ioculus | tl;dr.exe

Abe no Sousei | Donten ni Warau |

yo

i will get to you in like an hour tbh

ah for fuck's sake OKAY HERE WE GO

raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimized by tenka kumou

So I'm not going to rehash canon, because nobody wants that. But it's definitely necessary to say that at the canonpoint Sousei's from, he did think Tenka was dead, and couldn't forgive him for dying, or for lying to his face and then dying. He died with a fake grin and a joke, and Sousei hates that that's the case. And for that reason, Sousei couldn't take Tenka seriously all of the times he told him that he had no intentions of dying. Sure, he doubted Tenka would go out there and try to commit seppuku, but he also didn't think Tenka would try that hard to stop it if something bad happened to him. It was an attitude that honestly hurt Sousei, because Tenka had always been family, and some of his most important family at that, and then it felt like he didn't even care.

Things have since improved on that front--sort of. The event where Tenka was turned into a ghost helped. He believed Tenka then when he said that, having gotten a taste of what it would be like to have to sit back and not be able to be a part of peoples' lives, he no longer wanted to die. It was a huge weight off of his mind there.

Unfortunately, Tenka is still as reckless as ever. He embraces the most questionable of people, like Kaoru, and refuses to cut ties with people like Shirasu. So no matter how much Tenka says he doesn't want to die anymore, Sousei knows that the chances are still very, very high, and that both bothers him and frightens him. If Tenka wasn't cautious one day around some random person who wanted to take advantage of him, there's nothing Sousei would be able to do about it.

Basically, as much as they've been getting back onto the same page, there are things that aren't the same yet. They're not the same as they were as kids. Slowly, they've fixed things like the weird physical distance between them, and the awkward lack of knowledge about each other. There are still things they have to talk about, but Sousei knows now that they'll get to it. He doesn't have to worry about Tenka hiding things from him anymore--because admittedly, that was too much for him to handle. They've grown from who they were as children, but they are still partners, and some things need to stay the same.

In a way, Sousei is unbearably relieved that it still feels as natural as it does to be partners. Tenka is dumb sometimes, and loud and obnoxious, and Sousei wants to smack him and tell him to shut up and the like, but it's always been that way. It was that way long before their fight and long before they broke things off. In a way, Sousei is relieved that Tenka hasn't really changed. He's more broken than he was before, and sadder. But he's still Tenka, and that's good enough for Sousei. He's not going to question the Orochi thing any further. It is what it is, just like Tenka's decision to leave the Yamainu was what it was.

Because...Tenka is still the person who inspired Sousei to take his life into his own hands and make more of it. Tenka gave Sousei dreams and hopes, but Sousei is the person who took them and continued to allow them to shape his life. He knows Tenka is inspiring and grand. He just also knows that in a way, he's fragile, too. So Sousei will be his support, his right-hand man, and also the captain of the Yamainu all at once. He doesn't intend to hand over his captain status, and Tenka has given it up to him properly anyway, but it means that, in a way, their relationship is more even now. They are on the same level as partners, and that's good enough for Sousei. The rest will even out as they go; they'll talk about the rest as they do as well, and he never intends to allow their partnership to break again. It's simple, like that.

Of course, Shirasu is a little niggling point in things for them, but only subtly. Sousei admittedly doesn't want Tenka to pick between them, because he's not sure how Tenka would choose. He had to make the choice before, and he chose his family--he's made it clear that Shirasu, too, is family. Basically, Sousei wouldn't make him choose anyway, but he's going to be trying his very hardest to avoid making Tenka choose even more so. That's why he's so reluctant to talk to Tenka even about Shirasu--because he does hate him, but nonetheless his partner cares about him, and there's no guarantee that if worst came to worst, Tenka wouldn't make an unfavorable choice in favor of someone else.

okay whatever i'm stopping there i'M DONE YOU CAN'T MAKE ME TYPE MORE

I suppose....

OH BOY SHIRASU.

So for a long time, Shirasu was a nonentity to him. Sousei didn't entirely cut Tenka off from his own life, in that he would still get rumors and the like, and Tenka was a large fish in a small pond; news about him came all the time. So he knew that Tenka had adopted some random Fuuma ninja. He just didn't care.

Things have changed an awful lot since.

The fact that Shirasu betrayed Tenka is awful, and Sousei hates it--betrayal is the worst, and he can be sure of that now that he has experienced it for himself. It is awful that Tenka had to taste it, and he never would have wished that on him, but that's not the worst of Shirasu's crimes as far as he's concerned. The worst thing Shirasu did was betraying Soramaru and Chuutarou, who were innocents in this entire disaster. Protecting the innocent is a Yamainu law. But he never thought that he would have to protect children from the people they considered their own family, and that infuriates. Just like everyone else in this manga, Sousei has strong feelings on Family. In his case, it is that adopted family can be as important if not more than real family.

Shirasu was given the perfect family.

And he threw it away, and Sousei will always hold that against him--but in a way, he also pities him for it. He hasn't quite gotten sophisticated enough about Shirasu's motivations to realize that they could be each other if the circumstances had been different, or something similar. But he does know that Shirasu has lost everything, and that's pitiable.

(It's also necessary to point out here that Shirasu caused Sousei's own personal failure re: protecting Soramaru, and while it's his own fault, HE'S STILL BITTER.)

And then here......he found out that Shirasu killed their parents, and he doesn't care about the circumstances--murder is murder, and it's deplorable and heinous and he's REAL MAD still. So basically, he hates Shirasu, 100%. He has no intentions of ever forgiving him, and he wants Shirasu to suffer for all that he's done.

But he won't be the person to do so. Sousei is aware enough of himself to know that he would not be fair and unbiased in that. And if what Shirasu is fighting towards is chaos, then Sousei is order and law, and in order for that to be true, he knows that he has to obey the letter of the law and make sure that Shirasu is treated fairly. So no, if he can avoid it, he won't kill him. But that hatred is there deeply, and he won't ever forget what Shirasu has done either, even if he is forced to live with his presence for now.

tapdances in here yeah YEAH

YEAH YEAH

Okay so. At first Sousei really did just think that there was something off about Kaoru. He's odd, and reacts oddly about some things more than others, but he has no hard proof and honestly can't even be certain about it himself. (For the record, he also still thinks Kaoru is a girl....boy he'll be pissed when he finds out otherwise.)

Anyway, lately, they've gotten passive aggressive and snippy at each other. And while Kaoru is pretty good at acting chagrined and polite and mild-mannered, Sousei's pretty sure that there's something not quite right about him, and he's always been pretty observant and sharp.

So Sousei doesn't like Kaoru. It's not actually Kaoru's fault, honestly. Sousei doesn't like anything he doesn't understand, and he doesn't understand Kaoru at all. But nonetheless, that would've all been harmless if Kaoru hadn't done the biggest No ever.

He decided to get close to Tenka. YOU'VE READ CANON, SO YOU KNOW HOW SHITSTIRRERS WHO GET CLOSE TO TENKA RUIN EVERYTHING. Well. Sousei sure knows that too. And anyone who gives him a bad feeling around Tenka will give him a bad feeling TIMES TEN. If Oona wasn't so sincere, it might've happened with her, but she's so blunt that Sousei feels he understands her, so there's no danger there. KAORU, ON THE OTHER HAND...

So honestly, he doesn't have much of an opinion on Kaoru as a person so much as what Kaoru could mean for their life there. It's hard to build an opinion of a person who tries to act exactly like the sweet, mild-mannered person who doesn't exist at all in real life, which is part of what confuses him so much about him, honestly...But Kaoru could spell bad things for Tenka and Tenka's life, and now that Sousei has taken on that duty of protecting Tenka and acting as his right hand, he knows it's his responsibility to make sure that doesn't happen.

So I guess it's more that he dislikes everything Kaoru stands for more than the fact that he dislikes Kaoru himself at the moment.

Someday he'll realize that Kaoru reminds him of Shirasu a little and then everything will make sense--

will sousei and kaoru ever cease to amuse me??? no... no im pretty sure they wont... this is so funny THEY'RE SO FUNNY. they're just like territorial pissy cats, bless.

THEY REALLY ARE LIKE TERRITORIAL CATS someday tenka will walk in to them hissing at each other

just

hissing

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soldier boy tell em

Sousei was prepared to dislike America from first meeting.

He's loud, and obnoxious and irritating, and weird, and hard to understand. As I just told Aki, Sousei doesn't like things he doesn't understand. He also doesn't like wastes of time, people who aren't straightforward, and basically a lot of the things America is.

The difference is that America floored him. He completely startled Sousei in that first conversation, and honestly, that's what salvaged his opinion. In one smooth moment, America convinced Sousei that he's the country just like he says he is, but also managed to make Sousei feel as though there was a lot of wisdom there to listen to after all. Sousei was honest when he said that he never wanted or needed acknowledgement or anything of the like, but that doesn't mean that it didn't feel really good to get America's acknowledgement.

And beyond just a simple acknowledgement, it was proof that America got it. He knew Sousei is a soldier, and he's the first person in Cereal who has really understood what that means. So to get the simple acknowledgement of someone who thinks that what Sousei is and does is worthwhile meant a lot to him.

And since then, he's realized that while America is obnoxious and loud and irritating, he's also wise, and occasionally thoughtful and giving. He appreciates the history lessons America gives without any of the pity or "oh no you poor 1870's person". He appreciates the way America is willing to learn, like in the dojo.

So basically, Sousei knows that there's a lot more to America that he doesn't understand, which is only natural from a country. But he does respect him for what he is, and doesn't mind having his company. Having America's acknowledgement means something to him, and that is something he'll never forget.

oh no..........!

WE'RE GONNA KEEP BONDING SOUSEI AND YOU'RE GONNA LIKE IT

hey lil mama lemme whisper in yo ear

OONA BABE...

Okay so Sousei's thoughts on Oona are refreshingly straightforward, because Oona is refreshingly straightforward. Seriously. He wishes everyone was as honest as Oona. They should all get right on that. Her personality in general already endears him to her, because she doesn't waste time, she doesn't mince words, and she says what she thinks. There's no subterfuge, no ridiculous politics, nothing. Just flat out Oona's thoughts and opinions and after all of the politics he's dealt with and people like Tenka, who like to hide everything behind a smile, it's refreshing as hell.

Then there's also the fact that Oona's circumstances are something Sousei can relate to a lot. Not necessarily on a personal level of "i've been there and experienced that", but more in a "i understand exactly where you're coming from". He's from the Abe family, even if he didn't spend any actual time with them. More than anyone, he understands the divide between humans and non-humans--and also how nonexistent that divide can be sometimes. So no, she isn't a monster to him. She's non-human, yes, she's a mermaid, which he accepts easily, but that does not make her a monster, and her personality does not either, and so she's not one. It's simple, to him.

Because he accepts her beliefs on humans too. She calls them monsters. She's right. Sousei's family were monstrous too, in a neglectful way. The people who experimented on Tenka were monsters. Iwakura is a monster, willing to let hundreds of people die for his own gain. So of course he'll protect her, if she needs it. He doesn't have Tenka's starry-eyed optimism; he knows that sometimes, you can't talk people out of their preconceived ideas. So if anyone ever tries to hurt her for not being human, he will sure be there to slam some sense into their heads with the blunt end of his sword. She's definitely been taken under his wing at the very least.

That all said, he knows she's competent, so when she offered to help him look out for Tenka and he accepted, that wasn't an empty acceptance. He doesn't say things he doesn't mean. He really will be trusting her to look out for Tenka's well-being when he isn't being quite sensible, and considers her an equal when it comes to that.

Someday, he intends to ask her more about her experiences, because he thinks it's better to talk about them than to bottle them up, and if she needs more reassurance, he's willing to tell her more about the Yamainu too--she's still the only person who knows their true purpose, but as someone who has gone through what she has, he knows that he can trust her with it.

just stop invading his personal space oona why

HAHAHAHAHAhahahAHAhahahAHAH

god you're irritating as hell

THERE'S NOTHING THAT ENDEARS SOUSEI TO TOTSUKA. Totsuka is troublesome, good at getting himself into trouble, doesn't listen to Sousei when he speaks, pesters him constantly and refuses to leave him alone. None of those things are things Sousei enjoys. As far as he's concerned, Totsuka is wasting his time, and it sure doesn't make him happy at all. SOMEONE TO AVOID--

Except. He knows now that Totsuka is Yata's important friend, the one he was willing to toss everything away for, and now he has another perspective on the whole thing. He knows Totsuka is dead back home, and that's something he's going to be watching him closely for when he does have to interact with him. Someone who died can't be that carefree about it, right...?

If so, he'll be kind of pissed, tbh, but that's another story.

So mostly--irritating, but someone he'll vaguely keep an eye on anyway.

sup

SUP.

Mary confuses him so much. SO MUCH. She listens to him more intently and better than the Yamainu do, okay. He's never quite had anyone take his words on so seriously before. It's not a terrible thing because he believes everything he says, but it is something that means that he has to pay closer attention to the messes that she gets into because it might be because she was just trying to follow his advice--

Namely that she misinterpreted 100% but you know, it happens. What he'd meant, way back when, when he said she had to make herself seem less helpless or pick up something useful so people would want her around, was that she needed to not be stupid about going into ViViD. If she went with people she trusted, she'd have support and be support, and she wouldn't be useless. But on her own, she didn't have the skills to help anyone or herself.

... But you know, he admires her drive anyway. She decided to do this to make herself stronger and more useful, so he'll support her in that. It's admirable. He thinks that she'll figure out how to go about it herself without his interference, so he's not going to hold her hand here and guide her that way. Besides, her sense of accomplishment will be so much higher when she figures it out for herself without any outside interference.

So honestly, he thinks she's a sensible, odd but likable young woman. He does occasionally wish Kiiko was there to help her out, because he thinks she'd be better at guiding Mary, but for now he'll do his best to at least be a supporting source. He's pretty okay at that, he likes to think.

tl;dr not friends

tl;dr maybe friends

GOD OKAY this CR is so delightful because it's just so weird and I don't even know how to describe it. You toss together two kinds of very odd people who aren't very socially savvy and you get....this. Whatever this is. It's certainly nothing altogether too normal--

But okay. At first, Sousei really did think Milla didn't like him, for the record. They had just met and she was already verbally abrasive to him. He's used to taking verbal abuse, so it didn't necessarily bother him, but the fact that she would then proceed to tell him that he was a good captain and to offer him soup, to ask about his preferences....all of those things? Weird. Not the sort of thing someone who dislikes someone would do. And then she agreed to go to tea with them, which while he chalks up mostly to Tenka's very forceful personality, he has to admit that she can't hate him if she doesn't mind spending time with him.

So then, if she doesn't hate him, what are they exactly? He's not sure. He honestly doesn't mind spending time with her or talking with her either, honestly. She's odd, but she's blunt, and he appreciates bluntness in a person. She's competent enough, and honestly? She's kind of entertaining.

Sousei has an odd sense of humor, but she's managed to pull the more wry, teasing aspect out of him and has amused him more than once, just by how she is. So it's not like it's a hardship to spend time with her; she doesn't bug him.

(That is the definition of friendship, Sousei)

BUT THEY AREN'T FRIENDS.

Okay, but more honestly, they are friends. The problem is, Sousei is socially stunted in his own way. He's not necessarily tsundere, but he isn't really familiar with friendship as a concept. His best friends, Tenka and Kiiko, are family more than anything. Everyone else in his life is either more family (the Yamainu), or his subordinates (also the Yamainu, but also mostly Takeda), or his fanclub (see: Soramaru). So the reason he won't admit that they're friends is mostly because he legitimately doesn't realize that this is what friendship is. Maybe someday he'll figure it out so he can admit it then...

And on a side note, he is really interested in her as a person. He has a personal refusal to pry into other peoples' lives, but her "former Lord of Spirits" title and the way she reacted when he said it was still a part of her was interesting. He thinks that she has some issues that she needs to work out, but she won't if she never talks about them.

Still, since THEY AREN'T FRIENDS he doesn't necessarily think that it's his place to try to help her with those things anyway. But if she ever did need his help with something, he'd give it without hesitation, because he likes her, and her attitude, and the way she tackles things.

tl;dr: totally friends, he just hasn't realized it yet

give me sousei and yata *^*

YATA..... Yata is such an irritating punk. In general, Sousei doesn't really care for people who are loud and obnoxious and too energetic. He's used to dealing with them, yes, but he doesn't enjoy it at all. He would have been entirely content to allow Yata to pass him by, one uncomfortably energetic meeting that he left behind in the past...

Obviously, that didn't happen.

Because honestly, Yata concerns Sousei. His clinging to the past, his refusal to let the dead go is something that's dangerous. Sousei has experienced that. Sousei has experienced losing people he didn't want to lose, people that he wanted to cling to with everything he had. He had Kiiko to help him through it, so he ended up recovering healthily enough, but he knows how it could have gone if he didn't, and he's concerned that Yata is going to go down that path. It would be all too easy to end up torn between the past and the future in a place like this, and Yata needs to choose his own future before spectres of the past.

But...well, he did proceed to impress Sousei a little then. When Yata agreed to take all of the consequences of his actions and keep on going with his head held high, then Sousei wanted to believe him. It is, after all, what Sousei preaches as well. Always keep your head held high, always be the last one standing. You can recover after that. You can fix things that went wrong after that. But first, someone always has to be left standing.

He wants Yata to be that person, honestly. He doesn't want to see Yata stumble or fall because this place throws curveballs at him like the return of his dead friend. But it's also not his place, necessarily, to interfere. Yata isn't his protege like Soramaru is. Sousei doesn't just take people under his wing for the hell of it. (Don't believe his lies, he totally does.)

So for now, all he can do is trust Yata's words and see if he can figure it out for himself. But if he does stumble a little, then he might be willing to be there to drag him back up to his feet--probably none-too-gently, but understandingly, because he's been there before. And in the meantime, he'll just observe from afar, because he thinks that there is a lot to admire in Yata's determination and strength hidden under his irritatingly loud and obnoxious exterior.

That said, he's still irritatingly loud and obnoxious so Sousei is definitely not going to be seeking out his company thanks.

/waltzes in here

EDGEWORTH Sousei really does like Edgeworth quite a lot. Though the circumstances were super weird with their meeting, what with one of them being deaf and the other being blind, it was still a meeting that Sousei enjoyed well enough. Edgeworth is calm and sensible and serious--all of the things Sousei also is. They're not character traits that are all that easy to find, however, especially all in one other very dutiful person.

Edgeworth impressed him with his determination to learn how to fight properly despite his blindness. Because he was right, and it could always happen again, and there is always the opportunity to learn how to better yourself from things no matter how irritating or troublesome the circumstances. And so, Sousei was willing to help him. Despite popular belief, Sousei doesn't actually enjoy teaching people (mostly. yet.). He's very serious and finds teaching people who aren't serious about it and don't show signs of wanting to improve to be a waste of time.

Thankfully, Edgeworth shows both of those things without problem, and so Sousei will continue to teach him uncomplainingly, and probably even enjoy it as he does. Of course, Sousei has been studying and using the sword all his life, so their skill levels are different; that's only natural. He's...not going to go too easy on Edgeworth despite that, sorry, Edgeworth, matches are probably a very painful business. But Sousei really is in the business of making sure Edgeworth can take on anything he faces, and so it doesn't do either of them any good for Sousei to limit how he fights. HE'LL MAKE A MAN OUT OF YOU, EDGEWORTH-- oh wait.

All of that aside, Sousei just likes talking to Edgeworth. He's a calm presence in this place, and he would enjoy being able to just talk over tea more often, and would honestly not be opposed to seeking out his company, even if it hasn't happened much yet.