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grimalkinmessor · 3 months

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Okay but Reigen's ability to lie and change masks at will means that he can be literally anyone Mob needs him to be at any given time. And he often is.

I was thinking about this because I rewatched the break-up episode and Reigen's words had always caught me a little off guard when he said all that stupid shit to Mob, because—and yes this is the point I suppose—he's never usually that harsh with Mob. Because the rod isn't what Mob needs, and Reigen knows it, and he usually tries to be the best shishou he can be whilst still lying to his disciple about everything else :'D So I considered Reigen insulting Mob and going after his friends to be largely out of character for him!

But, I realized that the series focuses so much on Mob's inner struggle that we don't get to see a lot of Reigen's. And for Reigen, who has had Mob all to himself for close to three years, the sudden influx of people taking Mob's time and attention would've been highly alarming and disquieting to him. Because for literal years, Reigen was the village raising the child.

Before the series started, Mob and Ritsu were still distant if loving. His parents don't seem to make much of an impact on is life either. And before joining the BIC, Mob had no friends either. He just kind of,,,existed. The only person he could've considered a friend was Reigen. Reigen gives him advice and life lessons like a parent, jokes around and heckles him like a friend, and scolds him when he's being dumb like a mentor. Reigen didn't raise Mob (he does still have parents for that and Reigen has only known him three years out of fourteen) but before canon he did seem to have a great deal of control and say-so over Mob's life.

And yes, again this is bad. It's unhealthy at best. But Reigen's options in the beginning were either fire Mob and send him away so that wouldn't happen, or keep him by his side and encourage him to make friends as they went along and Mob learned more control and social skills from him. The latter might've even been Reigen's original plan once he realized he actually likes Mob as opposed to him just being a random kid. But then, of course :) Reigen gets attached :)) Too attached, even :)))

Enough so that when the time comes and Mob actually DOES start to make friends, Reigen feels deeply threatened. Fondness has blossomed out quite nicely into codependence, and now Reigen—who is also deeply, incredibly lonely—cannot imagine a life without Mob in it anymore. He doesn't like the thought of Mob drifting away. Outgrowing him. So he opens his mouth and puts his foot directly inside, trying to alienate Mob from his friends and secure his spot as top friend dog once again. (Honestly as if there was any question 🙄).

Thankfully, Mob nips that shit in the bud IMMEDIATELY. Because again, he's been with Reigen for the past three years, and other than some of the other bullshit bout spiritual powers, Reigen has been largely very wise and helpful when giving life advice. It was very likely his OWN teachings and words about being wary of being manipulated and conned that helped Mob recognize it that fast.

So Mob leaves, and Reigen...crumbles.

Damn near instantly.

He tries to convince himself that he doesn't need Mob, that he's fine without him and that he never even cared about him in the first place—but later we see that the idea of Mob leaving him for good makes him actually, physically nauseous. That moment in the alleyway, with the moths around the lamp as my witness, was a moment of death and rebirth within Reigen's psyche. Again with the moths there that might be obvious lmao. The singular moth dying there might even be a reference to the fact that only one of Reigen and Mob's relationship problems have been addressed (and somewhat?? solved?? at least in the way that Reigen has acknowledged the need for change in himself on this front).

Idk, I just think it's interesting :3 He was alone in his friendship with Mob for a very long time, and I think he panicked more than made any sort of cold calculated move to be an asshole. He and Mob are similar in that way; they both found someone who needed and understood them, Mob with his powers and Reigen with his tricks and acts, both of them using their abilities for the other's benefit. I love the break-up arc so much, it's so much fun to think about 💖

#mobrei #reimob #mob psycho 100 #reigen arataka #mob #kageyama shigeo #breakup arc

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exilepurify · 1 year

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“Shut Up and Eat” yakiniku omake — original Japanese dialogue analysis and translation

The 3rd installment of the four-part yakiniku omake series in Mob Psycho 100 involves a bit of clever wordplay to make Mob’s slurring make sense, which means that the translation had to play around with the words a little bit to make it work in English. So, what did Mob actually say in Japanese?

I got the raws from the Manga One app in the Japanese iTunes app store.

I would like to preface this by saying that the most popular translated version, where Mob says the infamous “Shut up and eat” line, is the best translated version in my opinion, because Mob actually slurring that is a totally feasible thing. I’ll explain more about that in the translation notes below, but this version I translated isn’t reworked to match the syllables and make the slurring believable, but rather to try and represent the Japanese meaning.

Reigen: モブ。— Mob.

それもう焼けてるぞ。— It’s about to burn!

Mob: ………

Reigen: モブ… —Mob…

それもう焼けてるぞ。(二回目) — It’s about to burn. (A second time)

なぁ… — Hey…

Mob: このくらい…よく火を通した方が好きなんで。— It’s good like this. I like the heat to spread evenly throughout.

Reigen: 焼き過ぎだ。それだと肉本来の味が消えてしまう。—It’s cooking too much. It’s going to completely lose the original flavor.

Mob: いや、おいしいです。— No, it’s tasty.

Reigen: いや、それはベストのおいしさではない。— No, that’s not the best taste.

焼き過ぎな上にタレも付け過ぎだ。タレの味しかしないだろう。— It’s overcooked and you put too much sauce on top.

Mob: いや、おいしいです。— No, it’s tasty.

Reigen: また！それも焼き過ぎだぞ。— Again! That one’s also cooking too much.

ちょっと焦げてんじゃねーか。— It’s a bit scorched, isn’t it?

あ、ほらそっちの肉もあと4秒くらいで… — Ah, look—that piece of meat, in about four seconds…

「師匠は肉にうるさいなぁ…」と言おうとしたが、口に入れた肉が予想以上に熱くて舌が上手くまわらず… — “Shishou is picky about meat, huh…” is what Mob tried to say, but when he put the meat in his mouth, it was hotter than expected and his tongue couldn’t articulate well.

Mob: チッ… うるせぇな。— Tch… Shut the hell up.

Reigen: ………..

霊幻は静かに肉を焼いた。— Reigen cooked his meat in silence.

——————————

Notes:

- Mob: このくらい…よく火を通した方が好きなんで。— It’s good like this. I like the heat to spread evenly throughout.

「このくらい…」　actually directly translates to “This much…” (in regards to how much he’s cooking the meat over the grill). It employs the Japanese technique of “only say half the sentence and let the rest be unspoken”, but that wouldn’t make a lot of sense in English and kind of sticks out translated strictly like that. So I just finished the sentence.

- Mob: チッ… うるせぇな。— Tch… Shut the hell up.

So, this whole thing is a joke about the many uses of the word 「うるさい」　(urusai). 「うるさい」　can be used to mean “loud/noisy”, “annoying/bothersome”, “picky/fussy/particular”, and “shut up!” when shouted as an interjection. I’ve been in a class in Tokyo where we were all yelled at for talking by our professor, who kept saying 「うるさいだよ！」. In Mob’s originally-intended sentence—「師匠は肉にうるさいなぁ…」—he was using うるさい to mean “picky/fussy”, since Reigen truly would not relax and leave him alone over that meat. But because the meat burned his mouth, he ended up clicking his tongue and slurring 「うるせぇな。」　He dropped the “Shishou” and “about meat” parts entirely, his hurt tongue not moving fast enough and holding out an “e” vowel throughout the latter half of the word instead of raising up into an “ai” sound. This… makes the word very rude. And since all other parts of the sentence were dropped, it also makes it an interjection— a rude and harsh version of “Shut up!”, which I’ve chosen to represent by making Mob curse. (Turning rude conjugation forms into English cursing is a pretty common practice in Japanese translation, as they have more expressive conjugation forms than us and we have no other real way to express that inherent hostility/brashness.)

In the most popularized English translation of this scene, the translators did something very clever to make Mob’s slurring possible, since we don’t have “rude” verb forms in English. What Mob originally wanted to say was, “Shishou sure likes to talk about meat…”, which gets slurred into “Shut up and eat.” The syllables specifically from “shishou” and “about meat” can be slurred into something phonetically resembling “shut up and eat”. I think this is extremely clever and fantastic translation work.

Anyway. Reigen deserved that.

#mp100 #mp100 manga analysis #mp100 analysis #mp100 manga #mob psycho 100 #shigeo kageyama #mp100 omake #mp100 translation #japanese translation #fan translation #reigen arakata

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katyatalks · 2 years

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Otomedia Autumn 2022 - Mob Psycho 100 III Interviews [Translation]

Otomedia Autumn 2022 contains three interviews with Mob Psycho 100 staff - one with Character Designer Kameda Yoshimichi, one with the voice actors of Mob and Reigen (Itou Setsuo & Sakurai Takahiro), and one with the new director Hasui Takahiro. The interviews contain information regarding season 3 and what we should look forward to seeing.

Translation below!

Short interview with Character Designer Kameda Yoshimichi

Q: The key visual for season 3 is quite drastically different to those of seasons past, isn’t it.

“The order I received was, ‘just Mob-kun this time around.’ I wanted to make it a piece filled with the vibe of season 3’s climax… as a result there’s meaning to be found throughout it (laughs).”

The focus point of the piece is that flipping it 180 tells another story.

Plenty for people who have already read the manga to read into.

Q: How do you feel the response to season 3 will be?

“It’s a serious story, I feel like the atmosphere is a little different to what we’ve seen up to this point. We’ll be revisiting some of the deeper themes touched upon earlier, so I implore those of you new to the world of Mob Psycho 100 to watch seasons 1 and 2 before getting into this season! Season 3 is less about ‘fighting with the enemy’, and more about the relationships between characters, ie. ‘How have the people around me changed and how will they continue to?’ I think it’s the kind of story that will impact just about anyone.”

“A review thus far of Shishou and Deshi” Itou Setsuo (Mob) x Sakurai Takahiro (Reigen)

Q: After 3.5 years, Mob Psycho 100 is back! Please tell us how you felt when you knew the third season was greenlit.

Itou; “For me it felt like ‘thank you for waiting!’, even though I was waiting too (laughs)”

Returning for season 3 felt completely natural to both Itou and Sakurai. It didn’t feel like years had passed, and since there was no huge change in who was primarily working on the show, the atmosphere was as if they had just recorded last week.

Q: Did you feel any change when you were recording your lines?

A big change for season 3 was that the cast were not able to record together thanks to COVID. Since the cast were unable to play off one another’s performances in a natural way, Sakurai worried about what this would do to the quality of the voicework.

Q: In season 3, Serizawa is added to the ‘Spirits & Such’ team.

Sakurai considers that Serizawa has become a bit of a mascot for Spirits & Such, alongside Mob. He then states they’re all kind of mascots.

He states how difficult a thing it is for someone to now be the boss of two people instead of one, and though you might have to squint, you can definitely see this as a visible culmination of Reigen’s growth. “He’s changed a bit. It’s difficult for me to put into words.”

Regarding Serizawa, Mob gets to experience exorcism ‘together’ thanks to him in season 3. In an upcoming scene where the two of them do perform an exorcism together, it’s a nice way to give tangible evidence that Mob’s group of allies has grown.

Itou describes season 2’s Serizawa as having “a low centre of gravity”, and follows this up by saying season 3’s Serizawa has lightened up.

With Serizawa’s arrival, Spirit’s & Such is now home to the strongest espers in the story (Mob and Serizawa given as the visual example).

Q: Please tell us more about the changes that the characters go through in season 3.

The changes the characters go through is said to be subtle, and this is where the story sources drama from this time around. On a total rewatch it’ll be clearer.

Q: Tell us what we should look forward to seeing in season 3 (mid-way only).

Season 3 will begin with a ‘slice of life’ vibe for Mob before delving into something deeper. Season 3’s overall atmosphere is described as “incredibly intense”.

A particular back and forth that Mob and Dimple have in season 3 is Sakurai’s favourite part of the series. “ONE-sensei really knows how to pierce you.”

Hasui Takahiro’s Directorial Recipe

Q: You’re the director now for season 3, how was this for you in practice?

More difficult than he thought it would be - lots of back and forths with Tachikawa Yuzuru.

One idea that Tachikawa came up with regards Serizawa. “At the start of the season there are some episodes that feature Serizawa and some action scenes that the manga isn’t explicit in showing us, so Tachikawa-san came up with the idea that Serizawa should utilise a particular item from the OVA in these scenes. This became a key item, and is Serizawa’s new ‘weapon’.”

Q: Tell us what we should look forward to seeing in episode 1.

“As it’s been a while since season 2, episode 1 of the new season acts as a kind of refresher/reintroduction to the world of Mob Psycho 100. [...] As in, an evil spirit appears, it gets exorcised, Reigen gets in a scuffle, then there’s the appeal of the crazy strong characters (laughs). Tachikawa-san is very good at understanding these crazy strong characters and making them even stronger.”

Q: Please tell us something you were picky about with season 3.

Seasons 1 & 2 are very important for season 3, so callbacks were necessary. You see it with the OP, and you’ll see it with the ED which is very reminiscent of season 1’s ED.

“Up until now huge-scale action scenes have been a selling point of the show, but season 3’s focus is on ‘Kageyama Shigeo’. Season 3 progresses with Mob as a person.”

“As the season progresses you’ll see that Mob hasn’t decided what path exactly he wants to take. How will he choose his path, and finally what perspective will he have? It’s the kind of story that’ll show you this.”

(A huge thank you to @noloryno for being so quick with the magazine scans <3)

#mp100 #mob psycho 100 #translation #my stuff

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dvlwablu · 5 months

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Onmyoji Manga List

Back at it again, this time with all the Onmyoji novels series based manga I'm aware of! You can purchase all of these from Bookwalker without needing to be in Japan as for as I'm aware, but your experience may vary. Note that none have official English translations as of 2023.

Reiko Okano's Onmyoji This series is apparently the manga adaptation for Onmyoji - it won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Grand Prize (yes, that Osamu Tezuka) in 2001 and the Seiun award (think Japan only Hugo awards) for best comic in 2006. I haven't read much of it unfortunately (I can't afford to buy all the volumes!) It has 13 volumes and a sequel (where you get to see Seimei's son!!!) A few volumes of this manga have been translated in French, but I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy :(

Mitsuki Munku's Takiyashahime A mostly straightforward adaptation of the two-part novel series Takiyashahime. If you can't read the novels, you can read this and get a rough idea of what's going on if you can't read much Japanese (or watch the drama special I mentioned in this post!)

Itou Sei's Takiyashahime aka 瀧夜叉姫　陰陽師絵草子 (Takiyashahime Onmyoji Ezoshi) Okay okay SO THIS MANGA. It adapts Takiyashahime, but puts its own spin on the characters. Seimei is now Haruaki (which is just the kun'yomi reading of 晴明 - Seimei is the on'yomi reading. I could talk about nanori and azana more but that's for a separate post), a young, talented onmyoji who is nonetheless still a mere apprentice. He's a lot more hot-headed and kitsune-like, but also a lot more insecure with being friends with Hiromasa due to his social status. Yasunori also plays a larger role in this as Haruaki's main mentor/shishou instead of senior disciple, probably because the author had a previous manga that involved him as a character (unrelated to the Onmyoji series) I have MANY words about the flavour of Seimei/Hiromasa in this, but it's hard to explain without context!!!

This manga has absolutely GORGEOUS art - beautiful lineart, dynamic panelling, and lovely watercolour splash pages. However, it does not shy away from graphic violence, with multiple instances of animal death, human death (including children) and one instance of graphic sexual assault (which is in volume 3, pages 109-111, if you would like to skip it) It is currently ongoing as of 2023, and you can follow it here.

#瀧夜叉姫陰陽師絵草子 #takiyashahime onmyoji ezoshi #mitsuki munku #reiko okano #itou sei #minamoto no hiromasa #abe no seimei #fyi i've bought digital versions of all of munku's takiyashahime and the currently released itou sei volumes #i started a solo scanlation project for itou sei's manga a while ago but life got in the way...might have to bring it back again haha

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escapiste123 · 1 year

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Wanted to copy my twt thread here, since tumblr is much better for long form content.

Here are some thoughts on one of my most favorite moments of the series – Reigen’s press-conference, specifically Mob’s reaction to it.

So the common wisdom (and some comments from ONE) says that Mob rushed over there and, after Reigen’s apology, used his powers to make Reigen seem like a real psychic.

But! I always had a different take. First of, Mob gets there before Reigen even apologizes, but doesn’t do anything straight away. I don’t think he’s so callous as to come to watch in person as his shishou gets humiliated in front of a crowd.

I think he came already with the intention to help, regardless of if Reigen apologizes or not, but then just didn’t know how to help him, so he just stood there helplessly.

Secondly, and this was my biggest impression from watching this moment in the anime (specifically the sub, I think the dub mutes it a bit) – when Mob uses his powers, it plays almost like a disaster movie.

The building is shaking, cameras are flying and people are *screaming*, it’s almost similar to what we saw in the latest episode with ???% You have to imagine, for the journos in there it must have been terrifying.

And again, I don’t think that Mob is cruel enough to do something like this on purpose. He spends the whole story trying not to hurt people with his powers, and now he suddenly does it just because?

If he was just trying to help Reigen fool the public, wouldn’t it have been enough to just levitate one or two random things?

I also don’t believe that Mob is duplicitous enough to come up with something like this. He doesn’t show any inclination to lying before or after that scene, and he continues to believe that Reigen has special powers.

So, here’s what I think happened in this thing (and shh, I know I have shipping goggles glued to my face): Mob showed up, wanting to help, but not knowing how. He stood there for a bit, getting more and more upset as reporters were being mean to Reigen. Then Reigen said his wonderfully touching line, speaking directly to him – and Mob lost control of his powers because he was so emotional about it. The person he cares for very deeply acknowledged his growth and improvement, spoke to him like it was the most important thing at that moment, and Mob just lost it. That’s why it was so violent, so terrifying.

Reigen, of course, didn’t flinch, just took this display of power in stride as usual, turned it to his advantage. (Actually, he may have thought that Mob did it because he was angry at *him*, given that he expected Mob to reject him afterwards. But, bless his lying little heart, he didn’t let it show in front of the cameras.)

Anyways, I don’t know if this is actually a widely accepted view, and I just wasted all of your time, but I didn’t see it discussed before and wanted to share. Thank you ♥️

#mob psycho 100 #mobrei #reimob #mp100 #reigen arataka #mobreimob #霊モブ #モブ霊 #kageyama shigeo #long form thoughts #scene analysis (kinda?)

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acermp100 · 1 month

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WAWA WEEK PART 4: WAWA RISING

28/3 – Animals/Food: KITTIES

This one is just silly. Based loosely on this.

Mob and Serizawa chill together during a Reigen sanctioned break. Kittens ensue.

General audience. More implied seri/rei. I think I added it to everyone of these I'm sorry.

2700~ words

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The sun still hung high in the air with a few puffy, white clouds keeping the air cool enough to be pleasant. This part of town would be busy in a few hours but right after lunch it sat quite empty. They walked past only a few people heading back to work. Bird song could be heard from the row of trees leading up to a small, communal park.

Serizawa had been here before, but only in passing. He found himself distracted by all the nature he had never noticed: butterflies and caterpillars as a squirrel of some sort gnawed at a nut on one of the tree branches.

“Alright crew!”

Reigen stopped walking, causing the others to halt as well. Serizawa went stiff as a board.

“We mistimed that last client.” And there went the hands. Serizawa watched them as they emphasized every word. “And having completed the prior service faster than expected, as well as finishing lunch early, we now have accrued and extra hour before our next appointment.”

All three had been together for the day, Reigen, Mob, and Serizawa, traveling from one home to another after someone got a brilliant scheme to charge even more for house calls. Personal Psychic Visits call today!

“Do we go back for more lunch?” Mob looked up at his boss waiting for an answer.

“Or maybe, um-“ Serizawa turned away as he played with his hands infront of him. “Get some- uh- office supplies?”

“Haha. Your answers are exactly why I have prepared this task for you.” Reigen brought a hand to his face before drawing it down in a long arc. “You two are going to take a break!”

Mob and Serizawa blinked back.

Reigen let out a sigh. “Look just- just go to that park over there and sit down for a while. Ok?”

“Oh.” Serizawa gave a bow. “Thank you, Reigen-san!”

He followed behind Mob through the little gate into a shaded patch flanked by large trees. Their leaves danced in the light breeze creating little rays of sun that shone onto the surface of the small fountain at the center. A few benches circled the meager, but peaceful area. With no one else around they sat down together and took a moment to enjoy that special kind of silence that only nature could provide.

“I’ve never done this before.” Serizawa spoke after a bit. “Just taking a break in the middle of everything I mean.” A concerned grin. “Especially not for Spirits and Such!”

Mob looked out through the park into the street that ran by before turning back. “I think Shishou just wanted us out of the way so he could go pitch salt lamps to that café owner.”

A nod from Serizawa. “Ah, he did bring them up during the meal.”

“And the owner seemed interested.” Mob replied.

Serizawa tried to see if he could spot Reigen from this distance. Through one of the café windows there appeared to be someone doing part of a gymnastics routine. Yeah. That was probably him.

A few birds flitted by, landing on a low hanging branch before hoping up and along to another, singing as they went. Taking time off felt right: a little break to gather one’s self and be in the moment. Serizawa watched Mob start to lightly kick his legs back and forth under him, before he too looked down at his own feet and followed along. When he was in school this would have been branded as a pointless waste of time. In Claw he would have been told to stop goofing off and focus. A butterfly landed on one of the flowers that bloomed around the fountain, lowering its wings before bringing them together.

“Hey, do you hear that?”

Sitting up with a jerk, Serizawa broke from his pseudo meditation. “Hear what??”

“Shhh.” Mob was leaning down, trying to see under the bench. “Not so loud.”

“Hear what?” Serizawa repeated in a barely audible whisper.

All he could manage to detect was the bird song above. But then, one of the calls sounded too different and much lower. Both of them looked up at the opposite bench as the weeds underneath began to shift and rustle.

“Mree!”

A small, white kitten wandered out from the grass. It had little spots of black fur on his face and legs with one front paw being nearly all dark making it appear as if it was wearing one large sock. This was the leg it was lifting up as it cried out, steadily making its way towards Serizawa and Mob.

“Awww!” Serizawa brought his hands up to his face. “It’s so tiny! Is it hurt??”

Mob slid off the bench and crouched down, holding out his fingers. “I think so.” In a higher pitched voice he cooed to the little kitten. “Come here! It’s ok, we’re nice.”

The kitten paused for a moment before trotting over with increased speed, going straight for a headbutt and rub against Mob’s leg. More high pitched mews rang out.

“I wonder if its mom is near.” Mob gently pet the tiny thing as it pawed at his hand. The hurt leg seemed fine now.

“We can check the bushes.” Serizawa joined him, sitting in the cool grass. “His little spots are so, cute like a tiny cow.”

The kitten tripped, rolling over before making sure to give Serizawa’s leg a good rub too. Another round of meows. But this time there were far more, all cascading over one another in a growing choir.

“Oh my-“

Serizawa gripped his chest. Two more kittens came out of the far bush. No, three. Five?

“There’s so many!” Mob found them tumbling over each other to get onto his lap as well as Serizawa’s.

Now eight in total kittens, some black and white like the first, others ginger or tabby, were circling, climbing, and mewing up a storm with their new found human friends. Serizawa hand’s began to shake as he struggled to give each one the attention they deserved.

“Look! This one has little white socks!” Mob held up a dark tabby with lighter paws.

Serizawa was grinning wide, a few tears in his eyes at the momentous and sudden explosion of preciousness. “And this little guy has a black nose! All white and just that spot on his face!”

“Ha ha. I’ve never seen so many before at once.” Mob too was laughing in full, laying back to allow the kitties to use him as a make shift cat tree.

“I used to see ginger kittens all the time when I walked back from school.” Serizawa was now holding one in each hand as they loudly purred, his fingers feeling the happy vibrations. “My mom and I had a joke that every cat in the area was ginger and came from some big orange cat Kami.”

“I hope they weren’t abandoned.” Mob’s voice trailed off while he gave quality chin scritches to the two now lying on his chest.

Serizawa frowned for a bit at the thought. Didn’t matter now because they were here. He watched one crouch, wiggling its butt before leaping to pounce on his shoe. Three others had decided his lap was now their bed. For a moment it was all mews and smiles until one of the ginger decided to climb up Serizawa’s back. The little claws pricked through his suit and he froze while the kitten managed to get all the way up to his shoulder. There it stood triumphant, rubbing against his cheek with its whole body with a rumbling purr.

“Uh- um.” Serizawa’s hands were shaking even worse now. “Shigeo?”

The levels of adorable had been too much and now some of the kittens were hovering a few inches off the ground along with some small stones and bits of grass.

“I’m s-sorry! I’m trying to keep control.” He was tense now, eyes closing.

Mob sat up. “It’s alright! They seem to like it. Look!”

Taking a deep breath, Serizawa opened one eye, then the other. A black and white kitten floated in front of his face pawing at its own tail, purring as it slowly rotated in the air. The ones in his lap were still snuggled together but had their heads up as they gained their bit of altitude. Two more in the air seemed to be trying to play fight but hovered a few inches too far away resulting in excited rolling and pawing.

“Th-they do!” Serizawa raised a hand and gently cupped one of the battling kittens. It plopped into his palm, belly up and paws curled. “They are so cute, how could someone just dump them in a park?”

“I don’t know.” Mob aided the other floating cats to the ground. The mews he got in return made him smile from ear to ear. “We can help them though.”

It was Serizawa’s turn to lie back, letting out a sigh as he marinated in fur and purrs. “How though?”

“They are probably hungry.”

“Oh! Wait.” Turning to his side, Serizawa pulled his brief case closer and started to rummage through the contents. “I have some jerky in here somewhere. Aha!”

He sat back up with a bag of shredded and dried beef. From just the smell, every kitten congregated around him, reaching up to swipe at the food. Serizawa laughed, his free hand trying to garner enough space in the grass for him to place the jerky. Eventually he gave up against the jumping, crowding kittens and simply dumped the entire bag amongst them.

The meowing stopped, replaced now with chewing amid ever continuing purrs with a few growls in between as they all defended their treats. One stepped back, shaking its self. Another had dropped its piece and was pawing at it.

“Oh.” Mob picked up one of the discarded bits. “I think this stuff is too hard for them.”

“Oh no. I don’t really have anything things else.” Serizawa went through his pack again. “What do they need? Milk?”

Picking one up, Mob stared at the little thing in his hands. Ginger with white front paws, it mewed before gnawing at his thumb.

“They are small but probably off milk, or at least close.” The others had given up eating and resumed their needy meows. “We need something soft, like canned tuna.”

Serizawa frowned down. Just then Reigen came across the corner with a bag of fries in one hand, his cell phone in another, and several of the fried potatoes sticking out from his lips while he chewed on a generous mouthful.

“What the-” His shock came out muffled by the food. Swallowing, he held both the fries and cell phone out at arm’s length. “I left you alone for 30 minutes!”

“S-sorry, Reigen-san.” Serizawa turned his head to avoid the angry stare of his boss. “We got a bit side tracked.”

“Shishou!” Mob looked up. “Can you buy some cat food? The soft kind in the cans!”

“I- wait-what?” Reigen wandered over still trying to piece together what exactly he was looking at.

The cat that had climbed onto Serizawa’s shoulder had now made it to the top of his head, making the man laugh. “Yes please! And maybe a box so we can carry them!”

The boss of Spirits and Such stood there over his two employees sitting in the grass covered in mewing kittens. One of the rascals ran over and butted up against his pants leg, looking up and letting out a tiny, happy trill.

“I’m not getting cat food!” He took a few steps back. The kitten pursued. “And we can’t keep them! What are we going to do, take them to the office?”

Mob gazed up with wide eyes and a kitten against his cheek as he held up one of the dark tabbies. “Shishou please? It’s just for the day until we can take them to the shelter.”

“They are all alone with no mother.” Serizawa joined in, giving his best sad face. “We have to do something.”

“But I- you see- we can’t just- and the office and- UGH!” Reigen ended his broken ramble and crossed his arms in front of him. “We have a client to meet up with in like 20 minutes!” Pointing at one kitten, he drew an arm down before bringing it up into an open palm, fingers tensing. “I told you to take a break not adopt half the strays in the area.”

The normally gruff and serious Serizawa spoke in a soft, begging pitch as he met his boss’s eyes. “Please, Reigen-san.”

A bit of red flushed over Reigen��s cheeks and he hid his face in a hand. Can’t say no to that.

“FINE!” He huffed for a moment before crossing his arms again and glaring daggers at what ever happened to be at is right side. It was a tree. “I’ll- call the client and say something came up.” Another grumble. “Then we can take them back to the office.” He looked back at his employees. “Will that make you happy?”

Serizawa and Mob both beamed while covered in kittens. “Yes! Thank you!”

A few moments later, Reigen returned with a cardboard box he had scavenged in the nearby alley, his mind racing. Serizawa took it and gave a bow, smiling at his boss.

“You’re a good man, Reigen-san.”

Reigen turned away, Serizawa failing to notice the blush and distant look in his eyes. After a careful kneel, he began to pick up the kittens one by one with Mob and place them into the box. The task proved difficult as the little guys kept jumping out again, but eventually they got every last one of them secured.

Mob held the box leaving Serizawa to get the rest of their things. Over his shoulder he could hear Reigen muttering on the phone amongst the kitten mews.

“Yes I’m sorry. There’s been a bit of an emergency with- with the client before you. Can we reschedule? Y-yes. I can give a discount. Alright. See you tomorrow.”

Serizawa watched his boss snap his phone closed and drop his shoulders, ending with a long sigh. For a moment their eyes met and Serizawa gave a sheepish grin back. Reigen straightened his back and managed a smile of his own. Just then a kitten ran between his legs and Reigen panicked, chasing after the little thing before tripping into a bench.

“Reigen-san!” Serizawa rushed over. “Are you alright?”

A mumble before Reigen picked himself up off the back of the bench, wiping dirt off his suit jacket. “Yeah. But I think I lost the kitten.”

“No worries, Shishou.”

Mob stood with the box and the now hovering escapee floated over to them. Reigen held out his hands and took the kitten. It mewed, going for the pink tie but flopping over and deciding to remain half curled up on its back.

“Maybe one of them can be the office mascot.” Serizawa suggested as Reigen pet at the tiny ginger kitty.

“That’s what Dimple is for.”

A chuckle from both of them. And yet Reigen’s gaze was fixed on the cat as it purred and made biscuits against his fingers. For a moment he remained lost in thought, relaxed and joyful, but soon snapped back to his expected levels of strained charisma.

“Alright! Let’s head back to the office and see if we can contact the local shelter.”

Serizawa let out a sigh. Maybe one day his boss would learn what taking a break is all about. Until then, perhaps a box of eight adorable, mewing kittens would help.

#mp100 #serizawa katsuya #reigen arataka #mob kageyama #this is kinda my weakest one im sorry #i've been like hilariously depressed this entire week so it's hard to get these to good quality #kitties #my writing #fan fic #mp100 fan fic #cant say no to begging seri ok #reigen branded salt lamps they come signed by him and probably a pic of him too #gotta take that swipe at dimple #he's prob back at the office like FOR SOME REASON IM MAD AT REIGEN #serizawaweek2024

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mp100fanworkstranslation · 2 years

Text

Purely a matter of chance: Part 1

Reigen: So.... uh... I think I might have contracted some kind of pigeon curse or something. Ekubo: What did fight with some pigeons for breadcrumbs or something? Reigen: What?! No! Ekubo: So then, what’s going on? Reigen: I have no idea. That’s the problem Ekubo: Are you sure this is some supernatrual thing?.... as opposed to say, some weird genetic problem that you have? Reigen: None of my relatives are birds. Reigen: .....and I hate birds. Can you just shut up and cut the sass?! Ekubo: What? You dont like my Reigen-impression? I thought it was spot on! Reigen: Shut the fuck up.

Ekubo grabs the blanket. Reigen: Hey! Reigen tries the pull the blanket over his head: Fuck off! Ekubo: Yeah, yeah, whatever, just let me take a look. Ekubo looking at Reigen’s wings: You know.... I think this suits you, Reigen.

Reigen: Stop talking about it like it’s not your problem! Ekubo: Well.... this really ISNT my problem is it? Reigen: If Mob sees me like this, he’s going ask “Shishou, are you really an angel?” Ekubo: Stop flattering yourself, he’s going to be like “Is this a cosplay?” Ekubo: It’s so strongly manifested it looks solid and real. Something like this looks like it’s going to be very challenging to remove. Are you sure you have no idea how youbrought this upon yourself? Reigen: None at all. I’ve always been kind to animals.

Ekubo: So then... Why did you specifically ask me to come with a body? Reigen: Um...yeah about that. Reigen: I can’t go out like this right now, so I wanted you to go and get groceries for me. Ekubo: YOU CALLED ME HERE TO RUN YOUR GODDAMN ERRANDS?! Ekubo: WHY DONT YOU ASK SERIZAWA?! Reigen: Well, asking an employee to come and take care of the boss outside of work, would be a abuse of power of the employer employee relationship, wouldnt it? Ekubo: OKAY BUT WHY AREN’T YOU EXTENDING THE SAME SORT OF COURTESY TO ME?! Ekubo: You....Goddamit....You really.... (Hahaha I love this part. Seri is am employee. Becasue the the hierarchy between Reigen and Seri, Seri can’t refuse. Ekubo is just his friend, so it’s okay to ask him.)

Ekubo angrily shops for groceries Ekubo angrily walks back with groceries Ekubo: YOU ARE GOING TO DIE HORRIBLY SOMEDAY

Reigen: Yeah, I’m sure you’re going to heaven or something too.

Ekubo thinks: Birds, huh...They can be surprisingly aggressive creatures. But... it is merely the spirit of a normal animal? Doesnt seem like it. Not when it’s so strongly manifested. Wait.... why am I dwelling on this? He’s even not making a big deal of it himself, so why should I be so fixated on this?

Ekubo floats into the office and stares at the empty desk.Then he sighs and leaves. Some time later, he rings Reigen’s doorbell

Ekubo: Hey! Reigen! I’m here to see you! Open up! He starts kicking the door. It’s very quiet and he starts getting bad vibes. Ekubo: Hey! Reigen! Reigen: What do you want? It’s open. Ekubo: Eh?!

Reigen: Wh..at....do..you....want.....

Ekubo: Hey! Reigen! Wake up! Are you still alive? Goddammit. All of your goddamn feathers in the way. He grabs and lifts one of the wings. Reigen is struggling to breathe: Ekubo....shut up... Ekubo: What the hell! Stop scaring me! Are you okay? Reigen: I guess.... It’s so hot..... everything hurts......I’m sorry Ekubo.....Just.... let me rest for a bit.... Ekubo: .................. Forgive me......

Reigen: ....ugh..... Ekubo: Hey... you awake? Reigen: Ekubo...... Ekubo: Reigen. How much do you weigh? Reigen: Huh? Around 66kg (145 lbs) i think.... Ekubo: Your weight right now is not even 50kg (110lbs).

Ekubo: Those wings are using your body as a source of energy. The act of them manifesting themselves, is causing changes to your body. When I possessed you to get you into bed just now, your body felt hollow and empty, it felt like if I exerted any effort something would break. And on top of that, you have a fever. I’m just speculating, but I think your bones are hollowing out. Birds have hollow bones with internal struts, so that would cause your body to become lighter. Should have taken those wings off by force from the very beginning. You could probably fly with those now.

Ekubo: There’s something else Reigen: There’s more? Ekubo: Yeah... just a bit... listen. Ekubo: They’re not pigeon, i dont think.... they’re crow. Reigen: Why? Ekubo: You want an explanation?

Ekubo goes into a lenghty explanation: Well, pigeons and crows are both medium sized birds, but they have different wing structures. In crows the 10th primary is very short. The feather arrangement in pigeons have an internal gap, crows have this too, but they’re~ He gets cut off. Reigen: THIS IS SO UNNECESSARY!! ARE YOU SOME KIND OF PROFESSOR, YOU EVIL SPIRIT.... Ekubo: Hey, I just looked this up while you were out. You dont even know what you are possessed with. You are so much trouble. Reigen: Oh....um.... thank you so much for putting in all of this effort. Reigen: Actually.... now that you mention it, if it’s crow, I think I might have some ideas on how this started. Ekubo: Huh? What did you do?

Reigen: Well, nothing really. I just greet them every morning. There’s a saying that if you greet a crow, then it won’t do bad things, like go through the trash and such. Ekubo: Why? Reigen: I’d just say hello to them and stuff. Ekubo: So they probably regarded you as one of their own. And if they did, it’d baffle them why you didnt have wings.

Ekubo: You wanna see if you can fly? This isnt a curse, or a hex or somethiing like that. It’s more like a very strong wish. They want you to fly too.

Reigen: I feel like if I flap my wings, I’ll die.

Ekubo: That makes sense. You probably dont have the muscles necessary to use the wings. Even if you jumped off of a high place, you’d only beable to flutter while falling.

Reigen: Yeah

Mob: I heard master was in trouble so I came as fast as I could.

Read the rest in part 2

#Ekubo #Reigen #mp100 #ekurei

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yaffles-world · 2 years

Text

Me, swinging the door open, panting and sweating profusely: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I MADE IT! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABYGIRL!

As usual, written as f/o self insert but welcome to (and easily) read as x reader.

Summary: Reigen goes to a carnival with Serizawa, Mob, Ritsu and Ren (OC) for his birthday.

Warnings/tags: some serirei, obviously, a brief mention of throwing up, playful teasing, lots of fluff

Word count: 2.3k (whoah didn't realise that)

Happy Birthday!

"Happy birthday!" Reigen's eyes jolted open, as he sat straight up in his bed. His eyes were bleary still, as Serizawa and I jumped at him, giving him a big hug. Mob sat at the edge of the bed, uncertain. I reached out to them, and they joined in the big hug, squishing into Reigen.

"What? How did you get in here?" he asked, his voice muffled against the collective hug that was still forced upon him.

I leant back, as did the others, as we sat around the birthday boy on his bed. "I let them in!" I exclaimed, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

His cheeks burned red, and he fixed me with his best glare. Serizawa looked at me with wide eyes, looking rapidly between me and Reigen and the door. I grabbed his hand. "Don't worry Seri, Reigen's just being grumpy because he doesn't like being woken up. He's really happy that we've come over to celebrate, aren't you Reigen?" It was my turn to fix him with a glare.

"Yes. You're the pain in the ass, Ren. I'm very happy to see you, Seri," he grabbed Serizawa's other hand, "And although it's a little odd, I'm happy to see you too, Mob." Mob smiled from their perch at the end of the bed. "Although, if you don't mind, I'm going to go back to sleep." Reigen lay back down and turned away from us.

"You know what to do," I said.

"Stacks on!" shouted Serizawa, as we all jumped onto Reigen, piling on top of him.

"Nooo!" yelled Reigen, "fine, fine, I'm up. Now please, keep yourselves busy while I get ready for work. Because it's still a FRIDAY even if it's my birthday, so we're gonna suck it up and go."

We did as we were told and kept ourselves busy, but there was no way we were letting him go to work. When he emerged, Serizawa gave him a big bear hug, and Mob ran behind, tying a blindfold over his eyes as I tied up his wrists. "What?" Reigen laughed, "What on earth are you guys planning?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

We pushed Reigen out the door and guided him through the streets, onto the bus, and walked him to our destination. All the while, getting lots of strange looks…

"You guys, we have to go to work."

"No, you do not! There's no clients coming in today, we all scheduled time off for your birthday!" I explained, as we took off his blindfold and untied his hands, revealing the huge carnival ground in front of him.

His eyes were wide and sparkling, eyebrows raised, and his mouth opened wide as he took it in. "It's the Autumn festival…" he spoke in hushed tones, "I haven't been since I was a kid… Always been too busy for one reason or another…" He turned to me, tilting his head slightly to the side, smiling a lopsided smile. "Thank you for bringing me here."

I shrugged, and pointed to Serizawa. "Don't thank me, it was his idea." I said, squeezing Serizawa on the shoulder. Reigen looked up at Serizawa, his eyes somehow wider, and his smile brighter. Serizawa rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. Reigen gave him a big hug and Serizawa blushed.

Reigen coughed and straightened himself up, attempting to regain composure. "Hey Mob, have you ever been to this festival before?"

"No, Shishou," Mob shook his head, "I haven't. What's so special about it?"

Reigen gasped. "What's so special?" he repeated, baffled. "It's the Autumn festival! There's rides, prizes, and lots of junk food!" He slapped Mob on the back, excitedly, then gestured at the fairgrounds. "This place, is the place where you will find true happiness and make the best memories of your life!" He said with his typical bravado. I rolled my eyes, but Mob and Serizawa looked excited.

"Hey, Ritsu!" Mob yelled out to his younger brother approaching.

"Ah, Ritsu, you're here too!" Reigen said, excitedly, grasping Ritsu's shoulder.

Ritsu shrugged. "Happy Birthday," he said.

Reigen sighed at Ritsu's disinterest but quickly regained composure. He grabbed Serizawa and I by the wrists, and started pulling us into the fair ground. "To the tea cup ride!"

Serizawa went pale. "The… tea cup ride?"

Reigen laughed and continued pushing us forward. "You'll be fine! I hate rides, but this ones the best!" Mob and Ritsu trailed behind, as Reigen ran ahead, pointing out everything that's changed since he was here last, simultaneously acting like a little kid and an old man at the same time.

After a tedious wait, which Reigen said has always been the case, we got on the ride. Serizawa was pale as a sheet, and he held onto my hand and Reigen's hand so tight I thought he was going to break it. "Hey, you know you don't have to do this, right?" Reigen said to him.

Serizawa nodded, but his eyebrows furrowed and he clenched down his jaw, and stepped onto the cup first.

We all sat down. Ritsu looked completely unphased. I did invite him but he's mostly here for Mob. Mob looked a little nervous, but Serizawa, despite his momentary determination, was sweating bullets. Reigen's hands seemed to have more of a mind of their own then usual, flying everywhere, as he talked with a huge grin on his face about the ride.

Once the ride started, though, Serizawa was so close to breaking my hand. Reigen finally stopped waving his hands and instead, he furrowed his eyebrows and closed his eyes tight until the end of the ride. He fell onto Serizawa's shoulder as soon as we stopped moving.

I nudged him. "Are you alright?"

He groaned. "No."

Serizawa, on the other hand, was smiling widely. "I did it! I went on a ride! And it was… sort of fun!"

I laughed. Mob and Ritsu were talking amongst themselves. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself! I'm also glad you didn't break my hand!" Serizawa smiled sheepishly. He turned and seemingly just noticed Reigen, half passed out on his shoulder. His expression immediately filled with concern.

I nudged Reigen again. "Come on babygirl, stop being a wuss," I said.

"No," he pushed his head further into Serizawa.

People were filing off the ride, so Serizawa simply picked Reigen up, and we walked off the ride with Serizawa carrying Reigen bridal style down the steps. Once we were out of the way of people, Serizawa put him down, and Reigen's face lit up again. "That was fantastic! Let's go again!"

I laughed at him, Mob and Serizawa looked at him concerned and Ritsu just rolled his eyes. "I don't know, Shishou, you look pretty out of it," Mob commented.

"Nonsense!" Reigen exclaimed, waving his hands and patting Mob on the back. "I'm perfectly fine!"

"Really?" I asked. Reigen nodded. "Well, if your that confident, why go on the boring teacup ride again? Why don't we go on that?" I asked, pointing to a roller coaster at the edge of the fairground. Reigen followed to see where I was pointing. As he saw the massive height of the roller coaster, the upside down parts, the corkscrew, and heard the distant screams of the people on the ride, his face turned ashen. "Are you still feeling perfectly fine?"

Reigen glared at me momentarily before straightening up and smiling broadly. He gestured towards the roller coaster. "Yep! Let's go! Come on, you guys!" He walked forward, but stopped abruptly when he noticed no one was following him. "Aren't you guys coming?"

"Um, no thanks," Serizawa said, "that's beyond my limits for today, sorry."

Reigen rolled his eyes. "Mob?"

"No."

"Ritsu?"

"No way. Unlike you, I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm scared of that."

Reigen scoffed, attempting to regain control of the situation. "I'm not scared!"

"The amount your sweating would say otherwise," I said, "don't worry babygirl, I'll hold your hand." I walked up to him and grabbed his hand as we walked forward.

He swatted my hand away. "I'm not a child! I don't need you to hold my hand!" I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He was blushing and staring fiercely at the ground. Despite my ultimate goal of embarrassing him, I started to blush too - he was just too damn cute when he was feisty. "I, Reigen Arataka, am the greatest psychic of the 21st century, I don't need to prove anything. I'm not scared."

"Actually, never mind, you probably aren't tall enough to ride," I said, stifling a fit of giggles.

Reigen somehow blushed even more. He really started to lose composure, as he stamped his foot down in anger, and turned to me. His hair was matted down onto his forehead from sweat. "For the last time, we're AT LEAST the same height," he said through gritted teeth.

I grabbed him by the shoulders, and turned him to face me, stepping in closer so that our foreheads meet. It was close, but I was definitely looking down at him slightly. "For the last time, we're really not."

Reigen stared, then turned on his heels and walked away with his fists balled up tightly. "I don't need you!" he shouted, over his shoulder. "I'm going on the roller coaster ride on my own because I'm the GREATEST psychic of the god damn 21st century and I AM taller than you."

I had never seen him so mad. I bent over in a fit of laughter for a moment, before running after him, and tackling him in a big hug. "Come on, babygirl, you're alright. If you actually don't want to, we're out of sight from the others, no one will know."

Reigen refused to make eye contact. "I'm not scared."

"I know," I didn't believe him, but it was his birthday. Best to be nice. "You're my brave boy. But you still don't have to go on the rollercoaster, if you don't want to."

"I'm not a child," he growled, "stop coddling me."

"Aww, but you're my babygirl. You know you like it." I gave him a bunch of kisses on his cheeks, and he sighed.

"Okay, fine," Reigen said, "but we're going on that roller coaster. I'm not scared."

I threw my hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, whatever you say birthday boy."

We approached the roller coaster and waited in line for a while. Reigen really was determined to keep a brave face, but he was definitely sweating more than usual, and became increasingly rambly as we approached the front of the line. When we got on the ride, and people were getting strapped in, his facade finally fell away.

"Ren," his voice was trembling, "Ren, I can't do this. I can't."

Damn you Reigen and your inability to back down from a challenge. "Yes, you can." I squeezed his hand tight. "Your my brave, amazing babygirl and you can do literally anything you set your mind to. It will be over in a moment. I believe in you."

I could feel his hand shaking in mine, but he looked at me and nodded. I gave him a kiss, and the ride took off. He gave out a scream of surprise, and the next time I looked over at him, it looked as if he had passed out, which was concerning to say the least. But I was right, the ride lasted only moments, and when we stopped Reigen turned to me. He looked absolutely stunned, he blinked several times, and just got up off the ride and walked silently through the exit. Mob, Ritsu and Serizawa were waiting for us with big bundles of food and prizes.

"How was it?" Serizawa asked.

Reigen stood there for a moment, went to open his mouth to speak, and then threw up.

— — —— — —— — —— — —— — —

Reigen and I sat down together under a tree after that. Serizawa went and bought us some food, and Reigen slowly regained composure after a while.

We wandered around the fairgrounds a bit, playing games and eating junk food. No more rides. Reigen kept talking about how lovely it was, and talking about how things used to be when he used to come. How lovely it was to come here again, with all of us. Eventually, the sun started to set, and after stocking up on food, we walked Ritsu and Mob home.

"I hope you had a great day, Shishou," Mob said. Reigen ruffled his hair.

"Thanks Mob, I sure did. Thanks for coming, and also thanks to Ritsu."

"It was worth it to see you throw up, Reigen," Ritsu said.

"Glad to hear it," said Reigen, "See you all in the office soon."

We waved goodbye as Reigen, Serizawa and I walked to the nearby park for our picnic dinner. After eating significantly more junk food then we probably should have, we lay down in the grass. The night sky was dark and the stars were fully out.

As we lay there, Reigen reached out and grabbed mine and Serizawa's hands in his own.

"I had an amazing day. I can't remember the last time I even celebrated my birthday, let alone do something this fun. I love you both, so much."

Serizawa and I leant into Reigen, and each gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you both, too," said Serizawa, "you're both… amazing."

I smiled. "You guys, you're so corny. But I love you both as well."

We lay, looking at the stars, holding each other until it got too cold. Then we went home, and Serizawa stayed over, so we all snuggled in bed. Pretty damn good day. Even with the vomiting…

#f/o content #romantic f/o #reigen my babygirl #serizawa my perfect baby #reigen arataka #serirei #reigen x reader #reigen arataka x reader #serizawa katsuya #serizawa #mp100 #mob psycho 100 #fanfic

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hymnism · 1 year

Note

i see youre half ph........maybe something mop100 ph related or something idk......... hee hee

making lumpia for seri's night school potluck or smth. mobbu is too polite to tell shishou he put the egg wash too far away

based on memories from making lumpia with my mom as a kid :)

#mob psycho #mp100 #mob psycho 100 #arataka reigen #shigeo kageyama #my posts #my art #asks

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shadowshrike · 1 year

Text

Chris' Loneliness

Chris fascinates me in how he's so beloved by his team, yet seems to have almost zero close friends. To explore this more fully, I'm going to reference some extras such as drama CDs and bonus sketches because Chris is often a plot device to help Eijun rather than fully fleshed out in the manga.

Most of Chris' relationships are mentor-mentee. It makes sense - he's a 3rd year with the background of a superstar, and managing the bullpen is his job. It means he's got a lot of people who love him (Eijun, Tanba, Zono, Kanemaru, etc.), but his own attitude is distant from them outside of baseball. He's an idol and teammate, but not a friend.

You'd expect him to be closest with Tanba given their potential as a battery and sharing a year, but (outside of riling Tanba up as ace) Chris keeps the emotional space between them vast after his recovery. This is most notable with his "no regrets" speech. This is later played as a joke where Tanba still doesn't get his battery during the graduation game, and Chris seems unbothered by it.

In fact, Chris isn't seen with the other third years much at all in a casual setting. He doesn't often go to games or practices with them if he doesn't have a job there either, and he walks alone most of the time post-season end.

This distance from his batchmates extends back pre-injury into his first year where he was the one "good" player. It kept him apart from the 3rd years, who bonded as a class through their struggle.

That segregating pressure to perform and be great because of his dad was something he silently carried with him all the time. It meant he didn't form many close bonds because he needed to hide his vulnerabilities from others, which sadly included his injured shoulder.

Even when he mentions it after the fact to the pitcher who's become his biggest fan and pet project, it's met with dismissal because he's amazing, so pressure "shouldn't" be an issue. However, there's one person who consistently sympathizes with his struggle - Miyuki.

Translation Credit: https://www.tumblr.com/tracingdreams/188601397993/daiya-no-ace-the-dramas-5-egg-streme-strategy

Sawamura: It must be tough to be the child of a professional baseball player. Don’t you get lots of hassle like your friends asking him for autographs? Chris: Well, I don’t really mind about the autographs. My Dad is famous for his fan-service and isn’t bothered by people asking him to sign things. Sawamura: Eeeh. Chris: But…there is pressure. Sawamura: Pressure? Chris. Yes. People think that the son of a professional baseball player must automatically have talent. Miyuki: Ah, that does sound like a pain. Sawamura: But! Shishou is full of ability, so that’s fine! Furuya: Mm. Miyuki: In that regard I think it’s better to have no kind of pressure like that [to live up to]. Right, Sawamura?

Chris & Miyuki

Even outside of their constant background meetings during the series, theirs is the one relationship we see persist beyond mentorship and duty on the baseball field. Chris is rarely seen as a mentor to Miyuki at all despite being the only one Miyuki calls 'senpai'. They are bus buddies as equals, trying to strategize for the team.

Moreover, their relationship is rare in that Chris starts being as accommodating to Miyuki's requests as the reverse. Some examples:

Chris is told about Eijun's yips by Kanemaru while walking the grounds alone? Eh, he'll probably be fine.

Miyuki asks him to help? He immediately shows up to teach the pitch they both think might help him recover.

His batchmates are surprised he showed up to a game? Well, of course, the captain enthusiastically invited him to show him something, so he made time to come.

Not only that, but we see Chris walking alone and chatting with Miyuki even though they're not at the baseball field and don't share classes since they're in different years. He's perceptive to Miyuki's moods, too, as if this is a common occurrence.

After Miyuki is injured, we get hints that they spend time together regularly.

These are supported by Miyuki receiving a full email rather than a text about Chris' perceived age concerns, which is filled with his feelings about university life, too.

But perhaps most telling of all is Miyuki's response. There's an undercurrent of seriousness and conscientiousness in Miyuki's answer - before throwing Eijun under the bus with his own return text because it's Miyuki - which speaks of an appreciation of the rarity of vulnerability Chris shows him.

From all that, it's easy to imagine Chris as a prodigy who always has been lonely despite his likeability. Luckily, the other high baseball-IQ, lonely prodigy catcher at Seido is there to understand and stand behind him, whether or not Chris was always in the headspace to reciprocate that support.

#daiya no ace #ace of diamond #miyuki kazuya #takigawa chris yuu #chrismiyu #essay

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