#i loved it but so many things didn't make sense

[lustlovehart]

Oh wow, the Modern! Monster! TWST AU is so good <3 Now I’m imagining how it would go down with the other dorms.

Influencer!Reader heading to the savanna to investigate rumours about an ancient cursed tomb. Exploring through the vast chambers of the tomb, they come across an elaborate sarcophagus. “I bet there’s hidden treasure inside.” Reader tries to open it to no avail. It’s too heavy. Kicks the lid half out of a genuine attempt to get it to budge and half out of frustration. The good news: it actually worked this time. The bad news: the lid didn’t so much budge from Reader’s kick as it did fly open through the actions of the occupant of said sarcophagus. Reader is now face to face with a pissed off mummy, glaring daggers at having his rest disturbed. Reader, with a smile frozen on their face, slowly backs away…and makes a run for it. Scooby-Doo esque chase scene ensues.

Chat: “Who’s the actor? Looks uncannily similar to depictions of that one dead prince I saw in history class. Kudos for research!”

Ahh, I love this interpretation for Savanclaws's version ( ˘ ³˘)♥ Since so many people enjoyed the Modern Monster!Twst, I do plan on writing the rest of them if people are still interested!

Cw: Mostly just Leona x Influencer!Reader, but the others are mentioned, Murder, Reader low-key flirts with Leona even though he just killed their friend

Maybe you go in there having set up a fake tomb, one with your friend stashed inside so you can coincidentally open the cover and have them pop out. When you enter and set your sights on the coffin, it looks a little different from when you last saw it... The gold trimming is more extravagant, and it looks a lot more expensive... Whatever, if anything, your friend must've been really set on making it as realistic as possible; it'll make the video even more believable!

Then, when you get to actually opening the damn thing... It won't open. You even put down the camera to get a better grip on the cover. No matter what you do it just won't budge...!

"Gosh... This is embarrassing..." You swore it was way easier to open this thing before. Then, you finally kick it! and nothing happens... "Damn it, what are you doing in there-!" before you can even say your friends name, the tomb shoots open, and you're met with a person.

He's wrapped in bandages, threaded with real gold, though blood and old age wear down the luxurious style. His eyes are covered with a faint glow of green behind the cloth. and... are those lion ears on his head...? they're pierced, which you didn't think animal ears could- Why does that matter?! He's looking at you with murder in his eyes-!

"What the hell are you doing?"

...

You slowly step back, picking up the camera and looking at the chat as you record him. It only serves to piss him off more.

"Raw"

"Till his bandages come off"

"He looks a lot like the prince from my history class. Good casting"

"Can I cast him as my groom? To like, my wedding."

Well, if you die, at least you have footage of a dead prince look alike...! You think...If your streaming career fails, maybe this is what makes you famous...?

He steps out of the coffin, tilting his head as his bandaged tail swings back and forth. If you could see his eyes, you're sure he would be glaring daggers at you. Actually, he probably is.

You're about to ask him if those ears and tails of his are real. Better yet, that you sorta had a film set up here. But then you look to your side, the tomb you originally set up propped on the wall.

Blood covers the prop, the lid tightly sealed. When you look back to the man, he laughs once, a flick of his hand opening the cover. Your friend, dressed as a mummy, all sign of life seemingly sucked clean from them.

...

Why do you keep killing all your friends!?

"You gonna end up like them?" You can sense the confidence in the mummy's answer, his feet slowly stepping closer to you before he's face to face at you. You're so shocked your body can't move, even when he places a hand on the nape of your neck, his mouth leaning in, slightly jarred. He's ready to suck all vitality from your body, but then he pauses. "Wait... you're-"

You break free from his grasp, tripping over nothing, and despite his deep voice shouting at you to stop, you don't. Even as your surroundings turn to sand, bandages emerging to grab hold of your limbs, you run.

Not without recording this epic chase, of course. If you don't, no one will see!

You're just about to make it when you trip over your own foot. You don't even have the chance to fall before he catches you, wrapping you all in his bandages.

Oh, come on! You already have to deal with ghosts, zombies, and a stitched up corpse in your own home. This too?!

No matter how hard you shake in the cloth, you can't break free. His hands reach out and pull you in, chest to chest. He looks at you like he's inspecting some fine treasure with a close eye, centimeters away from your face.

"You're that human Ruggie and Jack watch."

...

You should be freaked out that other monsters know you too, but... You can't help but feel flattered you're known in the monster community. Even if they're the things you fake hunt in your videos...

Well... fame is still fame.

You fall back in his arms, having the beast follow along. Your back hits the wall, both your chests still touching as the mummy cages you between his body and the sandstone.

"Tell me more." Despite the fact he could very easily suffocate you, whether with his hands or controlled bandages, you continue your ministrations. You look to the side, making contact with your camera lens that faces the two of you, recording the interaction.

Sometimes, it's good to change up your content.

... Little do you know, on the other side of that camera, your other diligent monster followers watch a Mummy Prince, that they know all too well, practically breathe in your scent. Well, that's not fair at all... It’s no matter, they can always just commission you to come to their haunted locations too :)

[dismalflo]

Something Nice

remus lupin x reader Who desperately wants to do something nice for remus ✩ 849 words

AN: first ever fic!! had to start with my favourite moony ofc. might be so bad but thats okay.

CW: hurt/comfort, just fluff, no use of y/n

When you and Remus decided to move in together it just made sense. A natural progression forward. What you didn't expect is how unbelievably caring he is without even thinking about it, of course he was before, but now it feels like another level. 

Every morning he brings a coffee into the bedroom to start the day, he cooks your favourites without being asked, he does your laundry when you can’t be bothered. He folds your socks, for god's sake! You could cry if you think about it too much, instead you decided that while he was out with Sirius you’d build the new flatpack bookshelf he was planning to build tonight.

One problem. When the instructions said it was a two person job, they definitely meant it. So instead of being pleased with yourself on the sofa when keys start to turn in the door, you're very precariously lifting a big plank of wood, trying to line it up with the other pieces and make sure nothing gets dropped on your feet. 

‘Dove, what are you doing?’ Remus exclaims making his way over as quickly as possible to relieve your arms and help put it together. 

‘No! No, don't help! I'm trying to do something nice for you.’ you say while trying to speed up your movements before he can get to you.

‘What wouldn't be nice is taking you to A&E, let me help please.’ finally getting his hands on the piece, you relent and let him help put it back on the floor. ‘I thought we said we’d build this when I got home, dovey.’ 

‘You're very dramatic, I wouldn't have needed the hospital.’ suddenly Remus realises you look quite upset, and even though he knows everything about you extremely well this has him stumped. 

‘What’s wrong, lovely? You haven't hurt yourself have you?’ he asks hurriedly. 

And out of nowhere tears are stinging your eyes and the sniffling starts. The look on Remus’ face could only be described as heartbroken as he watched. He feels panicked now, not entirely sure how you got here.

There's a warm hand on your back encouraging you into his chest, you bury your head trying to calm yourself before speaking. One hand is planted across your shoulders, the other is slow and sweeping across your back. There's some relief in it. There's a quick succession of kisses planted to your forehead and quiet murmurings of reassurances and sweet nothings.

You pull away, ‘I just wanted to do something for you. You’re so nice to me and thoughtful and I don't feel like I do nearly enough for you and I don’t want you to start secretly resenting me because I don't do enough.’ you sobbed. Everything seems to be spilling out all at once and you can’t stop it.

Remus feels his heart clench in his chest as he digests your words. He pulls you back into his chest with a tenderness that makes your breath hitch. His hands, warm and steady, resume their sweeping motion on your back.

‘Dove... ‘ he starts ‘You do more than enough for me, every day. You don’t have to do anything at all, being here with me is more than enough.’ 

You shake your head against his chest ready to disagree but Remus continues, his voice soft and sincere. ‘You take care of me in so many ways, like when I’m too stubborn to take care of myself when my hip is playing up.’ he says with a sheepish chuckle. ‘And the things I do for you, I do because I love you. It's not transactional and I don't expect anything in return. You're perfect, dovey.’

You let out a shaky breath, clinging to him as the tears subside and you take in his words. For a moment, there's only the sound of your breathing and the steady sound of his soft reassurance. 

When you finally look up at him, there’s a small smile forming on your lips, fragile but genuine. Remus cups your face in his hands, his thumbs gently brushing away the remnants of your tears. You lift your head higher, chin pointed up, asking for a kiss. Remus indulges you, giving you a kiss that is as soft and sweet as he is.

That sickly sweet kiss continues with him peppering them over your cheeks. ‘I feel so lucky to be with you and show you all the love that you deserve’ he says softly against your cheek.

You nod, sniffling again, but this time in a quieter, more contented way. The weight on your chest feels a little lighter, and though you still feel vulnerable, there’s a warmth between the two of you now.

‘Love you, Remus,’ you whisper, the words a gentle truth as they leave your lips.

After a long pause, you look back at the half-built bookshelf, still in pieces on the living room floor. You offer a small, defeated laugh, and Remus grins.

‘We can finish it together,’ he suggests, his tone light and teasing now, ‘Shall we have a cup of tea first?’

[thewitchblue]

Hi, Love your writing and I was wondering, if it isn’t any trouble that we could get a part 2 of Jason Todd x reader with the twins they adopted, I just want more domestic fluff and the fic was really cute and I just want more

Thank you and I love your work

It was just your luck that Jason brought home the only two meta children in Gotham. You looked at your twins with raised eyebrows. How do you raise metas? What do you do when one is crawling on the ceiling and the other is floating like a balloon? You've learned a couple of tricks, but they have become incredibly comfortable playing with their powers at home.

Jason snatched one of them out of the air and caught the other one that screamed for him to catch her in delight.

You chuckled at the panicked expression on his face and took your floating toddler from Jason's arms. Your twins sometimes forget you are both human and can't do what they can, which makes playtime... challenging, to say the least. You swear you had to become a hero just to play with your twins.

You kissed the top of your toddler's head and held her closer. You loved them both dearly. Jason has managed to stop himself from adopting any more children, but you noticed him looking with wistful sighs. He's windowshopping for kids.

"No more children until these two are older."

You warned him every time he called about another child that he helped. You love him, but the twins were starting to get excited about getting more siblings, and you can only say no so many times. Their sweet doe eyes beg, and they pout so cutely that saying no was becoming a struggle.

They always tell you that they are older every five seconds, and you could only laugh. Jason kissed your forehead as an apology when he got home from patrol, but you rolled your eyes with a smile on your face. You both set your lovely toddlers down only for them to immediately get into a game and ran off. You cuddled into Jason's side with a soft sigh. You love your little family.

The Wayne family took it as well as they could. Dick and Bruce freaked out, calling you children yourselves until you reminded them of your ages. You had laughed, but Jason was beyond annoyed. He's not a little kid anymore. He's an adult making adult decisions. Dick said,

"You aren't even married!"

What is this? The 1930s? You shrugged. So what? Bruce isn't either. You were content with your tiny tots and your boyfriend. You may or may not have lied and claimed you both were married to get a better shot at the adoption, but that doesn't matter.

"Would you rather we marry now?"

Jason asked with raised eyebrows. Dick didn't have an answer to that question, and Bruce didn't offer any rescue when Dick shot him a look asking for help in talking sense into Jason. Bruce can't really say anything because he did the same thing. The only difference would be that the kids will have two parents instead of one.

Tim watched Jason's expressions carefully. He might be serious about marrying to appease the public and familial backlash from Dick. When did he start caring about the opinion of others? Was it really all because of you? He was unsure how well this would work out until Jason said they've had the twins for one year. Kids break up couples a lot faster than one year, so he could accept his nieces.

Tim was surprised he even got to meet you and the twins. Jason is a very private person and ices out the family most of the time. It's his own fault for not keeping up-to-date with Jason's life. He could have been well aware and prepared for this, but he grew slake in his stalker tendencies.

Damian didn't particularly care. If Todd wants to get married, he is free to do so. Damian likes you enough to acknowledge you as part of the family. Dick was the only one freaking out, and it wasn't surprising at all. Before anybody could fight further, you rushed over to your kid,

"No tornadoes!"

You yelled the second you noticed the personal tornado your tiny terror was in the middle of creating, running over to stop it while Jason tried to pry the other off the ceiling.

"You have metas?"

Bruce couldn't stop himself from asking. Not only did he just discover he's a grandpa, but he has meta grandchildren. You gave a drained smile,

"Blame Jason."

Jason gave you a betrayed look, but managed to finally pulled them off the ceiling (via tickling her). It's not his fault. You could have said no. Well. If you ignore the pleading looks you were given by everybody to eventually make you cave in.

"You wound me so."

He said in a dramatic voice he normally only shows around you. You flatly replied,

"I'm divorcing you and taking the kids with me."

Jason looked offended and held his child closer. Sure, it's an imaginary marriage, but it's the principle of it. He'd go through a messy divorce for the kids. You took the kid in his arms with a smirk before running off with them both. Jason chased after you with a grin as the kids squeal joyfully and laugh.

"Your big bad dad will never take you from me!"

You said confidently until Jason wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you into his body. He shook his head and smirked.

"Big bad dad, huh?"

You twisted in his arms, and both kids lightly hit him while giggling and repeating the phrase. Jason was grateful they both kept their superstrength in check. You were alternating in trying to teach them how to use their powers. Surprisingly, you were much better at teaching them than he was despite his experience. He still taught self-defence, but you dealt with the power situation a lot easier.

Jason kissed you while slowly and sneakily taking back his kids. You pulled away, now kidless with Jason running away. You smirked at the trio having fun.

"How good are they at controlling their powers?"

Bruce asked you. It seemed like a random question, but he was trying to plot how to reveal to the public he's a grandpa and how to safely show them off. You suspected as much, so you answered honestly,

"They're getting better at it. They still have accidents sometimes, but we're teaching them to control it while outside the manor and outside the house. They know how dangerous Gotham is for metas."

Bruce nodded. He can work with that when the news comes out. He can do family photos and interviews without the kids until they have complete control of their abilities.

You watched Jason play dragon and princess with your little girls and smiled fondly at the floating "dragon" roaring so cutely you could feel your heart melt. The brave knight Jason Todd sent out to slay the dragon for the safety of the princess.

"I never thought I'd see Jason so... gentle. He really loves those kids."

Bruce mused as he watched Jason play with your kids. The princess saved the day this time after stealing Jason's imaginary sword and fighting the "dragon" literally.

Both of you ran to break up the fight before you could respond. Two kids with superstrength make fights significantly more dangerous, and your kids get too lost in the game to notice sometimes, especially when they play with each other.

You both took a kid to separate them and squeezed them into hugs. They think they can fight each other like they can fight bad guys, leading to broken bones and many hospital trips.

"Be gentle, princess."

You murmured. Your little girl giggled as if it was hilarious how concerned you were. You kissed her injuries. She was bruised up, but nothing serious enough for a hospital trip.

"Your knight in shining armour is going to take you back to the castle."

You boop her nose with a warm smile. Oh, how far everybody has come since they were brought home.

"Oooo, and I'll follow!"

Your little dragon said, very much alive in the game. The princess scowled and squirmed in your arms to go for round two in a brawl, but you held tighter.

"Never! Dad will slay you!"

Jason played along while the twin your holding crawled onto your back and watched with gleeful eyes. You smiled at the fake brawl that Jason and your tiny terror are engaged in.

Your crawler is cheering for Jason while you both watched. You kissed the little hands holding your shoulders as she set her head on top of yours. Jason is a great dad despite his own worries about being a bad dad. He loves these kids with his whole heart.

You can tell your kids were getting tired, so you packed up, and both of you left after a quick goodbye and the usual hug you give everybody.

Damien tried not to show his own happiness at interacting with the little kids, but everybody noticed. Damien always feels a strong urge to become a paediatrician when he's around little kids at the hospital and to see the joy Jason and you brought to the little ones only further strengthened his decision.

"Well, that went well."

Tim said in surprise. He knew Jason had a soft spot for kids, but he hadn't anticipated Jason to adopt one, let alone two. What circumstances led to this?

Dick felt the same. When did his baby brother grow up enough to have kids? Where did he even find these kids? He suddenly had questions he was too flabbergasted to ask when Jason was still around.

Bruce frowned in thought. He needs to be ahead of the drama before anything comes out of it. He needs to control the narrative, but he needs to be careful. His own children are all feral in their own ways, but Jason would kill him if anything bad is said about his kids without feeling any guilt.

Regardless of how his family feels, Jason had formed his own family and wouldn't change it for the world.

[tarohugs]

a million things i didn't say (l.jn)

► When Jeno proposes to you as a joke to get free ice cream, you can't help but begin to feel the butterflies in your stomach. You don't even have time to process the feelings before he's on one knee for someone who isn't you.

► childhood best friend!jeno x reader

► angst and some fluff (you know the drill)

► w/c 1.8k

► toxic jeno, very very sad ending (prepare your tissues), jeno is a bit insensitive at times, jeno proposing, reader ignoring feelings and being a bit dumb, annoying character stereotypes, jeno and reader making you want to rip your hair out, not proof read.

►a/n haven't posted in a while so hope this makes up for it. plz send recs i need inspo for writing.

When Jeno first proposed, it was to you. As a joke, of course. The typical things teenagers do in their free time. Right?

You met Jeno in your high school chemistry class and had clicked since. Some would mistaken you as a couple but you were always quick to deny the accusations.

Considering that most saw you two as a couple, you had decided to take advantage of your relationship spontaneously to get free ice cream. The idea wasn’t well prepared at all. Jeno had planned to propose in your local ice cream parlor and be rewarded with a sweet treat.

Well the two of you were clearly not aware how the plan would go.

“Are you sure this will work Jeno? Your ring doesn’t even look real.” You knew the plan was a dumb idea but you always listened to Jeno. 

Yes, he was your best friend. Yet, you knew he meant more to you. He was one of the most special people you had met. You just couldn’t put a finger on what he was to you.

He laughed at you, his infamous eye smile sending butterflies to your stomach. “Don’t worry, y/n. I got this. Even prepared my special vows for you.”

You didn’t have a response to his sudden confidence, only a blush that scattered your cheeks. When he reached over you to hold the door entrance to the ice cream parlor, your stomach only dropped further into your stomach.

Has Jeno always been this attractive? How had you not noticed how tall he was before? 

With all the thoughts rushing through your head, you had forgotten the main objective: free ice cream. That was all you were here for, not to develop feelings for your best friend. 

By the time you had come to your senses, Jeno was propped on his one knee, fake ring in hand.

“Y/n l/n.”

Well here goes nothing.

“I’ve waited my whole life for this moment. I know it’s not the most romantic but this is where we first met and I developed my love for you. There are so many hours I’ve spent thinking about you, yet they all stemmed from a couple minutes within the walls. I would do anything to spend the rest of my life with you.” He continued on for minutes reciting his script. Never stuttering once, it was as if he was speaking from his heart.

It was safe to say Jeno had a way with his words - even if they all met nothing.

You hadn’t realized it yet, but you had fallen in love with Jeno.

When you had finally recognized your feelings for Jeno, it was high school graduation.

In your mind, it was like the weddings that never commenced from your fake engagement. Walking down the same aisle, wearing expensive gowns, celebrating the start of a new chapter in your life. 

These scenarios would all seem fresh in your head if it wasn’t for the fact that Jeno had just begun a relationship with a girl in the year below. All you had known was him for the years prior to graduation. Now, you were clueless as to what would develop as you moved on in your life.

“I’m serious about her. I think I’m going to stay back a year before I head to college. I really think she’s the one.” Jeno had told you one of your sleepless nights on the phone. 

You took a deep sigh, clearly signalling you were not following his ideas. “Look, you have dreamed of moving away for years. Why change your mind for a girl you just met?”

He was clearly losing his patience with you. It was only a matter of time before he snapped after his numerous hours of convincing you he loved her. You would never agree with him, though. As long as he was with someone that wasn’t you.

“You just don’t get it. Maybe you’ll understand when you finally find someone that loves you.”

When he heard the immediate hanging up of the call, his emotions were too high to apologize. Jeno knew his words hurt you but he wasn’t in the right sentence to justify his actions. Time didn’t allow him to correct himself either, only progressing through the rest of highschool by never addressing him again.

But here you were at graduation, finding yourself after the ceremony looking for your parents talking to Jeno’s family. He stood beside them, his new girlfriend pressed tightly by his side. When your eyes flickered to make eye contact with him, he reflected a gaze of sorrow. You never returned the sorrow, your gaze only remaining lifeless.

After Jeno had uttered such nonsense to you, you had deemed him as nothing to you. Even if you had recognized your feelings for him, you couldn’t keep waiting. 

When you had finally let go of the petty teenage drama, an invitation to Jeno’s wedding had arrived at your front door.

You had come to the conclusion that you were in love with him. After continuously convincing yourself you needed to get over him, it was becoming more difficult to let your feelings for the boy go unnoticed. 

With the emotionless response you had given to Jeno after graduation, you had thought your relationship with him was over. And you were proven correct when you found that he had blocked you on every social media platform to ever exist.

You decided it was time to rekindle with your childhood best friend your senior year in college. But to no avail, you still remained blocked and found no new accounts.

So to find the invitation to his wedding - when you had moved far from home and started a new job - was a shocker, to say the least. Even if you hadn’t communicated in years, you were still on the backburner.

Now, you find yourself sitting in an assigned seat in the corner. Far away from any of his family, not needing a reason to explain why you had cut off all communication with Jeno, or rather, how he had done such. 

The only other person sitting by you was his youngest cousin he had always explained as a nuisance at family gatherings. She was sweet and you had told him he needed to treat her nicely considering her young age, but teenage Jeno didn’t know better. Even adult Jeno didn’t know better.

You had done a good job holding off any conversation for the first hour of the wedding, but you couldn’t stand the awkward silence and dwelling going on inside your head anymore. 

Why had you come just to realize you hated him? You had no clue. All you knew was that you wanted to talk to your best friend. He may not have earned his respect back but it was clear he felt the same way. There is only one reason he would even think to send a wedding invitation your way.

When you finally excuse yourself from the table for a drink, his cousin mutters something under her breath.

“What did you say?” Not sure if her words were meant for her.

She looks you in the eye, “Why did you leave Jeno? He was so happy when he was with you?”

Well clearly she was not in the loop. You dreaded talking about your past with Jeno. But you dreaded even more reminiscing on how close you used to be with him. 

“Me and Jeno were never together. I have no idea what you're talking about.” You tried to escape but her words only drew you in.

“Well, I know you weren’t dating, but you should’ve. He was so happy with you. He hated me but you made him realize his indifference. Now here you are with me, the least favorite family member, sitting in the back when you deserve to be down the aisle.”

It was clear her words were leading to the verge of your tears. Time was the only thing that stood between your face full of makeup being ruined. Before she could even allow more words to escape from her mouth, you found yourself making a run for the bathroom. 

You had managed to find a new seat along with some of your high school friends in another far corner. You couldn’t face the emotional damage that was Jeno’s cousin. Your friends knew better than to ask any questions about you two, instead opting to treat the experience as a reunion. 

As much as you didn’t want to, you had thought about her words. Did you really have an effect on Jeno?

He never told you he loved you, except in his vows. You remember every syllable that came from his mouth. Most importantly, “I love you.” They weren’t real, but they were the closest symbol of reciprocation Jeno had ever given to you.

Even if the words were never truthful, it was only a matter of minutes before you heard his real vows come from his mouth. Watching him walk down the aisle, all you could picture is what your wedding with him would’ve looked like.

If you had ever told Jeno your real feelings that day. Maybe if you were truthful, maybe if you had listened to his cousin, maybe if you hadn’t cut him off, you could be descending down the aisle. 

Instead, here you are, sitting isolated from your best friend, wondering what he even thinks of you. Does he know that you're here? Did he invite you or had he been forced to by his parents? All this clouds your mind as you watch the bride approach Jeno, joining hand in hand.

Jeno stood tall on the altar. His black suit defines his build. It was obvious that he had grown into his body well since you had last seen him. As he took a deep breath, you knew it was ready for him to begin his vows, for real this time.

“The love of my life.”

Tears began to blind your vision. You couldn’t stand hearing what was about to come from his mouth. All you could make out was the movement of his lips as ringing stormed your ears. 

If you weren’t so scared you would’ve told him how you felt. 

If you had been mature you wouldn’t have let him give up on his dreams.

If you cared more about yourself you wouldn't have allowed him to let you burn on the backburner after all these years.

If you had listened to his cousin you would understand that you were important to him.

As you watched him slip the ring on to his now wife, you knew time was up. There was no reversing what you hadn’t done, only reminiscing on what you could’ve.

Jeno was now no one to you. Just a friend in the past who you would tell others you don’t talk to now.

All the years of unreciprocated love would never rekindle. Maybe one thing you should’ve done was listen to him. “Maybe you’ll understand when you finally find someone that loves you.”

It was time to find someone that loved you. Even if it wasn’t him.

[mirai-e-jump]

Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger Character Book Final Ignition: Best Bakuage Graffiti Main Cast & Voice Actor Interviews (translations below, long post)

Publication: February 7, 2025

Iuchi Haruhi x Hayama Yuki

"Please tell us about your first impressions of each other, including how they've changed."

Hayama: When we met at the audition, Haruhi and I were seated next to each other, and I thought his voice was so quiet since I couldn't really understand what he was saying (laughs). At that time, the judges started talking to us about our outfits, and then we'd each take turns presenting our fashion points.

Iuchi: Yeah, that happened.

Hayama: When Haruhi was presenting, there was some dust on his left arm (laughs). I wasn't sure what to do, but I thought I'd make a good impression there if I brushed it off for him (laughs), so that's what I did. At the time, I had the impression that Haruhi was a very innocent kid, however��

Iuchi: However?

Hayama: My impression after passing the audition together and him filming as Taiya Hando for a year was that in his private life, he's the youngest who has a gentle, airheaded and healing personality, but once he entered the set and became Taiya, he was someone you could rely on. Throughout the year, I think I finally understood why Haruhi was picked to play the role of Taiya. I also think he's an actor who's careful about when to "switch on and off." I have nothing but respect for that. There are so many things that I've learned from Haruhi!

Iuchi: We had a really good time. I also remember the audition, and I had the impression that Yuki-kun was a "cool looking slender guy." I also felt that he maintained his personal space and seemed abit scary. During the audition, he was really good at playing a cool character, and I thought that was the kind of person he actually was, but…well, he turned out to be the complete opposite (laughs).

Hayama: In other words, you didn't have a good first impression of me, but then it gradually got better?

Iuchi: Yeah (laughs). What I gradually came to understand is that he's someone who loves his role, and would think about various different things he could do for it. Without any hesitation, he'll say, "I love Ishiro," which I think is a wonderful thing.

"Next, let's talk about your roles…generally speaking, both Taiya and Ishiro can be classified as cool types. Did you have meetings or share opinions with each other on how to differentiate between the two?"

Hayama: We never discussed how to make a difference like that.

Iuchi: We didn't. When we were acting on set, we'd talk about things like, "I want to do this scene like this, can we try it?," but we never talked about how to make sure our characters didn't resemble each other.

Hayama: At a glance, both Taiya and Ishiro look cool, but Taiya's the charismatic type who moves forward and says, "Follow me." Ishiro however isn't the type to try and lead the Boonboomger members by himself, but is the type to just pull along those who are behind him, he's instead more interested in supporting Taiya Hando, the person who fell in love with him. The coolness of being his right hand man, or rather, the quality of his coolness is different. I'm sorry for talking about Taiya like this for my own gain, but that's what I think.

"Taiya and Ishiro are a pair that have had alot of dialogue together, but which scenes in particular were most memorable?"

Iuchi: The flashback scene from when Taiya and Ishiro first met. There was a small one in Bakuage 2, with the proper one being depicted in Bakuage 29, but since they hadn't become friends yet at that time, I was conscious of my gaze and voice so that he wouldn't look like the usual Taiya. Ishiro also had eyes that didn't trust him at all. Aside from that scene, the only person Taiya sees before him is his friend Ishiro, so it felt pretty rare. In that sense, it left a lasting impression on me.

Hayama: It'd probably be the last scene in Bakuage 37, when we're on the rooftop. The exchange of, "As expected, the one I fell in love with never fails me," and "Cranked up, isn't it?" It was very fitting. Director Hayama's direction was stylish. The Director was grinning when he told us, "(whispering) Let's go in a sweet direction" (laughs). Also, I got goosebumps in this episode when Taiya was talking with the "fake Ishiro." He didn't make eye contact with him even once.

Iuchi: Yeah, they were completely out of sync.

Hayama: I was impressed by the detailed setup. When fake Ishiro touches the computer console to activate the system, Haruhi kept looking down. I thought, "He's angry~" (laughs). Still, when I looked at the footage, I could see that although he looks like Ishiro, he perceives him as a stranger, and I learned alot from the way he used those expressions. Also in Bakuage 37, there was something that Haruhi suggested to me. For the "I trust him (shinjiteru)" line between Taiya and Ishiro, we say it at the same time towards the end, but in the script it was originally "I trust in him (shinjiteiru)." It's not an unnatural word for these two to say, but I thought it'd be more appropriate if the "i" was left out, and since Haruhi thought the same thing, we decided to change it to "I trust him." That also left an impression on me. (*it's the same meaning, but the one they went with is casual while the original is formal speech)

"In Bakuage 43, Ishiro betrayed them, and in Bakuage 47, it was revealed that it was a plan to defeat Waruido Spindo. How did you feel about that kind of development happening towards the very end of the show?"

Iuchi: I thought it was interesting. It's good when the story advances without a hitch, but since Super Sentai is a team hero production, it's exciting when the story has the team fall apart atleast once, and then has them overcome their differences in order to strengthen the bonds between them. I thought it'd be exciting for the viewers to see that happen in the final stages of the story, and we were also excited to perform it.

"What were you mindful of with that development?"

Hayama: Before filming began, Director Nakazawa told me to "trust Taiya 100%," so I continued to perform with that same unchanging trust. No matter what words Ishiro uses, Taiya's able to fully grasp what he says, so I wasn't concerned about trying to include any hidden meanings.

Iuchi: What I was conscious of was to make sure that the viewers wouldn't figure it out. Taiya knows what Ishiro's trying to do, but if he doesn't go along with things, the enemy will find out. It was difficult trying to find the right balance there. One way of putting it is I had to trust my friend while simultaneously looking into the eyes of the enemy…I was curious to see how Ishiro would act since there were so many characters involved. Then, when I saw the footage during the recording session, I saw the expression on Ishiro's face and thought it was really good. Because of Bakuage 37's "I trust him" line, I thought, "It's alright, Ishiro won't betray us," but he had a really evil look on his face, so I started to have some concerns. After the truth was revealed in Bakuage 47, I wanted to rewatch Bakuage 43 to see the expression on Ishiro's face, and I hope that all the viewers do so as well.

"Are there any scenes that you'll never forget due to them being difficult or painful?"

Iuchi: In the very beginning, I had a hard time making Taiya look mature. The age of Taiya's character is older than I actually am, and even Director Nakazawa, who directed Bakuage 1-3, told me to be more mature. As the story progressed, it was Bakuage 45 and 46. It's right after Ishiro betrays him and Boonboom is taken out. I wondered how I would present Taiya, who's now totally different from before after unleashing his raw emotions, and how far I should let him "fall." He hasn't fallen to the dark side, but he's being consumed by dark feelings. Still, I thought that if I expressed things too negatively, it would stray too far from Taiya, and with such positive lines like, "I have no regrets" and "I trust him," I had to keep the passion burning. On set, there were some parts that required many takes, so it was still difficult.

Hayama: I had alot of trouble with Bakuage 14's aquarium episode. I remember it took me awhile to understand Ishiro's feelings during the first flashback scene, and the scene in the beginning where he's watching the sea lion show. I know I shouldn't be judgmental, but normal people don't cry when they see fish, right?

Iuchi: Well, yeah, that's true (laughs).

Hayama: At the time of Bakuage 14, Ishiro's foundation had yet to be completely solidified and was still being explored, and then the setting of him crying at the aquarium was added. I was confused with, "What do you mean by crying?"

"As a spy, Ishiro must've had a tough life up to that point, so much so that it'd be hard for those with normal perspectives to grasp it. In the flashback scene, he was covered with scars."

Hayama: Yeah, his body jolts from the slightest sounds. I felt pressure because I knew that I couldn't compromise this scene, as it would lead to the present day Ishiro. I was incredibly nervous right up until the start of filming. No, I wasn't nervous, I was scared. I felt that if things didn't go well here, it would affect the future of the show. He's usually cool, but feels relaxed when looking at fish, however, if he laughs too much, then that's not Ishiro. I had alot of trouble making adjustments. One more thing I'd like to mention is the scenes with Horibe Keisuke-san's Tokoyari Eiichiro, which started to increase around Bakuage 29. It was a valuable and rewarding experience for me to work with a veteran actor, but the pressure almost overwhelmed me. However, if I was overcome by Horibe-san's presence, the footage would look as if Ishiro was intimidated by Tokoyari. At the same time, it wouldn't be good if I were overly confident. Making those adjustments was also difficult.

"In this character book, the six Boonboomger members are divided into three pairs, and each pair will be asked to talk about another pair. We'd like to ask you about Suzuki Miu-san and Saito Ryu-san. It can be about your impressions of them in their private lives or as actors."

Hayama: I was impressed with how quick of a learner Ryu was with action. He practiced diligently, but he was able to handle it well from the very beginning. In his private life however, he's the youngest just like Haruhi, so his smile is absolutely adorable. There are all sorts of gaps with him. From the point of view of someone the same age, what do you think?

Iuchi: Him just being there brightened up the set. I'd talk when I had to, but there were also times where I'd just sit around without talking (laughs). With Ryu however, he'd always be talking with a smile on his face.

Hayama: He'd talk right up until the "get ready!" yell to start filming was heard. I'd occasionally get angry at him for that (laughs). But that's also one of Ryu's specialties, as it makes everyone around him feel at ease.

Iuchi: Miu-chan has…a broad perspective.

Hayama: She really does, doesn't she? She's always looking at her surroundings.

Iuchi: She tells us what she notices and will bring everyone together. Thanks to her, I feel that I've enjoyed my work.

Hayama: This is just my assumption, as she never said anything like this to us, but among the six Boonboomger cast members, she's the only female member. I think the five of us were able to consult with each other because we were all male, while on the opposite end, I'm sure that there may have been things that Miu-chan wanted to consult with us about but couldn't. However, she'd never show any signs like that and would always keep the set in harmony. She's a tolerant and incredible person. And, she's the same as Mira too, don't you think?

Iuchi: She really is.

Hayama: If you asked me, "Which part of her?," I'd say it's everything.

Iuchi: Ryu and Jou also have some parts that overlap between them, but Miu-chan seems to be Mira herself.

"You've been working with these friends to create this production, but what did you learn from your role throughout the year? In addition, how do you feel you've grown as actors?"

Hayama: I was tasked with a role that I would continue to play for a year, and it's an experience that I may not be able to replicate in the future, where I can take the time to develop my role. I was also able to perform action scenes and learned alot of things that can only be learned on a set like this, such as the unique way tokusatsu productions are filmed. More specifically, there's a Director, Cameraman, lighting crew, sound team, costume designers, makeup team, artists, and so on…I'm embarrassed to say that I now have a better understanding for the reason why these types of work are divided up. I want to continue to be an actor, and for that reason I learned some valuable basics. Honestly, I don't know if my acting has improved. That's for the people around me to judge. However, I have grown in the sense that I've learned the basics and gained a real feel for what acting is like.

Iuchi: Since this was my first time filming a drama, I didn't know how to ask questions or express my opinions even if I had questions or didn't understand something. To begin with, I thought anything I'd say would be wrong. However, the Director would ask me what I thought, and I learned that it was okay to look at all my costars and voice my opinion. I learned the basics of how to act on a set, and it was a fulfilling year for me.

"This book will be released before the final episode. What are some highlights of the final episode and your message to the fans who have supported the show for the past year?"

Hayama: There's the final battle with the Hashiriyan boss, Waruido Spindo…or rather, that's the main thing, as the battle scenes are a bigger highlight, but I think you'll enjoy it even more if you pay attention to how each character spends the final episode, or rather, how they're portrayed. And! There's also some highlights for BoonBlue, played by myself and Suit Actor Yoneoka Takahiro-san, so I hope that you'll pay attention to that.

Iuchi: Thank you for loving Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger and all of us in the cast. The Super Sentai series will continue into the future, so I hope you'll enjoy that as well. I also hope that you'll be interested in the actors of Boonboomger's cast and continue to support us. I'd be grateful if you'd keep an eye on us and see how we progress. _

Suzuki Miu x Saito Ryu

"What were your first impressions of each other?"

Suzuki: Ryu-kun was sitting near me during the final audition…I think Haruhi-kun, Yuki-kun and Satorun were also there, right?

Saito: Yeah

Suzuki: Out of everyone, Ryu-kun in particular left an impression on me. This is because I had fun doing our performance together. We played the roles of Mira and Jou respectively, but Ryu-kun was beyond perfect for a role like Jou. My first impression was that this person would without a doubt be selected. In addition, he talked about how confident he was in his muscles at the audition, and someone had to stop him when he suddenly said, "Can I take my clothes off?!" (laughs). I was also impressed by his eager attitude, which still hasn't changed.

Saito: The only impression I had of Miu-chan was ramen (laughs). When the topic of liking ramen came up during the audition, Miu-chan told the Producer that she "likes well arranged and beautiful looking ramen," but the Producer, who liked hearty ramen with tons of ingredients, replied to her with, "That doesn't sit well with me" (laughs). Still, I thought she had good communication skills, as she was able to skillfully respond to them and their conversation went on naturally. After that, when we were both selected to appear and were set to meet for the first time, Miu-chan arrived alittle late.

Suzuki: Yeah, I was.

Saito: All four of us guys were there, and as we were all thinking, "I wonder who this last person is?," Miu-chan arrived and I was like, "It's the ramen person!" (laughs).

Suzuki: That's how you remembered me? (laughs).

Saito: I think this happened after that, during costume fitting. Miu-chan came to our dressing room and asked, "Should we go out for a meal together?" Up to that point, us four guys hadn't been communicating well, as we had just been glancing at each other to see things would play out, but thanks to Miu-chan, we all started talking to each other. People tend to say that the Boonboomger cast get along well with each other, and I believe it's thanks to Miu-chan.

Suzuki: That makes me happy!

"It may be similar to her relationships depicted in the show. Mira treats everyone equally and doesn't distance herself from any of the other members."

Suzuki: I don't think that Mira and myself are as similar as people say, but after listening to what Ryu-kun said, I guess I might be abit like Mira. I definitely thought that I approached everyone pretty aggressively (laughs).

Saito: Still, I was really grateful for that personally. Haruhi's the same age as me, so I felt somewhat at ease with him. Satoru-kun's eight years older than me, while Yuki-kun's three years older than me, so I wasn't sure how I should treat them. Well, as you can see, we're now talking to each other on a first name basis.

"Soma-san and Miyazawa-san said that they were constantly teased by the younger members."

Suzuki: It's because of the tolerance those two have. It was helpful.

Saito: I went to Satoru-kun's place yesterday and ate some oden.

"Didn't you visit him just the other day?"

Saito: At that time, I did muscle training at my place and then went to Satoru-kun's place for a meal. He had asked me, "I've got some extra food, do you want to come over?" I don't have to worry about who I'm with now that I've gotten along so well with everyone.

"Both Mira and Jou are neither wealthy nor aliens, they're both ordinary people who share a common perspective, but did you ever feel that your characters were similar to each other?"

Saito: They're similar in that they both have an honest way of thinking. Another similarity would be that they don't know anything (laughs). They both didn't know the secrets that everyone else shared or sensed.

Suzuki: Neither of them ever made deductions (laughs). Also, they're similar in the way they expressed their feelings in a straightforward manner. However, since Jou's a police officer, I think he had a greater sense of responsibility as a member of society compared to Mira, and I think he's a character who had the belief of "I'm a police officer" at his core.

"Because of that, his decision to quit being a police officer in Bakuage 46 carried alot of weight."

Suzuki: He said, "If I can't help those who are screaming, then I'll quit being a police officer." Since the viewers saw how things unfolded up to that point, they know what he did wasn't a reckless decision.

Saito: Quitting being a police officer is a big decision for Jou, so I consulted with Director Hayama and thought about it as I performed. But then there was the line, "I don't have to be a police officer to protect those who need protecting." It's true, being a police officer is just a profession, and you can quit and still protect citizens. I felt like that line represented Jou's growth.

"Can you tell us what you think is great about each other as actors?"

Suzuki: Ryu-kun's honesty and pureness overlaps with Jou's passion, which is very emotionally appealing. The episodes with scenes of Jou being emotionally charged are all excellent. I thought the Keytarou episode (Bakuage 15) in particular was a divine episode. I cried.

Saito: What I admire about Miu-chan is her ability to instantly change the atmosphere of the scene. In the scene where Boon-chan talks about his past at the Deliverer's garage, and the scene where everyone talks after Boon-chan is defeated by Spindo, the atmosphere instantly changed when Mira said her lines. When Miu-chan spoke, it tugged at my heartstrings. The atmosphere changing also made it easier for me to perform.

Suzuki: I'm glad. Alright, here's one more wonderful thing about Ryu-kun. Expressing your emotions is naturally important, but since this is a hero production, I think it's important to look like a hero in the footage and to learn how to use your body for that purpose. In the beginning, Suit Actor and Action Director Jun-san taught me how to stand like a hero, and told me to learn how to use my body throughout the year. People have said that my movements look stiff (bitter smile), but Ryu-kun uses his body well, and his movements are sharp and cool. When you look at the footage, he's able to do movements that'll make you think, "Ah, he's a hero!" without even realizing it. That's why I consulted with Ryu-kun when I was set to get up from a crawling position after being attacked by an enemy. I'd ask him how I should angle my legs so that they don't look awkward, and how to stand up so that I look like a hero. He's like my nearby Action Director.

Saito: It's not that big of a deal, but I've loved heroes since I was little and used to play pretend. It may be ingrained in my body.

Suzuki: You've been practicing alot of action moves lately. You even did a forward somersault.

Saito: I practiced under the teachings of all the Action Team members, but they were good at giving me compliments. They'd give advice like, "That was good! But, you could do it abit more like this." I felt motivated by their encouragement.

Suzuki: His motivation is amazing! It doesn't matter what it's for. I know he's probably thinking that it could be useful in the future, but he practices action all the time, even after filming finishes, so I respect him for that.

Saito: Miu-chan would ask the Director detailed questions during postrecording. Things like, "What kind of CG effects will be used?" and, "What kind of attack will be shown that knocks me down?" As a professional, she never left out any details. I tended to act based on whatever came to my imagination, but Miu-chan listened to what the Director said, and she thoroughly incorporated it into her work as set tasks.

Suzuki: That makes me happy. I wish we could hold these kinds of "mutual praise meetings" atleast once a month (laughs).

Saito: They'd really increase our motivation! (laughs).

"Please list some memorable scenes of each other's character. We got the impression that Mira and Jou were often together at the Deliverer's garage. When Boonboom Marine and Boonboom Safari were activated in Bakuage 13, Mira said, "Let's see who can get the approval first," to which Jou agreed."

Suzuki: There were definitely alot of scenes like that.

Saito: We were given alot of freedom, as the Director's instructions were sometimes as simple as, "They're both really excited" (laughs). Then we'd talk about what we were going to do and act it out.

Suzuki: The beginning of Bakuage 25 left an impression on me. After Jou said, "The firework festival is finally tonight" we were instructed to "make it look like they're both having fun," so we did some cheering and went, "Boom boom" (laughs).

Saito: Another memorable scene was when Mira's tears fell onto Nicola's pendant in the warehouse during Bakuage 45. I couldn't see Miu-chan's face from where I was standing, but I knew that she was crying the moment she started speaking. And, when they got the take, I saw that she had real tears in her eyes. I had a really hard time trying to cry during the Keytarou episode. Miu-chan however was able to cry immediately.

Suzuki: No, it was because we shot that scene atleast 3 times. The first time we shot it, I still hadn't sorted out my emotions, so I thought that I wouldn't cry, but the instant they got the final take, Ryu-kun turned to me to check my face (laughs). I felt that Ryu-kun was acting pretty childish (laughs).

Saito: I'm sorry. I was just so curious.

Suzuki: At that time, Mira was looking at Taiya, but due to the angle, Taiya wasn't in frame, so the scene was just of me. Haruhi-kun was still there performing with me, and he gave me some great facial expressions. Without him there, I'm sure that I wouldn't have been able to cry.

"In this book, we'll also have you talk about the pairs featured in the other interviews. We'd like to ask you about your impressions of Soma Satoru-san and Miyazawa Yu-san as actors, along with some behind the scenes stories about filming. First, please start with Soma-san."

Suzuki: Satorun positioned himself as the silly one, making us laugh with his ridiculous jokes, but when we'd borrow his scripts to check his lines, he wrote detailed notes on every page, stuff like, "I think this is what Genba's feeling at this moment." During the time he took on the appearance of Genbard in Bakuage 27, he was watching the monitor closely as Suit Actor Ono-san performed as BoonOrange after transforming. He was trying to get into character as Ono-san did his role so that they'd overlap. An attitude like that is something I want to emulate as an actor.

Saito: Well then, I'll tell you about his private life. His room is very clean (laughs). He doesn't have much stuff. He's a good cook, and he has his own particular way of thinking, which he's uncompromising and thorough about. I think that comes out in his acting. That being said, he's usually calm and kind.

Suzuki: He's in the top three of kindest people I've ever met in my life.

"What about Miyazawa-san?"

Suzuki: I guess you could say that Zawa-kun's a level headed person. He treats both his superiors and those younger than him with the same attitude. When we'd go out for a meal after filming finished, he'd give us advice like, "For that scene, it would've been good if it was done like this, don't you think?"

Saito: He's a big bro you can count on. When I was alone with Zawa-nii, he'd never tell me what he thought of my performance, but when I requested it by saying, "Tell me what you thought," he'd give his opinion with, "That part was good, but I think this part could've been better…" I can tell that he's doing this job because he loves acting, as what he says is always precise.

Suzuki: It's easily understandable, isn't it?

Saito: It's like he's "Google" Sensei (laughs). He's able to teach me anything. Also, he's really good at making keema curry (laughs).

Suzuki: I can't imagine him doing detailed work like that (laughs).

Saito: That's why I had jokingly said to him, "You can't make meals that look like this" (laughs).

"And now finally, please tell us about the highlights of Bakuage 48's final episode, as well as a message to the fans who have supported you for the past year."

Saito: The part in Bakuage 47 where they stop Mira and Spindo's wedding deeply moved me. The scene is like a homage to Bakuage 1, but in Bakuage 1, only Taiya showed up at the wedding hall, in Bakuage 47 however, all of her friends rush in. I think it once again depicted how the Boonboomgers have grown over the past year and what kind of team they've become. From there, the final episode will be about how they'll defeat Spindo. I think many people are wondering what'll happen to the Sanseaters, and of course what'll happen to the Boonboomgers, so I hope that you'll watch and see where each and everyone one of them ends up. It's meant to be the next episode after Mira's wedding was stopped…but even though it's the final episode, I think of it as the second episode, or the beginning of a season 2.

Suzuki: I have a message for all the fans. Thank you so much for your support over the past year. When I first heard the title Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger, I thought it'd be a happy, cheerful, and energetic Super Sentai, and it definitely was just that. But that's not all, as I think that the viewers enjoyed things such as what each character had been carrying on their backs and the type of justice they wanted to uphold, as well as the depiction of the human drama, one which you wouldn't expect based off the show's title. And…(she turns to Saito), is there anything else you'd like to say?

Saito: Tons of people came to the events, and it became a hot topic on SNS, with words related to Boonboomger trending after each broadcast, so there were alot of people who liked it. I'm glad that I was able to be apart of such a production. Or rather, that's what Miu-chan wanted to say (laughs).

Suzuki: (laughs). I'm happy that this production was so well loved. _

Soma Satoru x Miyazawa Yu

"What were your first impressions of each other?"

Soma: That he was "the most intimidating guy" (laughs). His appearance left an impression on me, and I think the other members felt that way too, but still, I thought he looked scary.

Miyazawa: Did you think I was gonna yell at you? (laughs).

Soma: However, my impression changed when I actually got to know him, as he was overflowing with kindness and consideration for others.

Miyazawa: Thank you (laughs). When I first met Satoru, I thought he was a "fluffy" person. My first impression of him was that he "seemed kind and had some soft vibes," and that still hasn't changed. It's like he's Buddha. He's always smiling.

Soma: Thank you.

"You two are the oldest out of the main cast members, so did you take on the role of being their big brothers on set?"

Miyazawa: They knew we were the oldest, and yet they mistreated us, isn't that right?

Soma: (he immediately takes over) That's right. I think we were the top two when it came to being teased. Well, I do think it's good that the younger cast members were able to be so carefree.

"If it's just between the two of you, who's the funny guy and who's the straight man?"

Miyazawa: I'm totally the funny guy, right? (laughs).

Soma: It's either hit or miss with you (laughs).

Miyazawa: The two of us are together quite often, wouldn't you say? We go to bathhouses together. We're easy going people. On days when we finished filming in the morning and had free time in the afternoon, we'd go to an onsen and enjoy the ganbanyoku.

"Now then, we'd like to ask about your impressions of each other as actors."

Soma: When it was time to screw around, Zawa-kun would screw around. When it was time to perform, he was completely focused. There was a clear contrast between the two, which made me feel like I had to act the same. He has alot of experience, is passionate about acting, and has a wide range of skills, so there was much to learn from him. When I saw Zawa-kun's performance, I thought, "I see, so that's how he expresses it. If that's the case, then I'll do it like this," and from there, I begin to think about things more thoroughly.

Miyazawa: The atmosphere changed tremendously when it was revealed that Genba was an alien and left Boonboomger in Bakuage 27. What I felt most at that time was that Satoru was thinking deeply about the role of Genba Bureki, and how to convey the character of Genba to the viewers. He would discuss things with the Director, including how to express himself, and wrote alot of notes in the script. Those around him were inspired by that, and it caused them to bring out the best in their own performance, so I'm very grateful to him for that. Being able to work together with him made me happy.

"We got the impression that Genba had alot of scenes with Sakito during his withdrawal, but when filming scenes with just the two of you, would you discuss things beforehand?"

Miyazawa: We'd talk about what we were going to say, but we didn't want to force it. We didn't talk about specifics like, "I want to take it in this direction, so here's what I'm going to do," but rather, how I would respond to the Genba that Satoru had in mind. I wondered what kind of expressions he'd use and how I'd respond to them.

Soma: That kind of attitude was very important to me. When I spoke my lines, I'd carefully watch how Zawa-kun responded to them, and if he responded to them in "this way," then I'd "go with this." We made it a point to express exactly what we were feeling while acting.

Miyazawa: Our characters didn't exactly have a close relationship with each other, so I think we had to explore them even more.

"When it comes to memorable scenes involving Genba and Sakito…"

Miyazawa: It's the sumo match during Bakuage 32.

Soma: Yeah. I'm sure some of the viewers watching may have been thinking, "Why sumo here?" (laughs). It was hot during that shoot, and we had to use every muscle in our body when performing, so it was difficult, but it also brought out more emotion in us, which made it easier to get into it.

Miyazawa: We got so into it that we ended up getting brain fog (laughs).

Soma: We were like, "What do we do next again?" (laughs).

Miyazawa: We were both sweating so much, that we could squeeze out the sweat that had soaked into our clothes. It was really hot, in part because we were standing on concrete. Still, even after Genba left Boonboomger, Sakito would often show up in front of him just to mess with him, so that sumo match left a strong impression on me due to the fact that it was the only time they both seriously discussed their feelings with each other. Up to that point, Sakito had been saying some nuanced things in order to get him to return to Boonboomger, but Genba wouldn't listen. Then, Nijino Akira appeared and they decided to wrestle, and he was finally able to express his true feelings in a straightforward way.

Soma: It's because Sakito kept digging into him that Genba was also able to vent his frustrations. He left Boonboomger to not get them involved in his plans for revenge, and even though he wanted to go back, he couldn't let himself do it. But when Sakito, whose sense of distance is different compared to the other four told him, "Quit being stubborn and just go back to them," he was able to once again validate his feelings. I think it was a big deal for Genba, as he was able to do it once he truly spoke his mind.

"Speaking of, Soma-san was told from the beginning that Genba was an alien, right?"

Soma: Yeah. Still, all they said to me was, "We want you to be aware of it, but we don't want to make it obvious, so we may make small mentions of it in future lines." In the beginning, they apparently hadn't decided on the development of his withdrawal, and I wasn't informed of his Burekiian form until shortly before it was set to happen. Then he was removed from the opening credits…

Miyazawa: Seems like it was pretty intricate.

"Another time the two of you were featured together was in Bakuage 41's soccer episode."

Miyazawa: We were very grateful for that. I was happy that there was an episode where the two of us were the main characters. Since we're both experienced soccer players, we were invited to participate in a collaboration event with Shimizu S-Pulse in September 2024. After that, Producer Kuji-san said to us, "We can probably include a soccer episode somewhere."

Soma: I had the opportunity to meet head character designer Shimamoto-san, and at that time I told him how I'd "like to do a soccer episode." At that time, I was just talking about my desires, but then it became a reality.

Miyazawa: During filming, we had our first experience with napalm explosions in the scene where flames rise up from behind us while we were dribbling the ball. We kicked the ball in the shoes of the Boonboomger suit, which are usually worn by the Suit Actors.

Soma: It was hard to kick with them (laughs).

Miyazawa: The top of the shoes are large, which made it difficult to catch the ball. However, as expected of Satoru, he was able to do "keepy uppies."

Soma: No, no, it was still difficult with the napalm.

Miyazawa: The path also had quite abit of gravel.

Soma: I was worried that the ball would bounce and that our dribbling would become out of sync, but we managed to pull it off somehow. If I was going to be involved in a tokusatsu production, I wanted to experience napalm, so it was a good experience for me.

"What's the most memorable scene that doesn't involve Genba and Sakito together?"

Soma: In Bakuage 18, when Taiya says, "I can hear Sakito's screams" Sakito responds with, "I hate it. Guys like you who sugarcoat crap." Him being able to express his true feelings left an impression on me. I love that scene. I'll often rewatch it just to see Sakito's expression.

Miyazawa: I liked the scene in Bakuage 33, where Genba goes to the Deliverer's garage while everyone else is away and stares at the Champion Jacket that Shirabe-san hands him. But, the best scene was the last scene in Bakuage 26, where he confronts Disrace and jumps at him. Genba exploded with the emotions that he had kept bottled up, and it left a huge impact on me, as the impression I had of his character changed all at once in that scene. The atmosphere Satoru created was completely different from the previous scenes.

"When you feel that kind of change, the atmosphere of the cast members around you also changes, right?"

Miyazawa: Yes. What I thought was amazing about everyone is that when it came to scenes that were important to someone else, or scenes that depicted strong emotions, they'd think about the actor who would be performing in those scenes.

Soma: We all create an atmosphere where we could concentrate, right?

Miyazawa: It was a truly wonderful set.

"We'd like to ask you about your role in the scene where you jump at Disrace."

Soma: Genba had never really shown his emotions up until that point, but after hearing about the appearance of Disrace, his destined rival, I wanted to show a contrast in his personality. This is why I was conscious of having more fun performing in the episodes that had comedic elements, such as in Bakuage 21, in which he calls himself the "candy detective."

"Were there any scenes that were difficult for you to perform, or that you felt helped you grasp your role better?"

Miyazawa: Sakito's a character who tends to be loud and childish, but he's also quite sensitive, so I found those parts of my role as a good challenge. However, I think that how he understood people's emotions and how he expressed what he was feeling was a theme I struggled with until the very end. Like in the scenes that involved Genba, or towards the end of the show, when everyone was in shock over Ishiro's betrayal, only Sakito expressed his anger. I tried to be conscious of that when performing.

Soma: I wasn't able to express my emotions until about halfway through the show, so I sometimes wondered whether it'd be better to suppress my expressions "here" or not, but if I suppressed them too much, nothing would be conveyed, so I guess you could say I struggled with that. However, after separating from his friends and coming back, I changed it to show alittle more emotion. The turning point of the story also became a switch to change up my performance.

Miyazawa: Can I add one more thing? Rather than myself, there's a scene where I felt that Sakito had grown. It's the scene in episode 45, where he's harshly critical towards the citizens. When Bundorio was defeated and everyone looked down on the Boonboomgers as the enemies of Earth, he shouts, "Didn't the Boonboomgers save you?" and, "I won't tolerate you guys calling them villains!" If it had been Sakito from around Bakuage 18, he would've never said that. He left Earth once, but now he loves his Boonboomger friends who he met on Earth, which is the reason why he spoke so sharply against the citizens. That was really passionate.

"Since you've brought up the topic of character growth, do you feel that you yourself have grown over the past year?"

Soma: I feel that I have. It's not often that you get to work on the same production for a whole year, so it was great to be able to experience that. In the past, I was often led by my seniors, but in this production, I was working with people who were younger than me, so I felt that I had to be more reliable, and I think I've grown in that I've become more aware of the need to lead others.

Miyazawa: I learned alot in the very beginning, such as how to behave towards cast members on set, and I think it'll definitely be to my advantage on the next set I participate in. As for my performance, I only joined midway through, but even so, it was a rare experience to play the same role for more than half a year, so I felt that I've gained alot from it, and that I'll make use of it in my next job.

"This book will feature interviews between three pairs. We'd like you to talk about the changes you've seen in the Iuchi Haruhi-san and Hayama Yuki-san pair over the past year. What do you think?"

Soma: First, Haruhi became more responsible as Red as the show progressed, and he consulted with the Director more frequently about his performance, so I could tell that his confidence was improving. In the beginning, I had the impression that he was timid, but in a good way, he started insisting on doing things his own way, and in the latter half of the show, the number of times he asked for advice increased, which made me happy.

Miyazawa: Well then, I'll talk about Blue's Yuki. He was always thinking about the role of Ishiro Meita, and he would perfectly embody that role on set. He made us realize just what kind of person Ishiro is. That's what I like about him. On the other hand, in private, he's got abit of a junior like quality to him, which makes me want to look after him (laughs). Still, he's got his own opinions, and could say what he needed to say to his seniors. That's the kind of thing that helped us out too. I'm confident that he'll continue to absorb alot of things from now on and become a wonderful actor.

"This book will be released just before the final episode airs. What are some highlights of the final episode and your message to the fans who have supported you over the past year?"

Miyazawa: The highlight will be the final battle of course, but also what'll happen with the Big Bang Grand Prix, which Taiya and the others have been aiming for, and what'll happen to Sakito. All I can say is that it's gonna be hot! I think it's because he became friends with the Boonboomgers and spent time with everyone that this is what happens. I hope you'll look forward to it.

Soma: Yes, that's exactly right (laughs). Now that all the highlights have been said, I have a message. Tons of people have watched the show and visited our events over the past year. Multiple people commented on SNS, which made me realize every day that this show was loved by so many people, and I can only be grateful for the happiness I felt. After the final episode airs, I hope you'll be immersed in a sense of Boonboomger loss…although, it's strange to wish for loss (laughs).

Hashiyasume Atsuko

"There's only one episode left in the story, but please tell us again what your impressions were when it was decided that you'd play the role of Saibu Shirabe, as well as some of the things you discussed with the Directors and Producers about your character's image."

Hashiyasume: I don't think there were many requests for me to "do things like this." When I first received the script and read it, the impression I got was that she seemed cool and cold, but as I read further, I learned about her interesting parts and unexpected side, and realized that she was a woman with an incredible gap in her personality. I had a feeling she'd become more involved with all the Boonboomgers in the future, so I decided to keep her cool image during the beginning, but as the story progressed, I played the role with the hope that she'd slowly warm up to everyone and that tensions would gradually melt away like ice.

"That kind of gap was wonderful for Shirabe, don't you think? How did you decide to act out the cute part of her that radiates love for Boonboom?"

Hashiyasume: Every time I'd go to the set, I had my own image in mind of what I wanted to do, but when I actually did it, the Director would give me advice like, "Wouldn't it be cuter if you did it alittle more like this?" (laughs). I think this part is where I got the most advice on my performance.

"Can you give us some examples of the advice you received?"

Hashiyasume: The Director himself gave form to these ideas by saying things like, "I think you should act more head over heels with Boon-sama" or, "Move your body more like this!" (laughs). The direction was that it was "fine to make it more exaggerated" than what I had in mind. The Director also suggested the scene where I become excited with Boon-sama and spin around while saying, "Alright!," and so, Boon-sama and Shirabe spun around in circles together (laughs). This was how new ideas like that were created on set.

"Was there anything memorable regarding your performance with Boonboom?"

Hashiyasume: In the film "Promise the Circuit," there's a scene where Shirabe's leaning against Boon-sama underneath the shade of a tree, but I think I wanted to be embraced by him more softly…(laughs). No, he was naturally embracing me with his gentle heart!

"Hashiyasume-san, have your feelings toward Boonboom changed over the year?"

Hashiyasume: Shirabe was smitten with Boon-sama from the moment they met, so I personally didn't stop loving him throughout the year. Of course, it was Boon-sama who was on my phone background, Boon-sama who I talked to the most, and I was even jealous of Belora (laughs). From beginning to end, I've always loved Boon-sama, and my feelings haven't changed for the past year!

"This is Hashiyasume-san's first time taking on the challenge of working on a tokusatsu production. We guess you haven't had much opportunity to get involved with tokusatsu up until now…"

Hashiyasume: I naturally knew about the Super Sentai series, but I never thought I'd be cast for it, so I was very surprised.

"But since this was your first time participating in a tokusatsu production, we're sure you must've been surprised by tons of things, no?"

Hashiyasume: That's true. I was surprised to see more CG than I was expecting. In Bakuage 39, there's a scene where Shirabe gets into the Boonboom Car by herself to deliver the Changer to Taiya, and it was only then that I finally learned that the back of the Boonboom Cars were CG (laughs). Shirabe was often at the ISA headquarters or Taiya's house, so I'd often find out when something irregular was done, and there were many moments when I thought, "This was CG too! Modern technology is amazing!"

"It seems like you noticed something every time you filmed."

Hashiyasume: Everything felt fresh. This is exactly why I was so surprised when I learned of the existence of Suit Actors, because at first, I really thought it was the actors themselves who were fighting. I have no doubt that this was obvious to all the fans, but there were so many things that I didn't know about. I had no idea that so many people were involved in the making of this, so I was deeply moved by each and every one of them.

"How was the response from those around you when your appearance in the Super Sentai series was announced?"

Hashiyasume: I received many comments from those I worked with on variety programs saying, "I'll watch Boonboomger." I've had comedians, artists, actors, and so many others mention Boonboomger to me. In addition, people who were accompanied by their children would often say things like, "My son's watching Boonboomger. Look, it's Shirabe!" (laughs). Through Boonboomger, I realized that I had made myself known to a wide variety of people. When I appeared on variety shows, people not only responded to me as "Former BiSH member Hashiyasume," but they'd also say on SNS, "Shirabe-san's appearing on a variety show!," so it was very refreshing for me that people knew me from my role. I realized that I was receiving support from a new demographic of people, and I was again surprised by the power Boonboomger's show had.

"When people actually called out to you, it must've also given off a real sensation of "this child is watching me," huh?"

Hashiyasume: It did. Even during filming of the movie, small children would call out to us during the middle of filming with, "Wow! It's the Boonboomgers!" Unlike live performances, you don't know what kind of response you'll get from video work until it airs, so I would sometimes wonder if it would be properly received by the viewers…When I got to meet viewers like that, it made me happy knowing that there really was a wide age range of people watching.

"Once again, if you had to pick the most memorable scene you appeared in among the ones that have aired so far, which episode would it be from?"

Hashiyasume: The scene that I knew would receive alot of feedback was the one in Bakuage 39, where Shirabe rushes to the scene in the Boonboom Car without wearing a Boonboom suit. From the moment I read the script, I had a feeling that this would be a very important episode for Shirabe. I thought I had been recognized as a member of Boonboomger…it may be an exaggeration to say that, but I thought it was a scene where I had become one with everyone. Actually, after the broadcast, I received very warm words, and I felt as if Shirabe was recognized, which personally gave me a boost of confidence. This episode once again made me feel very happy to have been able to appear in Boonboomger.

"We became overwhelmed with emotion the moment Shirabe rushed to the Boonboomers without any hesitation. We also got the impression that Taiya and the others were surprised and happy to see her."

Hashiyasume: That's right. In the scene where Taiya catches Shirabe after collapsing, we talked alot about how I should fall over. We discussed it with, "How do people collapse when they lose their strength?," and then went into filming.

"The progression of Shirabe becoming the Boonboomger's friend is also a highlight, and one of the reasons for this is Bakuage 39."

Hashiyasume: That's true. Up to that point, Sakito would call her "Shirabe-chan," but after Bakuage 39 it became "Nee-san." It was as if the way they looked at Shirabe changed, or rather, everyone's consciousness changed from thinking she was "that ISA person," to "Shirabe-san (ISA)." While the Boonboomgers and ISA are two different entities, Bakuage 39 was like Saibu Shirabe had become a member of Boonboomger.

"As an ISA member who was there to investigate and monitor their situation, we're sure Shirabe herself must've felt conflicted about it, no?"

Hashiyasume: With her gradually becoming more suspicious of the ISA, Shirabe was always thinking about what she could do in the moment. Even with her position at the ISA, I think she was able to maintain a good balance while dealing with various conflicts. Her first priority was to protect the peace for the sake of Earth. And, I believe that she had thought, "Someday, I'll fight together with the Boobboomgers."

"In Bakuage 46, there was a line where she said, "I'm also a member of Boonboomger." It was a very moving line."

Hashiyasume: That scene was the moment when Shirabe made a big decision, and I said it with the thought of, "This might be the last time…" From the time I read the script, I knew it would take alot of commitment to say that one statement. Uttering those words in the midst of the Boonboomger's critical situation, all while each and every event that had happened so far flashed before her eyes, made me put all the feelings that Shirabe had felt up to that point into it.

"When you think back on past days, were there any parts that made you think, "That really happened"?"

Hashiyasume: It'd be something from the beginning, like when I started things off by grabbing Jou by his chin~ (laughs). Her role at the ISA was to eliminate the Boonboomgers, so that was the kind of determination she had. Looking back to the beginning, things have really changed.

"Shirabe has a cool side, but when she's in front of Boonboom, she shows her cute side, causing this gap to make her a memorable character. Still, we gradually got a glimpse of her passionate side, which made us think that she was a wonderful person."

Hashiyasume: We were just talking about progression, but when I played the role of Shirabe, I imagined that she would gradually become a member of Boonboomger, so in the beginning, I didn't try to get to know the other Boonboomger performers that well. I thought that'd be a better relationship to perform in. I thought it'd be wrong to get too friendly with everyone from the beginning, so just like the ISA and Boonboomgers, I kept a certain distance from them. As the story progressed, I felt that Shirabe and the Boonboomgers had gradually become one, so the seven of us would go out to eat together. From that point on, I was able to perform with the feeling that I really fit in as a member of Boonboomger.

"What are your impressions of the actors playing the Boonboomgers, and what was the atmosphere like when you interacted with them?"

Hashiyasume: From the very beginning, the impression I got was that they were really close. The five, and eventually six of them, always looked like they were having fun while talking. They were so close all the time, that you'd think they were siblings, and the things they'd discuss were things that young boys tend to talk about (laughs), it was so cute.

"What would they talk to Hashiyasume-san about?"

Hashiyasume: An example would be with Mira-chan, who consulted with me for advice by saying, "Isn't it difficult doing variety shows?," and we also talked about work. Jou-kun once suddenly asked me, "Wanna play a card game?" (laughs). In his role, he's a mature and dependable older brother! Behind the scenes however, I often got to see the boyish side of him. All of the fans would say, "The Boonboomgers are so cool!" and, "They're heroes of justice!" but in reality, they're all quite cute……sorry for thinking out loud (laughs).

"Hashiyasume-san's birthday was also celebrated on set."

Hashiyasume: It was a great celebration! I was very happy and thought, "When you end up doing this for a year, these kinds of things happen~"

"It must've been a rare experience to play the same role for a year, so looking back, what were your days like?"

Hashiyasume: Shirabe was a character that didn't appear every week, so there were times when I wouldn't film for about a month. When the time did come, I had to remind myself what kind of voice I used when performing. Shirabe's tone is slightly lower than my natural voice, so trying to fine tune it for filming was difficult. It was the same for my appearance too, as before we started filming, we always had to do things like adjust the length of my bangs and the shape of my eyebrows in order to make it to "Shirabe's specifications." It was only after being prepared by the makeup artist did I think, "My eyebrows weren't Shirabe's until now!" (laughs). After a month had passed, my eyebrows would go back to their natural shape. It was a strange year for me, as I returned to being Shirabe every time I went to filming. It's been a really long year…is what I want to say, but it went by so quickly that I thought, "Huh? It's over already?" When I heard about the end date, I couldn't help but say, "I thought we had atleast another 6 months!" It all happened so quickly.

"And now we're approaching the final episode. Finally, please give a message to the fans who have supported you over the past year."

Hashiyasume: First off, I'd like to thank you for your support of Boonboomger over the past year. In the beginning, some of you may have had a bad impression of Shirabe, or thought she was terrible. It was the Boonboomgers and Boon-sama who softened Shirabe's harsh side. More than anything, it's because of all the little and big friends out there who've supported Shirabe up to this point and shown her so much love that she's been able to become this kind. I don't think things would've changed this much if it was just Shirabe on her own. I'm sure we can win if everyone supports us, so I hope you'll support us to the very end. And, please don't forget about the Boonboomgers or the ISA's Shirabe. I'll also fight until the very end, with the feeling that I was the seventh Boonboomger member. _

Suwabe Junichi x Mizuki Nana x Morohoshi Sumire

"Everyone, this was your first regular appearance in a Super Sentai series. Please tell us how you felt when you were chosen to appear."

Suwabe: Before I received an official offer, Screenwriter Tomioka Atsuhiro-san told me something like, "I've been asked to work on Super Sentai, but I have a role I want you to play." I had voiced minor characters in past series, but I had never been cast as a regular, so I immediately said, "Absolutely!" I've been familiar with the Super Sentai series since I was a child, so I have a strong emotional attachment to it. I was very happy that what I wanted to do most became a reality.

Mizuki: I had previously been involved as minor characters, but I had dreamed of one day being a regular, so I was very happy. I'm secretly into cars (laughs), and many of my fans who support me are also motor sports enthusiasts, with some of them even coming to my live venues in their own decorated cars. Furthermore, I have a cat, so I personally felt that it was fate to play a character named Itasha with a cat motif (laughs).

Morohoshi: I was also very happy when I was first requested to play the role. I was also informed that I'd be playing something of a bad guy or enemy, and since I didn't have much experience playing roles of characters on that side, I thought it'd be a new and fresh challenge for me. My family lineage is female oriented, or in other words, I haven't had much of an opportunity to experience the Super Sentai series being mainly surrounded by girls, but a few years ago, my cousin gave birth to a boy. I was excited in many ways, as I was hoping to enjoy it together with him. The other day, I brought a Boonboom Killer Robo toy to my cousin's child to play with, and he seemed to be into it.

"How much was explained to you about the characters you'd be playing once you were chosen for the role? Please also tell us your thoughts when you were shown their designs."

Suwabe: The initial description of the Sanseaters was, "They're bad guys who aren't the capable type. They're the antagonists of the main characters, but they're a pitiful group that you just can't hate" (laughs). We saw the character designs in the documents we were given when we received our formal offers. They were more rough looking than I was expecting, but I was excited once I learned that they were designed by Shimamoto Kazuhiko-san.

Mizuki: At the time I was approached for the role, they told me the general setup they were aiming for were "enemies you can't hate, and to make them charming villains who, even if they fail, will spin their wheels with all their might." When I was shown the design drawings at the time, I thought they were "cute," and as I read through the script, I found them to be even more adorable (laughs). I was excited about the fact that there was alot of freedom in how we could portray these characters, and that we'd be able to try out alot of different things.

Morohoshi: When I saw the design drawings, I was told, "His voice should give off the impression of being babyish, and he's normally small enough for the other two to hold in their hands." I had almost no experience playing villains, so I wondered how I'd play the role, but I remember thinking that I could do it. After that, they contacted me and said, "We want you to send us some samples of your intimidating voice." They said, "We'd like a voice for if Yarucar is taken over by a bad guy named Madrex. Madrex is a rough man and head commander, so that's the kind of voice we want." I wondered what was going on (laughs).

Suwabe: This setting doesn't appear in the show.

Morohoshi: Yeah. I recorded multiple patterns and sent it to them, and they decided on the direction to take by saying, "Please use the most intimidating voice you can make." At that stage, I couldn't imagine what kind of character I was going to become, but on the flip side, I was still looking forward to it.

"When Yarucar inhaled Gyahsoline and entered into his reckless state, his voice becomes intimidating. So, with the take over setting being removed, it was used here instead? Does that mean you had trouble doing that voice every episode…?"

Morohoshi: No. It was a voice I don't normally make, and I was surprised at how frequently I went into that mode once recording began, but I wouldn't consider it something I struggled with. I had fun.

"Did Suwabe-san and Mizuki-san also receive instructions to be more intimidating?"

Suwabe: According to what Tomioka-san had told me beforehand, Decotrade was a character with pretentious vibes, but when I read the script that I received for Bakuage 1, he was totally different (laughs). I also took the impression his appearance gave off into account as I adjusted the direction I'd go in. I was glad that the performance plan I prepared was able to get an OK from the production side so easily.

Mizuki: Itasha always takes her job seriously, but things don't always go smoothly. Even if she made a cool entrance, her true colors would immediately be found out, and her distinct personality would be revealed (laughs). I was hoping that I could bring out that kind of funny contrast. It seems that my image and the Directors image matched up, as I remember that they immediately gave me the OK.

"We'd like to know if you had been influenced in any way from each other's performance."

Mizuki: Every time we'd watch the footage at the recording set, we'd see Decotrade's Suit Actor Ogura-san and Itasha's Miyazawa-san doing moves that weren't in the script…

Suwabe: They really did, huh? (laughs)

Mizuki: We'd check it out in surprise, thinking, "What is this scene?!," and then we'd do our actual performance immediately after the test, so our reflexes were tested every time. Suwabe-san would take the lead every time, and then Itasha and Yarucar…

Morohoshi: Would interrupt him (laughs).

Mizuki: That was the kind of balance they had. In Bakuage 38, it was revealed that Decotrade had asked Itasha and Yarucar if they "wanted to run together," and pulled them along, but it was also us actors who were being pulled along by Suwabe-san (laughs).

Morohoshi: We'd just sorta followed him (laughs).

Suwabe: No, no (laughs). I was always inspired by the characters that you both played so wonderfully. Well, I thought it was my role to throw in some comedic adlibs (laughs).

Mizuki: He even included puns that weren't in the script (laughs). I thought he was way too good at coming up with ideas after just one look at the footage!

Suwabe: When we'd watch the footage at the recording set, it wasn't uncommon to see people doing things differently from the scripts we were given in advance (laughs). They were more interesting, adorable, and lively in their movements. We thought this was a challenge from the Suit Actors, and so we, the Voice Actors, did our best to bring out the appeal of our characters.

"The "Ka-click" part in "Ka-click, Ignition" when Itasha inserts a key to create a Kurumaju was also a line that wasn't in the script, right?"

Mizuki: That's right. There was a short pause before I said, "Ignition." I thought that music and sound effects would be added for the broadcast, but I also thought that these were the type of guys to say the sound effects themselves (laughs). So when I added the "Ka-click!" and it was accepted, it then became standard.

"Moving on now, we'd like to know who your favorite characters are."

Suwabe: Mine are the Sanseaters. I naturally like Decotrade himself, but I'd like to support the Sanseaters as a set. I was moved to tears when Yarucar abandoned the road to becoming a super elite and returned to Itasha and Decotrade.

Mizuki: In that episode, the scene where Decotrade and Itasha declare that the "Sanseaters are disbanding" really hit me. I could really feel how much they cared about each other.

"Who was Mizuki-san's favorite?"

Mizuki: I also like the Sanseaters. I had the impression that we spent the year raising them, so I have a strong emotional attachment to them. All three of them were always positive. Even when things didn't go their way, they never gave up. Even though they're villains, they had cores similar to heroes. They cherish their bonds. I love them…I really do.

"Will Morohoshi-san also choose the Sanseaters?"

Morohoshi: That's right. They're villains, but you just can't hate them, and that's not all, as watching them made me feel energized, and I loved how positive and honest they all were. I also liked how direct they were in expressing their beliefs. The fact that they understood each other and balanced each other out well was wonderful, and I can feel the bond between them. Also, I really liked Ita-san's motherly side (laughs). I felt that she was very patient with Yaru-chan. And above all else, she's a young lady, so she's cute.

Mizuki: That makes me happy.

Morohoshi: Deco-san was also a very passionate man. He made alot of mistakes (laughs), but at his core, he had more passion and stronger feelings than anyone else, which I respect. Other than the Sanseaters, I was interested in Weiwei Yarucar, who appeared in Bakuage 38. I was surprised that he and Yaru-chan were of the same race, and I wanted to see the other Yarucars. He was a character I would've liked to have seen explored alittle deeper.

"Including Bakuage 38, which episode left the strongest impression on you?"

Suwabe: I'll mention one that's not connected to the Sanseaters, that being Bakuage 15. That episode between Jou and Kaseki Grumer made me cry. It was incredibly sad and memorable.

"What about Mizuki-san? As a viewer, Bakuage 42 left a strong impression on us."

Mizuki: I didn't expect to sing in such a serious way either (laughs). I was informed beforehand that, "There's going to come a time when Itasha will be in the spotlight, and it'll be like a musical," but I thought I'd just adlib and do some humming. But then I was surprised to find out that Itasha's singing part was fairly long.

Suwabe: Basically, when we'd record, we only watched footage of scenes where our own characters appeared. I wasn't able to record that episode with Mizuki-san, so I was surprised when I saw the broadcast. I didn't expect it to be a real musical (laughs).

Morohoshi: It was sung properly, don't you think?

Mizuki: Yes. My lines were recorded at the usual record, while the singing part was recorded in a recording studio, but just like in regular recording sessions, they placed a screen in front of me and I sang along with the actors movements. I was also impressed by the scene depicting the three's love for Madrex-sama. Madrex-sama became a star in Bakuage 33, and while the three of them don't know this, they decide to carry out what Madrex-sama left unfinished. That scene was sad and made me teary eyed. I could also feel Madrex-sama's manliness in the fact that he was about to self destruct, but flew into space alone, and I realized that this is why the three of them adored him so much.

"What impressed Morohoshi-san the most?"

Morohoshi: It has to be Bakuage 38. Yaru-chan's emotions were intense, and I felt like I was able to play a more profound role than I had ever played before. For the scene where he decides to take on the challenge of becoming an elite and is driving on the highway, but then remembers the past and hesitates, they adjusted the length of the footage on the spot. It's a scene that was recorded carefully and over a long period of time to make it easier to perform so that Yaru-chan's feelings would be conveyed more clearly. I was able to put so much emotion into it, that tears ran down my face as I performed, so it's stayed with me ever since. I also like the sports episodes (laughs).

Suwabe: Bakuage 23's baseball episode and Bakuage 41's soccer episode, right?

Morohoshi: That chaotic feeling, or rather, the feeling that anything was possible and went beyond your imagination was typical in Boonboomger. I laughed during the baseball episode, like when Yaru-chan drove recklessly (laughs).

"And now finally…Morohoshi-san, please give us your thoughts on the past year. It seems that you were confused by your first villain role."

Morohoshi: Looking back on it now, I don't have the impression that I had a hard time because I enjoyed every recording. Whenever I was shown the footage at the recording, it always exceeded my imagination. It was inspiring to see all the cast members and Suit Actors doing their best to match up with the others acting and movements, and being able to experience Suwabe-san and Mizuki-san's acting up close made me feel increasingly excited both as a viewer and as a fan of the Sanseaters. I'm really sad to see it come to an end, but I'm happy to have been apart of a production that never stalled and kept going at a high speed until the very end.

"Mizuki-san, what are the highlights of the final episode?"

Mizuki: I can't talk about specifics if we wanna avoid spoilers…(laughs). The conclusion for both the Boonboomgers and Sanseaters will be a hot development. The final lap of show, including the final episode, was full of many serious developments that included a variety of complicated speculation, such as the collusion between the Hashiriyans and those on Earth's side, and while it felt exciting to see the foreshadowing resolved, it's not aimed at being some kind of warning for modern society, but it wasn't just a refreshing story either. It wasn't just passionate and fun, as I think that this is what made it unique to Boonboomger, and will remain in the hearts of everyone who enjoyed it over the past year, especially children. Your children may not understand everything now, but someday when they look back, even if they have a passion for something, it can be difficult to do it alone, so it's important to keep running and not give up, and to find friends you can trust to help you do it. I hope that people will be able to rediscover the message we wanted to convey through this show. Make sure that even after you've become an adult, you'll rewatch it through discs or a streaming service (laughs).

"Suwabe-san please give a message to the fans who have supported you over the past year."

Suwabe: The Super Sentai series is a "path" that many Japanese children walk across…I personally believe it should be a required school subject. The time I spent as Decotrade was a wonderful memory that'll stay with me for life. The recurring phrase that appeared in this show was to "take control of your own wheel." In the current age of being overwhelmed with information and being easily influenced by others, I think it's a very important saying. I hope that the Boonboomger's passionate message has left a lasting impression on you that'll enrich your life for years to come. Unless Earth is destroyed, the Super Sentai series will continue to be available for viewing in some form or another. The characters will live on in these productions. The Sanseaters will also keep running towards the top that they're aiming for. That said, I'd like to ask for your continued support of Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger. And once again, thank you so very much for your support over the past year. Thanks for watching, and good work Sanseaters!!

[antisocialsharky]

Parents who Love their Kids Cause PDs too

The belief, that only parents who absolutely despise their kids, can cause said kids to develop a personality disorder, is a dangerous misconception.

This belief majorly stems from the facts, that:

1. People think parents who love their children do everything right & parents who hate their children do everything wrong and

2. People think, trauma can only be caused intentionally & maliciously.

Which is both bullshit btw! Let me tell you why:

1. Parents who "love" (however you define that) their children often tend to think that this love is:

• always visible and obvious to the child => therefore the child never has to question that they're loved

• a sign that everything they do is done in the name of said love => therefore no action/behavior can be wrong/abusive/bad because they didn't mean it maliciously, it was done out of love

• a reason that the child should/will forgive them for any wrongdoings and that the simple existence of this love is enough to make the child happy => therefore the child has no reason to feel unloved, no reason to complain and no reason to cut them off

Many parents do not realize, that they rely on their child automatically knowing of this emotions existence to such a degree, that they fail to verbally communicate it often enough, fail to make their actions show said love and fail to acknowledge that something done out of love, does not equal it being good or non harmful.

To give you a personal example here: My parents love me, absolutely! They'd lay down their life for mine in a heartbeat.

But when I was growing up, their actions did not always reflect that. I went years without hearing the words and whenever I tried to communicate, that I felt unloved, I only got to hear that I was being ridiculous. According to them I had food to eat, a roof over my head and two living parents that didn't beat me, so I should be happy.

They expected me to know that they provided these things for me out of love and that that should be enough to satisfy my emotional needs. It wasn't and it rarely is.

Loving your child is worth shit, if you don't make sure to remind your child of that love frequently. Its worth shit, if you fail to pay attention and fail to show up for this child. Love alone doesn't win you the "greatest parent" award.

Similarly, a lack of love, doesn't immediately mean that you're a horrible parent. You can not feel love for your children and still make decisions that are benefitial for those children. You can not feel love for them and still be a parent that doesn't ever raise their hands against them, which will make you "better" than many loving parents who do raise their hands against their kids. The emotional feelings towards your children do not determine your ability to be a good parent, at least not inherently.

There is nuance, when it comes to children needing to have their emotional needs met and being able to sense whether its genuine or not, but if someone is good at faking emotions, one could make their child feel loved, without ever personally feeling that love (=> arguments can be made about whether or not the child will be able to understand the goodwill behind the faking and will be able to value that the parent did that for their benefit, instead of being sad about there not being emotional love, but thats not the point of this post).

What I am trying to say is this:

• parents who love their children are capable of not meeting their childs emotional needs

• parents who love their children are capable of doing things that end up hurting their children

• parents who love their children are capable of being so caught up in chores, work, relationship problems, etc. that they accidentally neglect their children

• parents who love their children are capable of doing things, that they may see as "good", "character building", "helpful for later", etc. but which will do more damage than good

• parents who love their children are capable of pushing them away by being too controlling, too smothering and too invested

Being a parent isn't easy, but love alone is not the recipe for producing non traumatized well adjusted children. Thats all I wanna tell you right here. Theres always nuance and reasons why things may go wrong, but in the end love doesn't protect against that.

2. Trauma isn't always caused maliciously & intentionally. That much is probably already obvious from the previous paragraphs, but I'll get into it regardless.

If a parent works two jobs, has arguments with their partner at the side, needs to do most of the chores and has two children (one maybe at toddler age, the other a teenager), one (or both) of those children might end up experiencing accidental neglect. Theres only so much a human being can do & devote their time to and while you can set priorities, sometimes you will accidentally neglect a child, because you have no time to do their homework with them, you have no time to go to the park and play with them, you're too tired to listen to them babble on about their interests, you're too distracted to properly congratulate them about their good grades and you're not present enough to realize they're always alone and barely leave their room anymore. Maybe you fail to realize health concerns, conflicts with their friends, arguments between the kids, etc. All the while you're trying your hardest to provide for your children and balance your own life. Accidental neglect is a thing.

If a parent was brought up by an emotionally colder parent or an absent parent or a combination of that, they may have never learned how one properly cares for a childs emotional needs.

They may think they turned out fine, because they have a job, they have a house and a family, everything they're supposed to achieve, so why should they bring you up any differently than they were themselves? Maybe they even saw some youtube videos and facebook posts on how kids these days are all sensitive little things and can't manage their lifes anymore. Maybe the parent makes it their misguided mission to make sure their own kids are resilient and strong, just like they are, so they have a good chance of success and survival.

They don't tell the kids they love them. They don't comfort them when they're sad. They don't hug them. They don't allow big emotional tantrums. They harshly punish bad grades and mistakes, because if the kid is to succeed and survive, the parents needs to help it stay on the path. That parent loves their child and expresses this love in a misguided attempt at helping it succeed in life and be even better off than they were. Accidental/misguided emotional neglect (and abuse if u wanna call it that) is a thing.

I could go on about this for ages! Theres a million different situations in which parents try their hardest and best to give their kids a good life and help them succeed, but still have their children turn out traumatized.

Theres side factors like being marginalized, bullying, a lack of resources, other relatives being unhelpful/abusive, kids & parents being disabled in some way, etc.

All the love a parent holds for their child, cannot save the kid from being traumatized and it cannot save the kid from developing a personality disorder later in life.

If love (the emotion) is to be effective, it needs to be followed up by actions. Meeting a childs emotional/physical/developmental needs isn't done by holding a certain feeling for the child & especially not if you never make sure the child understands how you show & give that love to them.

By now, you might be thinking "Yeah okay sure, I suppose I already knew that much, but why are we talking about it this in the first place?"

Good question and theres multiple answers to it:

• Some parents will still not acknowledge that they have the capacity to hurt their kids. Many of them place more value in being labeled as/feeling like a "good parent" than they do in actually...producing a healthy well adjusted child. They believe themselves immune to causing their child trauma, simply based on "loving the child" and "providing food/shelter" and thats dangerous.

• Many people regularely get invalidated in personality disorder centered spaces, or also trauma spaces in general, if they have contact with their parents/have now build a healthy relationship with them, etc. Even other PDers/trauma survivors have not understood, that being loved by your parents doesn't equal a good childhood and doesn't mean that you can't be traumatized by them to the degree of developing a PD.

• Many professionals do not realize the amount of impact, that emotional neglect can have and often blame the patient for hiding in their room, being too hard on their parents, being sensitive, etc.

• Many PDers/trauma survivors also invalidate themselves because of this! They may think "was it really that bad if my parents loved me?" or "is it even valid/am I allowed to be hurt by it, if my parents didn't mean to do that?". Its challenging to hold space for both: the acknowledgement that they were loved & the pain wasn't caused intentionally, as well as their own valid feelings of having been/still being hurt by it.

• Additionally theres many people who worry that their muted emotions/difficulties developing actual bonds, may cause them to be bad parents, since they cannot love their children in the conventional way. For them it might be important to hear, that actions usually speak louder than the emotions they were motivated by and that loving your child doesn't equal being a good parent, so not loving it doesn't equal being a bad parent.

A few closing notes:

• "love" is used here in the "societal definiton" way, or more the way people seem to use it to mean "unconditional lovey dovey feelings towards one or more people". love, is of course deeply personal and for many already includes the actions one takes to show said love. I use the general idea of it here, since thats often the way parents kinda mean it when they say it (+/- the part of providing the survival essentials of shelter and food or other material things..yk for arguments sake)

• everyone has a different opinion on whether or not children can/should be brought up by people, who can't feel love for them and whether said people can meet the childrens emotional needs. I think that if ppl who do love their kids are sometimes not capable of meeting their childrens emotional needs, having or not having the capacity to love, seems to not be an inherent guarantee to excell or suck at meeting a kids needs. therefore theres no reason to think that every person with an incapacity for emotional love will suck at meeting someones emotional needs. I mean its the same as with empathy, having a lack of that doesn't make you inherently suck at comforting people or being a good friend now, does it? its always individual.

• in the place of every "parent", you can of course put "caregiver" or whichever word fits your situation! its easier to just do the arguments with parents here, but it does of course extend to any person who takes care of a child.

• this is also not meant to be a post, that tells parents they always suck, or tell them that their love is worthless or whatever. you can see it more as a reminder, that love alone isn't enough if its just what you feel for someone. I mean...no romantic or platonic relationship will work well if you just love your partner/friend and pay rent and maybe cook a meal here and there. partners/friends have emotional & physical needs they need met and so do children. an emotion alone doesn't do that and especially not if you assume that its always known how you feel! children are individuals that have & understand different love languages and being a parent doesn't inherently mean you know what your child needs. you gotta actually ask it and interact with it in order to get to know your child and then act on that knowledge.

first posted on my instagram (same @)

[nikitallymessy]

what career is destined for you?

ᯓᡣ𐭩 introduction: I've been having trouble over the past few months about what I want to do for my career, so I hope this reading guides you guys if you're confused about your path since there are many roads to take. The paintings are by Fernando Amorsolo by the way!!

ᯓᡣ𐭩 reminder: this is a general reading made for entertainment purposes, so please take what resonates and leave what doesn't ^_^

ᯓᡣ𐭩 how to pick a pile: close your eyes, take a deep breath, and choose the picture to which your eyes are drawn to.

pile 1 | pile 2 | pile 3

PILE 1:

the tailor and the patron

I see here that with the tailor card, your job has to do with great attention to detail. The explanation given for this card is that:

"the tailor labors at his work of love, nimble fingers, embroidering a spellbinding design into the silk. It is this passion and dedication that has made them so successful."

And I'm getting like surgery, being a surgeon, or anything really related to attention to detail, and that could also be like what the card suggests, a tailor or a sewist. I also see that with the patron card your job will be something where after you gain a lot of experience in the field, you are going to be a mentor for someone. I'm also getting it could be a job where you're a teacher. 
I'm getting mentorship, but also immense attention to detail. So that could be a teacher, a guidance counselor, or a surgeon, maybe even a lawyer.

justice, nine of wands, and the hanged man

I'm seeing working anywhere with high stakes, thus the need for attention to detail. It may be a career that'll make you feel burnt out a lot but the rewards will be plentiful. Yuppie, with the nine of wands-I really do see that it's a challenging career. It will come with a lot of challenges, im seeing that you will really have to go through obstacles and rigorous testing to get to this career. The Hanged Man is making me lean towards careers that require most of your time, so that's reinforcing the careers in medicine, law, or even as a teacher. It speaks to me as a sacrifice, the sacrifice of your time.

keywords: sacrifice, surgeon, medicine, law, guidance counselor, educator, high stakes, attention to detail

꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.°.‧ ꩜‧.°.𖦹 .°.‧꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.°.‧ ꩜‧.°.𖦹 .°.‧꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.°.‧ ꩜‧.°.𖦹 .°.‧

PILE 2:

the sleeper and the archer

For pile 2, I'm getting a lot of business, technology, and maybe even crypto trading or stocks trading visions while reading these two cards. The archer card has a lot to do with making sure you know exactly what you're shooting at, which is what's giving me the trading signs. The sleeper card's keywords are "cause and effect" and that's sort of telling me that you know, like in business, there's a lot of stakes and you really do reap what you sow. I'm also seeing the TV show Succession, lol.

eight of cups, three of coins, and the magician

With the eight of cups, I'm getting that your job could also bring you to travel to different places, it could be through business meetings abroad or being stationed in different areas. The three of coins tells me that it definitely is a job that requires a lot of teamwork, communication with others, that sort of thing. And lastly, the magician is giving me entrepreneurship vibes as well, like you could be a jack-of-all-trades kind of person and have several businesses as an entrepreneur. Or you could also be a skilled person in your company.

keywords: business, technology, trading, carefulness, caution, entrepreneur

꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.°.‧ ꩜‧.°.𖦹 .°.‧꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.°.‧ ꩜‧.°.𖦹 .°.‧꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.°.‧ ꩜‧.°.𖦹 .°.‧

PILE 3:

the enchanter and the poet

The enchanter card's keywords are deception and trickery, but I'm sensing it in a way that is like in writing, you could be a great writer, especially in the thriller genre or any genre that gives shocks to the readers, like "oh! I didn't know xyz was the killer!" sort of thing. But with the poet card, funnily enough, I'm getting that you could be a great lifestyle coach as well. This pile has to do a lot with writing, maybe even starting a blog? I'm getting that you being vulnerable to an audience will help people and also help you in your career path.

queen of coins, queen of swords, knight of wands

There's a lot of queen energy here!! That's giving me the vibes that this really does have to do with nurturing others through yourself, like guiding them, that sort of thing. The queen of swords is telling me that you've been through many experiences in life, and you can use that to guide others who are going through the same thing. You could do this through blog posts, one-on-one consultations, and even videos. The knight of wands is telling me that you are the knight that will guide the people, the one who will help them get through tough times.

keywords: lifestyle coach, writer, entrepreneur, start-up owner, blogs, vulnerability

[partypooper1324]

Why Byler needs to be canon (and will be)

I know that this has been said before, but Byler being canon would change so much when it comes to queer love being depicted in movies and TV-shows. If one of Netflix's biggest shows can have an extremely well-written and overall beautiful queer love story between two of the main characters AND in a show that is not being only advertised for a gay audience like, for example, Heart stopper, that means that so many doors would open for queer representation in media. So many new shows would be open to representing queer people correctly (instead of using queer people in shows for brownie points) and normalizing queer characters.

If Byler isn't canon, then that would be tragic for not only Will's character, but also the queer community. My first ever post on my blog was me saying that if Byler isn't canon, then stranger things would be the one of the worst cases of queer baiting. I still stand by this point because if there can be a slide show with over 300 slides proving a queer relationship and it ends up not being canon, then there is no way the directors didn't know what they were doing especially in a show with such a high budget. Queer baiting is devastating for the queer community, but I cannot speak for the queer community as a strait woman so if you would like to speak on any queer baiting issues i'd love to hear your thoughts.

Also, if Byler isn't canon, then Will would have been kidnapped by a monster, bullied, been possessed, fought multiple other monsters, fought with the US military, and then on top of all that, he would confess to his crush who is a man in the 80's and been rejected. Give my man a break and let something good happen to him. This has to be my biggest Byler proof because the Duffer brothers already have queer characters in their shows so I don't see them queer baiting their audience. By the way, they don't even need to queer bait because they already have such a big audience.

Now let's talk about Mike. Again, I've seen people discuss this fact before, but if Byler is not canon, then the Duffer brothers are horrible writers. What explanation could there be for Mike becoming such an asshole to Will for no reason in season 3 and 4 if there could be no internalized homophobia? This character shift would make absolutely no sense because Mike and Will have been best friends for years, so Mike being so awkward when seeing him in the airport would make no sense. He had no problem hugging Will before he moved to California.

In season 3, Will asks to play DnD multiple times and Mike tells him that he's growing up and talking to girls which means he isn't interested in playing "childish games" anymore. He tries to be normal as much as possible this season and to grow up. However, what does little ol' Mike do after Will leaves? He joins a DnD club and he expresses to Lucas that he doesn't have any desire to be popular. This switch would again, make absolutely no sense.

Another big detail is that when Mike goes to California, he goes back to trying to be as normal as possible, as said by Finn Wolfhard. So, when Will is around, he feels the need to be normal and avoid his feelings for Will which he sees as childish (INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA!!!!). There is a video on YouTube by loser sits by herself (go watch it if you haven't already its amazing) where she goes into depth about Mike associating his feelings for Will with being childish, so that would explain why he wants to grow up in season three, but then not having this desire after Will leaves because he doesn't need to because Will is no longer around. If Byler doesn't happen, then what would be the explanation for this switch??

Let me know if you think I missed anything and thanks for coming to my yap session.

[strangeracrossthestreet]

yeah it is super late and i've exhausted all of my energy for this particular chapter of the comic tbh LMAO

Only thing i really have left to say on the matter is that i feel like they had Lenore act far too cruel for what they're trying to tell me with this subconscious feeling™ she's struggling with.

acting wishy-washy is one thing (like that time she went against annabel and rung the bell, or when she got the purple pendant and then tried to call out to her) but that whole garden scene is a mess with far too many callous actions in quick succession that just don't make sense to me if she's supposed to have some kind of subconscious pull towards Annabel.

if she's able to get physically violent with her, if she's able to call her insane and a monster, if she's able to shove her to the ground without a care after extracting a promise from her not to say anything, that subconscious pull shouldn't be nearly strong enough for her to flip on a dime during the same scene these actions are taken in.

like im supposed to believe she has some kind of festering love/infatuation she can't explain while doing all of that? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

all of those violent things would have made much more sense to me if she didn't have such a handicap and was simply crushing on the pretty blonde™ she entered nevermore with, who then turns around and almost kills her best friend.

or maybe she's that violent BECAUSE of that festering feeling she can't explain and she's taking her anger out on Annabel because she blames her for it? that would have been an interesting twist but it's not really what happens and either way it's not an anger they commit to. she does a horrible thing, comforts annabel when annabel reacts terribly, does another callous thing, rinse and repeat.

maybe it really is toxic yuri after all,,,but lenore isn't being portrayed as in the wrong by neither the narrative nor the characters (though duke and pluto ofc wont see anything wrong here) so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I swear Lenore's the biggest personification of Katy Perry's Hot N Cold song I've ever seen WHEEEZES

This isn't going to be very nice to Lenore, and in general the "remembering in pieces" mechanic, so just don't click read more if you don't want to see me tear into it thanks.

Like I know we all love to call Annabel a manipulator, and she is, but THIS MOMENT is kind of egregious as fuck to me.

The audacity to call her a monster (AND mad) to her face and then comfort her when she reacts badly over it

The audacity to look at her like this:

and then immediately after do this:

Why is she even saying "I don't know what I'd do with myself" if she's not supposed to remember that they were close?

But then why would she be acting like this if she DOES remember that they're close???

The worst thing is that it's so obvious how Lenore cares for the Misfits but when it comes to Annabel it feels cheap? Like it doesn't feel like there's any connection there other than "I remember I'm supposed to love you but do I actually?" rather than there being any genuine emotions involved. (Is that the point???)

WHERE is the delusion? The "Annabel must have surely had a reason—"

WHERE is the trust?

WHERE is the loyalty? <- truly my biggest gripe because Annabel is so fucking devoted I cannot let it go, I can't LMAO

WHERE is her not actually being as mad as she SHOULD be despite all of her misgivings and thus making Duke and Pluto suspicious as all hell?

Lenore has never ONCE given Annabel the benefit of the doubt and I understand that in the beginning when she knew nothing, but now? NOW? After THIS

Clear realization?

At some point I have to think that the flashbacks we're shown are not things they remember in canon unless we're explicitly shown them waking up to it because THIS

does not make sense otherwise.

Lenore WHY are you not losing your mind here? After saying that you're done with Annabel's whole game?

Go crazy go feral???

Annabel gave you the same reasoning, Lenore. Why are you tolerating this from him? You were manhandling Annabel and inches away from pulling a gun on her but now Duke has Annabel by the throat and halfway past a balcony railing and you're just TALKING?

Lenore tell me. Tell MEEEE!

Is it because Annabel treats it like a "game"? She's being playfully and giggly rather than being serious and "there's no other way" like Duke, even though she said THIS

before.

That's the worst part, really. Annabel has been VERY transparent the ENTIRE time and yet Lenore gets mad over her doing exactly what she said she'll do.

Conclusion to my rant:

What do they remember, what do they NOT remember? I don't know!

Annabel is devoted to the depths of hell even to her own detriment but is that because she remembers or because she's just Like That™?

Lenore is full of doubts and perpetual suspicions, and is willing to call her a monster to her face, but at the same time she sprouts "I don't know what I'll do without you." and jumps off balconies. Is that because she remembers or because she's just Like That™?

What is going ON

It's been a week, give or take, right? So they remember, what? 5 days worth of memories? Unless they remember much, much more than just a singular happening a night?

It feels inconsistent at best and utterly pointless at worst.

Just show us the flashbacks as an outside thing, it didn't have to be organically connected to their Nevermore storyline,,,,OR have them remember everything only when they first go Specre

[notcryingtoday]

is it one of my favorite game or was the experience so good i feel like i will never get to play something like that ever again ?

(this is about detroit: become human and the potential it had.)

[egophiliac]

Waittt, what did you mean with your last post?? I don't want to spoil myself so I'm waiting for the nightmare before christmas event to arrive on the eng server before diving deep into the wiki. But I HAVE to know; were there hints of Lilia joining in for a rerun or a sequel ??? Your big "OR IS IT???" filled me with way too much hope !! please tell me it wasn't a bit : (

there was a little teaser at the end that implied there'll be a sequel event, though we don't really know anything beyond that! I do think it's likely we'll get the other half of the cast in it, even if it's just wishful thinking on my part. 🤞🤞 NIGHTMARE SUITS FOR EVERYONE!!!!

as far as I know there's been no confirmation on whether it's going to be next year's Halloween event or a separate thing (the snow makes me think it'll be more Christmas-themed, or otherwise more related to the plot of the original movie) so. we're probably going to have to wait quite a while before we find out anything solid. :') they really do love just dropping these things on us and then watching us go absolutely wild with speculation while they watch like

[butterflysonnets]

yes i'm rooting for m*leven breakup because byler is neat but mostly? i'm rooting for m*leven breakup for the sake of el and mike.

to me, their romance was always a puppy love born out of a combination of social pressures, naïve curiosity, and a lack of true understanding regarding intimacy and romantic love and what it really is. it was real in that they do truly, deeply care about each other and they are close friends, maybe even shared an attraction, but a maturing romance is so much more than that. they've grown up and out of being boyfriend/girlfriend, and that's okay! i think television/film needs to show more often that most of us don't have definite "soulmates" or first childhood loves that we spend our whole lives with. it doesn't mean these relationships meant nothing and didn't impact us, it just means they've run their course and that something else is in the cards, and this is part of life!

i've always felt el was at her best and most confident self when broken up with mike, discovering who she was and what she liked alongside another girl her age instead of just relying on mike for mentorship on how to live in the real world. she deserves more of an opportunity to find herself, her autonomy, and her independence, and to love who she is, and she's made it clear she's felt insecure in the relationship with mike because she isn't being loved and understood the way she wants, needs, and deserves from someone who is her partner.

also, it's okay if mike doesn't love her in "the way he should". he is not obligated to love her romantically and stay in a relationship with her just because she's a girl, because she "needed someone", or because he cares about her a lot. he shouldn't be pressured into a romance if it's not truly coming from his heart. he deserves freedom to find out and honour who he is, too, instead of just staying in his non-functional first relationship — one he got into as a child, essentially — and defining himself that way because it's what's expected when a boy and a girl are close. he loves her in some way, yes, but it's okay if he doesn't feel comfortable or secure being her boyfriend anymore, for whatever reason that is. he's felt insecure too, and that's valid and it matters.

they are their own people and are steadily growing and changing every day. they need time to figure out who those people are, and it's become clear (at least in my opinion) that those people aren't meant to be a couple at this stage.

they deserve freedom. they deserve to grow up and be authentic to themselves and not feel like they need to lie for the sake of a relationship. they deserve to move on from this version of their relationship that isn't making them happy and rekindle the best part of their bond: their strong, beautiful friendship. they don't have to be a couple if it doesn't make them stronger and better and happier people.

i think it would be healthy and wonderful for a show, especially one consumed frequently by young adults, to show a relationship starting, progressing, and ending on good terms in this way. sometimes things don't work out, and that is okay.

[writeforfandoms]

So. Overall I enjoyed it.

I was entertained.

But there's a lot to dig into.

Obviously there are many, many parallels. Too many to list out, really. Maximus and Lucius were almost the same character. Plenty of similar life events and habits. Which is interesting considering they didn't know each other. Yes yes artist license I know but still! There was just A Lot there.

I did find it very interesting that Lucius refused to kill Acacius. Not that it mattered in the end, but still. Very interesting moment there.

Acacius rather stole the show for me a bit, but you know I love Pedro. He did a fabulous job in this role. The character was interesting and engaging, probably moreso from the similarities to Maximus. Fascinating to look at the similarities and differences between the two, and to see whom they served.

Now. Despite my two fancy pieces of paper that would imply otherwise, I am all for ignoring historical inaccuracies to enjoy a fun movie. But the one thing I just can't look past in this one is the damn sharks. How? How??? You can't just drop a shark in a box and move it, that's not how that works. Where did they keep them? How did they get them into and out of the coliseum? Not to mention, did they even have salt water in there??? The aqueduct system was for fresh water I am pretty damn sure. I'd have to do more research but I just can't accept that.

The plot did feel a little forced and a little rushed to me. Some of the motivations didn't really track for me, some of the characters felt bland but that's typical. I do have to wonder where the twins even came from, considering the end of Gladiator. Doesn't track, doesn't make sense, but that's all stuff I can overlook and set aside to just enjoy the movie.

The visuals were very nice, on par with the first movie. I enjoyed the sets and the costumes (again ignoring inaccuracies). Loved all the gorgeous horses. So many pretty horses.

Music was very good, echoed the first movie while introducing new themes. Very good. I actually loved that they kept Now We Are Free as the ending song.

I also have to say, this movie felt very timely. Just. The idea of these tyrants who play with lives and act like gods but bleed red as anyone else. The idea of people banding together, helping each other, resisting in ways big and small. The idea that tyrants don't last forever. The reminder that nothing truly lasts forever.

Very timely, indeed.

I would absolutely watch the movie again, and if a directors cut is released I will absolutely set aside time to watch that.

Finally watching Gladiator 2 and hoo boy I have some Feelings.

[myreia]

✦ D I S C I P L E O F T H E H A N D

Alchemy for potions. Blacksmithing for repairs. Leatherworking and weaving for mending. She is not an artisan, but the basic skills she has picked up over the years have served her well. Self-sufficiency has always been at the forefront of her mind, and she is pleased that she can keep herself afloat when needed. Besides, crafting is relaxing. A hobby or two here and there is good for her mind. —level 90 compendium

[tabellae-rex-in-sui]

I'm new to Sade so sorry if this is a stupid question, but was Sade gay? I'm currently reading Justine and noticed the passionate, semi-romantic descriptions of m/m sex, which contrast with the crude descriptions of f/m sex. I've not read all of Sade's books, but the ones I have read also feature characters who're mostly disinterested in women, who give off self-insert vibes (e.g. Dolmancé). Am I reading too much into it? IDK but I was wondering if you could shed some light.

Happy deathday to Sade!! lol

Really all that can be said with certainty is that he definitely wasn't straight lol. Like anyone who died before modern queer theory, Sade's sexuality can be difficult to label with today's terminology. He was certainly attracted to both men and women, so for simplicity's sake I just say he was bisexual. But really, who knows...

Characters that he uses as self-inserts like Dolmancé in PitB or Bressac in Justine are pretty exclusively attracted to men. Like you said, there's multiple times in his writing where characters will praise m/m sex and show blatant disgust towards sex with women. But if you look at Sade's life, there's only one known* male sex partner and many women. There's also several women Sade was in love with throughout his life, but there exists no letters of him professing love to any man. Could this be because male victims were less likely to go to the police, therefore less known to us? because women were easier to pursue in public? because even he felt the pressure of societal norms? because he kept relations with men better hidden? because any such letters or records were selectively destroyed by a relative? Who knows! It could be some, all, or none of these things. It's really up to the interpretation of the reader. The misogyny, philosophical extremism, and very culturally different ideas about sex add so many different variables to Sade's sexuality.

To add further confusion: gender and sexuality were much more correlated in Sade's writing (and seemingly in the time period in general, I mean look at the bisexual Lord Hervey being referred to as "the third sex"), male characters who get sodimized call it them "becoming women", women who put on strap-ons "become men", even women who get sodimized are masculinized: Saint-Ange says she wants to be a "Ganymede" to Dolmancé. So sodomy seemed inherently gay to Sade, regardless of the sexes involved or what roles they played. Whereas today, that's definitely not the case. Beauvoir follows along with the sexuality-gender correlation and suggests that Sade felt more feminine than masculine and his written contempt for female genitalia was a product of his own gender frustrations. From what I've read, most modern historians tend to avoid labeling Sade with anything other than "sodomite" and "libertine" only using "bisexual" and "homosexual" to label certain actions he performed like "homosexual sex" "bisexual orgy" etc. This is when the word queer is godsent.

Tldr; He's too 18th century libertine for modern labels. Colloquially, I default to calling him bi, but we'll never really know. Maybe he would have preferred gay due to his preferences/philosophies. Who knows. Safest bet is to just call him queer.

*Should go without saying but, there were obviously more. Latour is just the only named one with recorded proof.

[stormyoceans]

something something neil and xiao hai comparing each other to elements that symbolize life

something something the two of them entering each other’s lives in the moment they needed it the most and helping each other move forward

something something xiao hai thinking he’s been following neil one step behind his whole life and neil thinking he’s been relying on xiao hai to keep going and how they’re actually standing side by side moving towards the future together

everyone interpreted neil's words as him realizing his feelings for xiao hai, but i feel like we're being too influenced by the preview for next episode: both moments aren't about romantic feelings, but about the way neil and xiao hai have shaped and changed each other