#this is especially true with interacting with people im less comfortable around like acquaintances

[grimrester]

as someone who has to actively practice socializing as a skill, i get so genuinely irritated with people online who wont interact with people irl bc its hard and treat it like its a funny personality quirk and not, like, a serious mental health problem. like im really sorry youve atrophied your social skills (ive been there!) but it does not make you interesting or cute and its absolutely a factor in why you feel miserable all the time. and the only way to get better is to do it anyway even though it is awful and awkward and humiliating

[hakurasakura]

hi new follower here and i absolutely love your blog! <3

i was wondering if you’re still talking about charts?? if so i’d be so grateful if you could do mine! thank you if so :)

hello and welcome! and im glad you love my blog!

im sorry that this took a while (and that it is super long). everything is under the read more (disclaimer: i only did the planets and their positions. im still learning about the asteroids and the degrees)

taurus sun (12 H): when taurus natives work, they work hard. they do it with a steadiness that may rarely be considered quick–rather it’s a dependable and steady effort that has its payoffs. security is immensely important to taurus. although hard-working, their comfort-loving nature sometimes makes them appear lazy. this is only because they separate work and leisure so well. when they work, they work hard, and when they play, they don’t really “play” as such…they relax. solar taureans like to own things (and sometimes people). a nice home, a piece of land (this can be modest), a paid-off car, a couple pets, maybe a solid business…in love and relationship, there is an earthy kind of possessiveness that may be considered jealousy by some, but there is actually quite a difference between being possessive and being jealous. taurus sun natives are rarely jealous and petty. they do, however, think of the people they love as theirs–it adds to their sense of security.

the sun in the twelfth house indicates a desire for perfection. these people usually do not get full recognition for their abilities and efforts, but they do not mind. they are satisfied with their simple, quiet life in solitude. if they become managers, they will do their job inconspicuously and with modesty. their services to other people are an area in which they are likely to achieve recognition and satisfaction. these people are usually interested in psychology and research of psychological phenomena. even though they may feel the need to interact with others, they often feel alienated even in the middle of a social event. it gives them the opportunity to observe, make sense of things and understand.

capricorn moon (9 H): people with this placement see safety in being useful to society and you look for justification in the outside world. they may underestimate what they want from themselves and for themselves. shyness may be accompanied by resentment of the fact that others ignore you. they shouldn't seek approval from the outside, it will not get rid of their doubt and it is harmful to them. they have to trust their inner values, otherwise, it may happen that they succumb to external pressures. the need to cope with adverse reality since childhood may give them the ability to "survive" difficult periods. their talent for business can bring them success but they may be missing some carefreeness.

the moon in the ninth house creates an understanding and imaginative mind. these people are great dreamers and thinkers who have novel ideas. their views are solid and sincere, but they change their minds easily. they have a variety of interests and hobbies; they like to lecture other people. the Moon gives these people inner self-determination, which gives them the energy to lead and direct those who lack the same degree of awareness.

gemini ascendent: very curious, very observant, and analytical. always looking to expand their social circles.  love asking questions and mingling with others. can appear as restless as gemini rising people have an air of impatience even though they do not mean it. gemini rising people often seek a certain amount of personal freedom and space. and they enjoy intellectual debates and exchanging ideas. from my personal observations, gemini rising people can either be 1. bubbly, changeable, talkative and a little quirky, or 2. quite witty and clever, cool and intellectual (presenting themselves in a less cheerful and changeable way).

taurus mercury (12 H): they may take their time to arrive at a decision, but they get there — they are actually quite decisive, even stubborn with their opinions. mercury in taurus may be slow to start a new project, but they see it through to the end. they may need to poke them to get them going, however. they have much common sense at their disposal. these people rely on their senses when it comes to processing information. smells, noises, and mood are all employed. their communication style may, at times, be slow and measured. they are quite deliberate in what they do. when it comes to learning, mercury in taurus natives prefer demonstrations, concrete answers, and basic concepts. these people learn best when they see real-world uses for the theories they’re trying to absorb. not that they wouldn’t be able to comprehend the abstract–they simply process information better when they can personalize it (what use is it to me?) and attach it to the practical world.

mercury in the twelfth house represents the subconscious mind. thinking of these people is influenced by their subconscious and past experiences. Their decisions are based on emotions instead of logical thinking. these people have a tendency to be secretive and they do not like to express their opinions, especially in the public. they lack self-confidence but they are good at hiding it. this position also suggests difficulties in learning new things and it is an obstacle to developing the potential of the person.

taurus venus (12 H): love for venus in taurus centers on the physical world and creature comforts — they revel in sensual surroundings. these people project themselves as solid and comfortable. they need a certain measure of predictability and dependability in their relationships. venus in taurus can be possessive in love, and they are threatened by fast-paced, high-energy situations in the context of relationships and love. these are sensual partners who require lots of “hands-on” expressions of love. their lovers may complain that venus in taurus can get a little too comfortable and settled. it’s true that they resist change in their relationships, but even when they seem stuck in a groove, however, they are constant partners.

venus in the twelfth house suggests secrecy and solitude. it points to the introspective aspect of character and the need to spend time alone. it creates socially withdrawn people who are a bit lonely and disappointed in their romantic relationships. they are very emotional but they can subconsciously control their emotions. this position usually creates a significant degree of compassion for oppressed people and all those who are in a bad position.

virgo mars (5 H): these people are productive, goal-oriented, practical people. although they can be a little scattered at times, simply because they are doing so many things at any give time, mars in virgo natives get things done, and quite well! they have a knack for handling a wide variety of tasks at once, and a tendency to take on perhaps too much at the same time. these natives are not particularly aggressive by nature. although they can be a little hard-nosed and critical at times, they rarely resort to pushing others around. these people are protective of their “system” of how to get things done. there is a perfectionist at the heart of all people with this position.

mars in fifth house natives are fun, romantic, active and creative. Also, courageous and always eager to take risks, they're often sure of themselves and look only to have as much fun as possible. Mars in this position suggests they love to love and pursue romantic relationships everywhere they go.

aquarius jupiter (10 H): jupiter in aquarius is most lucky when they’re allowed to break the rules. they need complete freedom to try out their creative ideas, for they often payout in the end. this placement isn’t afraid to take risks as they offer great rewards. they bring in good fortune through their inventive thought process. they are out to change the world for the better, and they reap the benefits of their humanitarian efforts.

jupiter in tenth house keeps luck on people’s side in most situations in life. it makes natives with this placement very lucky when it comes to their career. however, they can also count too much on their good fortune and end up reckless or too relaxed when the situation would require them to focus. these natives are usually very open to making new friends, self-confident, charming, and very convincing. people will love and honor them for all these traits. they give a lot of importance to social status and want to be as free as possible.

aries saturn (11 H): saturn in aries realizes there are times when even they are not ready to handle a situation with unknown consequences. it’s a struggle that causes conflict with other people, and they have a hard time controlling their temper. saturn in aries tends to look more closely at them and decide whether or not it is in their best interest to steamroll ahead. this person is not as much of a trailblazer as other planets in this sign, but that doesn’t mean they hold back all the time. the people tend to be more rational and thoughtful. this can be used to their advantage when they’re actively trying to get ahead in life. they can rely on their powers of persuasion to get their point across in a concise and effective manner to get what they want.

people born with saturn in the eleventh house in their birth chart have lots of acquaintances but no too many close friends and these are likely to be older than them. their oldest friendships will last a lifetime. they're drawn to people who are serious and have a purpose in life.

aquarius uranus (9 H): uranus in aquarius is in its own sign and it creates inventors and people who like to apply new, untested methods and procedures. they like to fight for moral values and they love freedom. they do not let their emotions and feelings to restrict them. they are open-minded and open to radical reforms. aquarius is known for its humanity, and uranus further strengthens these tendencies.

with uranus in the ninth house, these people believe in freedom of beliefs, religion, and liberty in your way of life. more than any other placement of uranus, this makes someone interested in the truth of the system. in fact, uranus revolutionizes and changes their worldview quite dramatically.

capricorn neptune (9 H): neptune in capricorn gets their drive and ambition. this helps them to come up with new ideas. for them, inspiration comes from logic, reason, and the practical uses of different theories to better society. as a conservative personality, neptune in capricorn doesn’t often get “struck” by creative thought. they develop their ideas more slowly and thoroughly, as they do everything else in their life. they would rather work on things at their own pace and in their way. they don’t like to work together with others when brainstorming. more times than not, they would rather sit by themselves in quiet reflection. they are often obsessed with status, so neptune in capricorn tends to focus on ways to increase their wealth and influence. they like power and are always thinking of new ways to acquire more.

a natal neptune in ninth house suggests a very strong faith in life. with neptune here, there is a strong connection with the divine. these people are strongly aligned with their higher self. many neptune in ninth house people are very religious.

sagittarius pluto (7 H): plutonian sagittarians are understanding and philosophical. personal transformation can occur especially through philosophical searching. pluto in this position strengthens their innate (not learned) religious consciousness and feeling. one can expect them to create a new spiritual or mystical direction, and attempts to merge existing religions and churches.

pluto in seventh house natives are connected to the concept of a good family, a close and loving atmosphere at home. relationships are especially emphasized here. after all, they want to fulfill their sense of belonging as well. if it’s affection and intense emotions that drive them, everything is good and the prospects for a long-standing relationship are blooming. this placement of pluto makes people crave deep emotions and display a sense of responsibility that is rarely seen, plus lead their lives by their own very specific values.

[tomcriuse]

@foxwulder asked: im interested in your answer to this. what do you think mulder was like at college, socially. give me all of your headcanon on this.

yeah idk why but every time i sit down to write headcanons, i end up writing an essay that could be true like none of it is grounded in. Anything

his first year, he was incredibly involved in his studies—obsessive almost. there isn’t a part of fox mulder that doesn’t love learning anything that he can get his grubby little goblin hands on. he would keep to himself, shy. quiet.

he spent a lot of time on his own. his apartment was just outside of campus, so he would spend mornings walking to class not quite seeing everything around him. if it was especially cold, he would stop and get some coffee at his favourite café on the corner of the cobblestone street where the door creaked when you opened it and the bell rang a little too loudly and the coffee was just a little too hot. every time he went there, the barista would see him coming from down the road and she would have his cup made before he walked in. he would smile kindly—awkwardly charming, almost—at the her and his hands would shake a little as he was counting out the change and he would comment on the weather like it was unusual, but the weather in oxford changes once a year and the barista would just smile in amusement and say see you tomorrow green eyes, and mulder would blink and rub the back of his neck and say see you tomorrow coffee girl. their interactions were short and limited to the five minutes he could spare on his walk, but sometimes he would bring her book recommendations or random fun facts that he learned from his school reading. it was small ritual, but it was but it was a great comfort that made him feel less alone.

he met his first real friends in one of his beginner psychology classes. mulder always sat in the second row—he thought that the first row was for the people who wanted to show off too much, and he thought the back of the room was for the people that didn’t care at all. he considered himself right in the middle and showed it in where he sat. it seemed that a lot of people felt the same way, because the entire row was empty save for him and two guys and a girl. there as a sort of unofficial official seating chart camaraderie. the boy next to him wore the same three wrinkled button up shirts in various shades of green and layered them with old sweaters with holes in them. the other boy was always put together—no matter if he got two hours of sleep or twelve. he wore designer suits in every shade and pattern imaginable. he never wore a tie but always brought a baseball cap to class, worn and old and stained. the girl recorded every lecture on her cassette player and transcribed them every night. her notes were detailed and organized and covered in coffee rings from the late nights. they were a group of ragtag kids—relics from different cultures cobbled together to create a beautiful sculpture.

since the first day of class, the boy with messy clothes and a charming grin would always come to class with no pen and no paper, and disarm mulder with his shy eyes and say hey man, can I borrow some? and mulder knew there was now borrowing, he was never getting it back but he couldn’t say no. he bought notebooks for him and cases of pens but he wouldn’t take them and so mulder just kept them in his bag and took them with him wherever he went. originally their interactions never went past that. it became their own unspoken language—a habitual tradition that followed them in everything they did.

this also means that whenever there was group work, which was quite often in a behavioral class, the four would always be assigned together. at first they would just meet in the library or sit on the lawn with the sun peaking out from behind the clouds, focusing only on the task at hand. the three of his classmates would mess around and mulder would through in a witty comment here and a sharp retort there, but he never told much about himself. all they really knew about him was that he was the american boy with messy hair, pretty eyes, and an unusually lanky frame. he wasn’t cold, but he wasn’t inviting. he didn’t want to get attached and lose more that he loved.

the more they were forced together, the more that mulder started accepting that he deserved happiness—that he didn’t have to push others away. that he deserved to be loved. they moved from libraries to his favourite café and from the lawn to the floor in someones apartment. they moved from homework to movies and witty anecdotes to stories. it was the first time that he had ever told anyone what happened to sam. they didn’t laugh, they didn’t ridicule. they told him that if anyone could bring her back it would be him.

every friday night, they would go to the indian food restaurant around the corner from his apartment and they would order half of the menu. they would laugh and argue about movies and psychoanalyse each other. they would be a little too loud and they would stay a little too long after closing and they would tip a little too much to make up for it, but they felt more at home in that restaurant than they ever did with their parents.

coming from old money in new england, the way that mulder was raised to appreciate people was through gifts. originally, he would buy sweaters new shoelaces or new wheels for his skateboard. he would buy mr perfect the ugliest ties he could find. he would buy the curly haired girl blank cassette tapes and hand-crafted mugs. but somewhere along the way, he wanted to give a part of himself to them to remember him by. he would hang out at the skatepark with sweaters at two in the morning. he would play soccer with mr perfect even though, if he had any choice, he would rather die than pick soccer over baseball.

it would be the small things. the way the curly haired girl would throw her straw wrappers at mulder when he told a bad joke. the way that sweaters threw his arm around his shoulder and leaned in like he was going to tell him the world’s greatest secret—the key to the universe. the way mr perfect would invite him to museum parties that his family forced him to go to, and the way that they would sneak off to the roof to watch the stars. listening to music as they counted the constellations. reading psychology books aloud. coming up with stupid conspiracies and trying to convince the other person that it was true. having paper airplane races. going to france for a weekend and trying every coffee place they could. trying recipes from thrift-store cookbooks that they ruin and end up ordering takeout. someone finding a small sunflower and giving it to him and him saying, we both know exactly what is wrong here. road trips to the countryside where there was a ufo sighting.

his greatest friendships in college were built on admiration and annoyance and fate and love.

at some point, people started to notice mulder. maybe it was his wild hair or his bright smile or his ringing laughter. maybe it was the way that he always kept his word or was always there for you if you needed to talk. everyone seemed to know him. he would say hello in passing to kids on campus and help you out in the library if you needed. but his focus was always on his friends—his family. outside of them, he had a couple friends maybe—acquaintances. people he would sit next to in other classes, someone doing peer review. fleeting.

it wasn’t that he avoided making other friendships, but it was that the bond between the four of them ran deep. they knew everything about each other—how crispy they liked the crust on their bread, how dark or light they like their coffee, whether or not they looped the end when they wrote a y, the way their eyes light up when they think of a comeback, the twitch of their eyebrows when they hear something that annoys them. it was nothing that you could learn from reading a book, but things only resulting from years of intensive study and firsthand experience. for every connection in their circle, one was a primary source and the other was a historian pouring over ever wrinkle and stain on the page.

however, when he met phoebe, things started going downhill. she would monopolize his time and steal him away from his family. she drove a wedge between them. it was his first real taste of betrayal—not his friends walking out on him, but someone who he loved driving them away. there was no more of the pure happiness that he felt with them. it felt wrong to take her to the places that they went together. he couldn’t eat indian food. he hated france. he bought everything new, nothing used.

it was like he was back to square one, almost: keeping to himself, shy. quiet.

[mustdang-100]

Shifting Perspectives

Mob Psycho 100 Fanfiction

How many espers does it take to rescue one abducted conman?

Months after the events of the World Domination arc, Reigen disappears sometime between leaving the office and after-work plans. Serizawa finds himself the unwilling leader of a bunch of former Claw members and a couple of stubborn teenagers, determined to get Reigen back.

Read on AO3 Ch.1|Ch.2 Tumblr Ch.1 - below|Ch.2

Chapter 1 Reigen swung his legs down from where they’d been propped up on his desk and stared, flabbergasted, at Serizawa. "What do you mean, you ‘thought it was cute!?’ That spirit had three rows of teeth! And I would know, I got the best look at them!"   Serizawa came out of his reverie with a start, nearly dropping his mug, instantly apologetic.  "It, it was just so small… I was just wishing I’d come up with another way to stop it, but I didn’t have time for anything but an exorcism when it went straight for your face!” Serizawa sputtered.   Reigen continued to stare at him, now merely projecting indignation to hide his growing amusement.    “It was fluffy! And, and pink!" Serizawa flushed. "I like pink."  Reigen couldn’t hold back; he burst into laughter, putting his own mug down before he could slosh tea all over his desk. Serizawa flushed a deeper shade of red, ducking his head a little, but Reigen still saw his small, sheepish grin.    “You’ve been spending too much time with Matsuo lately, to start thinking of them as cute,” Reigen said, wiping at his eyes as his laughter finally died down. 

It was almost six p.m., approaching closing time at the Spirits & Such office, and Reigen was procrastinating on completing some insurance forms to chat with Serizawa over tea. A leisurely teatime had become something of an end-of-the-day ritual for them over the past few weeks, ever since Serizawa’s break from classes meant he was able to stay at the office until closing. Reigen found the ritual comforting – and had been chagrined to realize just how much he enjoyed having the company. If he was honest with himself, he was secretly resenting the day when night classes started back and he would lose this time to Serizawa’s other interests and school friends.  Less selfishly, though, he’d been pleased that the extra time Serizawa spent at the office meant Reigen could watch even more of his ongoing transformation from the timid and insecure man he’d started as to the quiet, confident professional he was becoming. Reigen had recently even been encouraging him to deal directly with the customers – though never without his being there, of course. Reigen considered himself quite necessary to this business, particularly when a client’s problems weren’t actually spiritual in nature. And whenever something got complicated in an actual exorcism, he was there to smooth it over. He and Serizawa had fallen into a pattern, one that resembled less that of an employer and employee and more that of a partnership: the businessman who got the jobs and the esper who completed them.   It was… nice. Reigen thought he might even be able to call Serizawa a friend – but he’d been wrong before. And he didn’t want to jinx it. You had to take jinxes seriously in his profession.  “Reigen? What are you looking at?”  Reigen focused his eyes to find that’s he’d been staring straight into Serizawa’s puzzled face for the past however many minutes. He blinked.  “Oh, sorry! I was thinking about something else.”  He realized belatedly that the other man was packing up in preparation to leave. Serizawa’s emptied mug sat on his own desk, the surface streaked with a pattern of yellow-orange lines from the light of the setting sun filtering through the blinds.   “Right, ‘bout that time, isn’t it.” Reigen drained the rest of his own lukewarm cup and stood to stretch, joints popping. He asked, casually, “You doing anything interesting tonight?”  Serizawa snapped his bag closed. “Oh, I’m getting drinks with Minegishi and Koyama and them – the usual bunch.”  Reigen felt the sinking feeling in his gut that tended to rear its ugly head every time Serizawa mentioned hanging out with his friends, either from school or, increasingly lately, some of the other former Claw members.   It was stupid. Reigen was glad Serizawa was building healthy relationships and integrating himself back into society. He really was; in fact, he was incredibly proud of the progress Serizawa had made after being so shut off for most of this life, and then horrifically misled, and even, Reigen suspected, emotionally abused. But there was still a small, terrible part of him that whispered, nastily, that Serizawa was now actually fitting into society better than he himself did, and just what did that say about the sad state of his own life?  He was being petty, and jealous, and awful. He knew it. Which, really, had to be a sign that he was improving – he’d learned his lesson about trying to manipulate people into spending time with him with his mistakes with Mob, and now recognized the inclination when it appeared. He fought it by being twice as encouraging.   “Sounds like fun! You’ve really been spending a lot of time with them lately, huh? Probably good for you all, like… a Claw recovery group or something-”   “Actually, I was, uh, going to ask you, if you’d like to join us?”  “Oh!”  Reigen paused to school his expression into one of only minor interest, even as excitement bubbled up in his chest. “Ah, well, I do have some plans for this evening, of course, but really it’s nothing important, I can probably rearrange… uhh, although-”   Reigen remembered something slightly awkward.   “Do you think it’s been enough time that they’ve gotten over the… misunderstanding about my psychic abilities..?”  Serizawa’s face broke into a grin that he quickly tried to hide with his hand.  “Yes, don’t worry it’s all fine. Once they got over their anger at being tricked, they decided that tricking them so thoroughly was a talent by itself, not to mention all the things you’ve therefore managed to accomplish without psychic powers. They chalked it all up to your extraordinary leadership abilities and by the end of it were just twice as impressed. And,” Serizawa added, blushing again for no reason that Reigen could see, “I think they’d be happy to see you again.”   Reigen stood a little straighter.   “Well, that’s, that’s good. Very good. I mean, I am rather impressive… ok then. So, yes. Drinks. Happy to join you! Just gotta, finish up some paperwork and stuff, and, yeah I’ll, I’ll meet you there.”  Serizawa beamed.  Reigen blinked, caught completely off-guard. That was a rare expression from his nervous employee, and it was… like the sun coming out. He almost – almost – told Serizawa that the smile looked good on him, or something similarly unforgivably cheesy, before shoving the reckless inclination aside. But that grin begged for a response, and he couldn’t help but give a half smile in reply.   Once Serizawa had left, Reigen scrambled to finish up the paperwork – it really did have to be sent before tomorrow, damn it all. Once it was sloppily signed, scanned, and faxed, he stepped into the bathroom.   Reigen eyed himself critically in the bathroom mirror.   Drinks. With a coworker. Or, employee – whatever. With a friend? A friend, and his friends. The suit he had on was probably okay for that, right? Or should he change? He had a spare suit stashed in his desk – but then he’d just be changing one very similar suit for another, that was stupid. He had another tie somewhere though, a darker one, more suited for a night out… No, no, then Serizawa would know that he’d bothered to overthink this enough to change what he was wearing, and-  He took a breath.  Which is exactly what you’re doing, overthinking. This is just some casual, after-work drinks, with a coworker who might be a friend, and some other acquaintances. Er, most of whom had tried to harm either himself or one of the teenagers in his care on at least one occasion, and that detail somehow managed to be at the bottom of his pile of worries-   Stop.  Deeper breath. One last look in the mirror to check his hair, which looked the same as it always did, and he turned to march out the door.    Just be… casual. Breezy. Yeah, breezy. Smooth.   He tripped on the rug on his way out the door.   ***  Serizawa tapped his fingers anxiously against his glass, glancing at his watch before taking an automatic sip of his water.  “So ya finally asked ‘im?” Koyama slapped Serizawa on the back in congratulations as he slumped into an empty seat at their usual table, tucked into the back of the dive bar. Serizawa let out a small noise, both in protest and in reaction to the rather forceful hit; Koyama tended to forget his strength in his enthusiasm, and he fancied himself a matchmaker. Serizawa felt his cheeks grow warm for what must have been the dozenth time that day.  “Just… just to join us for drinks! You know, like, like friends! Not, um, not like that. I told you, I still don’t know if he’s interested that way!”  Koyama grinned hugely anyway, raising his eyebrows suggestively, before taking a long pull from his beer bottle.  It was true – Serizawa found it incredibly difficult to tell what Reigen really felt about anyone. No, that was a lie; to anyone who spent any amount of time around him, Reigen was obvious about who he genuinely liked, and who he was just pretending to be nice to. Serizawa was just still uncertain about whether Reigen felt anything more towards him than simple friendship.   At first he’d blamed himself for this, thinking it was his own lack of social skills that clouded his ability to determine how other people felt. But the more he’d interacted with other people, the more he’d come to suspect that that was just the way Reigen was; someone who talked a lot, but usually about nothing deeper than surface-level, especially his feelings concerning other people. No, you had to watch Reigen’s actions to know for sure how he felt.   And Serizawa had been watching. He watched the way Reigen acted towards clients, and the teenagers he cared for, and he knew for a fact that it was different than how Reigen acted around him. And not to mention those moments he couldn’t quite describe, when perfect camaraderie that led to a tension in the air that seemed very… “more than just friends”-esque.   Asking him to join the group for drinks was his first active step towards confirming just how Reigen felt about him; how did Reigen react to him, compared to other friends his own age, outside of work hours…  Serizawa shook himself back to the present.   “Stop teasing him, Koyama,” Sakurai was saying from the other side of their usual table in the back of the dimly-lit bar, adjusting his glasses while peering down into his gin & tonic. “He’s nervous enough as it is. He’ll ask Reigen when he’s ready, or not.”  “I’m just sayin’!” Koyama spoke louder to be heard over the pop song that began blaring overhead, “He’s really beating around the bush here! Just ask ‘im out, he’ll say yes or no, and you can move on!”   “Not everyone is as blunt as you, you ass,” Tsuchiya chimed in, tapping her emptied bottle against Koyama’s head good-naturedly as she stood up to grab another beer from the bar.  Minegishi was the only one who did not offer his opinion, slowly stirring his mostly-full drink with a straw, eyes flicking from person to person as they contributed to the conversation. Probably because he had expressed his opinions on the matter to Serizawa before.   One of the longest friendships that Serizawa had ever experienced, and the only member of the former Super Five he’d really stayed in touch with, Minegishi was also the most critical of Serizawa’s pursuing anything more than friendship with Reigen. Only a week before, Minegishi’s snide comments had finally driven Serizawa to ask him why he felt so negative about him turning his and Reigen’s relationship into something more.  “To be completely honest, I… am concerned about the sincerity of your feelings towards Reigen.”  “W…what!? What do you mean?” “I know you believe they are genuine, but…”  A pause.  “Reigen hired you to work for his business just as you were cut loose into a world that frightened you, floundering for a new purpose. I worry that you’ve formed an attachment to him due to his helping you through a time when you were vulnerable, and you are misinterpreting your gratitude towards him as something deeper, more meaningful. That could produce an uneven balance of power in a romantic relationship, which is unhealthy, and could lead to you resenting him later.”   Minegishi knew Serizawa about as well as anyone did. But despite mellowing since leaving the clutches of Claw, he could still be incredibly pessimistic. Serizawa knew Minegishi was wrong about him and Reigen, but had stumbled over his words, unable to express just how well they worked together, how he was sure there was something more there. Eventually, they’d had to agree to disagree. But Serizawa knew that if he and Reigen started dating Minegishi would be watching them, looking out for any warning signs.   He supposed, sighing heavily, that he should be grateful to have friends who cared so much.   “So,” Tsuchiya asked as she slid back into her seat, fresh bottle in hand, “…when is he gonna get here?”  Serizawa checked his watch again. It had now been over an hour since he’d arrived.  “I’m sure he’ll be here any minute now.”  ***  Reigen was running late.  When the almost-unintelligible voice came over the train speakers yet again, announcing their second delay of the night, he cursed loudly. The woman sitting next to him with a young child in her lap turned to look at him disapprovingly, covering her child’s ears.  Oh, don't be so overdramatic. No way kids that young understand words like-    The toddler turned her pigtailed head to look over at Reigen, smiling cherubically, and opened her mouth.   “Fuck!” She gleefully bounced up and down, repeating the word.   The mother glared at him with murder in her eyes.   Reigen decided it might be best if he just walked the rest of the way to the bar. He was pretty confident that he knew the way, and at this point it’d probably be no slower than waiting for the train – not to mention the lowered risk of homicide.  ***  Reigen was lost.   He examined the map on his phone again, following the path through virtual streets with one finger. When he thought he had it memorized he tucked the phone back into his pocket and strode confidently down the street. He was determined to follow the map from memory; he didn’t want to look like one of those people who had to follow their phones every step of their route.  Despite the cooling evening air, he’d begun to sweat at his brisk pace. Of course. The sweat really wasn’t that unusual for him though; Serizawa probably wouldn't even notice. Maybe the other espers wouldn’t either…   Who all had Serizawa said would be there? He couldn’t remember. Some from the former Seventh Branch, for sure – he found he was actually somewhat eager to see them again. He’d been weirdly proud of them when they’d shown up out of nowhere to band together and fight against the organization they’d once been a part of. I mean, Claw had gone after them first, but he liked to think he’d been a good influence on their decision to rejoin non-esper society-   A car he hadn’t heard coming up behind him pulled up next to the curb.  Reigen stepped back in surprise, all thoughts of espers jolted from his mind. The driver window rolled down to reveal a dark-haired woman, smiling at him just a little sheepishly.  “Excuse me, sir? We’re looking for the closest train station to drop my husband off, any chance you could point us in the right direction?”  Reigen liked to be helpful, but halted his automatic response, taking a another hesitant step back from the car and the woman inside it.  Something seemed… off.   The sedan was a relatively new model, but not too pricy, and dark in color; the textbook definition of ‘inconspicuous.’ Except that the vibe the blandly-smiling woman gave off was just a bit wrong; her eyes were too intense for her mild expression.   Reigen’s mirror-perfect reflection in the windows heightened his nervousness. They were tinted darker than was legal, as demonstrated by the complete lack of light penetrating through the windows from the closest streetlamp. A light source which, now that he bothered to notice, was a little further away than he was really comfortable with…  He glanced up to see that they were in a gap between streetlight coverage – the bulb in the light that was helpfully right overhead was almost burnt out, emitting only a dim orangey-yellow light that traveled no further than top of the streetlight pole.  Reigen almost laughed as his heart rate sped up, responding to a rush of adrenaline.  You’ve got to be kidding me… Okay. Either you’ve been watching way too many terrible crime shows and are completely overthinking this, or these are literally the lamest bad guys ever.   He heard someone coming up behind him, and whirled to face them. Mid-turn, every muscle in his body erupted into excruciating pain.  Reigen hit the ground, spasming; the impact of skin and joints on asphalt barely registered amidst the full-body agony. He could barely think, his brain forming nothing coherent but for an endless string of please stop please stop stop stop hurts hurts HURTS.   Was he even breathing?   The pain went on, and on, and on, seconds becoming an eternity…  And then it stopped as instantly as it had begun.  Reigen slumped limply against the ground at the sudden relief. His brain started working again. Someone – or multiple someones – were looming over him. And he was fairly certain he’d just been tasered.  Well, that’s a new one for the books. They say life should be full of new experiences.   The part of his brain not occupied with witty commentary was screaming at him to shut up.   You are in a terrible position, you are surrounded and you must get up, get up get up get up.   He tensed his muscles, preparing to spring up fighting, but never got the chance.  He felt a needle prick his neck.   In seconds, everything went dark.