few things including one major storyline I really, really, really, really, really didn’t like hahah. (spoilers for the whole film of course)

So while I enjoyed it, I think Godzilla vs. Kong was easily the weakest of the 4 MonsterVerse films. Rewatching the first 3 yet again yesterday, I just love how each one has it’s own awesome style that’s unique to the series, especially Godzilla & Kong: Skull Island. It’s just so good. And while GvsK had the same MonsterVerse vibe all the films have, it didn’t reallly have any style like the others. The action was great, some cool shots/moments, and it was quite colorful at times. But there was just a lack of something the others had. A big something.

On top of that, I do think it was also the weakest of the 4 in terms of story/characters. Again I still enjoyed it, but the biggest problem that really brought this film down so much lower than the previous ones was the fact that Madison, Josh and Bernie’s entire storyline was pointless. They did NOTHING the entire film. They were just there to discover Mechagodzilla, which they really didn’t need to be. It was quick to show us Bernie had no knowledge and was probably not going to do anything, and as the film kept having all three of them not be doing anything it just became infuriating. What they did at the end again could have been done by absolutely anyone. Josh says “if I can guess the password” and then constantly talks about how unbelievably incompetent he is, yet Madison or Bernie don’t leave the fucking room and get anyone, anyone at all, who works there to help. I don’t remember them showing the door behind them being blocked or anything. And it’s not like the employees are evil henchmen, heck the main guy would have helped to stop it once he saw it was not under their control and killing innocent people. But no, just let Josh guess a password and then pour a drink on it, like what the fuck was that.

Millie & Kyle’s characters 1000% should not have returned for this movie. I think if they did a film exploring the Hollow Earth a few years from now, that would have been perfect to bring Millie back when she’s older and can be working for Monarch on her own or something.

Speaking of Monarch, despite four characters who work for them being in the film it feels like Monarch wasn’t really there unlike the previous Godzilla movies. Like Lance Reddick was apparently a Monarch director but, if I remember, the film doesn’t tell us that and he has no role at all. Like why waste a good actor like that. Also Serizawa’s son is in this but it’s barely talked about, they could have been unrelated characters and it’s baffling they weren’t.

The storyline with Madison, Josh & Bernie 100% should have been replaced with one featuring Monarch and Military personal. Not sure why Bradley Whitford, Zhang Ziyi, Joe Morton, Aisha Hinds, O’Shea Jackson Jr, and David Strathairn weren’t in this film reprising their roles. All those characters were great. Also I think Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character would have been perfect for a return here. Heck I still would have loved aged up versions of Brie and Tom. The post-credits scene of that film hinted they’d be more important but than I guess they did nothing.

This storyline should have been a bit more on par with something from the 1st film, or at least the 2nd, not three characters (two just for comedic reasons) doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. The other storyline with the new characters was fine, and great, like previous films. Those characters had purpose, and did SO MUCH. Nothing wrong there, but the fact this other storyline (not including the new bad guy with Mechagodzilla) added nothing really brings the film down. Again though, Millie appearing older working for Monarch in a future Hollow Earth film could have been a great return for the character. Not this though.

Then there’s the two main stars, Kong and Godzilla. Everything with Kong I loved, they nailed all that. Godzilla not so much, I feel like him fighting Kong just never felt justified. Like the previous films I could tell what Godzilla was thinking, but this just seemed to be done for no reason. Like Kong takes one foot off Skull Island and Godzilla beats the guy up? I know the film explains this rivalry legend between them but it still doesn’t work well, unlike Ghidorah who was actively trying to take over from Godzilla. Kong was just taking a trip. Kind of made Godzilla to feel like a bit of an asshole in my opinion. Like he’s so insecure another King is there he has to fight him? Kong didn’t show any sign whatsoever of wanting Godzilla’s title of KotM the way Ghidorah did.

So yeah overall I liked it, but it was the weakest one. And it is disappointing considering how easy it could have been better. Just replace a completely pointless storyline with one that matters and adds something besides comedic characters. Not the best ending to the series, but an okay entry. Really hope they make more though.

[justphilia]

There’s a definite chance I might not be writing this BUT

I had a detroit become human idea for a Mob Psycho fic, it’s pretty loose considering I had the idea while sitting in the back of a car and standing under the shower head.

There’s probably a chance I would be writing it but it’s kinda leaning to a “Nah, probably not”.

With that being said, I kinda don’t want to trash the idea as a whole without it meeting the light of day, so I’m gonna spill my ideas here so I can look back and think; “Wow. That’s shit.”

To add, this whole thing will sound more like babbling than an actual summary, so excuse me lmao.

Tsubomi doesn’t have any friends. But coming from a wealthy family, her parents decides to buy her a friend. Cue Shigeo/Mob. 

I had a funny model name for all the child androids ‘ESP(insert number, for Shigeo it’s 100)’ despite this being a no powers AU. Then I realized it probably wouldn’t fit because I am low key planning for all the espers to be androids and realized ‘Wow, ha ha, that’s a lot of androids’ so now SOME of the espers are androids.

Okay so fast forward and Tsubomi’s parents are thinking, “We should replace Shigeo, he’s kinda old fashioned now.”

“Mom we only had him for 4 years.”

“Exactly.”

But Tsubomi’s really attached to Mob because he’s her best friend, and doesn’t tell him he might be replaced until he finds out himself. He goes bat shit crazy and tries to kill himself and Tsubomi. Cue Serizawa, a cop android.

Serizawa calms my boy down and Shigeo’s like, “You’re right, I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m so--” bang. Tsubomi low key gets traumatized, Shigeo is bleeding blue on the floor.

We shift to the next scene where Shigeo wakes up on like a bed except it’s actually a table. Cue Reigen, he works at Cyberlife as a child therapist/repair worker. Actually, my man was suppose to be just a repair worker but he got promoted to child therapist for calming down a raging Teru.

“Kid, you remember anything?”

“I- Sorta? Where am I, am I gonna be killed?”

Reigen’s like sweating because he isn’t sure himself, Shigeo’s the first kid who tried to commit murder. But as they talked, Reigen’s kinda surprised to realize that Shigeo’s actually a really really sweet kid.

Shigeo asks how Tsubomi is doing and if she hates him. Reigen tells him she’s fine and she misses him. Which is the truth, but he doesn’t mention that Tsubomi did end up getting a replacement in fear of ticking Shigeo off. Cue Ritsu, the replacement android best friend.

There’s a sort of cell holding all the ‘defect’ child androids, like a little playroom but also an actual cell, and inside there’s: Gou, Rei, Takeshi, Daichi, Kaito and Teru.

Cue Teru, who is the only one who has a similar case to Shigeo; he punched a kid in the nose and sent him to the hospital, which made his mom very very pissed and sent him for repairs. Because of this, he’s enraged further and the staff can’t send him back unless his attitude changes to the “ideal son”.

Teru thinks being an android is a gift, he can’t die and he’s pretty much flawlessly shaped. When he meets Shigeo, he asks why he looks so plain, and it’s revealed it’s because Tsubomi didn’t want anything flashy.

And mostly because Shigeo’s an older model.

Each kid (except for Teru) had an actual defect to their system. Gou has somehow obtained a built in lighter function, which isn’t suppose to be there. Rei has the reconstruct and construct feature for unknown reasons. Takeshi is basically a walking magnet, except he doesn’t really know when it’s turned on or off (when it’s turned on, it’s strong enough to accidentally pull all the others towards him and it gets pretty annoying). Daichi and Kaito’s memory cloud keeps syncing with one another, which disrupts them from being able to remember the right things correctly (i.e Daichi gets Kaito’s memories and believes they are his own and vice versa).

The only reason they’re still stuck here is because they come from middle class families (except for Teru), so they’re way behind on the waiting list to get repaired.

Shigeo, on the other hand, came from a rich family, so he’d be out in no time. This makes Teru very mad, he states it isn’t fair that Shigeo gets to be let out sooner than them even though he just got here.

He tries to attack, but unfortunately for him, they’ve installed a software that prevents Teru from being able to kick and punch. Like a parental lock sorta? The same has been done to Shigeo.

Shigeo only makes Teru even more mad when he says he wishes he was human. If he wasn’t human, none of this would’ve happened, “Teru, if you were human, you wouldn’t be right here y’know? Your mom wouldn’t need to send a real human boy for repairs.”

And Teru is pissed because he knows Shigeo’s right. 

But being the cunning bitch he is, he smiles and pretends to accept Shigeo’s opinion, and he asks for a hug. Shigeo happily agrees and let’s Teru wrap an arm around him.

Then Teru squeezes.

“Teru, I can’t, you’re crushing- I can’t--”

“Oh, I know. If I break you enough, you’ll have to stay here with us even longer.”

Shigeo tries to retaliate, but due to the software, he’s unable to kick himself free. The rest tries to intervene, but Teru threatens them to stay back or he’ll squeeze harder.

“Can a human do this? Shigeo? Can they?”

Shigeo manages to break through the system and finally breaks free, he’s back in his aggressive mode and actually starts attacking.

He takes it too far when he rips Teru heart out.

Everyone is screaming at this point and Reigen’s rushing towards the cell like mad. Serizawa is there too, because he wanted to visit Shigeo to see how he’s doing.

“Why are you running?”

“Something bad is happening, I need to be there- Woah there buddy!” Serizawa picks Reigen up and surprises him. Then the android fucking bolts.

When Reigen finally reaches the cell and enters, he finds Shigeo on the ground, bleeding out once again, and Teru staring motionlessly at Shigeo.

“He...gave me his heart.”

Shigeo is sent to be repaired again and this time, he’s kept in a separate cell, because no one knows how he managed to break through their system. It’s almost impossible for a child -and not to mention an OLD- model to be able to do that.

While Reigen’s thinking in his office, cue Mitsuura, who says it’d be a shame for all those child models to lose their cool abilities. He jokes about just creating a child model meant to possess those abilities, like a tiny cop or something.

Cue Suzuki, no no, the other Suzuki. Mommy Suzuki. Except she’s a single lady who surrounds herself with Touichirou, the first ever android model made. That’s right, she’s head of Cyberlife.

She comes in, because she can’t sit still, and says, “Not a bad idea, man.”

Mitsuura has a fit and thanks the woman.

“So, about that old model that broke my parental control lock?” She turns to Reigen and he huffs, shrugging.

“I really don’t know, ma’am.”

She hums, definitely interested. Unlike the OG DBH, in this AU, they’re more lenient in the deviancy of androids because Suzuki believes they can have rights too. Except they don’t need to get paid, unless they want to? Honestly my idea for that aspect is low key fuzzy.

So anyways, Suzuki remembers Mitsuura’s idea and basically starts sketching out the draft. Cue Shou, who doesn’t exist yet but he’s in the making.

“Can you take the extra components of those child androids and keep them somewhere for later use? I’ll be needing them.”

“Ma’am, those androids are at the back of the waiting list, we can’t just--”

“Just do it.”

Cue Roshuuto, who seriously believes they should just kill Shigeo. “He’s too dangerous” blah blah blah SHUT THE FUCK UP.

Anyways, Reigen doesn’t want to do that because a) android or not, that’s a kid and b) You can’t make that decision and neither can I. Only Suzuki can.

Roshuuto sorta frowns, because everyone knows Suzuki plays favorites; and that favorite is Reigen. He’s the reason why Touichi now has a bit of sentience, before that android was pretty ruthless.

So if Reigen personally doesn’t want to get rid of Shigeo, then Suzuki would say the same too.

Meanwhile, Teru has been showing signs of positive improvement in attitude, there’s a speculation it might’ve been because Teru now has Shigeo’s heart, but that’s just dumb. That kid believes he just killed another android and he’s not sure how he feels about it, so he decides the least thing he could do was to be a better android.

Since Shigeo doesn’t share the same cell as them and nobody told them Shigeo survived, everyone in the playroom thinks Shigeo is dead.

Teru gets sent back after that, and the rest of the kids got their needed repairs.

Meanwhile, Shigeo and Reigen has daily consultation sessions, where they try to find the source of Shigeo’s issues. It takes about a month and Reigen hands Shigeo his cellphone number, saying if Shigeo ever needed him, Reigen would be there.

Shigeo gets sent back to the Takane’s family, because if he doesn’t, Tsubomi will throw a fit. She doesn’t do it often, but when she does, it’s ugly. It’s not like she’s spoiled, but when she strongly and firmly wants something, she’s determined enough to get it.

Originally, Ritsu was meant to be a direct replacement of Shigeo. He even had the bowl cut and everything, but Tsubomi’s intelligent and manages to figure out Ritsu’s a fake. She doesn’t get mad at him though, he doesn’t deserve it, instead she just befriends him too. Ritsu becomes a whole new person he wants to be, even mussed up his hair to look different.

So Shigeo meets Ritsu for the first time, and he’s sorta confused and upset, but Tsubomi got attached to Ritsu as well and refuses to leave him. Ritsu says he’s glad to finally meet Shigeo, because he has heard so much about him, and Shigeo decides he could like Ritsu.

I kinda stop making ideas from here, but I had a rough idea what happens next. Teru and Shigeo do meet again at some point, and Ritsu does meet Shou at some point too.

There will be background Serirei, and Shigeo does eventually grow a crush on Tsubomi and confession and oh no it went wrong. I think that’s when Shou makes his first appearance?

Because they think a child can calm another child down. It doesn’t work.

Nobody realizes Reigen’s probably the only thing that can help until the very very last minute.

So anyways, that’s the end of it. I don’t know what to do with this idea because now that I’ve spilled them all on the table, I kinda feel like writing it now. Though I already have two other projects planned, one being Nap’s birthday gift fic and another being a secret project that features Ritshou and amnesia, so it might be delayed to maybe June :(

[kyuublu]

Be somebody

A window. To my left.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the bright light that illuminated my face. Cars honking in the distance, my neighbors arguing about taking out the trash, the birds chirping somewhere in the distance.

Today is monday. My bedroom was not just one room but rather a kitchen and livingroom that included a single mattress on the floor, all together. As i approached my coffee machine i subconsciously looked at the calendar that was pinned up on the wall.

“shift & 8 am”

Immediately my head turned to my phone that was set on the kitchen table. I cautiously pushed the homebutton.

9.45 am. Shit.

_______

I stormed into the office looking frantically for the room my boss was in.

I was an assistant at a shitty company i didn’t want to be in in the first place. Of course this wasn’t my dream job but life has its ways and at the end we all just end up in the same shithole anyways.

At least thats what I thought when I didn’t have enough money to pay rent anymore 2 years ago. And now I’m probably going to get fired.

Room 127.

„You know this is the 5th time this week.“ He didn’t even look at me.

“I’m so sorry but the passed weeks I-” Itried arguing but was met with a harsh glare.

„Y/n it wasn’t just the last couple of weeks. You’ve been sloppy with your work for awhile now and called in sick way more times than i can count.“

I stared blankly at the picture frame on my bosses desk. I didn’t know he had family.

„You’re fired.“

This was it. I knew it was coming but i expected to be more freaked out about it. But i didn’t feel anything.

__________

I aimlessly walked through the busy city streets. People of all ages went on with their everyday lifes, and then there was me. I barely knew any people in this city eventhough i’ve lived here all my life. Sure i had some acquaintances here and there but nobody that really deeply mattered to me.

As i approached a convenient store, a wall full of posters caught my eye. I should probably search for another job as soon as possible or i’ll need to move back in with my parents. God, i sound like a loser.

Suddenly i stopped at a particular poster that just looked way more obnoxious than the other dull ones.

This guy. He seemed familiar.

'Greatest Psychic of the 21st Century' was printed in bold colors.

Suddenly it hit me. The blonde man grimacing on the poster was somebody i went to school with. What the hell was he doing in this psychic business stuff? I mean, I shouldn’t be the one talking. I just got fired.

Reigen. We barely talked throughout high school but he always stuck out in the crowd. Back then he just seemed a little- off i guess?

Talking way too much in class, being cocky eventhough he seemed to lose in every bet he made and just overall different.

I continued looking at the bottom part of the poster which read:

'Employee wanted!'

I let out a small chuckle. Am I really going to do this? I don’t even believe in spirits or anything related to that stuff.

But what could I possibly lose right now?

____________

Staring at the sign outside of the tall grey building i shook my head in disbelief.

'Spirits and Such Consultation Office'

Yup. There’s no going back now.

Now standing infront of the dark colored door i started getting more anxious.

This guy has this random career and i’m just going to barge in without having a single clue about what he actually does. I don’t even have any important papers with me, nor did I prepare anything.

The only hint of professionalism could be seen in my choice of clothing. I just wore a black cheap pantsuit that I had previously put on for my office job.

A loud groan left my mouth in frustration. Stop thinking and just do it dumbass.

Before i could continue my pointless rant in my mind i knocked on the door. Suddenly a man with short brown hair and dark undereye bags stood in front of me. He sure as hell looked more anxious than me. Is he here for the job too?

“You- You- aren’t Mob.“ He stuttered, while he staggered backwards still holding the door open.

„Excuse me? Who?“ I responded confused.

Another voice in the back of the room interruped our weird encounter.

„Serizawa is it the old lady again? I told her-“

I slowly stepped into the room and looked towards where the voice was coming from. A blonde man was leaning against a desk with his arms crossed.

Reigen paused, blinking at the new figure standing in his office.

Shit. He doesn’t remember me, does he?

Suddenly the mans eyes grew bigger.

“Oh! Y/L/N, from high school right?” I chuckled at his blunt statement replying “Yep that’s me.”

Serizawa slowly closed the door, seeming even more confused than before.

“You- You can sit down if you want.” Reigen walked around the desk and placed himself on a chair as he continued “So, what brings you here? It must’ve been years since i’ve last seen you around.”

I hesitantly approached the chair infront of his desk and sat down. “Uhm- I’m actually here for the job offer.” I said as I placed my bag on the ground and looked back to him.

All of a sudden his face showed a hint of disappointment.

“Oh yes- yes, of course. Thats why you would be here.” Reigen mumbled as he scratched his head.

“Look, Y/L/N, I put those posters up before this guy came around.” He said pointing at the brown haired man behind me that didn’t seem to ever stop fidgeting.

My akward smile faded and I mentally face palmed myself. Why does stuff like this always happen to me? It must be Karma or something.

Reigen sighed while I seemed to be somewhere else with my thoughts. “But... I guess it wouldn’t be bad to have someone to look after all the paperwork, get some food once in awhile or-“ I yanked myself back to reality and said “Like an errand boy??”

“I- I mean if you need a job, I could only offer you this-“

My eyes widened with hope and I smiled him holding out my hand.

“I’ll take it!”

The blonde man watched in awe, hesitantly shaking my hand.

“So, when can I start?”

—————

A/N

Will continue this if I feel like it. We’ll see :)

[stuck-in-jelly]

The Irony of Life (MP100|One-Shot| Fan-Fic Commission)

A short SeriRei one-shot that was commissioned

In which Reigen reflects on his 15 year old mindset and realizes just how wrong he was.

———————————————

When Reigen was 15 years old he accepted the fact that he was never going to have kids even if he wanted to. With a single glance to his parents, he doubted he would be any better than them and no child deserved a fate like that.  

Yet irony had a way of creeping into his life and taking away his choice, because by the time he was 30 he somehow amassed an army of children who all looked up to him and visited him often, none of which were related to him in any way.  

It had all started with one kid and just ended up snowballing into more and more children before he could even try to stop it. Half of the pictures he has on his clipboard in the office have turned into photos of him and the kids on outings; the time Teru and the Kageyama brothers joined them on their trip to the hot springs, his birthday party with all of them, Ritsu getting thanked by his first client, Rei doing a fortune telling, and so on and so forth.  

He hates to say it, but it’s starting to look like a mother’s scrapbook and he is neither a mother nor in possession of an actual scrapbook (though he has considered investing in one at this rate). And although Mob doesn’t visit the office often anymore, too busy focusing more on his studies and the Body Improvement Club, he accidentally ended up sending more kids his way to replace him.  

More specifically in the form of a bunch of rather loud girls that Tome dragged in hardly with his approval and his office had turned into their hangout spot (much to his dismay when he is trying to work).  

Even now, at the end of the work day, they lay sprawled all over the couch and chairs talking and laughing away as if he hadn't already turned off most of the lights and locked the windows in a subtle way to tell them to get up already.  

Most days Reigen was left alone like this– given that Serizawa typically heads off early for night school– however today was a lucky day and he didn’t have classes which is a godsend since Serizawa is much better with kids than Reigen.  

“Come on, girls. Pack up, we are closing soon.” Serizawa’s voice snapped the girls out of their conversation much faster than his ever would, it was a perfect mix of a stern yet gentle demand that sounded much more like a suggestion making it much more appealing to listen to.

With a ‘tsk’ Reigen looked over to chime in:  

“We are closed,” he sneered before snapping the blinds to the windows shut.  

Imminent whines traveled from the girls.  

“Come on, just a couple more minutes!” one of them pleaded dramatically. It was almost enough to make Reigen roll his eyes.  

“Do you want to be locked in the office?”

“Cool! Like a sleepover!”

“No, no sleepovers in my office.”

Tome leaps up, a tale tell sign she has an idea  

“What if you give me the keys?! I can lock up after we all decide to leave or we stay the night!”

“Absolutely not.” He doesn’t even need to think about that one

“What!? Why?! I'm super reliable?”

A smirk crept on Reigen’s face.  

“Ah yes, like that time you got lost in the cursed woods, or the time Dimple had to possessed you and punch your teacher, or that time you assaulted one of our clients, or when you-”  

“Fine, fine I get it!” the girls were giggling and Tome’s face had turned a bright shade of pink as she slumped in defeat.  

Before he could say much else Serizawa stepped in once again,  

“How about this: Tomorrow we have a case down at Cape Cop Avenue, if we head off now you can tag along for it.”

The girls cheered, accidently having adopted Tome’s curiosity for ghosts and other such creatures. With their minds satisfied somewhat with the idea of a new activity they began to gather their bags and the homework they hadn't even touched the entire time at the office.  

Usually Reigen would scold Serizawa for promising something like that, but the location was an apartment complex that Serizawa had scouted yesterday and as expected there weren’t actually any ghosts there. The scariest thing at the apartment complex was their plumbing system.  

Regardless, Serizawa would be sure to give them a show (thank god none of them were espers).

It wasn’t long until they all began piling out. Somehow it has become a habit for Reigen to walk the girls home and tonight was no exception, the only difference being that Serizawa decided to join them.  

The first destination was for Mika who lived only 3 blocks down from Reigen’s office, she gave an enthusiastic wave goodbye and promised to take a bunch of pictures tomorrow (even though Reigen tried explaining it would be hard to capture a ghost on camera).

Up next was their tall friend whose name Reigen hasn’t caught just yet. She seemed to stare a lot at them when they worked and doodle them but she was the politest of the bunch so Reigen didn’t mind her all that much.  

Then Tome, who groaned loudly as Keiko reminded her of the homework due tomorrow before sulking back into her house with a small wave. Misa lives just two houses down from Tome and jogged ahead since she forgot about the homework too.  

And then last but not least Keiko who without the company of her friends becomes rather bashful and shy only uttering small ‘thank you’s’ and ‘good night’s’ as she scurries into her house.  

With the girls all safely in their houses Reigen without meaning to let out a soft sigh as he stretched, finally allowing himself to relax away from the kids. Usually he’d keep on his facade for Serizawa but lately that illusion has been melting away and luckily, it’s been mutual.  

Serizawa has begun to relax too around him, being more confident and even being so bold as to tease him. They had also begun to work fluidly with each other, understanding what the other needed or wanted with simple quick glances and they practically danced around each other in their morning routines. Reigen even trusted him enough to give him copies of the keys to the office, it was nice to have someone to lean on when you needed it.  

Neither of them said a word but they both began walking in the same direction. Serizawa lived just a bit further from Reigen in a different and better apartment complex than his so it made sense they were sticking together.  

Nights like these were rare but appreciated, his whole life Reigen has always felt like he was supposed to be running just to catch up; but walking like this alongside someone you trust and care about is nice. It makes him feel like he can finally walk instead of run, like there is no rush.

And Serizawa is a good person and perfect company, initially Reigen assumed they didn’t have much in common but as time has moved on it turned out they do and they frequently found themselves talking each other's ear off. Mostly Reigen more than Serizawa but it’s a mutual exchange at least.  

Though right now they seem to appreciate the silence, the girls were a nice change to have in the office but they also tend to drain the two of their energy with how loud and energetic they get, not to mention the trouble and danger they seem to like to get into. The thought alone is already giving Reigen a headache.

“Reigen?” With the sound of his name, he snaps out of it quickly, looking up to Serizawa only letting out a small ‘hm’ of acknowledgement.  

Reigen catches the brief moment Serizawa was looking at him before staring forward instead.

“I know we’ve been busy lately but I was wondering if you would like to join me tomorrow for dinner at my place?”  

Now that was extra new, Reigen has never been over to Serizawa’s apartment. Something about it felt a bit too personal, maybe it's because he hasn’t been over to a friend's place since he was in middle school nor has he had guests over willingly at his own apartment.    

“What’s the occasion?”  

The question makes Serizawa visibly tense, although the man has become more confident in himself, he finds moments like these where he still falters in his choices.  

“Oh! Uh well I just um thought it would be nice to have some company over you know, I wanted to try out this new recipe and I thought it would be nice to have another taste tester and well I’m also trying to get used to having more people over at my place and I-”  

Before he could go on another list of excuses Reigen interrupts,  

“Sure, sounds nice. It’s been a while since I had a home cooked meal anyways.”

The response seemed to calm him down, his shoulders untensing and letting out a not so subtle sigh of relief.  

As casual as Reigen is trying to act though he could feel his heart hammering in his chest in excitement. Every time he’s tried to have a moment alone with Serizawa one of them has always been either busy or with other plans so it would be great to finally have time.  

But Reigen isn't an idiot, he knows exactly why he’s excited for this. He’s noticed how things between them have changed recently and perhaps it’s wishful thinking but he’s noticed from Serizawa too, when his gaze lingers, when he relaxes into soft touches, and the change of his mood from around his friends as opposed to him.

Along with this came a new tension, and not the kind where you want to murder each other or fuck, no it was something different. It was the kind of tension where both parties are trying to read each other and think they know what the other is thinking but they don’t want to make any unwarranted assumptions.  

Reigen’s always been great at reading people, and usually he wouldn’t doubt himself but this is different in many ways. Serizawa is not only a friend but an employee, and he’s being reintroduced to the world away from all the hardships he faced and the trauma he’s brought along with him. If he is right about this, he needs to be careful.

Serizawa is perfectly capable of making his own choices but he needs to go at his own pace and to push anything onto Serizawa wouldn’t be fair.      

There’s another thing Reigen had accepted when he was 15 years old, and it was that no one could ever love him for who he truly is. And that is a firm belief he’s kept, even now as Serizawa leans to be closer to him and he leans back.  

But then again irony loves his company. So maybe 15-year-old Reigen could be wrong about that too.

-----------------------------------------

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[rosethesongbird]

Alone

Content warning: violence, abuse, mentions of amputation, blood, vomit (emeto), drug abuse, temporary character death... this is a rough one, guys. 

Day to day life (if you could call being imprisoned in a basement with no windows “life”) was not easy, for Serizawa. Crawling around on the floor on amputated stumps with no companionship or help most of the time. One meal a day, at best. Bouncing back and forth between being so drugged up he couldn’t think straight and withdrawals that made him vomit until his throat bled. And on top of it all, living in constant fear of further violence—sometimes because of something he did. Sometimes because of something someone else did. Sometimes random, unprompted. Like he was a human punching bag. Sleeping on the floor like a dog, often in a puddle of his own blood, sweat, and tears. It was, quite honestly, hell.

Getting sick down there?

That was worse. 

The first sign was the fact that he slept. Most people lose sleep when they aren’t well. However, when you’re plagued by horrifying, vivid, realistic nightmares six or seven times a night, you don’t sleep well, ever. And yet there he was, getting shaken awake by Minegishi. 

“Serizawa, wake up,” he frowned. “Are you alright? It’s lunchtime,” 

“Mh,” he blinked his eyes open, using his bandaged upper arms to rub the sleep from them. “Must’ve been tired,” 

“Apparently. Come on, sit up. I’ve got okayu for you today.” Minegishi reached out his hand, gently lifting him off the floor, cautious when touching constantly bruised ribs. “You feel warm.”

“My head hurts.” Serizawa desperately wanted to squeeze the pressure points at his temples, strong fingertips rubbing all over his scalp, alleviating the headache. Really, that was what he missed the most about not having arms. It really made him realize how seldom he was touched. 

“I’ll ask President Suzuki if I can get some medicine for you. Here, eat. We’ll both get in trouble if he notices I’m down here too long.” 

He opened his mouth obediently, going through a few spoonfuls before wincing and turning away. “No more. I feel sick.” 

Minegishi frowned again. “Are you sure?” 

“Mm-hmm,” he squeezed his eyes shut, laying back down onto the cold concrete floor, supporting his head on what was left of his arms as he curled up into a ball. “I feel faint.” 

“I-I’ll try my best, but—he’s in a really bad mood already,” Minegishi hung his head in shame. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back until tomorrow.” 

He took in a shaky breath. His headache was getting worse. “Not your fault, M’negishi,” he whispered, slurring. “Don’ worry.”

He heard Minegishi sniffling as he rose, wordlessly, and left the room, door clicking shut behind him. 

Probably nothing, he thought. Maybe a weird one-day bug or something. Mama always said it was good to sweat a fever out, anyway.

I’ve handled worse. 

He lay there, face down on the floor, for what felt like hours; the only indication of his life being the slow, shaky rise and fall of his back with every breath. Focus. In and out. In and out. Don’t throw up. Focus. His head was pounding stronger and stronger, and he felt beads of sweat dripping off his forehead. 

He deeply regretted the few bites of porridge as they finally came back up, burning and stinging his mouth and nose until there was nothing left in his stomach. The motion of gagging and retching ignited a burning pain in his stomach.

He slowly crawled away from the vomit, spitting in a desperate attempt to get rid of the disgusting taste. The burning pain did not subside, and he felt an intense need to rub his sore stomach—like Mama did, when I was little, Mama, I don’t feel good. A sensation of freezing cold came over him as he started to shiver, cowering in the opposite corner of the room, his back to the door. Several short cycles of sleep went by, interrupted by waves of nausea causing him to gag, his curls sticking to his sweaty forehead despite still feeling like he was in a freezer. Focus. Focus. Breathe in, breathe out. You’re okay. Mama, help. It’s okay. You’re okay. Focus. In, out. Throw up. Don’t throw up. Breathe. Mama. 

He flinched, yelping at the sudden touch on his shoulder. The burning pain had graduated to an excruciating stabbing pain, with a feeling like someone twisting a knife every time he moved, and he realized his breathing was shallow in an effort to minimize it. 

“It’s okay, it’s just me,” said Minegishi. “I got some medicine for you. Open up.” 

“Mmmmh. Can’t,” he whined. “Throw up.” 

“Just try. It’s all I can give you.” 

He cautiously opened his mouth, allowing Minegishi to place a few pills on his tongue, as they had so many times before. Usually, it was a blessing, but to his fever-addled mind it was a source of barely contained panic. He swallowed anyway, hoping it would cause the pain to stop. 

The back of Minegishi’s fingers brushed gently across Serizawa’s face. “You’re burning up. Where does it hurt?” 

“Stomach,” he whimpered, already feeling the medication trying to rise in his throat. 

“Let me see.” Minegishi went to pull up his shirt, revealing the multitude of bruises all over his body in various states of healing. It’s okay. You trust Minegishi. Minegishi won’t hurt you. Breathe. Breathe in. Breathe out. “Right here?” 

Serizawa screamed, seeing stars at the light pressure. Minegishi jerked his hand away at the sudden movement as the ailing man vomited from the pain, sobbing as he fell to the ground, curling in on himself in an effort to quell the waves of pain still emanating from the sore spot. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Minegishi stammered. “I… let me see if the President will let me—“

“No, no, please, please don’t,” he coughed, wincing. “Please, I’ll be fine, please don’t tell him, please—“ 

“Serizawa, I barely touched you and you screamed. You need a hospital.” He got up from the floor, walking toward the door as Serizawa exploded into feverish pleas of no, no, Minegishi, please, he’ll hurt me, please don’t, please, no, no no no. He began to weep as the door shut behind Minegishi. 

Mama, please. Please save me. Help. I need help. It hurts, I’m dying. I’m going to die. I have to protect myself. I can’t. I can’t. I can’t trust Minegishi. Minegishi wouldn’t hurt me on purpose. I have to, I have to. I have to trust Minegishi. I can’t trust anyone else. I can’t. No one cares about me. I’m dying. I’m dying alone. 

“You’re sick, Serizawa?” Touichirou crouched to the ground where he was curled up. Please. Please help. 

“I-I don’t know, sir,” 

“Minegishi here says you are. What’s wrong?” 

“M-my stomach, sir, it hurts—“ he gasped as Touichirou pulled up roughly on his shirt. “P-p-please, please be g-gentle sir—“ 

Touchirou’s two fingers pressed—hard—into the sore spot. It did hurt, but not the way Serizawa had expected. 

What hurt was when he let go. Excruciating agony, pulsing, burning, squeezing, he was screaming, he was wailing, he was dying, help, Mama, help me. He lost all inhibition as he continued weeping in front of the President and a horrified Minegishi. 

“Huh. It’s been a while since I heard you scream like that, Serizawa. Too bad you aren’t sick more often.” He jabbed his fingers into the spot once more as Serizawa shrieked before his eyes rolled back, going completely still as he blacked out. 

—

“Mama,” he cried, breaking into a sprint.

“Katsuya!”

They met in the middle, embracing, sharing tears of joy between them, his mother’s fingers in his hair. 

“I missed you so much, Mama.” 

“I missed you too, my heart.” 

She pulled back, looking at him, confused.

“Wait…you aren’t my son.”

“Mama, I am, I’m Katsuya,” 

“No,” she said, stepping back. “You’re disgusting. My son’s not like you. He’s not a cripple. He’s not a coward.” 

“Mama, I’m not—“ 

He reached out to her as his arms crumbled into dust, starting at the fingertips. 

“Look at yourself,” she said, bitterly. “You can’t comb your hair. You can’t wash yourself. You can’t feed yourself. You can’t do anything. You can’t even embrace your own mother.” 

“Mama, no, please, it’s me—“ he fell, kneeling, to the ground, losing sensation in his legs as they too faded away in the wind like ash. 

“You’re not my son.” She turned and walked away as he began wailing. 

“Mama, no, please, please come back Mama, please—“ 

“Mm… m… mama… pl… m…” 

“Shh, shh.” Shimazaki gently stroked the side of his face with the cloth Minegishi had given him. 

“How is he?” Minegishi walked in, summoned by the small pained sounds Serizawa was making.

“Delirious. He’s not really asleep but… not really awake either.” 

He crouched down to eye level with the man, now mercifully lying in a bed. “Serizawa, can you hear me?” 

Half-lidded eyes flickered, blinking, struggling to open towards the voice. “Ma…ma?” 

“No, it’s me, Minegishi. Can you feel this?” He began to vigorously rub Serizawa’s shoulder. 

A near-imperceptible lowering of the eyebrows, a shuddering sigh. Eyes dull, blurred, still barely open.

“I think that’s a no,” said Shimazaki. 

Minegishi sighed. “Okay, let’s try this. Can you feel this, Serizawa?” He steeled himself, gingerly placing a hand on his stomach and pressing lightly. 

His eyes shot open, screaming until his throat was raw, sobbing, back arching off the bed, coughing, retching, pleading, stop, Minegishi, stop, it hurts, stop, please. 

“Damn.” 

“Can’t you give him anything else?” Shimazaki cautiously began stroking him with the cloth again.

“I’ve already given him more than the max dose. Any more could kill him.” 

The excruciating touch had brought a few moments of awareness to Serizawa. After Touichirou’s rough handling, he had allowed Minegishi to move him to the infirmary as his condition worsened. The inordinate amount of pain medication he was given was enough to make his face and the tips of his stumps numb, tingling, buzzing like static—yet it still hadn’t touched the agony that had spread throughout his whole stomach. 

“Is this really okay?” He flinched as the tips of Shimazaki’s fingers brushed his sore abdomen. “His fever’s worse, and look, it’s starting to swell here.” I can’t move it. It hurts to move. It feels weird. 

“What do you want me to do, Shimazaki?” Minegishi snapped. “I’m not a surgeon, and even if I was the President won’t let me do anything.” Surgeon? I don’t want to have surgery. I’m scared.

“So what, then? We’re just going to let him die?” 

“Don’ wanna die,” he whimpered. Scared, I’m scared. Scared scared scared scared don’t wanna die. Don’t let me die. Can’t. Can’t die. Please. Mama, please. Scared. Help me. He began to panic, his breathing growing faster and shallower. 

“Shh, it’s okay, we won’t. We won’t let you die. Go back to sleep.” Shimazaki looked toward Minegishi pointedly before returning his focus to Serizawa.

“Can’t,” he moaned. “Hurts.” He would have given anything to have his hands back, or at least to have someone touch him gently, comfortingly. Mama. The ends of the manicured fingernails scrubbing his scalp. The slow, gentle circles on his chest. Anyone. He began to cry again, the sensation of tears touching his numb, overheating face almost unbearable, yet wiping them away was impossible. 

“We have to at least get that fever down,” said Minegishi, suddenly. “Could you handle a bath, Serizawa?” 

“Don’ know,” he said, gasping. “Could try.” Anything. Anything. Please. 

“Okay,” Minegishi let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Okay. I’ll go start one. Just… hold on.” 

He lay there for a moment, whining like a hurt dog, when suddenly Shimazaki spoke up. 

“I’m sorry, Serizawa.” 

“S’okay,” he somehow managed to choke out. “Not…your fault.” 

“I just…” he sighed. “I just wish we could do more.” 

“Mh, s’enough.” 

“It’s not, though. One of us should have stepped in.” 

“Th’ President’s… scary,” he wheezed. “Don’ blame you.” 

“That’s an understatement,” said Shimazaki, chuckling humorlessly. 

“Shimazaki, I—“ he started to panic, thinking of the suffering he had endured at President Suzuki’s hand— “can’t breathe,” 

Shimazaki laid his hand on Serizawa’s chest, gently, feeling for the rise and fall. “You’re okay, you’re breathing fine. Just slow down. Try to stay calm.” 

“It hurts,” he moaned. 

“Where?” 

“Everywhere,” he began to sob.

Minegishi ran back into the room, out of breath. “Okay, okay. Come on, Serizawa.” He slipped his arms under the feverish man, pulling him up quickly. 

Serizawa gasped, keening, writhing in pain at the sudden motion. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s just for a minute. You’ll be okay.” He picked him up with ease. 

The pressure on Serizawa’s stomach from being lifted up caused him to yelp, sobbing, pleading that hurts, Minegishi, please, it hurts— 

Shimazaki jumped up, interjecting “Hold on, Minegishi, slow down—slow down for just a minute—“ 

Serizawa began to slip from Minegishi’s grasp as the two began to argue.

“No, look, we have to hurry and get the fever down,” 

“But he’s really sick, Minegishi, you can’t just grab him like that.”

“What, do you have a better idea?” 

“Don’t you think he’s in enough pain as it is? Who do you think you’re helping?” 

“Well, I’d like to see you try to help every once in a while—“

Minegishi absentmindedly shifted Serizawa onto his hip, trying not to drop him. 

The pain pulled at every nerve ending, every synapse, building—cresting—crashing—he vomited, screaming, choking on stomach acid, pressing his overheating face into Minegishi’s neck, inhibitions lost, desperate for the human contact yet just as desperately wishing Minegishi would put him down, please, please, it hurts, help— 

He heard the two men calling out for him, echoing, muffled, he was choking, hyperventilating, can’t breathe, hurts, no, no, not again, no, no more—

He closed his eyes, disordered speech trailing off, passing out. 

—

It’s okay, it’s fine. It’s fine. He’s really sick. He’s overheating. The water’s not that cold but it’ll wake him up right away. I’m sure. I’m sure he’ll start complaining as soon as he touches it. 

Minegishi’s thoughts seemed to echo Shimazaki’s calm, measured words. Yes, no sense in worrying. Surely, surely Serizawa would wake up from the sensation of the bath. 

He did not. 

The two of them gently—gently, this time—lowered him into the water, curls sticking to his sweaty forehead, old worn sweatshirt billowing in the lukewarm bath to reveal the swollen, bruised abdomen. They started to let go, reassuring themselves, see, there he is, he moved a little—as he sunk, limp, into the water, Shimazaki’s heightened senses coming through in the clutch to catch his head as it lolled to one side, mouth open, breathing through dry cracked lips (but just barely). 

They sat there in silence, air in the room growing thick, heavy with the echoing thought what if he doesn’t wake up?

“If he wakes up, I—we have to take him to the hospital,” said Minegishi. 

“More so if he doesn’t, don’t you think?” Shimazaki responded. 

“I’m just—I don’t know how the President will react, but I can’t… I can’t sit by and watch this. I draw the line here.” 

Shimazaki nodded. He dipped his hand into the water, lightly pouring handful after handful of water over Serizawa’s hair. 

Minegishi approached, cautiously, uncharacteristically nervous. The pain he had caused to the man in the bath—whether by action or inaction—ate at the pit of his stomach like a parasite. He took a deep breath, steadying his shaky hands, and reached out to search for a pulse on Serizawa’s neck. 

“Well?” said Shimazaki. 

“It’s fast, but it’s weak,” he said, feeling around. “And something’s infected. His lymph nodes are all swollen.” 

“Has he cooled down at all?”

Minegishi frowned. “Maybe a little, but not much,” 

He pulled his hands away, swiftly, as Serizawa’s eyelids twitched and a low whine came from the gently parted lips. 

“Ah, there he is. See, I told you. Serizawa, wake up,” 

Serizawa struggled again to open his eyes. 

Sensation. Floating. Floating in water? Cold water. Hot. So hot. Overheating. Dying. Not dying. Breathing. Breathing. Talking? Someone is. Water. Clean—wash—bath. Gentle. Not gentle. Hurts, hurts hurts hurts hurts hurts gone. Sick. I’m sick. Me? My name. Who is it? 

“Mh,” he slurred, eyes opening, vision blurred through long eyelashes that Mama said were beautiful, so beautiful. Light. Ceiling. People, like me. They’re like me. They’re not like me. They have hands, and feet. 

“Hey,” said Shimazaki. Tears fell, unhindered, from Minegishi’s eyes, overcome with relief, I didn’t kill him, he’s alive. He’s alive. 

“Hhh... Shi… m…” lips slowly regaining feeling as the pain medication began to wear off still wouldn’t cooperate. 

“Shh, it’s alright. Don’t talk.” 

“Mm,” he nodded. 

“We’re going to get you to a doctor, okay? So don’t worry. Right, Minegishi?” 

Minegishi sniffed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “Right,” he sighed. “Right. How’s your stomach?” 

He moaned, voice cracking. Bad, bad, bad. Hurts. Wrong. Something’s wrong. Help. 

“I’m sorry… about earlier. I—well, I panicked.” 

He shook his head, weak, as Shimazaki poured another handful of water over his hair. “Nnn. No. S’okay.” It hurt. Hurt. Hurt hurt hurt. Don’t blame you. Hurt me. Accident. 

“Here, Minegishi. Let’s get him dry.” Shimazaki slipped his hands underneath what was left of Serizawa’s arms, slowly pulling, sliding him out of the bath. 

He whined, weak, in pain despite the careful handling. Minegishi wrapped a dry towel around his shoulders, holding him against his chest as he began to shiver in the cool air. 

“I’ll go talk to the President. See what I can get him to agree to.” 

Minegishi nodded, pulling Serizawa closer protectively. 

A feeling of warmth washed over the sick man’s face as he leaned back, relaxed despite the pain. Despite the uncertainty to come he was safe, for now, in the embrace of a trusted friend. His lips twitched into a smile, and he closed his eyes, sinking into the warmth. 

He awoke what felt like just a moment later, blearily, groggily, gasping, every breath feeling like his ribs were grinding together, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, looking toward an unfamiliar ceiling, and light, sunlight, blessed warm sunlight just barely filtering in through a nearby window. 

“That’s right, just breathe. Just keep breathing, you’re doing great, sweetheart.” A woman standing by his head was patting his cheek with her hand. Someone placed an oxygen mask on his face. Who are you? Who? Where? 

A man standing above him was shining a light in his eyes. He tried to pull his head away but it wouldn’t move. 

“Oh, thank God. I’ll go tell the guys who brought him in,” said a different woman, fading out of focus as she walked away. 

The people still in the room worked wordlessly, like he wasn’t even there, except for the woman at his head, still gently patting his cheek, running her fingers through his hair, speaking soft words of encouragement as he struggled to comprehend what was going on. 

Not… the basement? Where? Suddenly, he noticed the absence of Minegishi and Shimazaki, and began to panic. 

“Shh, you’re okay, you’re okay. We’ve got you.” The woman at his head leaned over, stroking his cheek, cooing and whispering to him. “You’re in the hospital. You’re okay.” Hospital? President Suzuki. Why? How?

Will I get punished for this? 

“Come on, Serizawa-san, you’re alright, you’re okay,” said the woman. “Can we get him some more? He’s getting a little agitated,” she said, turning to look at the man who thankfully had stopped shining a light in his eyes. 

“Yeah, I think we can up it a little. Hold on.” 

Almost immediately, his eyelids began to droop. Fine, everything’s fine. 

“Try your best to stay with us, Serizawa-san. I know the drugs are probably making you drowsy, but try to stay awake for me, okay?” 

Okay. 

A familiar voice faded in, sobbing and hiccuping as the woman from before returned to the room. 

“Thank you, thank you—I just, well, he wasn’t breathing and I, I didn’t know w-what to do—“

“I totally understand. That must have been a really scary experience for you.” 

“Yeah. Serizawa really knows how to scare the shit out of us,” chuckled another familiar voice. 

“Hey, stay awake. Look, see, your friends are here,” the woman at his head rubbed her knuckles into the back of his neck, massaging a knot that he hadn’t been able to reach for months. 

Minegishi appeared at his bedside, eyes red, gripping a very used tissue in one hand like a security blanket; Shimazaki not far behind. He stood there for a moment, sniffling, before blurting out “I thought you were dead.” 

Shimazaki chuckled. “We both did. Thank God for my teleportation. Although I think it scared the nurses.” 

The woman at his head smiled. “We’ll get you fixed up soon, okay, Serizawa-san?” 

He nodded, somnolent. 

I’m not alone.

My friends. 

I have my friends. 

[mookybear12404]

If you're up for it, #4 from the caretaker prompts with Reigen and Teru?

(Prompts from here) 

Thank you so much for the ask! Hope you enjoy :D

“Okane Toshi,” the announcer’s voice called.

Teru shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and reajusted his cap for the hundredth time in a row.

He knew he should be happy.

Why shouldn’t he be happy?

He’d finally made it through highschool, after many long years of hard work. He’d managed to pass all his classes with A’s, become the best player on the soccer team, and was even elected as a member of the student body council, all without ever needing to rely on his psychic powers.

“Yamabe Takaaki,” came the voice again, this time accompanied by the cheers of a family that sat not far behind him.

He should be proud of himself. He knew he should.

Then why didn’t he feel proud?

“Shiraishi Junji.”

He snapped back into reality at the nudge of the person sitting to his left.

He realized at that moment that his row had already stood up, and was joining the line of students leading to the stage.

He adjusted his cap again, and stood up to join the others.

“Gushiken Kazuyuki.”

Standing, he now had a better view of the room around him, and the people that were in it.

There were rows upon rows of chairs around him. The front half of the auditorium was packed with students in bright blue gowns and caps. Behind the rows of students sat rows of people, most of whom were family members and friends of those graduating.

“Isayama Mio.”

Teru spotted white-haired heads of grandparents, whose eyes were brimming with tears. There were young children scattered around, squirming anxiously in the laps of their parents. Moms and Dads across the room held up their phones to snap pictures. He even saw several homemade signs poking out from among the crowd.

“Futaki Setsuko.”

His eyes trailed over to the left side of the room.

There he saw two empty seats, with paper signs bearing the words “Hanazawa” draped over them.

He hadn’t been surprised when they’d told him. Not in the least. He’d known from the beginning that they weren’t going to come. In all honesty, he would have been surprised if they had.

It would have been nice, at least, if they’d bothered to give him an actual call.

“Iwamoto Haru.”

He was approaching the front of the room now. He straightened his shoulders and tried to readjust his cap.

“Yoshigahara Kura.”

He was only a few people away now.

“Umon Tsuki.”

He felt his eyes stinging.

Not here. Not now, he hissed to himself.

“Nishizaka Hikosaburo.”

He made one final readjustment to his cap, and stepped up onto the stage.

“Hanazawa Teruki.”

He made a step forward.

Suddenly, cheering erupted from the back of the auditorium. Teru almost stumbled at the sudden roar of noise.

He didn’t dare turn his head to see where the sound was coming from. He had to focus on not tripping on himself again as he stepped up to shake the school president’s hand.

He felt his hands trembling as he shook the man’s hand.

“Domoto Imari.”

Teru shuffled off of the platform as quickly as he could, now clutching his diploma in his hands. The moment he was off the stage, he turned to the crowd to see where the noise had come from.

It took him a minute, but there, at the very back of the auditorium, he finally spotted them.

Reigen-san, Serizawa-san, Kageyama-kun, his little brother, and Suzuki-kun were all holding onto a large cardboard sign with the words, “CONGRATULATIONS TERU” written on it in black sharpie. Teru could see that there had been an effort to add glitter to the sign from the mess of blue and pink splotches all over the sign. Dimple, who was hovering around Kageyama’s head, had some pink glitter stuck to his ectoplasmic forehead.

Reigen, realizing that Teru could see him, began bouncing up and down and holding his corner of the sign up as high as he could. Ritsu shot a glare at Reigen as he tried to pull the sign back down.

Serizawa, who was looking at him through an old video recorder, gave a shy wave in his direction. Next to him stood Shigeo, holding onto a corner of the sign, and smiling at him brightly.

A sudden warmth exploded in his chest. Teru bit the bottom of his lips, trying to push away the heat that was rising in his face.

He gave his friends a small wave as he headed back for his seat.

—

“Hanazawa-kun!”

“Teru!”

“Kid!”

Teru barely had enough time to pull off his cap before the bombardment began.

“Congratulations!” Serizawa shouted.

“Did you see our sign?” Shigeo asked.

“Yes I-”

“I was the one who added the glitter!” Shou interrupted, a proud smirk spread across his face. Teru could spot flecks of pink in his fiery red hair.

“Yes, I can tell-”

“You look absolutely ridiculous in that gown you know.” Dimple added, “And what’s that on your head? It looks like a mushroom.”

“HEY,” Kageyama’s brother snapped at Dimple.   

“Now now everyone!” Reigen said, “Let’s give him some room to breath, please.”

The others backed away at the man’s wave. Teru looked up at Reigen, and was greeted with broad smile.

“Now then,” he said, clapping his hands together, “Dinner’s on me! Where do you want to go kid? Sushi? Or something else?”

Teru blinked. “I- dinner?”

“Say curry!” Suzuki interjected. Ritsu elbowed him.

“I- I don’t mean to be a bother. I’ve got dinner at home…”

“Are you kidding me?” Reien said, “This is your graduation. You can’t just pop some leftovers in the microwave and call that a day. This deserves a celebration!”

Teru went to open his mouth, but found no words came out.

Food? What food did he like? What was an acceptable place to eat on this sort of occasion? Did Reigen even have the money to take them all out?”

Reigen noticed Teru struggling.

“You,” He said, pointing his finger at him, “like meat, correct? There’s a Yakiniku place just down the street that just opened up recently. Sound good?”

Teru nodded. He was afraid that speaking out loud might cause his voice to crack.

“Sounds like a plan then! Alright everyone, follow Serizawa, he knows the way out.”

Teru turned to follow the others, but stopped when he felt a firm grip on his arm.

Teru looked back up at Reigen, who was staring blankly ahead at the backs of the others. He waited until they were a good distance away before speaking.

“Ah, I just wanted to say… um…”

“You really don’t have to do this you know,” Teru said. “I would have been fine on my own.”

“I know. But you shouldn’t have to be.”

Teru felt a redness creeping up into his face. He turned to walk away, but Reigen’s grip on his arm only tightened.

“Look at me.”

His tone was unusually firm. Teru turned around, his eyes meeting Reigen’s.

“I’m so proud of you.”

Teru’s face started to burn. Reigen’s voice was so… sincere. Teru found himself once again unable to open his mouth to speak, and the edge of his vision went blurry.

“You’ve done a fantastic job these past few years, you know. Mob tells me about all the stuff you do. I mean, straight A’s? I was never really more than a B student myself, I have no idea how you manage it. And you’ve made it on the student council! That’s not an easy feat you know.”

Teru looked down at his shoes. No matter how hard he bit his lip, he couldn’t get the tears to stop forming in his eyes.

“You’re really quite the hardworker. And- uh, you’ve- you’ve really grown up. Not-not in height, I don’t mean.”

“Why are you saying this?”

Teru cursed himself for the crack in his voice. A tear spilled out from his face. He didn’t dare wipe it away.

“I-I just… figured I should say that.” Reigen placed his hand on Teru’s shoulder, “I, I don’t think anyone else’s said that to you today.”

Teru shook his head, fearing that if he spoke, his voice would crack again.

“Well, now I’ve said it. And it’s true, you know? You really are a good kid.”

Reigen gave Teru a hearty slap to the back.

“Come’on, why don’t we get you something to eat. Okay?”

Teru rubbed his face into the sleeve of his gown.

The warmth in his chest had spread, reaching every corner of his body. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

“Sounds like a wonderful idea.”

[grandmasterreigen]

For the prompts, how about 72, "You deserve so much better.”? And congrats again on passing the exam!!!

@creativeoutlook​​

THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS <3 I ended up combining these two prompts because they worked super well together and ended up with a 1.5k monster drabble. I hope you enjoy it!! 

For the dialogue prompts “You deserve so much better” and “I got you a present.” 

--

When Teru wakes up early in the morning on April 13th, the apartment is silent and dark.

Like it always is.

He should be used to it. It shouldn’t bother him anymore. Most days he can pretend it doesn’t, that everything’s fine, that he’s fine, and most days he can even convince himself that it’s true.

But today’s his birthday, and the loneliness of facing another day alone weighs him down into his mattress with leaden limbs and a growing pressure behind his eyelids.

It’s mornings like this that he lets himself dwell, just for a few minutes, on what he used to have. To waking up on his birthday to smiling faces and whispered congratulations, to an extra special breakfast and the promise of yakiniku after school, to a day of happiness instead of isolation.

He almost skips school. He knows no one will even remember it’s his birthday anyway, and why should they? He’s fifteen now, way too old to care so much about something so stupid.  It shouldn’t bother him. He’s Hanazawa Teruki. He’s a straight-A student with awesome fashion sense and enough maturity to hold a part-time job on the side. How many of his peers could claim the same? Almost none of them, that’s who.

He forces himself out of bed and doesn’t bother making breakfast at all. He’ll pick up a sweet bun of some sort at a convenience store instead, maybe a coffee with extra cream. Some cake on the way home. He’d normally make it himself, but, well.

He doesn’t really have the energy to bother today.

 --

 The apartment is as cold and empty as Teru’d left it, and for once he doesn’t care enough to put away his schoolbag. He leaves it on the ground, his uniform in a heap next to it instead of carefully hung in the closet, and sets the slice of cake he’d picked up at a bakery on the table.

He checks his phone for what has to be the hundredth time so far. Nothing. Of course. He shouldn’t feel so hurt by this – what did he expect, really? It’s not like his parents had remembered the year before, either.

Sorry we forgot! Happy belated birthday!

Not even a phone call. Just a six-word text two days late.

Teru almost turns off his phone entirely. He’s just riling himself up with all this pointless anticipation. Instead he compromises, setting it on the table within easy reaching distance while he queues up an old home video on his laptop.

The cake is stunning. White cream with meticulously crafted yellow and pink flowers, perfectly baked and spongy. It tastes like ash.

When his ringtone suddenly breaks the silence, Teru knocks what’s left of the cake to the ground in his haste to grab the phone. He fumbles, almost swipes in the wrong direction and breathlessly says, “Hello?” without even checking the caller ID.

“Oh, hey, Teru! It’s Reigen,” the caller says cheerily, and for the first time in his life Teru can’t stand the sound of his voice. Why him? Why did it have to be him? He knows he’s being unreasonable, unfair. He really looks up to Reigen, and normally getting calls from him is the highlight of his day.

But Reigen’s not the one Teru was hoping would be on the other end of the line.

“…able to help me out with an exorcism job today? Shouldn’t take long, but Mob was busy and couldn’t make it… Hello? Teru? Are you there?”

“I’ll be over in fifteen minutes,” Teru says, and he hangs up before Reigen can respond. It’s a little petty, but whatever. It’s his birthday, he can be petty for once if he wants to be.

 --

 The office is dark when Teru walks up, and he regrets hanging up on Reigen now. He was probably supposed to meet Reigen at another location, and now he’s letting him down. All that pettiness Teru was holding onto washes away with a wave of regret. What if Reigen doesn’t call him again after this because he thinks Teru’s unreliable? Teru was acting like a kid. He’s fifteen, he should be able to control himself better. He’s still reprimanding himself as he tests the office door.

It’s unlocked.

Reigen never leaves the office unlocked when he’s out, but the lights were off. The world narrows down around him, and he pushes open the door, dread and apprehension lodging in his throat as he peers into the office ready to employ defensive measures at any moment –

“Surprise!” an assortment of voices yell, and power is already sparking at Teru’s fingertips by the time what he’s seeing registers.

Shigeo and Ritsu are standing behind Reigen’s desk where they’d been hiding. They’re both smiling with so much enthusiasm, Shigeo’s lack of reservation so refreshing and bright. Shou is lounging on the couch, grinning widely and holding what looks like an explosion of wrapping paper. Tome lets loose a party popper, sending a spray of rainbow confetti.

“Happy birthday!” she yells with a dramatic spin, snapping something off the couch and dumping it onto Teru’s head. He reaches up in a daze, touching the smooth plastic of a party hat.

Reigen and Serizawa are here too. They’re standing off to the side, both smiling at him with matching proud expressions.

“Happy birthday, Teru,” Reigen says. He holds up a box impeccably wrapped in bright paper. “I got you a present.” Teru can see tiny white scuff marks on the paper where the tape had been removed more than once, indicating a less-than-perfect start to the wrapping process. It’s just a little bit wrinkled where the paper has been refolded.

It must have taken ages to get right.

“We all did!” Shou chips in, launching himself over the back of the couch with a much more… creatively wrapped box. Teru just stares dumbly at it until Shou practically forces it into his hands. “Come on, dude, take it. It’s for you. You’d better like it.”

Outwardly, Teru recovers quickly, even as he reels internally. “You guys didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” he says, and he means it. The more he looks around, the more he realizes just how much work went into all of this. The entire office is done up with streamers, a lopsided banner hanging over the window that declares Happy Birthday Teru in painstakingly handwritten letters. There’s a homemade cake on the coffee table, unevenly cut strawberries set in a mostly-circular pattern in the frosting. It’s listing slightly to one side. It looks like the best cake Teru’s ever seen.

This was all for him. They spent all this time for him.

Teru’s phone is a deadweight in his pocket. He’s spent all day with his hand hovering near it, just in case one of his parents actually bothered to call. He’s been waiting for so long for any sign of love from them without anything, not even a text.

He slips a hand into his pocket and holds in the power button to shut it down.

 --

 It’s dark outside by the time everyone goes home. Shigeo and Ritsu are the first to go, followed closely by Shou and Tome when Reigen not-so-subtly reminds her of the curfew her parents set. Serizawa’d left to get a pack of trash bags, Reigen’s meager stock having been almost immediately depleted.  

“Did you have a good time?” Reigen asks as he wipes a glob of frosting off the table. Teru waves a finger and confetti flies up from the ground, spiraling neatly into the trashcan. His spare hand absently fingers the soft material of the bright green sweatshirt Reigen had gotten him. It has a big decal of a dog across the front, and if Teru’s being honest it’s not quite his style.

It’s too warm out to be wearing it, but he doesn’t really care. He doesn’t ever want to take it off.

“Yeah,” Teru says. It’s quiet now that almost everyone’s gone, and he chews the inside of his mouth nervously. “You really didn’t need to do all of this. I didn’t mean to put you all out like this.”

Reigen stares at him, almost incredulously. It melts away almost immediately into one of understanding, and he offers an only partially convincing smile. “You were alone, though, right?”

Teru freezes, and he searches Reigen’s expression for any sign of pity. He can feel the defensiveness already rising up, emotions still raw from the earlier hours of the day. “I’m used to it. It doesn’t bother me,” he says.

Reigen isn’t smiling, but he’s not pitying, either. He reaches over and pulls Teru into a loose hug, giving Teru plenty of time to back away first. Teru doesn’t resist.

“You deserve so much better,” Reigen murmurs into Teru’s hair. He tightens his hold, and after a few seconds Teru reaches up and hugs him back, fingers curling into the fabric of Reigen’s shirt.

Teru knows he’ll never stop wishing it was his parents here with him, telling him that he mattered. But he’s got Reigen, and Shigeo, and all the others, and for now that’s enough.

[turning-the-kaleidoscope]

Ahhh it’s been a while but I wrote another hug prompt!! unfortunately I can’t remember exactly who had requested this prompt in particular jklsdfsdf, but have some soft Teru + Shigeo + Dadreigen at the end, sickfic style bc 1) i can and 2) soft hurt/comfort is so therapeutic so heck yeah!! i hope you guys like it! :D

hug prompt 17: a hug where one muse stops the other from collapsing (with Teru and Shigeo) 

Teru likes the company. After being alone for so long with only a collection of fake friends, he enjoys all the company he has with Shigeo and the others. He treasures every moment. 

So he invites them over regularly for games and movies and snacks all the time. Sometimes all at once. Sometimes one at a time. Tonight is one of those latter times, when it's just him and Shigeo. He likes Shigeo a lot, more than he's able to put into words, and his company is always welcomed. 

Except this time, in the middle of the visit and quite suddenly, Shigeo comes down ill. And looking back on it, Teru should have seen the signs, even if Shigeo thought he was fine. It took him way too long to figure out what the problem was. 

But as soon as he knows what's wrong, he's in full caretaker mode--a mode he only knows after being looked after by Reigen while sick himself. He isn't glad Shigeo is under the weather, but he's been waiting for this opportunity to take care of his friends like they've done for him, and he approaches it with what might be a bit too much enthusiasm. 

"Reigen told me that you feed a cold and starve a fever," he quotes as he reads over a bottle of fever relievers from last he got sick. "And he made me take these, they're supposed to help."

"Are they?" Shigeo asks, and it isn't snarky, but the exhaustion in his tone brings it across that way. "I don't think my fever is very high, Teru…"

"Any fever is high enough to be taken care of," Teru says resolutely. "Trust me, I've got this."

"It's not that I don't trust you," Shigeo says, "but I really do think I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me."

"Listen, Shige." Teru pauses, long enough to look him in the eyes. He looks miserable, a lot more miserable than he seems, sitting on the edge of Teru's futon with a blanket around his shoulders. He isn't flushed (yet) but there's a glossiness in his eyes that speaks of a festering fever. 

He sighs. "You, Reigen, everyone… you've always looked after me, yknow? Always took care of me, made sure I was okay… and, I never really had the chance to repay that, properly. So… let me worry about you a lil, alright? It might sound silly, but I want to."

"Okay."

"Huh? That quick?"

"I mean," Shigeo fiddles with the blanket, "I think I understand what you mean. So if you really want to, I don't have any trouble with it."

Teru blinks, but it softens into a smile. "Alrightee!" He salutes without really thinking about it. "Leave this to me, then!"

Shigeo cracks a smile, and Teru sets about measuring the proper dose of medicine. 

It's easy, really, it is. 

Until that night. And it's around that time when things start to go from manageable to scary. It occurs to Teru in the most unpleasant of ways that he really, really doesn't know what he's doing. 

At all. 

And he should probably get in contact with someone who does. 

It isn't that Shigeo is sick in obvious ways. He isn't throwing up or unconscious or delirious or anything like that, he's just… very, very still. Quietly miserable and hard to rouse. Lethargic. Feverish, and very. The medicine didn't do its job. It's done nothing but rise since earlier that day and Teru is scared of giving him a second dose. 

"Hey, Shigeo?" He shakes his shoulder, and hates the heat he can feel, even through the blanket. "Dude, wake up, I need to take your temperature."

Shigeo doesn't stir at first and Teru's mind leaps to the worst of conclusions, but finally, his eyes slip open. He's flushed now, red in the cheeks and pale everywhere else. His eyes are glassy like marbles and carry only what light is reflected in them from Teru's phone flashlight. 

"What?" He sounds groggy. Not entirely there. 

Teru kneels by the futon and nods. "Temperature. Think you can keep this under your tongue?"

Shigeo nods and Teru hands it to him, and while he's doing that, gets up and retrieves a fresh cold plaster from the bathroom. He doesn't expect it to do much good, but it's better than nothing. 

He returns just as the thermometer beeps, and he kneels down and takes it from Shigeo's clammy fingers. Through the light of his phone, he examines the reading. 

39.4

Teru swallows down the bile in his throat. Shigeo doesn't ask him what it says, just shuts his eyes again and curls his fingers by his throat loosely. Teru peels back the not-cold-anymore plaster from his sweaty forehead, brushes his damp hair out of the way, and then replaces it with the fresh one. 

He needs to call someone. Someone who'd know what to do, someone who's done this before. Like Reigen. Or Serizawa. Serizawa lives closer, it's be faster, but Reigen might know more, might be able to stand in a crisis better--and Teru still doesn't know Serizawa very well, Reigen is a better bet. Plus, now that he thinks about it, he doesn't even have Serizawa's number. 

He checks on Shigeo one more time, makes sure the plaster is properly set on his forehead and the blankets are around his shoulders before he gets to his feet and steps down into the hallway, already dialing and holding the phone to his ear. It's only around 11pm; he doesn't know how late Reigen typically stays up, but--

“Yo, Teruki, what’s up?” 

He doesn't sound like someone who'd just woken up. And it only took two rings, too. But Teru doesn't let himself breathe a sigh of relief yet. 

"Hi, Reigen," he says, and forces the guilt away before it has the chance to start. This is for Shigeo. "I-I know it's late, I'm sorry, but--Shigeo's at my place, we've been hanging out, but he's sick and his fever spiked and I…” He has to stop and take a breath, suddenly lightheaded. “ I don't know what to do."

Reigen swears under his breath. "Okay, okay--how long's he had the fever?"

"Since before he got here, I think." He's calmer now than before and regains the steadiness of his voice. "But it's gotten a lot higher since then."

"How high?"

"39.4."

Another swear. “Is he awake?” 

"On and off. Usually I have to wake him. I gave him medicine earlier, the medicine you brought over last time--I don't think it did anything, though, he's just--he's really sick. I'm--I’m worried. About him."

"Okay, yeah, I'll be over there soon, okay? Give me five minutes."

It's such a relief and Teru can't help but feel the urge to laugh. "Th-Thank you," he breathes. 

"Don't mention it, it's alright. Keep an eye on him until I get there, okay?"

"I will, thank you."

“No prob, kiddo. See you in just a minute.” 

He hangs up and Teru's hand slumps down to his side, a breath escaping him. It's fine, Reigen will be here soon, it's okay--

"Teru? Was that Reigen?"

"Yeah?" He turns without thinking, and sees Shigeo standing in the doorway on untrustworthy feet. It clicks a second later than it should. "Shige, what are you doing up? You need to rest, come on--"

Shigeo is incredible, he really is. Sweet, clever in his own special ways, golden-hearted and gentle while simultaneously being a force of nature that Teru would never want on his bad side. 

But he can also be so, so incredibly dumb. Even when his body sends him every signal it can telling him to stay down and leave the walking to the non-feverish ones, he does it anyway without realizing it. 

Teru sees it coming probably before Shigeo knows it is. He sways, the glass in his irises becomes thicker and more heavily clouded, and then--

"Shigeo!"

He teleports, actually, without thinking, and still only just barely catches him before he faceplants the floor. Shigeo slumps and Teru holds him easily; Shigeo doesn't weigh much; but his skin is burning, and his forehead digs into Teru's collarbone and sends him into a panic. 

"Hey, are you okay? Are you with me? Hey, Shigeo."

"Sorry." He sounds out of breath, worn out. Sick. "I thought it'd be fine…"

Teru tries to get a better hold, tightening his arms around his shoulders and gripping his shirt with curled fingers. “You're sick, Shige, you need to stay in b--” A shift in Shigeo's weight, and Teru takes all of it. He slips. “Okay, okay we're going down--”

He lets them down as gently as he can, but his knees still hit the floor too hard and he winces, not excited about the bruising. But for now he focuses on Shigeo, who is still a too-warm, too-limp weight against him. It's easier to support him from the ground, though.

Teru maneuvers himself into a somewhat more comfortable spot, legs criss-crossed with Shigeo tucked close and secure. “Damn it, Shige, you need to rest…” 

“S… Sorry...” 

Teru sighs and rests his chin on the top of his head. “As soon as Reigen gets here, you’re going back to bed and you’re gonna stay there. Okay? You can’t get better if you keep pushing yourself like this, dummy.” 

Shigeo nods, and Teru feels it more than anything, but it’s enough for him, for now. If he wants to pursue the argument later (if it’s even worth it), then he can do it later. Right now he really does want Shigeo to rest, so he stays quiet and lets him. His fever is still much, much too high and not getting any lower. 

When Reigen knocks at the door, Teru opens it with a flick of his powers and Reigen is on them both immediately. His first question is why they’re on the floor--and of course that’s a valid question--and once Teru’s finished explaining, Reigen wastes no time. He’s gone full mama-bear mode now and it’d take more than Claw’s entire arsenal to stop him. 

He carries Shigeo with a brisk powerwalk and Teru jogs to flank him. After that, it’s like a routine. Reigen gets Shigeo to wake up, has him take another dose of medicine, uses a wet rag instead of a plaster (“Easier to deal with. Plus, ice water’s a lot colder.”), checks Shigeo’s fever (39.4 again, holding), and after that there isn’t a lot left to do. Reigen assures Teru that he’s got it covered and he’ll look out for Shigeo now, but it still takes a good hour or two before Teru finally falls asleep. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Admittedly, the armchair isn’t the best place to sleep, but Shigeo has the futon and for one night, Teru doesn’t mind. He wakes up with a crick in his neck and the feeling that he hadn’t slept at all, but forgives it and sits up. Reigen glances over at him in acknowledgment before returning his gaze to Shigeo. Reigen doesn’t look like he pulled an all-nighter, but there’s no doubt in Teru’s mind about it. 

Teru gets to his feet and quietly makes his way over. “How’s he doing?” 

“Better,” Reigen answers, scooting over. Teru sits down on the floor beside him. “His fever broke pretty quick after spiking, I’m just letting him rest now.”

Teru nods and looks over Shigeo for himself. He’s still flushed, as to be expected, but it’s lesser now and he’s definitely sleeping more peacefully. The tension in his shoulders ease, and he finally lets himself relax. 

“Hey, Teruki.” 

“Yeah?” 

He turns, and at the same time, Reigen’s hand lands on his shoulder. “I’m glad you called me,” he says with a soft kind of smile that’s a bit uncharacteristic for him, but still perfectly and entirely Reigen. “Actually, I’m proud of you for calling me. It would’ve been easy to just pretend you knew what you were doing, so… thanks, for letting me help out.” 

Teru blinks, first at the hand on his shoulder and then at Reigen, but before long he's smiling. 

"Thank you for being there," he returns. Reigen's smile redoubles and he ruffles Teru's hair. 

It's been hard to train himself out of that mindset of handling things himself, no matter how devastating, but he's gotten better at accepting others' help, whether he wants it or needs it. He isn't perfect yet, but they're getting there. They'll get there.