#this is the interview i saw back in like april | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lvnleah · 2 months

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001. | Welcome Home Rory

nervous about posting this but here it is! I tried to make this as accurate as possible with the adoption process but I’m sorry if it’s wrong 💗💗

MARCH 2023

Beth and Viv always knew they wanted kids, it was something that had been brought up on their very first date. So when the conversation about having kids came up one evening, the two weren’t shocked or unprepared.

They sat together on their couch, Beth resting her head on Viv's shoulder. "Viv, do you still want to have a child?”

Viv paused the TV, nodding her head, “Yeah I do, why Mijn liefje?”

“I want to have a baby. I don’t feel like getting pregnant right now," Beth began, "With our schedules and everything, it just seems so complicated and I don’t think I could be out for longer than I’m already going to be.”

Viv nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I’d love to have a child right now but I don’t think I could handle pregnancy. What about adoption? I think we’re ready for a baby but neither of us is ready to go through pregnancy.”

A warm smile spread across Beth's face. "I've been thinking the same thing. We could give a child a family, it’d work out well too because we’ve got time at the moment to get to know them."

The couple had both been out with their ACLs for around four months now, just weeks between their injuries, so it meant that they had a lot of extra time on their hands.

Beth reached for her laptop on the coffee table, "Let's start looking into the process. We have a good support system, and I'm sure our families will be thrilled."

Viv squeezed Beth's hand, "Absolutely. We should also get in touch with an adoption agency. I know it can take a while, but I'm ready to start this journey with you."

The couple spent hours that night researching the different types of adoption, they never knew there were so many choices. They could adopt from foster care, internationally or privately. They settled on foster care, something that felt right for them.

The next few weeks were long and filled with lots of paperwork. In between their rehab, they filled out different applications and went through many background checks and interviews to make sure they were suitable to be parents.

Their social worker, Sarah, carried out many home checks to see if their home would be right for a child. Beth and Viv had never been as anxious in their life as they showed the older woman around.

“Thank you for showing me around your home,” Sarah smiled as she gathered her things, “I’ll be in contact within the next few days but I can assure you that you have a very loving home. The child you adopt will be so lucky to have you as their parents. I’m more than certain you’ll be approved.”

Viv and Beth exchanged an excited smile, “Thank you, Sarah.” Beth politely smiled.

They showed Sarah out before closing the door. Beth stood with her back to the door, an excited smile on her face before running into Viv’s arms.

“We’re going to be approved!” Viv grinned as she lifted Beth off of the floor.

A few days later, their approval came through and they were officially put on the adoption list. Days turned into weeks as Beth and Viv waited, their anticipation growing with each passing moment.

They continued with their rehab, trying to keep themselves busy, but the thought of their future child was always at the forefront of their minds.

One morning in late April, Beth's phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. She glanced at the screen and saw Sarah's name. Her heart skipped a beat as she answered the call.

"Hello, Sarah?"

"Hi, Beth! I have some wonderful news. We've matched you with a little girl named Rory. She’s four years old and has been in foster care for six months after her grandmother passed away. Would you be willing to meet her?”

Beth's eyes filled with tears of joy. "Oh my gosh, Sarah, that's incredible! When can we meet her?"

Sarah's laughter came through the phone. "How about tomorrow? We can arrange a visit at her foster home, and you can spend some time with her."

Beth quickly agreed, and as soon as she hung up, she rushed to find Viv. "Viv, we've been matched! Her name is Rory, and we can meet her tomorrow!"

Viv's face lit up with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. "Really? That's amazing!”

The couple spent the rest of the day preparing for their visit, making sure they had everything they might need to make a good first impression.

They hardly slept that night and were anxiously up the next morning. They arrived at Rory’s foster home, their hearts pounding with anticipation.

Sarah greeted them at the door, leading them inside to a cosy living room where Rory was playing with some toys with her foster mother. She looked up with curious eyes as Beth and Viv entered the room.

“Rory?” Sarah called out, grabbing the attention of the four-year-old. Rory’s head turned around, “I have some people I’d like you to meet.”

Rory shyly walked over with her foster mom, her fingers in her mouth while her other arm held her stuffed teddy.

“This is Beth,” Sarah smiled, pointing to Beth, “And this is Vivianne but you can call her Viv.”

"Hi, Rory," Beth said softly, kneeling to her level. "I'm Beth, and this is Viv. We’ve been so excited to meet you."

Rory studied them for a moment before giving a shy smile. "Hi."

“Hi Rory,” Viv smiled, Rory’s face screwing up in confusion at Viv’s accent, “Who’s this little guy?” Viv asked, tickling the stomach of Rory’s teddy.

Rory looked up at her foster mom who gave her a nod, “Twix.” Rory mumbled shily.

Viv gasped excitedly, “That’s a great name! Want to know a secret?” She asked Rory, getting a small smile and a nod, “At home, I have a teddy! His name is Flip, maybe one day we can have a teddy play date!”

Rory nodded, jumping on the spot a little, “Yes, yes! Twix loves to play, do you like to play?”

Beth and Viv exchanged a smile, their heartwarming at how sweet Rory was, “We love to play!” Beth smiled, “What kind of stuff do you and Twix like to play?”

Rory’s eyes lit up and she thought for a moment, “We like playing hide and seek! Oh! And colouring, you like colouring?”

“We do!” Viv smiled, nodding her head.

“You colour with me now?” Rory asked, getting a nod from the couple before taking their hands into hers, “Okay! Follow me!”

They spent the afternoon getting to know Rory, playing games, and reading stories. Her initial shyness gradually gave way to giggles and laughter as she warmed up to them. Beth and Viv couldn't help but giggle at everything the little girl did.

As the visit came to an end, Rory clung to Beth's hand, looking up at her with wide eyes. "Are you coming back?"

Beth's heart melted. "Yes, Rory. We’ll see you again very soon, okay?"

Over the next few days, Beth and Viv started to spend more time with Rory, which eventually progressed into full days together. Once Rory was comfortable, they took her to the park, enjoying picnics and playtime in the sunshine.

One day, after a full day of laughter and running around, Rory fell asleep in Viv’s arms on the way back to the car.

“Vivi!” Rory tiredly called out, her grip on Twix tight.

Viv looked down at the little girl. “Yes, mijn liefje?”

“I’m so tired!” Rory whined, stopping in her tracks. “Carry me, please?”

Viv smiled warmly, kneeling so she could scoop Rory into her arms. “Of course, sweetheart. You’ve been such a busy little bee today!”

As Viv cradled her, Rory nestled against her shoulder, her eyelids fluttering as she fought to stay awake. Beth walked alongside them, her heart swelling at the sight of them together.

“Looks like someone had a fun day,” Beth teased gently.

“Yeah,” Rory mumbled, barely opening her eyes. “Best day ever.”

Viv chuckled softly, adjusting her hold. “We’re so glad you think so! What was your favourite part?”

“Swinging!” Rory exclaimed, her enthusiasm barely contained even in her sleepy state. “And the ice cream!”

Beth grinned. “You were pretty impressive on those swings. You went so high!”

“I want to go higher next time!” Rory declared, her voice growing softer.

As they drove back to Rory’s foster home, the quiet hum of the car was comforting. Viv occasionally glanced back to see Rory peacefully sleeping, Twix nestled against her.

When they arrived there, Beth carefully unbuckled Rory and lifted her into her arms. “Let’s get you into bed, sleepyhead,” she whispered.

Rory stirred slightly but didn’t wake. They rang the doorbell before tiptoeing inside, Viv quietly followed, grabbing Rory’s blanket.

In her room, Beth laid Rory down, tucking her in gently. “Sweet dreams, little one,” she said softly, brushing a stray hair from Rory’s forehead.

Viv stood by the door, watching with a smile before the couple said goodbye to Rory’s foster mother. The couple climbed into their care before making their way home.

Beth turned to Viv, her eyes sparkling. “I can’t believe how much joy she’s already brought into our lives.”

“She’s a little ray of sunshine, isn’t she?” Viv agreed.

Beth nodded, “It feels like we’ve known her forever.”

“Right?” Viv smiled. “I think she’s already starting to feel at home with us.”

Eventually, once Rory was even more comfortable she expressed how she wanted to stay overnight with Beth and Viv. Sarah, their social worker, quickly arranged the overnight stay, excited about Rory’s growing attachment.

The night finally arrived, and the couple prepared their home to make it as welcoming as possible. They set up a cosy corner in the living room with blankets and pillows, creating a perfect little nest for movie night.

When Rory arrived, she was bouncing with excitement, holding Twix tightly. “I’m ready for a sleepover!” she declared, her eyes sparkling. “Can we watch a movie now?”

“Absolutely,” Viv laughed, brushing a strand of hair from Rory’s face. “What do you want to watch?”

“Can we watch a princess movie?” Rory asked, her face lighting up as they headed inside.

“Of course!” Beth replied, already pulling out a selection of their favourite films. They settled on Rapunzel, a classic, and soon the room was filled with the sounds of music and laughter.

As they cuddled together under the blankets, Rory sat in the middle as Beth sneaked in some popcorn, handing it to Rory with a grin. “Movie snacks are a must!”

Rory giggled, “This is the best!”

After the movie, they moved to the kitchen to make their mini pizzas. Rory was excited to help, spreading sauce and adding cheese and toppings with careful precision.

“Look! I made a smiley face!” Rory exclaimed, proudly showing off her creation.

“That’s amazing!” Viv cheered, giving her a high-five. “You’re an artist!”

As they waited for the pizzas to bake, they played games and chatted. Rory shared stories about her favourite things, from her love of animals to her favourite games at the park.

When it was finally time to eat, the pizzas came out hot and bubbling. They gathered around the table, laughter filling the air as they enjoyed their creations.

“This is the best sleepover food!” Rory declared, her mouth full of pizza.

After dinner, it was time for bed. Beth and Viv helped Rory brush her teeth and change into her pyjamas. As they settled into the living room with Rory nestled between them, they read her a bedtime story.

“Do you like this one?” Beth asked, holding up a colourful book that Rory had packed with her.

“Yes! Read it!” Rory said eagerly.

As Beth read aloud, Viv brushed Rory’s hair back gently. Rory listened, wide-eyed and engaged, making them both realise how far they had come in such a short time.

When the story ended, Rory yawned and snuggled closer to Viv. “Can we do this every night?” she murmured sleepily.

Beth exchanged a glance with Viv, her heart swelling. “We’d love to, Rory.”

Rory's eyes fluttered shut, and soon she was fast asleep, a peaceful smile on her face.

As Beth and Viv sat quietly, watching her sleep, Viv whispered, “I can’t believe how quickly she’s become part of us.”

Beth nodded and soon Viv scooped Rory up before carrying her to the room they’d set up for her. They both tucked her in, leaving the door on a jar before retreating to the living room.

Later that night, they moved to the kitchen to clean up. “We should plan more activities for the weekends,” Viv suggested. “Maybe a trip to the zoo?”

Beth smiled, already imagining the fun they would have. “That sounds perfect. She’ll love it!”

After everything was cleaned up, they settled on the couch, before heading to bed and checking on Rory, who was still sound asleep. “I think we’re doing great,” Beth said, a mix of disbelief and joy in her voice.

“Yeah, we are,” Viv replied softly, taking Beth’s hand in hers. “And it feels incredible.”

Finally, a few weeks later, Viv and Beth were approved to adopt Rory and officially became her parents. When Viv and Beth told Rory the news, it was like Christmas morning.

“Rory?” Beth said, sitting down beside the four-year-old.

Rory looked up, “Yeah, Beffy?”

“So, me and Vivi were wondering,” Beth started, “Would you like to live with us? Like sleepover, every single night and stay with us forever?”

Rory's eyes widened, and she blinked in surprise. The question hung in the air, and for a moment, it seemed like time itself held its breath. Then, with a radiant smile that could light up the darkest room, Rory nodded vigorously.

"Really, really, really?" she exclaimed, “I get to live with you like all my friends live with their Mummies and Daddies?”

Beth and Viv exchanged a glance, their hearts swelling with emotion. "Yes, Rory," Beth said, her voice steady. "We want you to be a part of our family forever."

Rory's joy bubbled over, and she flung her arms around both of them, hugging them tightly. "I love you, Beffy and Vivi!" she declared, her words muffled against their shoulders.

Tears welled up in Beth's eyes as she hugged Rory back. "We love you too, sweetie," she whispered. "More than anything."

Viv and Beth worked with Rory’s foster family on packing up all of her belongings, for one little girl there sure were a lot of clothes and toys. Rory said her goodbyes to her foster family before Viv helped strap her into the car.

The drive home was filled with Rory singing along to all the different songs Viv and Beth had put onto a playlist of her, a few of them being Viv’s favourite Taylor Swift songs.

When they arrived home, Rory was so excited to see before running off to her room to see how Viv and Beth had decorated. It was everything the little girl could’ve ever dreamed of.

The walls were pink just like she’d asked for and she had a true princess-style bed. There was a bookshelf in the corner, filled with all of her favourite books, as well as a little teepee for her to read in.

The couple spent the evening settling Rory in, after dinner they settled down onto the couch with Rory in her pyjamas and close by.

“Vivi, Beffy?” Rory asked.

Beth brushed back Rory’s hair from the spot she sat in between the couple, “Yes, sweetie?”

“My friends at school,” Rory started, anxiously playing with the ear of Twix, “they have parents and they call them Mummy and Daddy. What do I call you?”

Viv looked at Beth before speaking, “Well you can call us what you want. You can call us Beth and Viv, you can call us Mummy and Mamma or whatever you feel comfortable with!”

Rory hummed and thought for a second before speaking, “I like Mummy and Mamma!”

“Well you can call us that if you want, it’s totally up to you,” Beth smiled.

“Mummy and Mamma!” Rory smiled, “I like that! You my Mummy and Mamma!”

Beth and Viv exchanged a happy grin and eventually Rory fell asleep in between them. They carried the little girl to her bed before heading back to the living room.

Soon, a soft sound interrupted them. They looked over to see Rory standing in the doorway, her eyes still heavy with sleep. “Can I sleep with you?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Of course, sweetie,” Beth said, smiling.

Viv walked over to Rory before she knelt to Rory's level. “You want to come snuggle with us for a bit?”

Rory nodded, her face lighting up. Viv carried her over to the couch, Rory still holding Twix tightly.

As they all settled in, Beth wrapped an arm around both Viv and Rory. “This is perfect,” she said softly.

Viv leaned in closer, planting a kiss on Rory’s head. “We’re so lucky to have you, Rory.”

#awfc #lvnleah #beth mead x vivianne miedema #beth mead #vivianne miedema #our little love

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peachhcs · 8 months

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the draft & the night everything changed

hughes!sister x will smith au

the night samy and will finally realize they both have feelings for one another at the nhl draft in nashville.

1.7k words

for the first real fic i’m starting with the draft which basically started samy & will’s relationship! the confessions will be its own separate post & again i’m open to asks and things you guys wanna see in this au! :)

au masterlist | part 2

with all the press and interviews, samy hardly got to see will or any of the boys before the draft. she sat with her family in their hotel room as all of them got ready for the very special and exciting night. will would periodically text her updates about everything he was doing making the brunette smile each time her phone buzzed on the table.

she smiled seeing a picture will sent dressed in his suit almost ready to head out into the seats. she loved the navy and pink combination—also loving that he took her suggestions when he sent her choices a few months back. samy quickly snapped a photo back of her own dress she was wearing. it was a simple pink and black with a small opening across her midsection. she wasn't sure if it was too little for what seemed like such a classy event, but grace quickly reassured her that she looked perfect.

her entire family experienced the draft three times already, so they knew what was coming and what to expect, but samy couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach for her best friend about to get picked in the first round tonight. will was one of the best players in this draft class and even though she's hardly seen him since they got to nashville, she knew he was feeling all of the emotions.

her phone buzzed again meaning will texted her back.

will

wow you look gorgeous

his text immediately caused a blush across samy's cheeks. her head spun around making sure none of her family saw her red face before quickly sending a text back.

samy

i'll see you out there :)

the nauseating feeling in samy's stomach had been there for days. anytime she thought about will, her heart raced. she started getting excited anytime her phone buzzed hoping it was her best friend texting her back. it was..it was a weird feeling. she's never felt that way whenever will texted. at least not since the beginning of april. she didn't know what it meant nor did she really want to know because maybe deep down, she did know.

after another ten minutes, samy followed her family into the arena. there was so many people pushing past them trying to find their seats or quickly interview the draft prospects before they got seated. mrs. hughes led the way in attempt to find anyone they were sitting with. samy's stomach was doing flips with the amount of people shoving and pushing past her. she knew the draft always went crazy, but she forgot just how crazy it really was. luke's draft in the comfort of their own home two years ago was much better than the chaos inside the arena.

"samy!" someone called her name. the girl quickly spun around trying to find the source when she saw gabe's tall figure waving his hands at her. she tugged on her parents' arms and motioned towards him.

he quickly pushed his way through the crowd until he reached the family. samy was immediately brought into a hug once she was close enough.

"hey, god, this is insane." gabe laughed a little as the rest of his family came up behind him.

"i know, how are you feeling?" samy wondered and admired his fun suit.

"nervous..really nervous." the dark-haired boy admitted.

the brunette’s face softened out as she brushed down his suit jacket. “whatever happens in there is meant to happen. it's gonna be good,” samy reassured.

"have you seen will or ryan yet?" gabe changed the subject.

"i haven't seen either of them since we got here two days ago." samy said with a small frown.

"will should be coming in soon. he was a few people behind me i think." just as gabe said that, samy spotted the familiar mop of blonde hair and will's infamous navy suit scanning the crowd of people.

"i see him." samy said and gabe whipped around to find his best friend.

the girl's feet moved faster than her mind as she pushed her way through everyone to get to will. he finally spotted her and also picked up his speed to meet her in the middle.

will's hands clasped around her back, pulling her into him. the two squeezed one another tightly, taking in the moment and the feeling of finally being together after not getting to see one another yet.

"i'm so glad you're here." will muttered into her shoulder. the girl grinned, rubbing his back in a soothing manner.

the two pulled apart, missing the knowing looks from their families watching them. samy went to hug grace while will hugged gabe.

"it's good to see you again." grace laughed as she exchanged her hug with samy.

"you too, gracie.” the brunette chuckled.

"i hate to break up the reunions, but let's get our seats." mrs. smith said, always rushing people to where they needed to be like always.

everyone nodded and will found his way back to samy's side. the girl wrapped her arm around his. “how are you feeling?" she asked.

"nervous for sure." the blonde laughed. samy smiled, rubbing his arm in hopes of soothing his nerves.

everything about will looked good. his hair was styled perfectly and his suit was pressed making him look clean and classy for the night. the feeling returned in samy's stomach as she gripped his arm through the arena.

the smiths and hughes broke away from gabe's family as they took their seats on opposite ends of the stairs. whatever order mrs. smith had for everyone's seating arrangements was thrown out the window when will insisted samy sat next to him. once again, the two missed the knowing glances from family as mrs. smith gave in and let samy sit next to will.

the absent touches, the closeness, the comments—it wasn't usual to samy and will. they had always been like that, but right now samy was seeing it in a different way. will's fingers brushing across her hand left sparks in its wake. her heart raced anytime he looked at her for longer than he usually did. she just kept telling herself it was all normal. they were usually touchy and close with one another, except this time around samy couldn't get out of her head that something was different. something felt different and she didn't know if will felt it too.

the adrenaline started rising in the room as they got ready to announce the first overall pick. will's hand clasped around samy's with a firm grasp. his face was set and focused, but samy knew he had a 100 different thoughts running through his mind.

connor bedard went 1st pick overall which was pretty expected. he was a very watched player this past year and everyone knew he was probably going first.

as the second and third picks were announced, will knew he was most likely going next. it was all based on the 2nd round pick and everyone held their breaths in anticipation.

“the fourth pick overall for the san jose sharks is pleased to announce will smith." the announcer said.

everyone immediately jumped up as a smile appeared on will's lips. he quickly brought samy into his arms before hugging his parents and sisters. his mom took ahold of his suit jacket as he took it off and made his way down to the stage. gracegrabbed samy's hand, a smile on both of their faces as they watched will put on his new jersey. blue was definitely his color and samy couldn't be prouder of her best friend.

ryan and gabe weren't far after will. samy exchanged hugs with both of the boys as she watched them make their way down to the stage like her brothers did so many years ago.

everyone knew the boys had a bunch of press to do, so they wouldn't ben seeing them until after. samy tried easing her racing mind by talking more with grace and ryan's girlfriend for the time being until she couldn't take her racing thoughts anymore and needed to use the bathroom.

the girl stared at herself in the mirror trying to make sense of why she couldn't stop thinking about will and why her heart clenched every time she saw him. she didn't get it. he was her best friend. she's seen him as a brother for as long as she could remember. why was she suddenly seeing him so differently? why did he make her heart race and her palms sweaty?

samy gained the courage to go back out with everyone. she made her way through the arena when someone called her name. the girl spun around, recognizing the voice from a mile away. will was racing towards her still in his new jersey.

she threw herself into his arms as they hugged one another tightly.

"so proud of you willie." samy said into his shoulder.

"god, this feels so surreal. i don't think i've even processed it yet." will laughed a little as he pulled back some but kept his hands on her waist.

"what did i say? i knew the sharks would take you." the girl laughed as she thought about her predictions for all the boys she made months ago. will smiled, a small blush forming on his cheeks.

"thank you for being here. it..it really means a lot." will said softly. samy smiled and that time as will stared at the girl in front of him, it all fell into place.

the two felt the pull. they felt the racing hearts and the touches. will's gaze never left samy's as her heart beat a bruise into her chest seeing him look at her like that. will's heart was doing the same as samy stared back at him, uncertainty crossing into her features as they stayed like that until someone else's voice broke them apart.

"will!!" it was grace racing towards them with their families hot on her tail. samy and will quickly broke apart just as his older sister reached him and brought him into another loving hug.

samy stepped back, smiling at the sibling’s exchange all while will never took his eyes off of her.

#hughes!sister x will smith au #samy hughes #samy x will #will smith x oc #will smith imagine #will smith hockey #boston college hockey #boston college #umich imagine #umich hockey #gabe perreault #ryan leonard

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mirai-e-jump · 5 months

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Uchusen Vol.184 (Spring 2024) Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger | Detail of Super Sentai ft. Main Cast & Staff Interviews (translations below)

Publication: April 1, 2024

Iuchi Haruhi x Hayama Yuki x Suzuki Miu

"First, regarding the three of you, we'd like to ask, what motivated you to pursue the entertainment industry and acting in the first place?"

Iuchi: When I was in my second year of middle school, I saw the TV drama "Death Note" starring Kubota Masataka-san, which motivated me to become an actor. When I was in elementary school, I was really lacking confidence and always wanted to be someone other than myself, so when I saw Death Note, I felt that I could become someone else if I was an actor.

Hayama: I joined my current agency at 16 after being contacted in Osaka. At the time, I wanted to become a hairstylist, and at first I was thinking of turning down their offer, but the agency contacted me for over six months, and my mother said, "Since they're going this far, why don't you take atleast one audition?" And so, I took it and passed, and now I'm sitting here (laughs). I can say this now, but I did my first job without knowing what I was doing……But as I did it, I learned to enjoy the work, and from there I decided to become an actor.

Suzuki: When I was little, I was a regular reader of "Nicola," a fashion magazine for middle schoolers, and I'd carry it with me everywhere I went every day. It started when my sister recommended that I audition as an exclusive model. I applied when I was in my fifth year of elementary school and made it to the final round, but was rejected there. I was so disappointed, that I applied on my own the following year and was accepted.

"Why did you decide to also pursue acting after joining as a model?"

Suzuki: It started when I took acting lessons at my agency. At first, I wasn't very good at the lessons, but after 2-3 years, I had a moment where I felt that acting was fun. It all started with something trivial during a lesson, but from there I wanted to become better, and now I'm working hard at acting.

"Have you watched any of the previous Super Sentai or other tokusatsu productions?"

Hayama: I loved "Kamen Rider Kabuto," and had the transformation items for all the Kabuto Riders and I used to play with them with my younger brother.

Iuchi: I also watched alot of them. My house was full of Kamen Rider toys and my cousin's house was full of Super Sentai toys, so we used to play with them at each other's houses. I remember "Kamen Rider Wizard" being my favorite.

Suzuki: My older sister liked Super Sentai, so because of her, we used to watch "Mahou Sentai Magiranger" together. The other day, when Director Watanabe Katsuya asked me, "Have you seen any of the older tokusatsu shows?" I said, "I watched Magiranger!" and he said, "I used to film that too." I was deeply moved and happy to think that I'm now creating new heroes together with the people who created heroes for me to admire when I was a kid.

Hayama: Someday, we'll also become the ones who people admire.

Suzuki: I want to become one!

Iuchi: There's no doubt.

"What were your first impressions of Boonboomger?"

Iuchi: When I saw the materials for Boonboomger at our meeting, I felt that the designs and naming were back to the "taste" of the old days compared to the recent Super Sentai (laughs).

Hayama: When I read the script, my impression was that Boonboomger would be a cheerful and easy to understand show that both parents and children could enjoy together.

Suzuki: When I first saw the visuals, I thought it was quite original (laughs). It's like it was etched into my mind at first sight. The tires being slapped onto their faces leaves an unprecedented impact.

"How do you feel about the characters you're playing?"

Hayama: I had heard that he was a really cool character, and that's what I thought when I read the script, but as the story progressed I couldn't help but wonder……Is Ishiro really that cool? (laughs). My impression of him changed.

Suzuki: Mira is an innocent, energetic and cheerful mood maker, and I get the impression that she's similar to me. I think it's very easy to play, and that I'm able to project what I have into the role.

Iuchi: My first impression of Taiya was that he was interesting but difficult. When I read a script, to form my first impression, I often think about how the character's personality is similar to that in an anime or movie, but that didn't come out at all with Taiya. Gradually, I'm trying to find my own version of Taiya.

"What were your first impressions of each other?"

Iuchi: I've been together with Yuki-kun since the audition. I was Red and Yuki-kun was Blue, which is a common combination, and while everyone at the audition was nervous, my first impression of Yuki-kun was that he was sharp, cool, and very much Blue. It's completely different now (laughs).

Hayama: Hey?! (laughs).

Iuchi: Once I got to know him, there wasn't a hint of coolness (laughs).

"What about Suzuki-san?"

Iuchi: My first impression at the meeting was that she's someone who pays close attention to her surroundings, and she gives off the image of treating each person in the way they'd like to be treated.

Suzuki: That was your first impression?! I'm glad (laughs).

Iuchi: My impression of Suzuki-san hasn't changed (laughs).

"Hayama-san, what about you?"

Hayama: As Haruhi mentioned, I often worked with him from the early stages of the audition. I wasn't aware of it at first, but Haruhi had also passed the audition, and I was happy that the partner I was competing with for so long was there. My first impression of Haruhi was that he was a quiet person. But when it comes to acting, his voice changes, or rather, the way he speaks changes. His on and off switch is amazing. Now that I can see more of Haruhi's natural side, the image I get is that he acts appropriately for his age (laughs).

"What about your impressions of Suzuki-san?"

Hayama: The four male members of Boonboomger are surprisingly shy, and when we're unsure of what to say, Miu-chan will talk to us and bring the four of us together, so I have the image that she's a caring person. Now, she's surprisingly outspoken and is showing new sides of herself.

"Suzuki-san, what are your impressions of these two?"

Suzuki: Haruhi-kun has a very distinct voice. I got the impression that he was someone who spoke in a very calm and comfortable tone. Also, at the first costume fitting, when they asked if anyone had any problems with their costume, Haruhi-kun raised his hand and said, "I don't know how to walk in these sneakers." The heels on Taiya's sneakers are about 6cm high, and I was really impressed by the way he walked in a very unusual way, without bending his knees, he looked like a penguin (laughs).

Iuchi: They had a high bottom like heels. I've never worn heels before, so I didn't know how to walk in them (laughs). I ended up having the insoles lowered so I could walk safely.

"What about Hayama-san?"

Suzuki: My first impression was that he was a cool person. It's different now (laughs). He's very silly, very meddling, and an interesting Kansai person.

Hayama: How strange (laughs).

"Filming has progressed and we think you've gotten a feel for your characters, but what parts of your performance are you mindful of?"

Iuchi: As mentioned earlier, I still haven't fully grasped Taiya himself yet, but I decided to create Taiya not by thinking about him, but by thinking about the kind of character he is when he's with "this person." I'm getting to know Taiya through his relationships with the people around him, such as the sense of distance between him and Ishiro, and between him and Mira.

Hayama: There are many things about Boonboomger and our character's pasts that I can't talk about yet, but I've had the opportunity to learn more deeply about Ishiro's relationships and the way he interacts with people, and thanks to that, I feel I have a better grasp on my performance as Ishiro.

Suzuki: It's a small detail, but when I speak with a loud voice, my voice tends to come from higher up. However, Mira is an aggressive kid who's always moving forward on her own, so I try to act with the image of putting her voice forward as much as possible. When I saw the broadcast of the first episode, I felt that my voice came out too high, so now I'm trying to express Mira's momentum by bringing my voice forward.

"Did you two get any feedback on your performance from watching the finished footage?"

Iuchi: Taiya's a character who isn't overly emotional, but the Director pointed out that I was too conscious of this and that there was little intonation in my line delivery. When I watched the first episode again, I realized that when the sound effects and BGM were added, my dialogue was drowned out and lost. My voice is loud during battle scenes, but I thought it sounded kind of monotonous in other scenes. I felt that alittle more inflection and speed could be added from the time I'm Taiya before transforming into BoonRed.

Hayama: For me, it was more a reflection than a new discovery. At first, there were parts where I didn't fully understand what the Director was saying, but after watching the footage, I finally realized what it was he was trying to say. I'd like to make the most of it in future shoots.

"After watching the footage, It seems that everyone's performance may change in future episodes. So, is there anything you'd like to challenge yourself with in Boonboomger?"

Iuchi: I'd like to act with more emotion. Like Mira, she's happy, angry, or sad to the fullest, Taiya hasn't had a scene like that yet, so I'd like to try it.

Suzuki: I'd like to try the so called "swapping episode." The other day, we all practiced for a possible situation where our roles have been swapped. For example, I tried predicting what Ishiro would be like in Mira by saying certain lines. So, if there was a swap, I think everyone would be able to do it at a pretty high level (laughs).

Hayama: For me it's action. The first time I practiced action, it was so difficult that I couldn't imagine what it would be like to film it while acting and saying lines. But, I think I can learn alot from it, so I want to give it a try.

"And finally, please tell us some key points to watch out for to make Boonboomger even more enjoyable."

Hayama: Some may feel that Ishiro is a cold person based on his attitude toward Mira at first, but he's a character kinder than anyone else. He doesn't view things with a biased perspective, and is a man who treats people with respect. So, as the story progresses, please pay attention to the relationships between Ishiro and the people around him. I especially hope people look forward to his relationship with Mira.

Suzuki: The five of us are all unique, and if we were in the same class, we would never belong to the same clique. What will happen to these five going forward? I think we may clash with each other when we're together, but how will we change and "become one color"? I'd like you to pay attention to that.

Iuchi: I'd also like you to pay attention to the battle scenes. The staff told me that they place importance not only on coolness, but on how to incorporate a comical touch to the coolness. The voice actors adlibs are also amazing, for example, in the first episode, Mizuki Nana-san, who plays Ittasha, adlibbed "Ka-click" before saying "Ignition," and Matsumoto Rica-san, who plays Bundorio, also adlibs, which is always fun. Because I've read the scripts, I can see that there are alot of lines that aren't in them, and I think you can especially see that in the battle scenes. I'd be very happy if you could pay attention to the comical side within the coolness.

Saito Ryu x Soma Satoru

"First, please tell us how you both became interested in the entertainment industry and acting."

Saito: When I was in my second year of high school, I won the Grand Prix in the Junon Superboy Contest, and that's when I entered the entertainment industry. When I was in middle school, I had the opportunity to think about my career path, but at that time I couldn't find what I wanted to do. However, I admired heroes and wanted to do something to help others, and after that I studied to become a high school teacher. Still, since we only have one life, I wanted to do something even bigger, so I applied to Junon, and that's when I decided to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

"Does that mean you admired (super) heroes? Did you watch tokusatsu shows?"

Saito: I watched Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. Heroes who purely fight for the sake of others are cool, I admired them. Boys like that kind of thing even after they grow up, don't they? I thought that I wanted to get a job where I could protect people, like a firefighter, policeman, or a school teacher who leads people.

"BoonBlack, who's also a police officer, is a perfect role for Saito-san."

Saito: This character is the very embodiment of my dream!

"Soma-san, what about you?"

Soma: When I was in high school, I was thinking about what I wanted to do, but nothing came to mind. I thought that I might be able to change if I came to Tokyo, so I moved to Tokyo, found employment, and worked in sales for four years. I had alot of connections during that time, and as I worked at my current agency, and was given the opportunity to do things like model, my desire to do acting grew stronger……and that's how it all started.

"What kind of roles do you want to play?"

Soma: I'd like to play characters who are psychopaths (laughs). Genba Bureki isn't a psychopath, but he's a mysterious person whose true identity is unknown, so I think there are some similarities. I've always wanted to take on a role like that, so I'm really looking forward to discovering many new things about myself by playing the role of Genba.

"Saito-san, you said you admired heroes, so can you tell us about the tokusatsu shows you watched during your childhood?"

Saito: I'm from the generation of "Engine Sentai Go-onger," but I was really into "Kamen Rider Ghost." I love historical stories, especially "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," so I was waiting to see if any generals from the Three Kingdoms would appear in Ghost.

Soma: I used to watch "Kamen Rider 555" and "Kamen Rider W," and for Super Sentai, I still have the "Ninpu Sentai Hurricanger" book that I got in preschool at my parents house.

"Soma-san later made an appearance in Avataro Sentai Donbrothers……"

Soma: After playing the role of a playboy (the one who tried to pick up Sononi in episode 8), I finally became a hero this time (laughs). The first filming location for Boonboomger was the same for me in Donbrothers, so I thought, "This is where I was picking up women!" It's kind of inappropriate to say though (laughs).

"When it was announced that the two of you would be appearing in the next Super Sentai production, including your family, what was the reaction from those around you?"

Saito: I didn't tell my family until the very last moment before the production announcement. On the day of the announcement, I told them in a video call that, "I'm going to be playing the role of Black in the next Super Sentai." My father, mother and older sister froze for a moment and then burst out laughing for some reason (laughs). They congratulated me, but then my mother immediately said, "More importantly, there's no snow in Akita, so we can't make snow huts (kamakura)." I thought, "What do you mean more importantly?!" (laughs). No matter how hard I tried to explain it to her, my mother kept talking about snow huts. Especially since I don't come from a family that makes a living off building them (laughs). Still, rather than them expecting too much, I think I preferred it being this easy, so I didn't feel any pressure.

Soma: I think my mother was particularly pleased. Also, my older sister has a 3 year old child, so I'm hoping that when they're older, they'll watch Boonboomger. I want to tell them that their uncle is a Boonboomger.

Saito: If my nephew asked me to "Henshin!" I think I'd do it immediately (laughs).

Soma: I'd call Ono Yukimasa-san (BoonOrange's Suit Actor) to transform for me (laughs).

"What were your initial impressions of Boonboomger during the auditions?"

Soma: At the time of the audition, I didn't even know the name "Boonboomger" yet. However, when I read the script, I felt that the atmosphere would be alittle different compared to recent Sentai.

Saito: I went into the audition thinking that I wanted to be Red, but my image of Red was that from older productions……I imagined Red as a super hot blooded and serious character, but Taiya isn't like that at all. Rather, I'm more like Jou, and as a result, I perfectly fit into his character (laughs).

Soma: Since I'm 27, I didn't aim for Red. I have the impression that recent Sentai casts include older members among the younger ones, so I was auditioning with a pinpoint aim for that position.

"Did you two meet each other at the audition?"

Soma: We met in the third or fourth round of the audition, right?

Saito: I remember my impression at that time. Satoru-kun was really mysterious and I didn't know what he was thinking. Because it was an audition, everyone was very intense, but for better or for worse, only Satoru-kun was just mysterious. He was so laid back, but he had such a strong presence that I thought, "Who is this guy?" That's why I was scared of him at first. But when I talked to him, I found out that he wasn't like that at all (laughs).

Soma: He spoke clearly and had a fresh feel to him, and I felt at ease knowing that he wouldn't be playing the same role as me.

"What are your impressions of Red, Blue and Pink?"

Saito: To be honest, from the beginning of the audition, I felt that Haruhi and Yuki-kun were Red and Blue.

Soma: That's for sure.

Saito: Haruhi's voice and way of speaking are truly Red. The moment I heard his voice at the audition, I immediately "shifted gears" that Haruhi was already Red (laughs). It's not good to focus solely on Red, as Yuki-kun's way of speaking and personality are also Blue. Then I thought about what I could do and gave it a try.

"What about Suzuki-san?"

Saito: I'm not very good at remembering women's faces and names, and I don't really remember much about Miu-chan from the audition……However, I was impressed by a girl who gave me a fist bump, and later I found out that that girl was Miu-chan (laughs).

"Now, please tell us about the characters you're playing."

Saito: Jou's a character with a high amount of freedom, and I'm often asked to adlib or "try something" on set. It's a really incredible role, but it's difficult. The other three male members are cool or mysterious and don't show much emotion. Jou shows his emotions, so I try to express them through my face and body, but it's still difficult. I'm learning how difficult it is to express myself, because I sometimes feel that I'm not expressing myself well, or that it's unnatural. I hope to bring out more of the pitiful and clumsy, yet still lovable character of Jou.

Soma: Up to the current episode that's aired, there are many aspects of Genba that even I don't understand. However, he's the kind of character who will reach out to you when you need him, so I hope I can express both his sketchiness and kindness. He's a character I've never played before, so it'll be difficult.

"What are you mindful of when playing your roles?"

Soma: I'm the oldest of the Boonboomger members, and Genba is also older than the other characters, so I'm conscious of giving off a sense of seniority by speaking in a calm manner. And then there's being suspicious (laughs).

Saito: I feel that Jou's a character that's as close to me as possible, and I think it'd be good if I could bring him closer to me. However, when I try to express Jou's straightforward feelings, I find it difficult to do so. Because the character is so close to me, it's difficult to express the parts of him that are different from me.

"Was there anything that the Director told you during filming that left an impression on you?"

Saito: Director Watanabe Katsuya told me, "You're a rugged and passionate guy like the old Reds, give it your all." I was happy and could feel the Director's passion.

Soma: Genba's hair is orange and permed, so the Director's first order to me was, "I don't want him to come off as a player." I was conscious of the way I spoke and the tone of my voice, keeping my voice low so it doesn't sound too loud.

"Have you spoken with the post transformation Suit Actors?"

Saito: At the beginning of the story, when Jou doesn't appear much and doesn't transform, I didn't have much of a chance to talk to Shige-san (Ito Shigeki). However, I had alot of performances where I was suspended by wires, and Shige-san gave me advice on how to move.

Soma: I can't talk about BoonOrange in detail yet, but I'm trying to make him look more mature while talking with the Suit Actor Ono Yukimasa-san and the Directors. Other than my own role, I'm paying attention to the performance of the Nejiretta. Within Boonboomger, I like the Nejiretta the most!

Saito: Satoru-kun imitates the Nejiretta any chance he can get (laughs).

"Going forward, is there anything you'd like to do in an episode of Boonboomger, or is there anything you'd like to try as an actor?"

Soma: I'd like to do a swapping episode, which may become an annual thing. I'd like to play a character that I'd never play, someone like Mira.

"In our interview with Suzuki-san, she also mentioned that she'd like to do a swapping episode. However, she predicted that Ishiro would be in Mira (laughs)."

Soma: She's been taken (laughs). But, it'd be fun to swap characters with anyone.

Saito: You love the Nejiretta so much, that you'd swap with one of them (laughs).

Soma: I'll go all out when the time comes! (laughs).

"Saito-san, what about you?"

Saito: I'd like to do a battle scene before the transformation. Of course, I want you to see Black's battle after his transformation, but I also want to fight myself. I've been taking action lessons and I think I can do some basic things, so I'd like to do some pure action scenes. I hope the time will come when I can show you the results of my daily muscle training (laughs).

Soma: When changing clothes, everyone else changes in the dressing room, but he changes his clothes on set and shows off his muscles (laughs).

Saito: I'll pull myself together and make sure I'm ready for you all to see me without being embarrassed (laughs).

"And finally, could you tell us about some key points to watch out for to make Boonboomger even more enjoyable?"

Saito: I think Super Sentai in recent years has had many heroic action scenes, and the Robo battles are also very powerful. I hope you'll enjoy the real thrill of tokusatsu. And then there are the Sanseaters. They're not just villains, but rather, lovable characters who are somewhat clumsy, so I think you'll enjoy it even more if you pay attention not only to us Boonboomgers, but also to the enemy characters.

Soma: Don't forget the Sanseaters and Nejiretta (laughs). The members of Boonboomger have distinctly different colors and personalities, so I think you'll be able to discover new aspects of each character every time. I'd be happy if you enjoy discovering these new aspects of every character each time you watch.

Producer Kuji Yoshito x Main Writer Tomioka Atsuhiro

"Kuji-san has been involved in the production of many Super Sentai series, but this is his first interview with this magazine. May we ask about your background?"

Kuji: I joined Toei in 2011, and was one of the rare new employees at Toei who loved tokusatsu (laughs). I was involved with "Space Sheriff Gavan The Movie," and for Super Sentai, "Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger" and later "Shuriken Sentai Ninninger," but after that, I was transferred to the Educational Video Department and was separated from tokusatsu. Last year, I heard about the use of LED walls in King-Ohger and was very interested, so I gathered information within the company and visited the filming location. I don't think this had anything to do with it, but I was later transferred to the Drama Planning and Production Department and joined the team as a Producer for King-Ohger. As a tokusatsu enjoyer, this was something I couldn't have hoped for, but on top of that, as I was entrusted with the job, I was told that, "You'll also be the Chief Producer of the next Sentai…"

"In addition to the production currently being aired, he'd soon take charge on a new one…! Did you have an idea who the Main Writer would be at that point?"

Kuji: I originally loved "Battle Spirits," which Tomioka-san wrote for. Because of that impression, I was hoping to work with him someday. So, as soon as I started thinking about the new project, I consulted with Tsukada Hideaki, who had worked with Tomioka-san on the anime "Fuuto PI" as Chief Director, and said, "I'd like to meet Tomioka-san! Please introduce me!"

Tomioka: Suddenly, I received an e-mail from Toei, so I assumed it was a request from Toei Animation.

"Tomioka-san has participated in many productions by Toei Animation, such as ONE PIECE and Dragon Ball Super."

Tomioka: When I read it carefully, I was so happy that I jumped up and down because it was a request for a live action production, which I had longed to do. However, there was no mention of the "to" character for "tokusatsu" in the e-mail, so when it was decided that we would meet……I wondered if I'd be able to write about "Kasouken no Onna." After hearing about the Super Sentai series, I wanted to write a live action drama, which is why I originally entered this industry, and furthermore, I wanted to write a tokusatsu hero story, so I said, "I'll do it!"

Kuji: He was very enthusiastic. I was also very happy because we were taking a chance. Joining in on Tomioka-san's high motivation, the conversation proceeded at a rapid pace from there.

"What was the reason you originally wanted to write tokusatsu?"

Tomioka: I love toys! Even when I was working on my debut work in anime "Brave Exkaiser," I was collecting toys of the Gattai Robos. I always wanted to write a tokusatsu show that's closely intertwined with the toys, but I could never find the right opportunity to do so. And then, Kuji-san approached me. I had written stories for various productions in the past while keeping pace with the toy release schedule, so there was no trouble in creating the story. When I heard that the motif this time was cars, I was excited and thought, "I can do car action!" but then I calmed down and realized that you can't really do car crashes in the city nowadays. Nagahara Hideichi-san, my Scriptwriting mentor, wrote "Seibu Keisatsu" in which they drive an armored car through Ginza and had car action, so I'd like to create a world like that someday (laughs).

"It was decided from the beginning that cars would be one of the motifs, right?"

Kuji: Although the keyword was ultimately decided after discussions with TV Asahi and Bandai, I originally wanted to use "creative" as a keyword. Of course, there are many Sentai productions that use cars as a motif, but if we were to upgrade them to modern values, I thought it would be possible to incorporate the "manufacturing" that children are familiar with from videos and games. For example, in the past, the super machines would be given to them by a large organization or an unknown entity like, "We'll give this to you guys!" So instead of that, I thought that building and riding machines from their own hands would be an easier choice for admiration in the modern day. From there, I expressed to Tomioka-san this desire to portray a team doing something creative while gathering together for a mission.

Tomioka: In other words, it's like "Fast & Furious" (laughs). In addition, it's tempting to make cars talk as a way to appeal to younger viewers, but if you're really conscious of the fact that they're cars, it's better not to make them talk. I wanted to express that a machine is the best it can be because of the awesome power of the human driver. Also, in addition to the Boonboom Cars, the five of them would've had a car (through production), and I suggested that their occupations be car related, but that didn't work out……As you can imagine, we can't send out five cars all at once.

"At the same time as Tomioka-san, was pilot Director Nakazawa Shojiro also sent an offer?"

Kuji: When I was thinking about the image of the heroes I wanted to create, I wanted a Director who would take the direction I had created with Tomioka-san and push it even further beyond our imaginations. I think that Nakazawa-san is a Director who adds twists to the story, not just pure coolness. I asked Nakazawa-san to direct the pilot because I wanted him to take Boonboomger to a place where my sensibilities couldn't go. Besides, Tomioka Atsuhiro x Nakazawa Shojiro was the combination I most wanted to see. This combination is "alchemy" at its finest.

"Because of the use of LED walls in the previous work King-Ohger, we think there was more filming on set than on location. On the other hand, in this production, there's alot of filming on location due to driving cars. What were your guidelines for filming?"

Kuji: They really pushed King-Ohger to the limits to see how far they could go with their technological capabilities. This allowed the staff to share the work "calories" for each process. As Tomioka-san mentioned earlier, it's difficult to produce five regular theatrical cars. However, I had alot of discussions with the staff about the possibility of producing many Boonboom Cars by using assets (3DCG model data). Live compositing is used to represent the Boonboom Cars cockpit, the highway space, and the maintenance room. While considering sustainable work calories, I thought about how to produce the best image in a timely manner.

"In the first episode, Mira joins the Boonboomger and the story begins with a three member team. How did you come up with the story?"

Tomioka: We were thinking of doing something that would be most pleasing for children, our main audience, in other words, the classic battle hobby for boys. Taiya and Ishiro, and even Bundorio were already a team, and were strong from the beginning. In my experience, this structure, where it's important to be strong from the beginning, and then add the newcomer Mira to further strengthen them, is something that children feel good getting into. When I heard Kuji-san's idea of each person being a car related professional, Shirakura Shinichiro-san, who happened to be present at the meeting, said, "It's like the Hissatsu series." Actually, I love the Hissatsu series, and Shirakura-san's words made me really excited, thinking, "I can do something that I've always wanted to do but haven't been able to do!" I hope I can portray adults that children will admire to become. The style that's often depicted in the Hissatsu series is that a newcomer (Mira) joins the professionals, and the pasts of the other members are slowly revealed. Then it naturally becomes a story about the bonds of the team. The story line of Boonboomger is moving in an increasingly interesting direction as we incorporate ideas from other Scriptwriters one after another.

"Looking back at the Super Sentai series over the past few years, Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger, Avataro Sentai Donbrothers and Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger have been written almost exclusively by a single Scriptwriter. Tomioka-san, you're working with multiple Scriptwriters to create Boonboomger, what's your goal?"

Tomioka: I believe that by incorporating ideas that come from other people, not just myself, the characters will be able to develop. I'd love to write all the episodes by myself, but I think it's more appropriate if this production is written by a team of multiple people. Besides, it'd be boring to keep the heroes I've always wanted to myself. The style I like is to call my friends and then we all go wild in this new world together. First, since I was approached for "Fuuto PI" by chance, I was sure that Higuchi Tatsuhito-kun, who was in charge of the composition for the Fuuto series would be invited. Additionally, I approached Yamaguchi Hiroshi-san, who worked with me on "K-tai Investigator 7," once the project had been decided to a certain extent. Yamaguchi-san also writes to the extreme at full power. When I came to the Toei Tokyo studio with Yamaguchi-san, he said, "You're always on the opposite side, right? (at Toei Animation)" (laughs). Also, we have a younger man named Morichi Natsumi-san participating. Higuchi-kun and I are inspired by each and every tokusatsu scene, and our members have a deep and reassuring love for the characters. I've also reached out to Konuta Kenji-san, a former Writer for "Uchusen," and I'm hoping to work with this team until the final episode. There's also the fact that each of us wants to write only for the characters we have a strong attachment to (laughs). Like the Sanseaters……

"We'd like to ask you about the enemy characters here, but the Sanseaters seem to have a formation that we've seen in a production that Tomioka-san has worked on…….?"

Tomioka: Team Rocket from "Pokemon," right? (laughs). This time, due to various restrictions, the enemy doesn't have a hideout, so I wondered what kind of enemy I should make…..When I thought about it, I suddenly remembered the Greeed from "Kamen Rider OOO" and Heart and the others from "Kamen Rider Drive." Every time they're in some unknown place, they're talking to each other. When I thought about if I could get any inspiration from that……I came up with Team Rocket. I thought, "Villains who sleep outdoors!" (laughs).

Kuji: It was Tomioka-san's idea. There was no reason to hit the brakes anymore. We all stepped on the gas during the meeting.

Tomioka: To begin with, Yamaguchi-san and I grew up watching "Himitsu Sentai Gorenger," so when we think of Sentai enemies, we got the impression that they're monsters who are abit stupid and do interesting things.

"Listening to his story, we can see that Tomioka-san, who is an authority in children's productions, is putting into full use what he's cultivated. However, you haven't worked on a tokusatsu show since K-tai Investigator 7, and this is your first time working on a Toei tokusatsu production. Did you feel at a loss in that respect?"

Tomioka: In "K-tai," the enemy wasn't monsters. The main focus was on fighting hackers, and the only thing "tokusatsu" was the cell phones (Phone Braver) moving. In contrast, in the Super Sentai series, there are monsters, they become giant, the heroes announce themselves, they transform, and…..alot of other things. I thought I knew what I was getting into, but when it came time to actually write the script, it was difficult.

"There's something you have to do each time."

Tomioka: That's right. On top of that, in order to create something interesting, we received a variety of ideas from tokusatsu Director Butsuda Hiroshi for the giant battles, as well as feedback on what to do with the regular sized battles from Directors with past experience. The interesting part is the drama part, where the Directors don't often express their opinions. Therefore, when thinking about the drama part, I prioritized what Kuji-san wanted to create. I think this is the biggest difference from anime.

"Do you mean that you put the Producer's opinion first?"

Tomioka: In my experience, it's rare for a Producer to lead a production by himself, because in the case of anime, the opinion of the author is important if it's an original story, and the opinion of the Director or series creator is important if it is an original production. However, when Toei's tokusatsu shows are first announced, fans are always wondering who the Chief Producer is, aren't they? It's refreshing to know that fans are also paying attention to who will lead the production.

Kuji: That's what Tomioka-san says, but from my point of view, I'm being too dependent on him. Normally, the Chief Producer of Toei tokusatsu productions usually leads the discussion in meetings, but Tomioka-san took my opinions into consideration and organized the discussion by saying, "This is what you want to do, isn't it?" By incorporating the opinions of other Writers, he makes it even more interesting by saying, "This one's more explosive!" I think this is reflected in the footage in a good way. Maybe this is a style that hasn't been used in the past 47 series.

Tomioka: Come to think of it, in anime, a series composition chart is created to show what happens from the first episode to the final episode, but it seems that they don't usually prepare one for the Super Sentai series.

Kuji: Even though we have a rough idea of what we want to do, it has a strong "live" feel, so there's a possibility that we'll have to adjust the story halfway through.

Tomioka: I couldn't help but be anxious about that……So, before writing episodes 3 and 4, I told Kuji-san, "I want to decide how the story will develop until the end." Of course, taking into consideration the scheduled release of items and Robos, I made a series composition chart, and decided to some extent how many episodes with Taiya would be depicted in the series. But basically, we hope that everyone will enjoy each week's explosive episodes. And then, I'd be very happy if you thought, "That was fun! Let's play with toys too!"

"Boonboomger is finally airing, and it's going to be a year of excitement. We'd like to ask you about some key points of interest that readers who are looking forward to Boonboomger can enjoy even more."

Kuji: Boonboomger is a show that'll cheer you up when you watch it. The staff has put together what they think is "cool," so whether you're an adult or child, there's sure to be a key point in each episode that'll stick with you. We're working diligently on this production, hoping that it'll be a show that'll allow people to absorb the exciting energy on Sunday mornings and look forward to the following week. We'll continue to rev our engines so that we can provide excitement to everyone of all ages and genders!

Tomioka: I see this production as a story of friendship between Taiya and the alien Bundorio, and a growth story depicting the relationship between the Boonboomgers. In addition, as a toy lover, I'm excited to write about how much I can make the Boonboom Changer and Gattai Robos more appealing. Of course, we'll do our best to bring out the charm of the untransformed actors and make this a production that'll make children want to play as Boonboomgers. Now that they've finally started running, where will they go from here? I'd be happy if you look forward to watching them all year long!

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bekolxeram · 3 months

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During this hiatus, other than rewatching S7 for cute moments that we missed and coming up with headconons and new fic ideas, may I suggest going back to actually read/watch/listen to interviews with the cast?

Certain more dedicated members of the fandom tend to overfixate on one single sentence or even word the cast uttered and ignore all context around it. Sure, some of them might came into it with an agenda (like many journalists did sadly) and confirmation bias took care of the rest of it, but at the same time, who has time to read pages of disjointed chat with actors improvising answers without full knowledge of the production side of the show?

I've seen people proving Eddie's queerness by this quote from Lou's interview with the Hollywood Reporter in April:

This alone has been interpreted all sorts of ways, from Ryan not accepting this storyline (which doesn't make him homophobic btw, he could've simply not seen Eddie's story going this way, or he thought he wasn't equipped to do this storyline justice), to Buck's LIs not agreeing to come back because of scheduling conflict, to the writers just thought it was more appropriate for Buck to be queer.

I'm not here to speculate anything, I'm just going to point out earlier in the same interview, Lou also said he always knew this storyline would be with Oliver:

I don't know what's going on here, Lou might have insider information, but it also could be him just speculating over Tommy and Eddie's quickly formed friendship. To my knowledge, Tim has never confirmed that Tommy's queer storyline would be with Eddie before it supposedly fell through. In fact, Tim did say once it felt like Buck's story:

And then there's Lou's supposed dislike of filming make out scenes:

I do agree with him that gratuitous scenes on TV are unnecessary. I can't even count how many times I'm watching TV with my family when a graphic sex scene comes on unprompted, and my family members and I have to try our best to pretend we don't see it. But he also said that he didn't like it only when it didn't add to the story. Like we saw in 7x06, Lou gladly rubbed his face into Oliver's because this is how Buck came out.

There's also the part most people skipped through when Lou talked about the 7x04 kiss:

Lou (and everyone involved in the storyline) doesn't want Tommy to seem predatory. I have no idea if it's a reference to a possible earlier version of the script with an Eddie bi awakening instead of a Buck one. What I'm getting is that Lou and Tim tried to avoid playing into the stereotype of gay men hanging around knowingly straight men just to get into their pants.

And boy was Lou right. If they went for a full make out scene, the fandom discourse would've been so different. Naysayers wouldn't have been latching onto bachelor party costume or daddy issue joke. It would've led to much more serious allegations.

I'm happy it all worked out in universe as well. As we've seen from the past 7 seasons, Buck has no problem getting sexual partners. In the past he tried having physical relationships with women in hopes that it would lead to an emotional one, he also tried intentionally holding off intimacy just because he thought it would get in the way of boding with someone on a humanly level. This is the first time someone picked up Buck's (unintentional?) flirting, decided to break the ambiguity (landing it like a good pilot), gave him a brief peck to test the water, and then left to give Buck time to process his feelings.

Not only was it okay for Buck, it left him wanting more.

And lastly there's the allegedly "Tommy is just Buck's gay mentor to test thing out with" thing:

But earlier in the interview, it was established that Lou said it as a response to why the other shippers should still embrace Buck and Tommy's relationship. He didn't actually know what would happen in the future:

#911 abc #bucktommy #tommy kinard #tevan #kinley #evan buckley #lou ferrigno jr

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fabuloustrash05 · 2 months

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Spoilers for the TMNT 40th Anniversary Comics Celebration, TMNT 2012’s “Kraang Among Us” by Ciro Nieli

So can we say this confirms (maybe) that in TMNT 2012, 1 season = 1 year??

So that whole Mikey saying he’s still 15 in S3 is absolute bs

My best guess is that this story takes place after Seasons 4. I’ve always saw the arcs in S5 as epilogues (minus mutant apocalypse) so S5 might be a long shot, but could also make sense.

ICE CREAM KITTY!!! MY BELOVED!!!

This transformation was beautiful illustrated and the whole sequence was absolutely terrifying. I remember a couple years ago Ciro Nieli was interviewed in an article and he stated that if he ever had a chance to make a sequel for the 2012 series, he would have it take place during the turtles young adulthood where the Kraang would return and the store would be something similar to the horror movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

LINK

You can definitely see those those ideas coming through in this short story, especially since…

THE KRAANG ARE FREAKING BACK??!!

The fact this is Kraang Prime too! According to him, he said that his “remains” were mutated and his cells consumed the creatures and other in happiness of New York’s rivers.

DONT END IT LIKE THAT WITH A REMINDER OF SPLINTER AND ADDING A FREAKING QUESTION MARK AFTER SAYING THE END! CIRO DONT DO THIS TO ME!

Over all, I would LOVE a follow up to this! If Ciro could make it possible to have the 2012 series continue as a comic and continue on with this story along with returning all the other 2012 characters like April, Casey, Karai, Mutanimals, Mona Lisa, Renet etc. I’d be very happy!

#tmnt 40th anniversary #tmnt spoilers #tmnt 2012 #tmnt 2k12 #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #nickelodeon #tmnt leonardo #tmnt raphael #tmnt michelangelo #ice cream kitty #tmnt kraang #the kraang #kraang prime

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herejusttosufferalong · 1 month

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Ok so this might be a long rant, I just came across this account, after a lovely woman i follow on TT. She said in her live that a blog she likes one tumblr account, so I had a wee nosy. Well after watching Tifs live (our captain) the other night, my gut feeling about this whole situation with L, N and A:

I only started to ship L&N late April this year. I just was excited to see polin for their season after reading the book. Then I seen N and L interviews and saw their chemistry & connection I was hooked. I don’t ship people irl but I did always like Tom and Zendaya, I thought they would be cute together but nothing hardcore. Then L& N came into my life and now I can’t function properly without thinking about these two. I like the whole world has seen this two people that have captured our hearts, with their crazy chemistry. Which made a lot fans go crazy thinking they were a real couple and still want them to be.

As I said I newly lukola fan but after watching Tifs live and reading the info she had, also looking at other content and speaking to other fans. I believe my gut feeling is right, ( just my opinion) don’t come from me lol. 1: I believe L fell for N that first day they met at the dance rehearsal. I mean for someone who doesn’t have good memory, he remember everything that day. Like you said I believe he pushed those feelings down as he was in newly relationship. Also N was in a relationship, it wasn’t their time. They were great friends, laughed, joked and even flirted irl or SM but never crossed that boundary.

2: I believe the chemistry we were seeing in season 1 and 2 was them giving each other subtle hits, that they will have to finally give into repressed feelings once they become leads. L was still in a longtime relationship with his gf but N wasn’t in hers anymore, so she was having single girl era. Then bang they are told they are the leads the next season. Both gear up for it by L getting fit, healthy and trim down. N also got fit, healthy and went to the gym. They both threw everything into making this the best season(which I believe they did). Then started to film season3 when they can’t hide their feelings anymore. The gf caught on to this and that when things started to turn sour for L and gf, she got jealous and insecure about his feelings. She started getting hate from fans. Once she started doing shady things like copy N style and comment (WFT on camera) when the episode 2 season 2, when Colin’s comes back from his trip and sees Pen for the first time. Then J and L unliked N posts and didn’t interact with her as much. Also around that time N came out to defend J and stop the hate. (If I couldn’t love this woman anymore than I do. She is a incredible, kind and loyal friend to have in your life). Around this time L was on down low liking posts N friends posted about her, knowing that J wasn’t following them on SM to see. 3: As I said when season3 began all those feelings they both had came out and they couldn’t hide it anymore. You can see it by the reactions of the cast and crew saw, they slowly were letting us know that it was real what we saw and felt. I mean the fact that he wasn’t able to see her in certain dresses until the last minute to get his real reaction or that the director took all the dancers off the set, to only have N&S dance in front of L to get that pure jealousy and anger from him. (BTW that nearly broke that man) haha which I love, I know am evil 😏. Or the fact that N had a fake hen party with cast and crew. Do not get me started on the ‘sound proof’ carriage or the broken furniture. Around those scenes were being filmed the shit was hitting the fan with L&J, they believed to be broken up around the time of the mirror scene. We all know how relaxed they were with each other in those days, as N said “we were so relaxed, we spent the day under the covers naked not wanting to get up”. I mean come you two 🙈 So L was coming home after doing those intimate scenes and couldn’t detached from it. So it is believed around this time J cheated on L with a co star, of course this is all rumoured but Ls mum, aunt and grandma liked a lot of lukolas posts. That scene when he finds out about pen being LW, he was really crying and even catch’s on his words, it also makes N say his name because she can’t see him hurting. So that’s why she help him to heal after the break up, she wanted him not in pain anymore. That’s when everything changed.

4: N and L friendship grows stronger and stronger around part two they both were single and they give into their feelings. So when you watch the ally scene when he finds her out on the night before their wedding and they argue he push’s her up against the door. L uses his left hand to lift up her skirt, Colin is right handed but L is left handed. Also if you listen to that scene without the music, you can hear him saying N name. The last scene they filmed together was their last intimate scene and she slips the tongue in while he sucks on it. He also came to her last day of filming to support her AKA the pic of him seating on the floor while she hugging him 🫠So I believe that they both hooked up around this time and even went on secret dates. He was all in and was ready to go into the relationship with her. This is when it hits her, he needs to be single, she was going to be busy, he starting his new play… they had to put the breaks on it for awhile. That’s why she always says “what is meant for you, won’t pass you by”, something my mum says to me every day. N knows she be called to other women, that she is older, that her image would be damaged if they came out as a couple around that time. Because he loves her so much he couldn’t do that to her, so he agrees even though it is killing him. That’s when A appears. 5: He goes on to have his HBS with the lads and the rat 🐀 (Rory) I said what I said. He has fun and then meets A, she fun and exciting, just someone to have fun with, who also fits in his friends group. They date have fun, go on double dates, parties and events. They never put a label on it but she his gf in not so many words. Then they begin their six month press tour and all that pent up feelings come back out again. They were unhinged, flirty and their chemistry was through the roof. They couldn’t stop it if they tried. They have understanding like last year they couldn’t go public if they wanted to because of the image wouldn’t be right. That’s when A jealous streak came out, by slowly letting the fans know she was about and don’t get any ideas. She post videos of her of dancing in hotels were L was staying. That’s when she started to troll the fans and N too. I think the final nail that hit the coffin was the Ireland trip. We got the famous fixing the hair in middle of an interview(let’s be real L went to another world, he lean in and closed his eyes never wanting to open them up again). We also got him meeting her mum and went out with her family. A could see he was pulling back from her that’s why she invited herself to the NY premier were we got the awkward hug from A&N. So that’s why she called the paps and messed up the situation with L&N. I like a lot of people felt that pap walk was a slap to all our faces. I believe like you said she went rogue. All she had to do was wait a week and it wouldn’t have been as bad. The fandom would have been mad but would got over it. However she stole that limelight and you could see he annoyed by the pics. So HBS 2 happens, N starts working on her her new film. L has events, parties and holidays with A and the friend group. However he found ways to mention N in every interview or posts and she tells him in some ways that he is always with her by the pics she posts too. Like he said on JF they are on a break. Now they waiting for things to calm down and distance himself from A. But she doesn’t like and has now joined together with rat boy and his gf. They are trolling fans, N, leaking pics and videos of L when he just wants to be private. I also believe he has totally checked out with this relationship. You can see it in her eyes and body language, it doesn’t lie, he’s not happy. I also think his losing work opportunities with this bad pr at the minute. Unlike N who is booked and busy.

So to conclude this rant sorry btw I just had to get this all out of my head 🙈 it was doing my head in. I believe once season 4 begins and L&N have to be a married couple. They go back to their funny, flirty and unhinged. I then believe A bags will be packed because he will do all he can to protect N and her image. He also try to get new jobs as well. Were A might be on the next season of love island. I really hope not because I seen enough of that drama queen and I like to enjoy the show. I think next year we might get the confirmation of them both being an official couple. That’s when I be cracking up the Prosecco and champagne 🍾 😊🚢

No matter how many times I read things like this I always act surprised at every turn lmao

Love this anon, thx for sharing

#this is all opinion #merely speculating #i will die in my delulu #feeding my delulu daily

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judysxnd · 1 year

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Proofs that Pedro Pascal & Y/n Y/l/n are dating

I saw those kind of fanfics a few times and I liked it very much, so I was like, I should try too. But idk it doesn’t feel the same, there is something missing, and I don’t really like it 😂 (when am I satisfied of my own writing? Yes. Never.)

————————————————————————————

Pedro and y/n are known to be very close friends since the first movie they did together a few years ago, back in 2019. But, since then there have been numerous rumors about them being in a relationship. This is some moments when the internet nearly exploded when they’ve been seen/spotted together, moments that could confirm their relationship. Of course, they never publicly confirmed or denied anything. It’s like they are playing with it, or they just don’t care.

1) (your birthday) 2022, 11:31pm

Y/n posted a video on Instagram. Someone was inside, in the dark (at first we couldn’t see anything, but we could hear some whispers). We can hear a door opening, and y/n talking to someone before laughing. The door’s closing, when then can hear a male voice (that looked A LOT like Pedro’s voice), then the light was turned on and screams. That’s right, it was a surprise party. And it was indeed Pedro next to y/n.

With the video, there was a picture. A selfie that y/n took, with everyone behind her. But right next to her, there was Pedro.

The caption: “Thank you Pedro for organizing this, I love you so much. I’ve never been more thankful for my friends than today. Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone”

2) Y/n appears a lot in pictures with Pedro when he is out with some friends and vice versa. They seem to be spending a lot of time together. We also noticed that wherever Pedro was, Y/n was in the same city, during the same timeframe. We don’t know who follows who, but where one goes, the other is there too.

3) 18th August 2022, 4:13pm

A friend of Pedro posted a picture of them together. His friend was sitting on a chair, outside, Pedro was standing next to him. They were both only wearing bathing suits. But, we could spot y/n in the reflection of the glass door behind. She was standing there, holding her phone on her right hand, and on the other holding a glass.

4) 7th September 2022, during the afternoon

Y/n was spotted in New-York, walking in the streets, probably doing some errands. She was alone, but it was how she was dressed that raised some suspicion. She was wearing a large pink sweatshirt (the same that Pedro was wearing during the lie-detector interview), with a pair of black jeans.

Later in the afternoon she was also seen getting in a car that looked like Pedro’s. But no one actually saw who was driving.

5) 16th march 2023, around 7pm

One day, after Bella posted a lot of behind the scenes pictures on The Last of us set, Pedro did the same. He posted a few pictures and videos. In one of the picture, it was a group picture, Pedro, Bella, two infected, and.. y/n. What? It seems like they always move together.

6) 2nd April 2023, 2:56pm

Javiera, Pedro’s sister, posted a picture on her Instagram. It was a group photo. There was Pedro’s family, all gathered around the table, having lunch together. His entire family was here, but we could spot y/n next to Pedro. So if it was only family, why was she here?

The caption: “Happy birthday brother. We’re all here for you, just like you are for us. Family’s everything. Love you.”

7) 2nd April 2023, 9:07pm

They were spotted by paparazzis leaving a restaurant. No one seemed to be with them. Pedro’s wearing a very nice suit, and y/n’s wearing a black shiny dress. She’s holding his arm, and they’re both laughing. As they arrived to his car, he opened the door for her before closing it and going to his side. It really seemed like they were on a date. Are they making it official???

#i love him #imagine #fanfic #cute #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal x reader #oneshot #pedro pascal imagine #preferences #Pedro pascal preferences #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal x y/n #happy birthday Pedro Pascal

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swiftllama · 1 year

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Anthony Complimenting Ian ☀️🔍

“I think that’s a big difference in us reuniting, is I am so willing to praise you and mention your strengths.”

Hey guys! Been working on this post for a while and so happy to finally share!

Before we knew of their reunion, there was this window of time where Anthony kept complimenting Ian on social media. That stood out to me then, especially after having very little interaction between them in so long. But now having the context that they were actually hanging out again behind the scenes, and that Anthony now makes a conscious effort to compliment/praise Ian makes it all the more sweeter. The said compliments I mentioned were posted at the time but the fandom wasn’t as active as it now is again so I wanted to compile a list of all the moments of Anthony complimenting Ian from their reunion to present for anyone who might’ve missed it. Enjoy!

Pre-Reunion

Okay so this first post is actually from before they reconnected. We know from the Smosh Reunion t-shirt that they reconnected in November 2022 and this post is from July 2022.

I like to think Anthony was in a better place with his emotions towards Smosh/Ian by this point, and that Ian had been on his mind and so a nice little compliment was to be had.

Post-Reunion

April 2023

5 months post-reunion and Anthony’s feeling more confident to joke around whilst still complimenting Ian. You love to see it! And Ian’s reply, him getting all embarrassed is cute 🤭

It also reminded me of these tweets from back in September 2017 :-

Confirmed: Anthony has a thing for calling Ian ‘daddy’. Noted. 👀

May 2023

Less than a month later and Anthony was back at it again with the compliments

Ian looks good and Anthony is determined to tell him at every opportunity!

And then…

June 2023

THE (PUBLIC) REUNION

And so ensued an abundance of compliments.

Anthony’s Interview

First lot of praise we saw from Anthony to Ian was in his interview with him. Tumblr sadly doesn’t allow you to add more than one video to a post so these are all quotes from said interview.

Like the tweet above of Ian getting his first chain necklace, they reference it once again. Ian is talking about how even though they’ve grown as people they haven’t changed that much, he references the fact Anthony has “more bling and tattoos” now, Anthony then interjects with :-

“Hey, you got a little bling too, let’s not discount it.”

Ian then shows the jewellery off and Anthony comes in saying “Baby’s first chain.” I like to think he was the first one to say that when Ian got the chain and where Ian got the inspo for his Twitter caption. Anthony then finishes this topic of conversation off by adding on that Ian also got “face bling too” in reference to his glasses. I know this isn’t really a full-out compliment and they’re just kinda messing about, but I think it still stands with Anthony saying that’s something that’s changed between them now is that he’s willing to compliment him, and I love how when Ian tries to downplay something about himself, Anthony jumps straight in there to lift him up too.

Another complimentary moment from the interview was when Anthony was talking about when he was 15 and came down with an autoimmune disease resulting in him missing half a year of school and Ian got a bunch of people to sign a ‘Get Well Soon’ card to give to Anthony to make him feel better.

“There is one moment, one thing that you did for me, when we were younger that really stood out to me that I never mentioned to you and I never thanked you for. I’ve been holding it in and I have never expressed it…. I don’t know how you got it to me, but somehow you got a ‘get well soon’ card that you gave to me - Okay, I don’t know if it was you who came up with the idea or your mom, or if like your mom told you, you had to do it. And a whole a bunch of people signed it and you wrote a message like ‘get well soon, we can’t wait to see you again’. And that, it really meant a lot to me, and yeah, it kinda kept me motivated and focused, and I don’t know why but for some reason it motived me to learn how to program a website, program a game, and I feel like because of that in some ways I was able to channel all my energy into creating the things that eventually culminated in what the foundation of Smosh was.”

I really love this moment, and I think it really shows Anthony’s growth. As was revealed in his letter to Ian, there was a period of time in which he felt he had more of a hand in creating Smosh in the early days, but the fact he can now acknowledge and recognise Ian’s input in it all, even before Smosh was a thing, and thank him for it really shows how far Anthony has come.

The last lot of praise from the interview is actually something Anthony has mentioned multiple times as you will see later on in this post and that is about their dynamic and how they work together.

“I think the fact we work in such different ways, like I’m able to really hyper-focus on something and put all my energy, just like back-to-back constantly in one chunk, I think that works really well when compared against the way that you work, where you are super creative and..”

Ian interjects by saying his head is “up in the clouds” when he works. Anthony continues by saying that Ian needs to be there to come up with the ideas that he does and then praises him once more :-

“I could never come up with most of the ideas that you come up with, but I feel I know how to formulate it and put it together.”

Next lot of praise for the month was this tweet :-

Anthony praising Ian, along with everyone else who had a hand in keeping Smosh going all these years. Similar to something he said at Vidcon when he interviewed Ian once again :-

“I just want to say huge, huge respect to you for staying with Smosh. For having that faith in it that it could continue to grow and be something bigger…” [audience cheers and Anthony points to Ian] “So huge, huge respect to Ian. That took a lot of tenacity - the tenacity you said I had, that’s where you really showed up. And Ian had to learn how to be a leader, Ian had to learn how to do all these things where he was just thrown into that because I made the decision to leave because Smosh, what it had become, was eating a hole in me and I felt I needed to walk away to figure myself out, to just grow on my own and I’m so thankful that you stuck around to keep it going so that we could do this [own Smosh again].”

And there was more where that came from and leads me onto the next lot of compliments :-

Vidcon 2023

“When Ian came over to my place to write… I remember I was sitting on the coffee table writing these jokes and you would say something and it would totally catch me off guard just like you used to do.”

Anthony said this so fondly to Ian, the “just like you used to do.” It goes back to what he said during his interview with Ian, which he got emotional about, that during the lunch where they reconnected properly for the first time, he saw his childhood friend in that moment. That despite how much they had both changed, the Ian he knew, the only one who can make him laugh like he does, was and is still there.

Anthony goes on to bring up their working dynamic again as he did in his interview :-

“While we were writing that sketch, while we were shooting it, there was this feeling - I didn’t realise it, but there was something missing from my creative process. Especially in creating comedy, that Ian just perfectly… I don’t know if I want to say yin and yang - I don’t know what I want to say about it. But it was just this perfect balance, that feels like in order for us to reach our fullest potential creatively, us working together is, in my heart, the only way for that to really reach its fullest capacity.”

Ian then responds in his usual way, trying to downplay his efforts by agreeing that their dynamic works well that way because he’s, in his own words, “kind of lazy.”

Anthony is quick to jump in though :-

“I think that’s a misconception, you’re not lazy.”

I love how he just outright refuses to let Ian talk down about himself nowadays. He will absolutely not have it!

Ian continues on and compliments Anthony in return by saying he is very ‘tenacious’ and ‘focused’, and ‘particular about things.’ Whereas Ian’s way of working, as Anthony goes on to say, is “throwing stuff out” and Anthony likes to pick out the best of the best from those ideas. And this is when we got the first of the ☀️🔍 analogies :-

“It feels almost like Ian is the sun radiating all these ideas in every direction, and then I’m the magnifying glass that’s like ‘let’s focus on this one, let’s make this one fire. This one’s amazing.’ And something about just the way that we work together just meshes so perfectly, and I think that’s how we became best friends in sixth grade, that’s how we established our sense of humour and why the Smosh videos that we created resonated with so many people, is because there is that perfect dichotomy between us.”

Do you think Anthony thinks their dynamic is perfect? I don’t know 🤔 I don’t think he mentioned it enough.

Jokes aside, it is very sweet. And I love how much he loves their connection.

The next lot of compliments come straight after the quote of Anthony praising Ian for sticking with Smosh whilst he was gone :-

“I’m super thankful - you know for the past six years it just felt like there was a hole in there [in his heart]. You know I’ve been creating my own interview series and it’s felt like this is a great way for me to be able to express a part of me, but not all of me. And that other part of me that wasn’t being expressed is that part of me that I now get to experience with you, and working with you, my childhood best friend, in creating something and being able to capture that magic and express it, and be able to present it for all of you [the audience], it’s a really, really great feeling.”

Ian then responds with another little compliment of his own :-

“I think on my side, you know when you left I was still making sketch comedy, I was still writing, but I never found the same kind of writing partner that I did after you. It was never the same. The way that we work together, I never quite found that kind of person to easily bounce ideas off to, so I kind of stepped back a little bit from the writing.”

It also reminds me of something Ian said during Anthony’s interview, about how they have this level of ‘trust’ between them, that Ian never found again with anyone else after Anthony left. Makes me so soft, they feel so lucky to have each other again. No one quite gets them like the other does and they can never replace what they have. Their connection truly is special.

This is more of a silly one and just them joking around but I’m including it anyways! They had a Q&A session with the audience after the interview and the person asking the question starts off by introducing themselves and saying how they met Ian the other day and apologises for calling him “old.”

They both laugh and Ian pretends to begin to walk off stage. And then, you guessed it, Anthony swoops in with a retort :-

“Hey! He’s 35 years young.”

Moving on to later the same day, after playing a live version of TNTL with the cast, they all had a sit-down Q&A :-

Q: “What inspires you? What made you who you are?”

And of course, as if he hadn’t already killed us enough, Anthony has to go and say this :-

“I’m about to say something totally whack. I’d say, Ian and my friendship when we first started really connecting. I feel like Ian taught me to not take myself too seriously and his sense of humour is just all over the place and I eat that shit up, I think it’s so funny.”

Like wtf. WHAT THE FUCK.

Ian’s reaction to him saying that pretty much sums up my emotions.

And that was it for Vidcon!

Except if you count this little cherry on top and the perfect closing to June as the picture is from Vidcon :-

Anthony being obsessed with Ian on main! You love to see it!

July 2023

Started off July with a bang and the ☀️🔍 article :-

Never getting over this! Anthony just loves the sun and magnifying glass analogy and I couldn’t be more here for it. Ian is the sun in his life 💛🖤

Ian Reads Anthony’s Angry Letter

And then came the infamous letter video. Which even though there were a few hurtful things revealed, there still managed to be a few nods of acknowledgment towards Ian even in that hurt Anthony felt.

As mentioned earlier in this post, in part of the letter Anthony writes that in the early days of Smosh he wanted it to be something ‘he’ made with Ian’s help, and that he considered Ian to only be “tagging along”. He goes on to apologise [in the letter] for if he ever made Ian feel like he didn’t deserve as much credit as he did.

“You may not have done some of the heavy lifting I did in the early days, but definitely encouraged us to keep going and you kept things light and full of laughs as we did it. We accomplished so much and I am just now realising how important you were in making that happen.”

Anthony then brings up something that happened recently between them :-

“But that thing that you read there - you did, and this was actually really nice for me to hear from you. It was a few days after we had confirmation that we had bought Smosh, you came over to my place, we had a little celebratory hang; very luxurious. We chilled with cigars and some whiskey, and we just bro-ed it up, and you said that to me. That exact thing - you said, “hey, I don’t think I ever really acknowledged the heavy lifting that you did in the early days” and you said that you “felt really lucky to be there at that time and that I included you in that.” And that was really nice to hear, even though I know.”

So I know technically this compliment/praise/acknowledgment isn’t new as the letter was written in 2017, but it’s ‘new’ to us. But I’m glad to hear that Anthony does acknowledge Ian’s involvement in Smosh’s success, even in the early days when Anthony was doing more of the technical things. He acknowledges that Ian still had a role to play in it all being what it was.

Ian agrees with what Anthony is saying, and that he always felt ‘guilt’ over the fact Anthony had to do the things he didn’t have the skillset to do, but recognises that he didn’t acknowledge or thank Anthony enough for it because he was ‘afraid’ that he might have to do more when their whole thing was about doing “equal work” because they felt as a duo they had to, and that if the other felt they were doing more work then there was some resentment there. Ian tries to downplay himself by joking “In most cases you were doing more work than me…” but Anthony is quick to jump in again and not allow it.

“I was doing more hours, but I think you were doing more of the creative heavy-lifting which is more taxing in many ways. So I think that you needed your time to recoup your energy, cause you’re coming up with funny stuff, and at that time I was like ‘I’m doing so much work’.”

Also another mention of Ian’s creativity and humour when it comes to writing, that Anthony acknowledges he wouldn’t be able come up with. But you can see where the ‘resentment’ they talked of came from, and why Anthony felt he was doing more. When in reality it’s just that’s their strengths lie in different areas, but that doesn’t make the work they both do individually any less important. So I am happy they can see that now and praise each other for the unique ways in which they shine which compliments their own strengths in their own special ways.

WE WERE ROBBED! Watch Party

It happened again. Anthony calling Ian ‘daddy’. Can we just all agree that he has a thing for it? Okay. Good.

They’re discussing how everyone in chat is poking fun at Ian for saying “you guys are a fun bunch” to the rest of the group during the ‘Do Men Know Reproductive Anatomy?’ Smosh Pit video and how it was a ‘dad’ comment. Ian reads out a comment talking about how Arasha called him ‘dad’ and he says “[she] can because she’s my son”. And then Mr ‘Ian is Daddy’ Padilla jumps in with the correction once again :-

Anthony: “I think you’re becoming ‘daddy’.”

Ian: [asks if it’s when he puts his glasses on]

Anthony: “Especially.”

Ian: [puts glasses on]

Anthony: “Oh damn, daddy.”

Like why is this Anthony’s thing now? Whatever the reason - I’m here for it.

Also, Ian doesn’t like to be referred to as ‘pops’ but Anthony’s into it. So, Daddy and Pops. It’s settled. Love our parents 👨‍👨‍👧‍👦

Smosh Mouth

And just like we started July, we ended it the same - with a bang!

I urge you if you haven’t seen it yet (or even if you have), to go watch this video. It may as well have been named ‘Praise Ian Hour’. Not only have we got Anthony, but also Shayne and Amanda coming in to add to the many compliments.

I know all these compliments the others were giving Ian were probably making Anthony’s heart swell with pride. To know that not only himself, but everyone else also recognises Ian’s strengths. To know that these things he loves about Ian, others see in him too.

So a lot of the video was the others complimenting Ian rather than from Anthony himself, but he agreed with everything they were saying and added a few little tidbits. So this next lot of compliments will be what Shayne and Amanda said, along with Anthony’s comments :-

Amanda: [talking about when she first auditioned for Smosh] “And I’ll never forget after I did that [read the script], it was really fun - they asked me a question, and I was in a really interesting place in my life… And they were like “If you could have one superpower, what would it be?” and I just said “Vulnerability.”… And I’ll never forget, Ian stood up and went “Do you write comedy also?” and I said “Yeah!”, and he went [nods] and he shook my hand.”

Anthony: [grinning ear to ear] “He knew. He knew.”

Happy boy loving hearing people praise his bff 🥰

“I think honestly that statement alone is exactly why you’re doing a podcast. I think Ian was able, if he really did know in that moment, I think it probably was seeing that there was more to you than just the comedy, there’s more depth there, there’s multiple layers, and you can build on that a lot more than just somebody who can only do one type of thing.”

A very sweet comment. How Ian recognised the talent in Amanda from that one thing she said, and also cute how well Anthony knows Ian so can see exactly where he was coming from in seeing that talent in her and why she ended up at Smosh.

Shayne: “…I’m curious how you [Anthony] think things were going in the years you were gone? It’s been fun to see this arc of Ian. And being honest I’ve gotten to know Ian so well over the course of 6 years and that’s what’s so interesting about you coming back. You know Ian better than any of us-”

Anthony: “But I don’t know the Ian from the past 6 years as well as well as you guys do.”

Shayne: “…But you haven’t seen president Ian.” [talks about how when Anthony was still there both him and Ian were so busy under Defy that they weren’t around much to act as leaders]

Anthony: “Yeah, there was no leadership really coming from Ian and I, except that I think we showed excitement and passion… We showed that, and I think that’s where we kinda led, but it wasn’t really ‘we’re the leaders’ and when I left, and especially when Defy collapsed and Ian was left there making a lot of those decisions, he had to be the leader that had to lead by example and get everyone onboard with his ideas, and that was a really unique role for him because he was kinda forced into that position, and he was forced to get really good at it. And I think, over the 6 year time period that I was gone, I’ve seen him, observing from the outside, I’ve seen him get better and better at that role. Even though I know he doesn’t ‘love’ it, he’s not like ‘I can’t wait to go and be a leader when I go to work’, and he’s told me that he feels like he thrives most when we have the dynamic between us where I can pick up when he’s not really-”

“observing from the outside” 🥺 the fact he was still checking up on Ian even when they weren’t close anymore, it shows that the care was still there despite the strain on the relationship. It also reminds me of what Ian said during Anthony’s interview, that he could tell Anthony was floundering when he first left :-

Ian: “I could see very clearly what you were doing and what was going on. It was very clear that you were trying to find your individual creative voice. And with the types of videos you were putting out it felt very much like you’d throw this out and see if that would stick, you’d throw that out and see if that would stick. You’d get excited about something - I could tell there was a time when I think you were watching Nathan For You, and you were getting excited about this one kind of style.”

Anthony: “Damn, you read me like a book.”

It’s just like Shayne said - they know each other better than anyone. And that extends to even when they weren’t speaking, they still knew the other inside and out.

Amanda: “He’s glowing right now.”

Shayne: “He’s been so happy.”

Anthony: “It’s really, really cool to see because you know watching from the outside, I was able to observe his mannerisms and kind of get a general idea of where his headspace was at, but even then I wasn’t able to fully understand him because I didn’t fully understand him for so many years leading up to it, so I was just an outside observer trying to just keep tabs. But I do notice a stark difference, ever since Ian and I had that discussion, and were like ‘you know what, let’s buy Smosh and anything we can do to make that happen, let’s do it’. And after that conversation I’ve been keeping up-to-date with the content a lot more and I’ve seen Ian shine in such an interesting way, where I don’t even know if you guys felt it - like before the announcement, you felt something good was coming?”

Is everyone sufficiently in tears? Good, because me too. This isn’t even the end of this convo, I just had the pause to go over all of what was just said. Both Amanda and Shayne saying how happy Ian is now, I don’t know how Anthony didn’t cry on the spot! I did and it’s not even about me! Like hearing that, knowing it’s because of him that Ian is so happy 😭 and I think the same can be said for Anthony. They’re both so happy to have each other again ❤️

Shayne: “I did start to notice a change these past few months. I started to notice - this dude, there’s something about him, like the ‘cool’ factor started to change. He started wearing a chain! He started tucking shirts in.”

Amanda: “Oh yeah! He tucked in every shirt. He wore a chain. He was glowing. And our conversations were about life and joy and not really what he was reading on the internet.”

Shayne: “His confidence level has changed this year. When you guys announced the whole thing [buying Smosh], you walked into the building and I was like ‘Okay this makes sense!’ He’s feeling a lot more confident because things are feeling more certain and this place is going to turn into more of what he wants.”

Anthony: [agrees, and talks about how he thinks the confidence comes from a place of Ian now knowing the future of Smosh is secure under them after not knowing for a long time] “And I think for some reason, just naturally his confidence started growing as - I don’t know if this is related, but he is so good at writing and coming up with jokes, and I think for a long time he got the impression in his head that he wasn’t good at that anymore. And I think the Smosh channel moving away from written stuff, which I feel like he just really shines at - these absurd ideas, and when they come to life on screen maybe I’m able to help keep them a little bit more focused. But I really love that, cause he has so many great ideas and I started noticing just how many good ideas - he would throw out like 30 ideas and 20 of them were brilliant. But I feel like he started to gain confidence too in our writing sessions where he realised, ‘oh this isn’t a fluke, I wasn’t just funny in the past’ - I don’t know if this was the worry that was going on in his head, but it certainly was in mine. I was like, ‘was I only good at this in the past? can I be good at this now?’ and we both discovered together that what we were good at in the past, was more of a representation of our innate abilities and personality on our own but also the dynamic between us, and it seems like his confidence was growing there, and on camera when I would watch him from the outside, even hosting ‘Let’s Do This’ - when I saw him hosting these things it seemed like he was much more confident and he was able to take initiative.”

I love how much Anthony talks about how good Ian is at writing and coming up with jokes, and how much he reiterates that nowadays. I love that he recognises that talent in him and acknowledges how his own abilities complement Ian’s so well and why their dynamic is so special and works so well.

Shayne: “Ian is so much funnier than he realises. And maybe he’s realising it now-“

Anthony: “Yeah, I hope so.”

Aw Anthony 🥺 well if he doesn’t, you’re there to remind him tenfold.

Shayne: “But over these past years, I think the thing that has always frustrated me is - as you said [Anthony], he’ll throw out ideas but he’ll be like ‘oh this one’s dumb’ and I’m like ‘no that’s really funny, man’…. But whenever he goes 100% and he commits fully it’s always great.”

Anthony: “Always great.”

Shayne: “And I think he really does that in your guy’s sketches, there’s no doubt - the Ian that people know and love is that guy. And I think when he’s able to write and know what it is, he goes full force. But I will say even with the improvised stuff he held himself back - he’s so good, but he just needs to allow himself go full force.”

Anthony: “I think he would second guess.”

Shayne: “He second guesses. And I feel bad talking about him without him here, but it’s all good things. Cause reality is he’s really, really talented.”

Anthony: “The truth is he was doubting himself, but the less he’s doubting himself [he’s able to go full force].”

Shayne: [talks about how Ian has said 2019 was one of the hardest years after Defy collapsed and he had to step up as a leader and figure things out on his own] “So suddenly one day Smosh is gone and all these people are just gone, they don’t care. And I remember talking to Ian and being like “hey, so what are we gonna do?” and I remember this look of just - it’s still Ian where everything’s very casual and just kinda shrugged off almost, but I remember him just being like “We’re gonna figure it out. I’m gonna get this together”, and I was just like “That’s the most confident you’ve ever sounded about anything.”

Amanda: “It’s cause he was a single dad, he had to figure it out.”

Shayne: “But Ian’s always like ‘yeah, I dunno’ but this was the first time he was like ‘we’re gonna - I’m gonna - we’re gonna have it.’

Anthony: “And I feel like we see that [confidence] a lot more from him now.”

Shayne: “Yeah, and that was the first time that I was like ‘Dude, this Ian’s crazy. This guy’s not fucking around.’ and he had to do so much behind the scenes that I didn’t see, but he was making business deals and he was working all day, every day to get that shit together. And you know people say Rhett and Link saved Smosh, it’s like Ian saved Smosh. Rhett and Link were there to make that deal happen, but Ian was the one who put that shit together.”

Anthony: “For sure.”

Loved this from Shayne! Because it’s so true, yes R&L were there when Smosh needed a home, but Ian was the one who put in the hard work to make that happen. None of it could have happened without him. And I’m glad Anthony agrees, and as his comments at Vidcon suggest, he’s very thankful that Ian was there to save Smosh so he could come back and they could rightfully own what is their’s, doing what they love, together again.

Shayne: [talking about how Ian and Anthony going their separate ways needed to happen] “You started this thing forever ago when you were kids and it’s completely overshadowed your own lives and your friendship. To be able to take a step away and figure out who you guys are on your own and then come back - you guys at a certain point were forced to be best friends on camera and that’s tough and it becomes a product more than an actual friendship, so to be able to walk away and leave that alone and then choose to be best friends again.”

Not so much a compliment, just loved this. It’s the choice to be best friends again that gets me. Something they’re actively choosing and put above everything else, they’re never going to let anything get in the way of their friendship again and that is so special.

The famous quote comes to mind :-

“If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours.”

Shayne: “I said it to Ian when he was on the podcast - I really respect both of you for your both individual journeys in all this. Like your choice to leave the thing you made forever ago as a kid, that meant everything to you, that’s an insane choice. And you made it for your own good, and you recognised your own happiness and that was gigantic. And Ian, I think really was scared to be a leader here, he was scared to be on his own, like president, and he really did it and he’s stuck with it through crazy [times] - not only the shutdown where he stepped up, but the pandemic as well, where we were all filming stuff on our own by ourselves, and he stuck with it, man. That dude, he’s had some endurance with all of this and so to see you guys back together, I know for him there’s pressure taken off because he has you, and I can see there’s so many aspects of the job that he questions himself - I think he’s great at it, but he questions himself and I think you can fill in that part for him where he’s like ‘oh sweet, I know I can rely on you’.”

Anthony looks like he’s about ready to cry when Shayne said that and I don’t blame him because I could too.

Knowing just how important he is to Ian. That he is the only person Ian can rely on when it comes the leadership side of the business, an area where he’s been alone in for so long, doubting himself, I’m sure it makes Anthony want to hype him up and reassure him even more that he’s doing a good job.

Shayne: “And I said this to you, I think the day you first came back, but I’m like - you both together is one of the greatest YouTubers ever.”

Anthony: “I appreciate that.”

Shayne: “You individually - super successful. Like you went and you were successful on your own. Ian maintained Smosh on his own. That’s really cool to see that there was success from both of you individually, but together - I mean when we’re at Vidcon and we’re talking to other YouTubers, Smosh has, there’s something to it right? Like other YouTubers go ‘Oh! Smosh!’ that’s a big deal.”

It’s so emotional how this thing that Ian and Anthony created together as teenagers is what it is now 🥲 and it’s so true - together, they’re something special.

Anthony: [discussing how he discovered his interview format for his videos after trying lots of different kinds of content after leaving Smosh] “I thought that my lane was making sketch comedy so I was writing out some stuff. But I realised that on my own, without Ian, I am not a very strong writer. I do not have the funniest jokes.”

Again, Anthony recognising Ian’s talent when it comes to writing and the Yin and Yang of their dynamic, and how they need each other to really be at their best.

[Amanda says how Anthony seems like an extrovert in his interviews. He says it’s an illusion and that he’s really introverted - Shayne agrees that he is]

Shayne: “I mean I’m just now hanging out with you again recently, but I always got the sense, and I get the sense still, that Ian is the outgoing one.”

Anthony: “Yeah.”

Shayne: “Ian’s super outgoing, and people maybe don’t clock that… At parties, Ian will walk up to any group of people and he’ll just join the conversation.”

Anthony: “For sure.”

Amanda: “You’re right, he does.”

Shayne: “It is shocking to me. And he’s so chill about it.”

I know this was mainly just Anthony agreeing, but I found it interesting and it made me wonder if that is another reason their dynamic works so well and if it’s maybe also a comfort for Anthony? As a fellow introvert, I know how much easier it makes things when you have an extroverted person with you in social situations that you feel uncomfortable with. So I wonder if it’s the same for Anthony with Ian, that he has him there to lean on, knowing he’ll take the forefront in those types of situations if he needs it.

And that was it for the podcast and for the month of July.

And so draws to a close the first instalment of this compliments series. I plan to continue this month to month, or every few depending on how much content there is - you’ll be able to find all parts in the Compliments Masterlist.

Thank you for reading and catching up with the world of the Anthony Padilla Ian Hecox Fanclub with me. Hope you enjoyed and I shall see you next time!

#this took me so long so rb are appreciated 😅#wanted to get this out end of July but didn’t finish in time #started adding august onto it forgetting you can only add 10 photos on a post 😑#but anyways! so happy to finally get this out to you guys!#smosh #ian hecox #anthony padilla #ianthony #☀️🔍#ianthony compliments #ian and anthony #smoshian #smoshanthony #smosh ian #smosh anthony #my posts

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