#Generations From Exile Tribe

[blackhistorystoryteller]

Black history is not slavery

Slavery is not the only history of black Black history goes deeper than slave trade

This is a message for my black brothers and sisters

Today I will be talking about the people of benin

The historical kingdom of Benin was established in the forested region of West Africa in the 1200s C.E. According to history, the Edo people of southern Nigeria founded Benin. They no longer wanted to be ruled by their kings, known as the ogisos. They asked a prince from Ife, an important West African kingdom, to take control. The first oba, or king, in Benin was Eweka. He was the son of the prince from Ife.The kingdom reached its greatest power and size under Oba Ewuare the Great. He expanded the kingdom and improved the capital, present-day Benin City; the city was defined by massive walls. The height of power for Benin’s monarchs began during this period. To honor the powerful obas, the people of Benin participated in many rituals that expressed their devotion and loyalty, including human sacrifices.Artists of the Benin Kingdom were well known for working in many materials, particularly brass, wood, and ivory. They were famous for their bas-relief sculptures, particularly plaques, and life-size head sculptures. The plaques typically portrayed historical events, and the heads were often naturalistic and life size. Artisans also carved many different ivory objects, including masks and, for their European trade partners, salt cellars.The success of Benin was fueled by its lively trade. Tradesmen and artisans from Benin developed relationships with the Portuguese, who sought after the kingdom’s artwork, gold, ivory, and pepper. In the early modern era, Benin was also heavily involved in the West African slave trade. They would capture men, women, and children from rival peoples and sell them into slavery to European and American buyers. This trade provided a significant source of wealth for the kingdom.Benin began to lose power during the 1800s, as royal family members fought for power and control of the throne. Civil wars broke out, dealing a significant blow to both Benin’s administration as well as its economy. In its weakened state, Benin struggled to resist foreign interference in its trading network, particularly by the British. A desire for control over West African trade and territory ultimately led to a British invasion of Benin in 1897. Benin City was burned by the British, who then made the kingdom part of British Nigeria (which became Nigeria after the country gained independence in 1960). After that time, the kingdom no longer played a governing role in West Africa. However, even today, the oba still serves in Benin City as a government advisor.

[thistaleisabloodyone]

I'm living for the fact Akira pulled out his phone to film Esperanza's reaction when they were waiting for the winner to be announced. It just feels like such dad energy, to be like "If we win, I want this on camera"

[source]

[video - Exile Akira recording the other members of LDH Esperanza as they wait to hear if they won Play 4 Victory. First, they huddle closer, saying "Ohhh", before falling silent while they wait for the announcement. Once it's announced that they win, they started jumping, yelling and celebrating]

[enhashoutout]

Seiji, Arata, and Noboru

Sooo I'm rewatching High&Low the Worst as one does, and my brain started running again; so here is a comparison post of Seiji, Arata, and Noboru.

Seiji and Arata are to Fujio what Noboru is to Cobra and Yamato.

(Also I'm really sorry the Arata photo isn't centered. I tried fixing it but due to the picture dimensions I couldn't get his picture to center)

The One Who Can't Mess Up

When we meet Noboru for the first time, he is introduced as the friend who has a bright future. Even from their childhood, it is highlighted that Noboru is different from Cobra and Yamato. Noboru has dreams of becoming a lawyer, he does better in school, he doesn't get into fights.

Cobra and Yamato even say it themselves multiple times that Noboru isn't like them; that even though he came from a run-down area he had dreams and a better future than anyone else from there. In the Story of S.W.O.R.D series, Cobra even states that Noboru went to college, which was a completely different world that Cobra and Yamato could not understand. We also get a scene where Yamato tells Noboru that he is their star, encouraging him to keep going toward his dream of being a lawyer.

This early version of Noboru we see is exactly who Seiji is.

When we are first introduced to Fujio's childhood friends in the H&L The Worst movie (I haven't watched the Worst spin-off shows so I'm speaking solely based on the movie) Madoka informs the group that Seiji is the top of his class, making him the smartest person their age. To this, the friends celebrate and call him "The hope of the Hopeless Housing Estates".

Later when the group meets up again after the Oya High and Housen fight, Madoka points out that Seiji has a bruise on his lip which is unusual for him. Right away, Fujio tells Seiji that he can't be getting into fights. I'm sure Fujio knows what the costs are for Seiji, that's why he never encourages fighting with him like he does when he talks to Shinya and Masaya. We also see this when they meet up in the morning before school. Seiji asks Fujio if he is going to Hope Hill, and Fujio tells him that he'll be the one to bring Arata back and that Seiji doesn't need to worry about a thing and to stick to his books.

When Seiji gets into an altercation with his classmate who is speaking badly about the Oya students, he is confronted by one of the authoritative figures at school. This man points out to Seiji that all the teachers at school have high expectations of him. The teacher also tells him that with his grades he could get into any college of his choice in the country and that it would be best not to act in ways that would jeopardize his future.

We see that both Noboru and Seiji are constantly held up to higher expectations by the people around them simply because they were different than their peers growing up.

How Seiji and Noboru must've felt

I have not finished Story of S.W.O.R.D yet so Noboru's feelings are purely my own theory/speculation.

We get Seiji's feelings/perspective on the matter in the movie. When the man who I assume is one of the teachers or even is the principal is confronting Seiji about his actions, he also says that he heard that Seiji hangs out with boys who attend Oya High. He goes on to tell Seiji how he shouldn't be seen around them to which Seiji confronts him with the question about cucumbers.

Seiji points out that cucumbers do not naturally grow straight, we as humans put them into a mold that makes them grow straight and only allow those ones to be sold at markets. He relates this back to himself vs his brothers.

"My friends, my brothers, they aren't hoodlums or twisted. Among my friends, there's not a single loser, scumbag, or lowlife! They just grew up naturally bent! Sometimes, I envy them. I wish I were... I'm fine sir. I will become straighter than anyone else. I will be placed in the best position in the best market. For their sake."

Seiji knows that his capabilities are higher than the other boys and takes advantage of that and seizes every opportunity he can academically. He understands that he is being molded into an image of someone who is "successful" or "acceptable" in the eyes of society. However, sometimes he is envious of the fact his brothers do not have to do the same. But Seiji understands that for the sake of everyone, he has to be the one who strives to do better and take a different path in life than one where physical fighting is prominent. The lying undertone of this being that Seiji is working towards a better life so he can take care of everyone makes my twisted, bitter, little heart happy.

So how exactly does this relate back to Noboru? It's because I think that Noboru must've felt the same way.

From my understanding of the movies, we don't see much of how growing up with different behavior affected Noboru other than the fact he focused on his academics and had big future plans. He falls off course after his time in prison though. When Noboru and Cobra are talking outside of the gas station, Noboru tells Cobra how he had lost his way in life and could no longer see the future plans he had for himself. This plays a large part in how Noboru is similar to Arata, but let's back up a bit.

I assume that there were multiple times when Noboru had felt the same way Seiji did. In the show, we see that Cobra got his name because he had been Cobra twisting everyone since they were kids. This alludes to the fact that even at a young age, Cobra and Yamato fought with the other kids while Noboru didn't. We see that Noboru went to high school and took his college entrance exam which Yamato dropped him off for. We also see the scene where Noboru tells the two that his college acceptance is just the beginning, he has to also pass the bar exam. All while this is happening, Noboru is still friends with Cobra and Yamato. He hangs out with them, Naomi, and the other Mugen members at Itokan when he isn't studying. This leads me to believe that Noboru had to have felt the same way as Seiji multiple times throughout his life. He must have been struggling by himself with his academics and was envious of his brothers who didn't have to do the same, but understood that for the sake of everyone he had to be the one that "does better".

Little Parallel I noticed: Being friends with the people they are, these characters know how to fight even if they don't actively use these skills.

During the Mugen era, Sannoh's Pre-debut era if you will, Noboru doesn't get into fights with anyone. However, we do see him beat the shit out of the guys who harmed Miho. He doesn't actively fight until Sannoh era but I assume that being friends with Cobra, Yamato, Kohaku, and Tatsuya they taught him some stuff.

This also rings true for Seiji. Let's bring it back to the morning of the Kidra fight. After Seiji and Fujio meet up and Fujio tells Seiji not to worry, he walks in while his classmates are talking smack about Oya and Housen. When he's had enough of their yapping he swings at one of his classmates. Based off of everyone else's body language, it doesn't seem that the guy he punched would be able to fight back or that any of their other classmates would be able to step in and stop the fight. None of them seem like they know how to fight or even knew Seiji could throw a punch like that. I assume being friends with guys as strong as Fujio, Masaya, and Shinya teaches you a thing or two though.

The One Who Tried to Purge His Past

When H&L the Worst opens, we are introduced to Arata when Madoka tells Fujio that Arata has been hanging around some bad people and there are bad rumors revolving around him. We meet his character when he is caught on the construction site selling RedRum to some guys who work with Masaya and Shinya. Throughout the film we see that Arata is simply working with Kidra for money, he's not friends with any of these people or shares the same morals as them. This is the first point of comparison for Arata and Noboru.

Arata is working with Kidra because he needs money to take care of the house bills and his mother's hospital bills. Noboru only took up Nikaido's offer to join Iemura because he felt that it was the best way to continue from there when he felt like he had lost everything. Both took a path they thought would be best for them even if it was morally wrong or they were engaging with the wrong people because they needed something from these people.

When Arata is confronted by Fujio, he tells Fujio that he has his own way of doing things and that he wishes everyone would just leave him alone; to which Fujio tells him that he knows what he's doing is wrong, and that's why he showed up to Grandma Sada's resting place in the night by himself. Fujio tells Arata to throw the dirty money away. The night before when Madoka tells the group that Arata's mom has cancer and is worried for Arata because he has been working so hard to pay for everything, Fujio comes to understand why Arata is working for Kidra but also points out that what he is doing is wrong. Fujio tells the group that he doesn't know how to explain it, but he knows the way that Arata is going about the problem is wrong. Fujio tells Arata that his problems are also Fujio's problems because they grew up together and got in trouble together, so why shouldn't Arata's problems also be his? This is the equivalent of Cobra and Noboru's scene when Noboru is aiming the gun at Sannoh. Cobra tells Noboru he understands why he did what he did. Noboru's actions are to keep Sannoh safe from Kuryu, but that he went about it the wrong way just like how Arata is making money for his family but he went about it the wrong way.

Both are much smarter than the people around them, not in an academic sense

Noboru and Arata are both smart, much smarter than the people surrounding them even if it's not in an academic sense.

Noboru is seen as the brain in Sannoh. This is prevalent when we see the Amamiya brothers come back to him for help in breaking through the USB firewalls to reveal the Casino Project. This is also seen when Noboru was still working with Iemura. The other Iemura members are hot-headed and act recklessly whereas Noboru always treaded with caution and logic. It definitely wasn't one of his best moments but I have to give it to him because using Chiharu and Shion to push RedRum and cause chaos within S.W.O.R.D was pretty smart of him. I'll give credit where it is due lol.

After the Oya and Housen fight, we are brought back to Hope Hill where all the Kidra members and RedRum pushers are partying because they think that Housen and Oya can no longer get in their way. Not only are they talking about Oya and House, they are talking down on the S.W.O.R.D gangs as well. To which Arata speaks up, saying that the S.W.O.R.D gangs are not dumb, and that if Kidra wants to continue their business they need to move faster. Growing up in this area, Arata knows vaguely how the S.W.O.R.D gangs run and how everything works in the S.W.O.R.D area, whereas the Kidra guys do not considering they got beat by Murayama twice and think they can do whatever they want with no consequences. The other pushers clearly don't use their brains as much as Arata either. All the scenes we see of these characters together, it seems like those guys are just there to be there while Arata does the actual work of selling RedRum.

Grace Periods and Protecting Your Friends

Every time we see Arata, he's avoiding his friends. He avoids talking to Masaya and Shinya on the construction site, he avoids Seiji's messages and calls, he avoids Seiji when they both show up to Grandma Sada's resting place, and he tries to avoid Fujio in Hope Hill. Arata avoiding his friends and not talking to them is the equivalent of Noboru giving Sannoh so many grace periods to disband for their own safety.

After his run-in with the Oochi brothers on the construction site, Arata keeps quiet and doesn't tell the other pushers who Masaya and Shinya are. He avoids Seiji and Fujio until he can't. I feel that in a way this was to protect everyone. He knows what he is doing and the people he is involved with are dangerous. Ignoring them was partially so they wouldn't stop him but, part of it must have been to keep everyone else out of it because as he states while he fights with Fujio, this is his problem.

Both characters are trying to protect their friends while engaging with people who could harm the people they care about.

Purging one's past

Arata in order to work for Kidra is doing what Noboru tried to do and tries to purge his past (he is unsuccessful obviously).

Noboru multiple times throughout the series and Road to High&Low movie is telling his friends that he is different now. He tells them that people change and that he is no longer the same person he used to be. Nikaido gives him a gun, essentially telling him to either kill himself or kill his past (Sannoh). When he pulls the trigger, we find out that the gun is actually not loaded and the guy is just shooting blanks. The symbolism to this is that he can not purge his past even if he wanted to because your past is a part of you. Without your past, there is no present or future. You can't make the present or future better if you don't have your past to look back on.

Arata is doing the same when he tells Seiji he isn't the same as he used to be and when he tells Fujio that he's changed now. Fujio tells him that he can continue to punch Fujio, but his fists don't hurt one bit, not as much as his disappearance hurts their hearts. Arata and Fujio are both crying by the time Fujio is about to send another punch Arata's way, only for Masaya and Shinya to stop them. When they bring Arata back, Seiji and Madoka are there to greet him and welcome him home. Arata looks at the market and you can see the look in his eyes change. He never changed, he missed this place just as much as he missed his friends. He wasn't able to purge his past. His past is actually what helps him in the present and future, considering the group works together to give him money to help with his mother's treatments.

A Home to Come Back to

In High&Low the Movie, we see Kohaku's monologue about being a home to return to. Cobra and Yamato decide they want to go after the guys that got Noboru in jail and they tell Kohaku that it should've been them that got arrested because Noboru had a bright future and they didn't. To this, Kohaku asks them how either of those actions would help Noboru; Cobra and Yamato don't have an answer. Kohaku tells them that they can't change what happened, but that they can wait for Noboru because if Noboru has no home to return to, he'll never come back. At the end of Road to High&Low, this is exactly what we see. Sannoh was built so that Noboru would have a home to return to. Yamato even says that they can disband Sannoh Hoodlum Squad if Noboru doesn't need it anymore, that is fine, but he just wants his friend back. Once Noboru realizes that he doesn't want to purge his past, he asks Cobra and Yamato if he can come back, to which they gladly accept and welcome him back with open arms.

Fujio, Seiji, Madoka, Masaya, Shinya, and the market are Arata's home and place to come back to just like Sannoh was for Noboru. Had the group left Arata alone or chosen to exclude him because of the rumors that started to surround him, Arata probably would've never come back. But it's the fact that everyone was constantly trying to reach out throughout the course of the movie and Fujio, Masaya, and Shinya literally jumped into Hope Hill to fight and physically drag him back out that Arata comes home. He had a family to return to who would accept him even after his mistakes.

How Arata and Noboru must've felt

Again, this is pure theory and speculation because it isn't directly stated in any of the films I have watched.

Noboru must've felt alone not being able to tell anyone what he was really going through, it might even tie back to how he's the friend who couldn't mess up. Having such high expectations for himself, Noboru probably felt like a failure landing himself in jail even when he felt he wasn't in the wrong because those guys hurt Miho. On top of that, he never really tells Cobra and Yamato how he's feeling whenever they visit him in jail. When he worked for Iemura, he also had no one to confide in either. The only person who was really within his vicinity while he worked for Iemura was Nikaido, but Nikaido was the hardest on him and was violent with him because, to Nikaido, Noboru was like looking in a mirror. Nikaido aka Cain used to come from Nameless City and he truly wants to purge his past and forget ever being a part of Rude Boys and wants Noboru to do the same with Sannoh. Being so alone was probably affecting him in a lot of ways.

Arata was the same. None of the group knows that Arata is actually working with Kidra for his mother's hospital bills until Madoka tells them after she visits Arata's mom. He didn't confide in his friends for this matter, and never really talked about his feelings in general. Fujio reminds him that Grandma Sada was always worried about Arata because he never spoke up about his feelings, always bottling them up. Arata must've felt that he should take care of his own problems instead of troubling others which led him to be lonely.

Something random I noticed: The scene at Grandma Sada's grave when Seiji confronts Arata and Arata punches him, can be seen as symbolism of how Noboru felt inside during the show and Road to High&Low. Visualize Seiji and Arata as two parts of Noboru who are battling and struggling to co-exist. Seiji is his past, telling him that it's alright to come back to his home and his family while Arata, his present, is trying to tell his past that he isn't the same anymore.

It's definitely not that deep, it's just how I interpreted it.

You made it to the end! These are probably nothing new and very obvious points that everyone saw in the movies I just wanted to write about it so here we are lol. This post is not proof-read and is a little messy and all over the place but thank you for reading it anyways.

Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments and reblogs. Please don't take my work and repost it anywhere or take credit for it, if you would like to build off of my work please tag me for credit and tag me because I would love to see your thoughts :)

[fextsubs]

GENERATIONS - The Last Stage as 7 @ CDTV (24.05.06)

CDTV: How many tears do you want? GENE: Yes.

GENERATIONS - The Last Stage as 7 @ CDTV (24.05.06) GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE

Stream/Download

Synopsis: CDTV takes a look back at the road to GENERATIONS' debut, and the group gives its last performance as 7 members.

We wish Mandy and GENE all the success in the world! Good luck on their next chapters!

[luluplanc]

It’s like all the members from Generations share the same brain cell 😂😂😂

I was supposed to upload this yesterday but I fell asleep haha my bad but do enjoy!!!

I think the subs are off by like a second and not sure exactly why, so I apologize for that. Eventually I’ll combine all parts into one and time subs correctly

Clarifications

So Riku was only supposed to have one chance however since Hayato didn’t like his heart pounding line he declared it as a fail even though technically it’s a pass

During his second chance, Hayato declares that Riku is his enemy and wants to turn him into dust. I was going to add it as a caption but at the same time, Reo was talking over him so I didn’t know how to phrase it

During Reo turn, Kenta says he doesn’t understand what Reo is asking. Essentially he’s playing dumb and Reo like “yea I totally feel that way all the time” jokingly

[khiphop-discussions]

Jpop x KHH crossover?!

Sano Reo of Generations from EXILE Tribe, Loco, Coogie

[cinnabaexoxo]

Just gonna leave this here...

GENERATIONS from Exile Tribe

[emeraldbabygirl]

Smash or Pass:

Goto Takuma (RMPG)

Kazuhara Ryuto (Generations)

Tachibana Kenchi (Exile/Exile the Second)

Kainuma Ryusei (Ballistik Boyz)

Seguchi Leiya (Fantastics)

(names are written family name first because that's what I typically do 😅)

I had to look some of them up

Ok pass, SMASH, pass, pass and pass :( kinda boring huh

[rainisawriter]

Stood Up – Reo (PSF #5)

Ficography

Genre: Fluff

Prompt: Have your characters share the last table at a café. (@flufftober)

Word Count: 3,157

Pairing: Reo x Reader

World: Generations

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

A flyer was slammed down on the counter atop the magazine you were reading, prompting you to raise a brow in question at the offending party. “I’m working, go away.”

Your older brother scoffed, looking around the empty bookstore. “Bitch, the place is empty and you’re not even paying attention.”

“What’s your point?”

Kai slapped his hand on the flyer a few times, giving you a pointed look. “You have to go with me.”

You flicked his hand so you could read it, expecting it to be a concert only to find out it was for a recently opened café. “The hell is this?”

“Can you not read? It’s clearly a flyer for a café.”

“Yeah I got that part. Why do I have to go with you?”

A streak of pink crossed his cheeks and he pouted, acting shy. “Well, you see… the barista is super cute…”

“Okay? What does that have to do with me?”

He scowled in frustration. “I obviously can’t go alone, it’ll look weird.”

“Don’t you have friends?” 

“All of them ditched me to spend time with their girlfriends. I’m the only one who’s single!” He cried out, startling the little old lady that had just entered the store.

You offered her an apologetic smile before scowling at your brother. “Maybe because you can’t act civilized for more than two minutes.”

“That’s rude,” he pouted. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

“I highly doubt that. Every minute spent with you makes me lose brain cells and I don’t have many of those left.”

“You’re so rude. That’s why you’re still single.” 

“I’m single because I want to be,” you replied indignantly. “I’m already surrounded by idiots like you, I don’t need to add another one to that mix.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

You glanced to the side, seeing the elderly woman slowly making her way toward the counter. “Go away, I’m working. Shoo!”

“I’m not an insect.”

“You’re as annoying as one.”

“Rude!” He glanced at the woman, taking notice of her slow speed and the distance left for her to cover. He quickly leaned toward you. “I’ll pay.”

“Why the fuck didn’t you start with that?” You hissed softly, not wanting the woman to overhear you. “I’ll do it, now shoo!”

He stuck his tongue out at you, giving the woman a friendly smile when she finally reached the counter.

You shook your head at his antics before smiling at the woman. “Good morning. Did you find what you were looking for?”

“I did, thank you, dear. Your boyfriend is quite cute,” she giggled, a gleam in her eye.

The thought made you feel sick to your stomach. “Ah, no. He’s my brother.”

“Oh, my, I’m so sorry!” She covered her mouth, looking embarrassed. “You look nothing alike!”

“Different dads,” you replied, making the woman click her tongue in disapproval. It was the normal reaction that you got from older folk, though she was nice enough not to go on a rant about it.

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

You stuffed your hands into the hoodie of your pocket when the cold autumn wind blew. The sidewalk was littered with leaves, each one a vibrant orange or brown. You even spied a couple red ones that were, in your opinion, the prettiest ones.

The café was packed, making you click your tongue in annoyance, leaning against the railing that separated the street and the sidewalk. You had arrived right on time but Kai was known to be late to everything he did so you weren’t surprised that he wasn’t there yet.

You shot him a quick message to let him know you had arrived before amusing yourself with a YouTube video. People came and went, looking at you strangely as they passed. One of the employees had taken notice of you, as well.

“Excuse me,” he called kindly, offering you a smile. “Are you alright?”

“Huh?” You glanced up at him, rubbing the back of your neck. “Ah, yeah. I’m just waiting for someone.”

“Would you like to wait inside? It’s getting pretty chilly out here.”

You glanced at the window, seeing the sea of people sitting inside. “I’m okay, thanks.”

“Sure, sorry to bother you.” He smiled, bowing at you before returning inside.

You glanced at the time again and scowled in annoyance. It had been just over thirty minutes. Where in the hell was he? You dialed his number, suppressing a shiver when the cold glass touched your ear. It rang and rang and rang before finally going to voicemail. 

You briefly wondered if maybe something had happened to him, but you knew he wasn’t a reliable person at all. He probably just forgot and he would suddenly remember, showing up out of breath and begging for forgiveness. You had decided you would guilt trip him into buying you lunch tomorrow, as well, for the trouble.

20 minutes later

You sighed, sliding down until you were squatting on the ground. The wind blew heavily, making you hug yourself for warmth. The café was still filled with people, mostly couples or families.

“I’m gonna kill him,” you muttered under your breath.

40 minutes later

“Mrow~“

You glanced to the side, seeing a black cat sitting at the edge of the alley, staring at you with wide, unblinking golden eyes. “Aww, hey there little guy. Come here.” You waved your hand at him but he didn’t budge so you stood up, shaking your legs to regain feeling in them.

“I won’t hurt you,” you promised, slowly approaching him. When you reached down, he suddenly turned feral, hissing loudly. You didn’t pull back fast enough, his claws raking across the top of your hand. “Motherfucker.”

Three red lines appeared against your skin, beads of blood rushing to the surface.

You hung your head with a sigh. “Well, at least I’m up to date on my tetanus shot…”

1 hour later

The sky was slowly darkening, dark clouds rolling in from the east. The wind had picked up, as well, and you resorted to pacing back and forth to try and keep warm. Your phone was held to your ear, seeming to be ringing without an end.

“That dirty bastard,” you muttered when it went to his voicemail for the tenth time. “You better hope you’re already dead because I’m gonna kill you!”

The sudden yell startled the man who was approaching the café’s door, making him pause and look at you with wide eyes. It was all you could see because of the cap and mask he wore.

You offered him a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of your neck as you bowed. “Sorry…”

He said nothing, simply turning and entering the café. 

You sighed, finally deciding that enough was enough. You were going home and he was going to die the second you saw him. You barely made it five steps before thunder boomed overhead, rattling the windows of the café. Within seconds, the sky opened up and you scrambled for the café door, shivering as the rain soaked through your hoodie.

The man from before looked at you with a frown. “I’m so sorry, but we just gave away the last available table.”

You held back a groan, hugging yourself tightly as you glanced over your shoulder to peer outside. The rain was coming down heavily. “Great,” you muttered, running a hand through your wet hair.

He looked you up and down before glancing at the rain, taking pity on you. “Wait here a moment, okay?”

‘As if I have a choice.’ You nodded at him, assuming that he was going to grab you an umbrella but he didn’t go to the back of the café. 

The man approached the table directly to the left of the door, speaking to the man with the mask covering the lower half of his face. The two spoke for a moment before the employee pointed at you. 

Embarrassment filled you as you thought about how you must look, shivering as water dripped from your clothes. He probably already thought little of you because of your outburst, there was no way he would –

“Great news! That nice gentleman that took the last table is willing to share with you.”

Well, shit. You glanced at the rain again, wondering if the rain was really worse than the awkwardness you were sure to feel sitting with this stranger. You were already freezing, though, and you couldn’t afford to get sick so you followed the man over to the table.

“What can I get you, hun? Something to warm you up?”

“Do you have hot chocolate?”

“We sure do. Be right back,” smiled the employee, patting your shoulder.

You nodded, turning your attention to the man before bowing your head. “Thank you.”

He returned the nod but said nothing, returning his attention to the laptop that sat open in front of him.

You tugged off the wet hoodie, suppressing a shiver as you placed it against the window, not wanting to wet the floor more than you already had. You knew you shouldn’t have let Kai talk you into this. He was flaky at the best of times and this wasn’t the first time he had made plans with you only to forget or get distracted.

“Idiot,” you muttered under your breath, glaring at the window.

The man glanced over at you, his eyes falling to the long sleeved shirt you were wearing. “You like High&Low?”

Your eyes snapped to his, excitement filling you as you nodded. “Yeah, it’s my favorite series! You’ve seen in?”

“Ah, well… something like that,” he replied, scratching his cheek with his index finger.

You tilted your head to the side in confusion but before you could question what he meant, the employee set a mug of cocoa in front of you, tiny marshmallows covering the top. “Thank you.”

“Would you like something to eat, too?”

“No, I’m okay.”

“Sure thing. Can I refill your coffee?”

“Yes, please.” The masked man held out his cup so the employee could take it, then he turned back to you. “Which group is your favorite?”

“That’s a tough one,” you hummed, cupping the warm mug with both hands. “All of them are cool. It’s a close race between Daruma and the Rude Boys but I think I’ve gotta pick the Rude Boys. The way they do parkour while incorporating it into fighting is so cool!”

He chuckled, eyes lighting up with amusement. “Yes, they’re pretty awesome.”

“They make it look so easy,” you shook your head, brow furrowed. “I tried to copy this move that P did once. He made it look like child’s play but I swear I almost died. Broke my arm in three places.”

“Ouch,” he winced, folding his arms over his chest. “You should never attempt what you see in movies. They’re performed by professionals under the supervision of professionals. Doing so on your own is extremely dangerous.”

“Yes, mom,” you teased, bringing the mug to your lips.

He chuckled at the comment. “Sorry, I’m just passionate about these things.”

“I can tell. What about you? Who’s your favorite group?”

He pretended to think on it for a moment. “I’ll also choose the Rude Boys. They have a special place in my heart.”

“Yeah, I get that. Man, they really did that group dirty.” You shook your head in disapproval. “They deserved so much better. Poor Smoky. Poor Takeshi.”

He looked at you curiously, leaning forward on the table. “Why poor Takeshi?”

“Well, I mean, his best friend died and he was forced to pick up the slack left behind. Smoky is one of those one-of-a-kind characters, ya know? No matter how good someone is, no one can take his place. I imagine Takeshi must be feeling so much pressure taking over as leader, feeling as if he has to fill Smoky’s shoes but also knowing he never could. No one can.”

He looked at you in surprise, warmth filling him as a smile came to his lips, hidden behind the black mask. “Yeah… yeah, you’re right. Is he your favorite character?”

“Absolutely. He’s so brave and strong. He’s fiercely loyal to his family and will do anything to protect them. When Smoky died, he stepped up without hesitation to lead the people of Nameless City. Plus, have you seen his moves? He’s epic!” You took a sip of the hot chocolate, nodding at the warmth filling you. “Plus, he’s super cute.”

This brought a sudden laugh from the man, startling the couple sitting behind him. 

You scowled at him. “Hey, don’t judge. You know it’s true. You can’t find a single person on Earth who wouldn’t look at him and think he’s cute as hell.”

“I’m not judging,” he chuckled, waving his hand at you. “I was just surprised, is all.”

A comfortable silence settled over the two of you. You wondered if you should try to continue the conversation or not. The only people you had met that like High&Low are people online, he was the first person in real life and you didn’t want to lose that. At the same time, you didn’t want to bother him more than you already had.

“I’m sorry about your date.”

“Eh?” You looked up at him in surprise and confusion. 

He nodded his head toward the male employee who was talking animatedly with a customer across the room. “He told me that you were waiting for over an hour for your date to arrive but you got stood up. I’m assuming that’s who you wanted to kill?”

You snorted in amusement. “I definitely got stood up, but not by a date. It’s my idiot older brother that was supposed to meet me.”

“Oh,” he looked embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Is that why you took pity on me?”

“A little bit, yes,” he answered honestly. “I’m glad I did, though. It’s nice to find a fan of High&Low. Especially one that enjoys the Rude Boys so much. Most fans I meet choose Sannoh or Oya as their favorite group.”

“How overrated,” you snickered, bringing out a chuckle from him as well.

He glanced at his watch and cursed. “I have to get going.”

“Oh,” you replied, hoping he didn’t hear how deflated you felt. You were enjoying his company and wanted to spend more time with him. “Thank you again for letting me sit here.”

“You’re welcome.” He packed away his laptop and stood up, pausing in thought for a moment. “Can I use your phone to check something?”

“Huh? Sure.” You briefly wondered why he didn’t just use his own but figured it must be dead or something. You tugged it from your pocket, setting it against his palm. 

He used it for only a moment before handing it back to you. “Thank you. Take care.”

“Yeah, you too.” You frowned at his back as he approached the counter to pay for his coffee. You wanted so badly to go after him, to ask him to stay a little longer or ask for his number, but something held you back. ‘Damn introverted nature,’ you sighed, hanging your head.

The rain had slowed down considerably, the street lights flickering on. It was getting late, you realized, and you had to work in the morning. You still needed to find and kill your brother, too.

With another sigh, you grabbed your hoodie and approached the counter, pulling out some cash. The male employee stopped you with a smile. “No worries, hun. That nice gentleman paid for your drink.”

“He did?” You blinked in surprise, feeling warm inside when the man nodded. “That was nice of him.”

“It was! You two seemed to be hitting it off, too. I hope you got his number,” he winked at you before walking away.

You frowned, holding back a groan as you left the café. ‘Damn it, why didn’t I ask for his number? He was so sweet and fun to talk to. He had such a nice voice, too. Very calming and warm. Someone like that can’t be single…’ you shook your head. ‘All I did was save myself the embarrassment of him telling me he has a girlfriend already.’

Your phone vibrated in your pocket and you tugged it out, using your free hand to shield it from the light rain that was still falling. You scowled at the screen, angrily pressing the answer button. “Oi, asshole! Where the hell have you been?”

“I’m so sorry!” cried Kai from the other end, sounding panicked. “I was watching Kamen Rider and you know how much I love that show but then Syo-chan called. His girlfriend broke up with him and he wanted to get drunk and forget about her. There was plenty of time left before I was supposed to meet you so I said yes but then we started drinking and we got kicked out of the bar and I think we ended up in the river? That part is still kind of blurry but I lost my phone for a while only to realize it fell out of my pocket when –“

You couldn’t listen to his rambling any longer so you ended the call, pinching the bridge of your nose. “What a dumbass.”

A message came through from him, popping up at the top of the screen.

-> Hanging up on ppl is super rude ya know! >:(

You scoffed in disbelief, pulling up your messages so you could yell at him through text but something made you pause. There was a message thread below his that you hadn’t seen before. 

“Sano Reo?” you read aloud, clicking on the thread. There was only one message and it was a smiley face that had been sent from your phone to their number. Was it a friend of your brother? But the name sounded familiar to you. You scratched the back of your head, returning to your brother’s message to yell at him.

You couldn’t stop thinking about the contact, though. On a whim, you decided to plug the name into Google, not really expecting much. To your surprise, the search pulled up a lot of information.

Sano Reo was the actor who played Takeshi.

The man you had been talking to was a famous celebrity who played your favorite character in your favorite movie. And you had openly stated how cute he is to his face. Your face burned at the realization.

A new message came through on your phone from the man in question.

-> I really enjoyed our chat :) We should continue it over dinner sometime ♡

“Holy shit,” you cried out, startling the people who were walking past you. They gave you dirty looks for scaring them and for using such foul language but you didn’t care. You were on cloud fucking nine. With trembling fingers, you quickly typed out a reply.

<- Yeah, I’d like that :)

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

-> General Taglist: @asterhaze, @mrskenpachizaraki

[thistaleisabloodyone]

Generations, The Rampage and Fantastics cover Higher Ground

[nodokasia]

Well sh*t.😭👏👏👏👏

[dungbeatposse]

do your jr exile favs have things in common?

i feel like mine do, but i don’t know what… my favs are the following:

gene - reo, alan

rmpg - ryu, takahide, kenta, yamasho, zin

fanta - taiki, sekai

bbz - masa, ryuta, miku

psyfe - jimmy, ren, tsurugi

feel free to share your favs too <3

[banqanas]

Reo and Shota

Reo and Shota dance battle

From: Sano Reo instagram

[luluplanc]

This part ended off on a cliffhanger, so I'm going to do my best to get that part 4 out today, if not then tomorrow. This was really funny and I liked how Gene was trying to get The Rampage to loosen up and be comfortable.

[japanesedoramaandanimelover91]

Today on "The Yakai".

On tonight's edition of "The Yakai".

at 21:59 p.m. on japanese time and 15:59 p.m. on Israel time on "TBS".

Tonight's topic: Celebrity Proposal Preview.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the series! The lead actor Ryunosuke Kamiki also praises it! ? Presents from the magnificent cast.

A behind-the-scenes look at the large-scale live performance of ‘LDH’! Actor Masachika Ichimura was touched by a colourful gift from the president of HIRO! ?

The legendary gift has been delivered to Ariyoshi! A super valuable video of Ishihara's corps has been released!

It amazed Sho Sakurai! A great gift from a fellow film director.

Presenters-Sakurai Sho and Hiroyuki Ariyoshi.

Assistant Presenters-Akane Oosawa.

Guests: Actor Masachika Ichimura, model, actor and TV presenter Ikki Sawamura, actress, photo model and singer Eliza Ikeda, singers, dancers and actors and members of the group "Generations from Exile Tribe" Alan Shirahama and Yuka Nakatsuka and comedian and TV presenter Yoshimura Takashi ("Heisei Nobushi Kobushi").

Heroes of VTR-Actors Ryunosuke Kamiki, Hiroya Shimizu, actresses Tao Tsuchiya, Tomoko Nakajima, Rin Kataoka, actor and vocalist of "Exile" Takahiro Tasaki, singer, actor, dancer and member of "J Soul Brothers" Kenjiro Yamasita and singer, dancer and member of "Generations from Exile Tribe" Ryuto Kazuhara.

[bamboobibi]

IG : andteam_official​