#this was so hard to decide which songs to include cause I've been listening to a lot (in my opinion at least) of really good ones

[usermoon]

5 songs ive been listening to recently (thank you @goldenwaves

tagging everytone cauuse its been so long since i posted anything i don't remember anyones usernames off the top of my head

[bones4thecats]

➸ Your Wedding Day; Idia Shroud × S/O

Character: Idia Shroud A/N: This was something that I've wanted to write for quite a while, so I'm happy I finally got my Idia-wedding ideas out and posted for you guys to see. Hope you fellow Idia simps enjoy! Disclaimer(s): Reader's dress, Idia's suit, and song to listen too

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╚═════ Idia Shroud ════════════════════════════╝

🎮 We all know this guy enjoys his privacy, and that includes privacy with you (of course it does, why wouldn't it?)

🎮 You happily handed him a list of some ideas for your wedding, to which he just sighed and set his headphones down to read over. Ever since College ended, he had been working more and more with S.T.Y.X., so whenever he got some free time, he'd either play games or rest with you

🎮 More than not, he would just sleep with you right beside him. The guy's tried, give him a break

🎮 But, when he proposed, he did not expect such a long list of things you guys needed to decide on for your wedding. He figured that you'd have it all laid out and not worry about it like a character in a show/movie

🎮 As he read the list over, he put tiny skulls by whatever he found that he liked the idea of. Cost wasn't a big deal, but he knew that you wanted a smaller wedding when you guys spent your second-year anniversary together

🎮 He agreed with the idea, but never gave it a second thought. Rookie mistake.

🎮 Idia handed you back the list and you then put check-marks besides the ones you agreed with him on. Your big-day was in only 9 weeks, so getting everything else laid out was something you guys needed to get done immediately

🎮 Snapping his headphones back on as you made call after call and message after message, Idia let his mind wander onto what he dreamt your wedding would look like. From flowers to you in your dress, it didn't matter. It was all there

🎮 When your wedding finally came, your soon-to-be-husband was having a nervous breakdown. Though, why wouldn't he be? He was an introvert having to go up there in front of people and confess his love to you

🎮 While yes, it was all people both you and him knew extremely well, it was still a lot of people!

🎮 His father walked up behind him and smiled, his blue-flame hair matching his son's as he put the brooch of a gem-eyed skull on his suit

"You look so awesome, big brother!" Ortho said from behind their father.

"Thanks, O'. How's Y/N doing?" He asked.

"She's doing great! She looks beyond amazing in her dress! You're gonna be a big strawberry when you see her go down the isle."

🎮 Idia smiled and looked at himself in the mirror, the long flame hair that he always kept loose without any care for, all neatly put together in a brushed-up style with a bow keeping it behind his shoulders. This was what you wanted, so it was what you were going to get

"Boys! Come on! Wedding's about to start!" Mrs. Shroud said from the doorway, causing all three Shroud boy's hair to erupt before settling again. Thankfully it didn't burn anything...

"We're on out way, dear!" Mr. Shroud answered.

🎮 Mr. Shroud looked back at his sons and smiled, planting his new face-only helmet back on his head, his hair sticking out, as it was shorter, but brighter in terms of fire-light

"Let's head out to see your new chapter, Idia."

══✿══╡

🎮 Idia stood there before you, hair all nice, while you stood before him, your long white dress standing out while your veil was draped in front of your face, much to your future husband's dismay. It was hard to find comfort in your eyes without straining his eyes to look beyond the thin fabric

"Now, let's get these vows out, shall we?" The Minister said.

🎮 You smiled and looked at Idia, motioning for him to start. He just took a deep breath, taking a simple glance at his mother, whom was standing behind you as one of her bridesmaids, to which she nodded

🎮 Idia looked deep in your eyes and spoke from his heart. Like I said, no planning involved for this poor boy

"Y/N. You were like the boss that I couldn't defeat. I feared everyone in College, but you just kept coming back and I couldn't seem to put up a firewall to keep you away from me. Every time I heard you were somewhere, I felt the urge to go there just to see your face and hear your laughter. I was at your mercy, and your mercy alone. Ever since the first date we had years ago, I just wanted... no... I needed you to always be by my side. I love you, and I hope you feel the same in your heart."

🎮 You smiled and raised your hand under your veil to wipe a stray tear from your face as you then looked into his eyes and spoke your own vows

"Idia, you were everything I could've asked for. That may sound weird, but it's the truth. When I first met you, I thought you'd be one of the most difficult people to deal with, but I could never have been more wrong. You were charming in your own way, and you still are, without even trying! The way you link in technology in when you speak, the way you furrow your eyebrows when speaking, to the way your eyes shimmer when you find like or do something successfully, it's all enchanting to me. And I never want to let that enchantment go. And I never plan on it. I love you so much, Idia, forever and always."

🎮 He smiled at you as the Minister called for the rings, making Ortho come up and hand you both your wedding wings. Yours to Idia's being black with dark-blue colored edges, while Idia's to you was also black-ringed with a shining blue, heart-shaped gemstone on the top

🎮 You looked into his eyes once more as you placed the jewelry on his ring-finger while he did the exact same afterwards. All of his anxiety was now gone, nobody else was there besides you and him in his mind. You two were the only things that mattered

"You may kiss the bride." The Minister announced, stepping back for you both.

🎮 Idia lifted your veil before grabbing your waist and holding one side of your cheek with his hand and laying his forehead on yours, slowly moving to close the gap between your lips

🎮 Everyone cheered as you left one another's kiss and smiled, hugging one another as he whispered into your ear before setting off for the after-party with the people who attended your day

"I love you so damn much, Y/N."

[solaris-amethyst]

🪻By Merlins beard!🪻

✨Pairing: Prince!Yeosang x gn!magician!reader ✨Prompt: Prince Yeosang can't help but sneak out every single day to find you, the magician, who lives in the forest much to the royal advisors and the kings dismay. But how can he not when he yearns to spend time with you and see all that you can do. ✨Genre: fantasy au, royal au, non idol au, romance, medieval au, dragons (not a genre but they’re important in the story), slightly bbc Merlin inspired, ✨Word count: 10k ☀️Authors note: I don't know how I ended up with 10k words for this one shot but I've been working on it for a long time now... Been listening to piano versions of old barbie songs so I had so much nostalgia when writing this one shot😭💓 Also I love prince Yeosang so much🥺🫶🏻

Ever since Yeosang was a child he was fascinated with magic and magical creatures. He would run around in the palace searching for faeries in the garden and dragons in the treasure rooms. He would tell his parents about how trolls existed and that they stole your socks but only the left ones despite the fact that some of his father's royal advisors tried to tell him that was not factually correct.

Trolls stole other things like gold, not socks had this elderly man said to him when he was young but Yeosang had just stated that he obviously did not know what he was talking about.

As a child he would often find himself following the royal magician around. It didn’t matter where he was, Yeosang would find him one way or another, he was an older man, even older than his father, who knew all sorts of things but Yeosangs favorite thing was when he did magic. His eyes would glow a golden hue when he did and a beautiful light would start dancing around his palms.

He had spent many days trying to do exactly what he had done but was never able to conjure up any magic. Much to his disappointment, he wanted to be able to create wonderful things like the magician.

His father was not all too pleased with the fact that his son and heir had his head filled with thoughts of only magic and magical creatures and not about what he needed to learn as the crown prince.

At one point as a child Yeosang started to avoid his lessons in favor of hanging out in the magicians room and help him sort out his books or even make potions if he was lucky! But every time he did that he got berated by his father the very same evening, his teachers would go and tell the king that he had been avoiding or skipping his lessons about war strategies, sword fighting and all the other boring stuff Yeosang really did not want to learn at all.

He was absolutely devastated the day he learned that his father had decided to banish the old magician from the castle, telling him to leave and never come back because he was too much of a distraction for the young prince and only filled his head with nonsense. Yeosang had protested loudly and even promised to go to all of his lessons and study hard if the magician got to stay but the king had refused saying this was for the greater good of his future.

Yeosang had cried himself to sleep that night.

Many years later, he as an adult still yearns to see magic again. Yearns to explore the world, visit dragons and perhaps even find a treasure of his own. Being a prince was boring, everyone was telling him how to act or be, to coverup every single imperfection according to his ladies in waiting which included his birthmarks and just about every single thing that made him, well, him.

He absolutely hated it.

What was so wrong about his birthmarks? It made him unique and he remembers the old magician who got sent away telling him that he had been blessed by dragons as a child and that the birthmark was proof of that. He remembers being surprised and in awe at that, had he really been blessed by dragons when he was born? It felt impossible with the way his father was but the magician had insisted that it was in fact true.

That had caused little Yeosang to dream about meeting dragons one day.

Unfourtunatly it seems as though currently that will be impossible with the way his father has made sure he won't go anywhere else that is not to his lessons, his own room or the throne room.

But lately he had heard the servants talking in low hushed whispers. The sign of a new magician near his home. The rumors say this new person moved into a little hut near the lake which isn't far from the protective walls surrounding the city in which the castle is located in.

He could feel that familiar itch again appearing of wanting to get away and explore the world whenever he heard the gossip about the new magician. Perhaps he could sneak out? Go and visit this person and see if maybe they could help him.

"-sang. Yeosang! Are you paying attention?!" A gruff voice asked in a cold tone whilst snapping a pair of fingers in front of him.

"O-oh I'm sorry Lord Kim I did not mean to drift away." He apologized trying to seem apologetic when he was far from it. Lord Kim held his classes about history and normally Yeosang liked history but the way it was taught to him was full of hate and violence towards people who used magic, towards anything that was different from normal regular humans and Yeosang hated it so much. He much preferred when Lord Kims son, Hongjoong, held in the history lessons because Hongjoong never spewed the same kind of hate as his own father did.

"You need to pay attention! It is important for you to know all of this to know what to avoid when you are king. You need to know how bad everything that isn't like us is." Lord Kim continued and Yeosang had to fight hard not to roll his eyes.

Lord Kim continue to talk and Yeosang was listening half heartedly, his mind was thinking about how to sneak out from the castle after this class to visit the new magician and from what he could come up with the best idea was to go down to the stable and sneak out with his horse.

Perhaps he could bribe some of the servants to not tell his father or anyone else that he was leaving from the back so he wouldn't get caught. Yeosang decides that yes, that is something he can do. If he tells them he will pay them two months worth of salary additional to their usual salary they might agree to keep it a secret.

“My prince I think this is enough lessons for today, you clearly have a lot on your mind after sword practice. Perhaps my prince wants to go back and practice what he’s learnt?” Lord Kim questions and Yeosang finds himself agreeing immediately, having no problem lying to get out of the lesson.

“Yes Lord Kim, I don’t know how you did it but you’ve read my thoughts. I just couldn’t stop thinking about what I learned at today's sword fighting lesson and I want to go to my room and practice my form if that’s okay? After all, as the future king I need to know my forms so I won’t embarrass my kingdom and people if I ever need to duel.” He says smoothly and he can see the lords proud smile, approving of what he is saying.

“The king will be very pleased to hear about this my prince. He is eager for you to learn more about fighting. Perhaps you can partake in this years tournament and bring pride to him and the kingdom for once.” His teachers says and Yeosangs eyes glint with a mellow fury at the notion that he could finally make his father proud. As if Yeosang hadn’t done everything he could to please his father ever since he was a kid and nothing worked.

The only person who had seemingly been proud of him was the magician.

And now, thanks to his father he was no longer here. Yeosang didn’t even know if he was still alive, it wouldn’t surprise him if his father had ordered for him to be sentenced to death because he took so much of Yeosangs attention.

Yeosang is quick to leave the lesson once he is dismissed and he walks towards his room just so no one can say he wasn’t heading there after he said he’d be there to practice his forms. He tries not to run but oh is it hard not to. He wants to sprint to the stables but he knows it will garner too much attention if he does. He has to walk slow, has to walk normally as if he got no place to be and is just wandering about as he often does.

Eventually Yeosang reaches the stables and finds his horse and he quickly puts on the saddle and everything and when he starts leading her out he sees the head of the royal stables so he calls them over.

"My prince?" The head asks as he bows deeply to Yeosang.

"I need you to not tell a single soul that I've gone out of the back on my horse. Please, I'll give you two months worth of salary together with your monthly salary this month if you promise not to tell my father or anyone else that I'm going on a little trip by myself." He tells him in hushed whispers and he can see that the man in front of him looks at him in shock.

"My prince, I'm not so sure I can lie to the king if he came asking me." He says worriedly and Yeosang can understand his worries.

"I understand but please, I beg of you, don't tell anyone. I'll make sure you won't get in trouble, I'll cover for you if needed be. Just please. I need to get out of the castle for a while." Yeosang pleaded to the man who eventually gives in with a small nod.

"Thank you sir, oh thank you so much. This means more than you can imagine! Trust me you will be handsomely rewarded for this. I won't forget this." Yeosang says as he quickly gets up on his horse.

Yeosang makes sure that once he's out through the back doors he allows his horse to go in full speed canter, the wind blowing wonderfully through his hair as the feeling of flying enters his chest. Nothing beats sitting on his horse as they canter through the world. The rhythmic feeling of the hooves touching the ground and his horse breathes coming out in short bursts as they both enjoy this moment together.

Yeosang makes sure to ride near the trees so if anyone in the castle were to spot him from a window they wouldn't instantly recognize that it's the crown prince sneaking away from his duties in the castle.

And with that he makes his way towards you and your little hut, eager to meet the new magician and perhaps find some joy in his life again.

Back at your hut you're walking around, gathering your things and cleaning. It was easy to clean when magic was at your disposal, brushes and mops would move and help you clean your hut. The windows were open and the sun was shining right into your home.

"Perhaps I should capture some of the lovely sun rays for a future potion." You murmur before finding a vial which would allow you to take a part of a sun ray and save it for the future.

Sun rays were hard to collect so when you had the opportunity to collect them you would. You moved in silence and as you held up the vial to the sun flittering in from the window your eyes glowed a golden hue as you used your magic to help you with collecting what you needed.

"There we go. Thank you." You say as a piece of the sun falls into your vial to which you quickly put on the lock to make sure it won't disappear.

As you go to put it in your cupboard where you got other important and priceless artifacts you hear in the distance the sound of hooves running and a horse breathing deeply coming closer and closer.

"A guest?" You question to no one in particular, glancing back at the door with curiosity.

Not many had come to visit you when you moved into this cottage, someone from the castle had been sent by the king to tell you to not make scene or make people think magic was a good thing and he wouldn't have a problem with you residing so close to his kingdom.

You had thought it was weird, the way the messenger had read the message. Magic could be both a good and bad thing, it all depended on who was wielding it. You guessed he had had a bad experience with magic in the past for him to not want you to use your magic for good and show people it's not that bad. Not that it would stop you, you'd use your magic as you saw fitting. Helping people when needed, healing and so on. Not even the king could stop you in that regard.

Knock knock.

You walk to the door and open it, curious to see who could be visiting you today.

"Hello?"

"Good afternoon!"

The man in front of you were gorgeous, his clothing were that of royalty, prim and proper, your eyes trailed up to his face and you had to take a breath in at the beauty which was in front of you. The man was gorgeous, you noted all details about him and even noticed he had a birthmark near his eye. A blessing by the dragons you noted. His hair was a golden hue radiating the same way the sun was from her spot high up in the sky and that's when you noticed it.

A crown.

A crown rested on his head.

"Oh my lord?" You question after coming to the conclusion that this must be the prince. Had it been the king it would have been big and pompous with the way he'd come visit you.

"Yeosang! Please, call me Yeosang." The young prince quickly told you.

"Okay okay, Yeosang? May I ask as to why you are visiting me? I was not aware you'd come, otherwise I would have made sure the place was suitable for a prince." You tell him and you can see him shake his head.

"Oh, no one knows I'm here visiting you."

"They don't?"

"No! Father doesn't really like magic and magic users but I find it fascinating and well, I wanted to come visit you!" Yeosang tells you happily, you notice the eagerness in his voice and you can't help but smile.

"Well in that case, it would be rude of me not to invite you inside. Please come inside Yeosang. My name is Y/n by the way." You tell him as you step aside to let him in and he beams brighter than you've ever seen someone smile before.

"Thank you so much!" He says before taking a step inside. Yeosang glances around the hut with wonders in his eyes.

This is what he's been missing in his life.

Your hut is so full of personality he notes and it feels so cozy. It makes him feel more at home than he's ever felt in the castle. When his eyes spots the moving broom he can't help but gasp loudly before spinning to look at you.

"Is that your doing?!"

"It is." You chuckle at his childlike wonder as he let's out a little wow at your response.

"This is amazing. I-wow! Imagine being able to live and experience this every day." He says walking around the room checking everything out.

"It's not something super special, it's just one way of living." You tell him and he turns to you with a shy look.

"I wish I could live like this instead of being a prince."

"Why can't you? You're the prince should you not be able to do whatever you want without anyone telling you any different?" You ask curiously and he sighs shaking his head.

"No, my father hates magic for some reason, he always makes a point of saying there's them and us when in reality there's not much of a difference between us you know?" He tells you before continuing. "He's making sure I follow a strict schedule that he has approved of, I don't get to do anything I enjoy by myself nor do I get to choose what I want. I have to do exactly what he wants or else there will be consequences."

"And yet here you are in my hut." You muse as you realize he must have sneaked away to come visit you.

"And yet here I am." He chuckles before looking at you again and you can't help but question as your eyes land on the birthmark again: "Did you know you've been blessed by the dragons?"

The prince lights up at that and leans forward.

"I've been told that once before when I was a child by the royal magician before he was banished by my father because I would go to him every single day instead of going to my lessons. Although I do not know what that means." He admits shyly.

"Perhaps you can tell me?" He asks you curiously and you smile before nodding.

"Of course, I'd be happy to tell you." You say, walking up to your shelf and picking out a very special book before walking to your table and sitting down on one of the chairs motioning for him to also go and sit down in the chair in front of you.

Once he's sat you start: "Being blessed by dragons are a rare thing, it does not happen often which makes you very special Yeosang. Dragons are mythical beings, renowned for their magic and knowledge of the world."

Yeosang listens to every word you tell him with wonder, his heart is beating a bit faster at what you're telling him. If it's because he's longed for a moment like this, surrounded by magic and the unknown or perhaps it's because he's in front of you, who happens to be very beautiful in his eyes.

Whichever it is it makes butterflies erupt within him.

"Dragons are deities and once every millennia or so they choose to bless someone and when they do great things are destined to happen." You open the book and your eyes glow a golden hue causing the prince to gasp once more and stare at you with wonder and you can see his hands twitch when he notices that your hands are glowing a faint gold as the letters on the pages you had opened begin to move before the sillouhette of a dragon appears above the book.

"Oh wow it's beautiful." Yeosang murmurs, the dragon and it's scales is the very color of his birthmarks and he feels drawn to the beautiful creature.

"That my Yeosang is the dragon bonded to you." You tell him and the shock on his face makes you smile.

"B-bonded? To me?" He whispers in disbelief "What do you mean by that?" He looks at you as if you're speaking another language.

"When a dragon blesses someone they also bond with that person. You were blessed as a mere babe by this dragon, which means the two of you are destined to meet and destined for greatness." You tell him with a soft smile, the glow from your magic casting a beautiful glow over the man in front of you.

"Me... with a dragon?"

"A dragon lord." You say.

Yeosangs eyes goes once again back to the beautiful creature in front of him. The dragon seems tall, it's snout long with horns coming out from the back of its head and from certain angles it looks like a crown Yeosang notes. The scales are beautiful the way they glisten red and he notes that the dragons eyes are golden.

Just like yours.

Yeosang has to blink twice when he thought he saw your eyes twinkle as he looked between the dragon and you. He must be imagining things was what he told himself as he focused back on the silhouette of the dragon.

"Will I ever get to meet this dragon?" He asks quietly, you study his face and note that he almost looks worried like you would tell him no or let him know you had been lying this whole time.

"When the time is right this dragon will find you. But it's important to know while you are a dragon lord that does not mean you are also equal. Far too many think being blessed by a dragon and being a dragon lord or lady means they are equal with the dragons and thus they try to abuse their powers. But that will always result in dire consequences." You tell him and he nods at your words.

"I'd never abuse my power or relationship to anyone I swear! I am not like my father or many in his council." He tells you, disgust clear in his tone.

His eyes tells you he means it, his eyes looks angry as he thinks back to how those he mentioned acts towards others who cannot benefit them on their way to gain power or riches.

"I believe you Yeosang."

"Thank you, I wish I could do something to change the way they see it all. It will only bring us ruin and destruction." He sighs before he remembers what you said.

"You said there would be dire consequences if you tried to abuse your power as a dragon lord. What would those consequences be?" He asks curiously and you smile a little glancing down at the book before looking up at him again.

"Well, one lord was scorched to death when he started to abuse his power and try to use the dragon which had blessed him and had bonded with him. Another dragon ate her lady when she did awful things. I heard a story of a dragon trampling his lord and his men to death. A dragon will stop at nothing to make sure the lord or lady cannot live further on if they do bad things." You say, making sure you get your tone across so he understands that you are not joking with him.

"Oh... that sounds brutal but also perhaps necessary. Not that I wish death upon anyone but I can see why the dragons did what they did. If someone thinks they can use their dragons for bad things which then could cause some to want to hunt them to perhaps extinction or to capture them as their own war puppets. Of course they'd put a stop to that." He muses and his face flushes when he sees you smile at him.

"You are a wise man Yeosang, this kingdom is lucky to have you as its future heir. A prosperous time will come once you ascend the throne." You tell him kindly.

Yeosang stares at you for a good while. He can't help it, there is something about you that he's drawn to and he wants to know more. Perhaps it's the way you talk to him, the kindness but also mysteriousness or maybe the way you look at him?

"Would you like something to drink?" You ask him as you stand up, walking over to your fireplace where you have a pot brewing some herbal tea you had put together earlier in the day.

"Oh that would be lovely thank you." He says with a smile and you feel yourself smile wider when you spot his adorable smile.

"I'm afraid I do not have anything to go with it though. Had I known I'd have visitors today I would have splurged on a cake or something." You say bashfully, feeling bad you got nothing to share with him other than a cup of tea.

"Oh no! Please just tea is fine by me! You do not have to get me anything else." He assures you quickly, his hands waving timidly in front of him.

"Are you sure? You must be used to getting a lot of things when you have your tea at the castle?" You wonder and he scrunches his nose again in that adorable way.

"Too many options really! I'm fine with just a cup, it's cozier that way. A cup of nice tea and a book and getting cozy in a nice armchair and reading the day away." Yeosang get's a dreamy look on his face which causes you to giggle.

"It's a good way to relax I guess?"

"It is and it's a great way to escape all duties they wanna push on me." He tells you and he mumbles the last part as if the council members who teach his lesson could hear what he was saying all the way back here.

"Oh I understand. I used to be the same from time to time when I was learning to hone my magic under my teacher." You tell him with a chuckle. "My teacher always wanted me to practice on the really boring things of magic or learn how to do the same thing over and over and over and over again. He claimed it was good for me but honestly I felt it stumped me in my journey with becoming one with my magical powers." You say as you flick your wrist, your eyes glowing golden again and two cups fly over to you, the tea floating up and into the cups before one float over to Yeosang who's mouth is hanging open at your magical display.

"You better close your mouth or you might catch a fly or two Yeosang." You laugh and his cheeks grow a tomato red color.

He coughs a few times into his fist before he quickly takes a sip of the tea.

"Careful it's hot!" "Ow ow ow ow ow!"

"Don't say I didn't try and warn you." You sigh as Yeosang nurses his burnt tongue.

"Perhaps I should have cooled it down a bit, now I've burnt the Prince of this kingdom with my tea. What's next? I by accident hit him with my broom?" You ask no one, feeling ridiculous that you've made such a rookie mistake and Yeosang who overhears your mumbling can't help but giggle despite the fact that his tongue is hurting.

"Are you laughing at my hardships?!" You look at him with wide eyes and an offended tone and he laughs louder but this time he has the decency to hide behind his hand.

"I'm so sorry but it's a little bit funny seeing you fuss over me this way. I just burnt my tongue and that was my fault not yours and if you hit me with your broom I'd be honored." He says earnestly causing you to snort.

"You'd be honored if I by accident hit you with my magical broom?"

"Yeah."

"Why?" You question tilting your head to the side trying to understand his logic better and he just shrugs.

"I don't know, perhaps it's just nice knowing that someone could do that and wouldn't immediately get in trouble for it or pretend I'm made of glass." He tells you before leaning forward. "Most people who hurt me even on accident get straightened out or punished by my father's council. The only time I'm allowed to get hurt according to them is in sword fighting lessons otherwise it's expected of me to not get a single scratch and it's exhausting. I wanna be able to roughhouse or have someone hit me teasingly or such without having to worry if they will be hurt because of it."

"I hope you're not blaming yourself for that Yeosang? What they do is not your fault. You did not ask them to do so nor did you ask them to implement stupid rules like that." Your voice comes out strong and steadfast and Yeosang finds himself finding comfort in it.

It's like your reassuring voice wraps a blanket around him with the promise of safety and comfort and he can't help but want to hear more of it.

"You really think so Y/n?" The way he speaks makes it sound like he can't really grasp that you don't put blame on him for that.

"Of course I do. It would be ridiculous to blame you for the wrongdoings of others and though I have just met you I can guess you've tried to make them stop but they haven't listened so instead, perhaps, you have taken to distance yourself from people who you otherwise were close with just so they won't be hurt." You say and by the stunned look on his face you have hit the jackpot.

"H-how did you know." He stammers out in shock, his fingers twitching around his cup and you shrug.

"You are an honest and open book, you do not seem like someone who would want others to get in trouble because of you so it seems logical that you'd distance yourself so no one would get hurt for simply doing the "wrong" thing around you or towards you." You say walking up to him with a small smile.

"You truly are a magician with the way you know all of these things."

"I can show you more about dragons if you'd like?" You question, glancing back at the dragon still hovering over the book and the man in front of you lights up and nods.

"Oh please do! I want to learn everything about your world."

You chuckle as you take your seat in front of him again with an appreciative nod.

"It's our world Yeosang, there is no your and my world, just our world. We all exist in the same world after all. Magic exists everywhere, it's in the very heart of our world but not everyone can harness it. Some of us are born with these abilities to harness it and no one really know why anymore."

"I heard that the high priestesses of old knew why and it's because the earth is willing to give back to those who have a pure heart or are destined for great things." He says excitedly and you laugh.

"Yes you are correct Yeosang."

The two of you continue to talk about dragons, druids, magicians and everything you've experienced as you've traveled the world. That's how the two of you become close friends, Yeosang is more than happy to share information with you and help you out with tasks he's never done before and the beaming smile you get whenever you tell him he's doing a good job makes your fondness of him grow stronger.

After that day Yeosang couldn't stay away. He'd find countless of different ways of sneaking out of the kingdom to go visit you, you heard rumors that some thought the prince was running off to meet a forbidden lover. That would make you snort, if only the whole kingdom and his father knew the young crown prince spent his time with you, learning about magic, brewing potions and being happy.

Whenever he came he'd take off his crown and put it away as he spent time with you, you had once asked him about it and he said it made him feel more relaxed, like he could finally be himself without the judgment or the pressure the crown came with. The both of you knew though that the king was not happy with how the crown prince would disappear and no one knew where he'd go.

Sure there were rumors as to where he'd go but no one truly knew. If the king knew where he was you'd surely loose your head.

It had been almost a whole month since that fateful day where he came knocking on your door and the two of you had grown closer in ways most would deem too close.

"Yeosang... I think you need to lay low for a while and not come see me." You say as you dry the flowers and bones you needed for a potion.

"What?!" Yeosang looks up from the book he's been reading eagerly with a shocked face.

"Y-you don't want me here anymore?" He asks, his voice quivering and you're quick to shake your head.

"No it is not like that Sangie, the king, he's not happy. I've heard the whispers of his fury with you when I visit the city. I fear he might lock you up if you avoid your lessons the way you have been doing to come here." You say gently, not wanting him to get in trouble.

"So you want me to lay low for a while? Before I can come back?" He asks unsure and you nod.

"Exactly that. For your safety." You tell him and he thinks for a while before sighing, obviously not liking it at all.

"You're right... father has become more and more frustrated and I know the lords are as well. Perhaps I need to attend all of my lessons and such for a while so they will get off my back." He admits with a pout.

"We will see each other again Sangie, it's not like we'll never see each other again. Just three or four weeks and it will all be fine again." You card your hand through his blond locks and he leans back into your touch, closing his eyes.

"C-can I have something of yours with me as I go back to the castle?" He asks quietly, eyes still closed as he takes in the warmth of your hand.

You've truly started to care for Yeosang more than you perhaps want to admit. Admitting it would make it so real and you're not so sure you can do that yet. Not when the king is still out there, unhappy with people like you and if he knew his son where spending time with you and that you're starting to get feelings for him it would be the end of you.

"Of course Sangie, I will give you something special of mine." You step away from him and a little whine of dissatisfaction escapes his lips as he opens his eyes following as you walk over to a cupboard you always kept locked.

You open the cupboard with shaky hands. You look at the amulet which is laying there, its red and the gemstone in the middle of the necklace is glowing softly, emitting a warm feeling. You pick it up and it's pulsing with life and for a moment you hesitate, wondering if what you're thinking of doing truly is a good thing to do.

But when you hear Yeosang shuffle behind you, you know it is the right thing to do.

"Y/n? Are you okay?" He asks worriedly, you look tense and he doesn't like it at all. "You don't have to gift me that if it's something you care about a lot." He says standing up wanting to go over to you and make you less tense but he's unsure if you'd appreciate him hugging you or not.

"N-no, I want you to have this Sangie, I've always meant to give this to someone very special and to me that is you." You say as you turn around with the amulet in hand.

"This amulet is very dear to me, it holds a part of me and as you can feel." You place it gently in his hand and his eyes widen when he feel the heat radiating from it. "It is quiet warm but there is no need to be afraid, it will never overheat."

"It almost feels like it's alive." He mumbles as he looks at the pretty amulet.

"I'll always know when you hold it, if you need to talk or need comfort you can hold it close to you and I'll be able to feel if you need comfort or help." You tell him.

"So it's a way for us to communicate?"

"In a way it is."

"Thank you. I'll take great care of it, no harm will come to it and I'll never take it off." Yeosang beams before he goes in for a hug, his arms wrapping around you gently as he hugs you and you allow your own hands to snake up his back as you hug him back.

It’s comforting and warm, something about the embrace stills your racing thoughts and the worries you’ve had these past few days washes away. Everything will be okay.

Yeosang will be safe.

That's what you tell yourself over and over before the young prince lets go of you.

"I'm sorry was that too abrupt? I don't know what came over me I-" He starts but you shush him gently by putting your hand over his mouth.

"It's okay Yeosang, I didn't mind the hug, in fact thank you. I think I needed that to calm down. I've been worried and a bit anxious these past days." You give him a smile and his cheeks turns a pretty strawberry red.

"Oh umm you're welcome." He mumbles trying to hide his face from you and failing which causes you to laugh.

"You don't have to hide from me my dear."

That just causes Yeosangs face to turn even redder and he leans down hiding his face in your shoulder whilst whining that you shouldn't tease him like that. It only causes you to laugh louder at his reaction before you gently but firmly push him away from you.

"Now now none of that, let's have a final drink together before I let you sneak back to the castle." You tell him as you use your magic to pour up two cups of tea for you both, handing one over to him before taking your own.

"I'll really miss this." He mumbles into his cup and you nod.

"I'll miss it as well but these three weeks will fly by quickly and then you'll be here again. Perhaps you can use all you have learned here to improve things in the castle?" You ask, curious if he'd think that would be a good idea.

"They'll probably force me to take all the classes I've missed." He groans realizing he's gonna have to listen to another of Lord Kims or Lord Parks rambles which will as Yeosang has described to you, bore him to death.

"Oh you'll manage! You did before right?"

"I did but it was so boring. I was day dreaming most of the time, like Lord Kim rambles on in a monotone voice it ends up making my head spin because of it. Sure if it's his son, Hongjoong, who teaches the lessons they're actually fun and interesting and filled with information but most of the time I'm not so lucky to have him as my teacher." Yeosang laments and you tilt your head.

"Can't you just request him as your teacher?"

"I-" He stops what he's doing and looks at you in shock "I've never tried that before... perhaps I should try? Maybe it would work?" He questions and you shrug.

"You could always say you find learning easier when it's from someone your own age?" You wonder and he nods, looking like it might actually work what you're suggesting.

"I will try that once I get back." Yeosang stops himself from saying back home, because the castle no longer feels like home.

Your hut however does.

He wants to say it, say that this is his home. But he's not sure yet if he can admit that, admit to his feelings and all his thoughts. Ever since he came to visit you for the first time almost a whole month ago he has been feeling more and more at home in your hut.

Your steady presence calms him down to the point where he can forget everything and just enjoy life. He can enjoy gardening with you and get his hands dirty when he replants some of your garden plants which he could never do back at the castle. But Yeosangs favorite thing has become watching you use your magic, your eyes glow a golden hue illuminating your already golden eyes and a golden light would emit from your hands.

It was a warm light and he’d feel all fuzzy and warm on the inside when he saw it. You were absolutely breathtaking in those moments and he couldn’t fathom why his father and his council hated on people like you so much. There was so much life and wonder in what you did and you and your magic were a force for good. He’d seen you heal his people, care for them. The two of you would make medicines and potions and then you’d go into the city and distribute them to whomever would need it.

“I’m sure it will work your way Sangie.” Your voice breaks him out of his daydreams and he feels his heart swell at your nickname, he finds himself wondering if you only give nicknames to people you care deeply about.

“But now you really have to go or else I fear the king will send out search parties.” You urge him to actually get out and on his horse and get back to the castle before it’s too late and begrudgingly he does listen to you. Trudging over to the door, stopping to put on his coat and allowing you to put on his crown on the top of his head before you open the door for him.

“Well see each other soon enough.” You smile at him giving his hand a squeeze, he’d be fine, he had your amulet with him. Harm would not come his way and you knew that, you’d never allow harm to come across his gentle soul again.

“I’ll miss you.” Is all he says before giving your hand a little kiss and then he’s off. He gets up on his horse quickly and you stand there in the door opening watching him ride back to the city until you no longer can see him.

“Goodbye my dear, I will watch over you from afar.” You mumble quietly, the words coming out as a rumble deep from your chest.

You can feel the shift in the air, a storm is coming and change as well. A gentle fatigue starts settling in your bones and all you can do is sit down on your bed as you know what is to happen in the next few weeks.

For Yeosang, the ride back to the castle was pure torture. He absolutely hated leaving you and all he really wanted to do was turn his horse around and go back to you. The only thing that made him power through and continue forward was the amulet hanging near his chest, it was warm and it made his skin tingle.

These three weeks would fly by and then he'd be back in your arms again.

These three weeks were unfortunately not flying by for Yeosang. When it was noticed he was actually staying in the castle and going to all of his lessons the young prince were escorted everywhere in the castle.

Going to the throne room? Escorted. Walking to his lessons? Escorted. Trying to be alone in his room? A servant or a lady in waiting would always try to be in his room so he could not be alone at all and it was slowly driving him insane.

He knew his father would do anything to keep him inside the castle once he got the opportunity to do so and it took everything in him not to scream whenever someone wanted to be with him. All he really wanted to do was to run back to you, you'd allow him the freedom he wanted to have, never did you judge him for what he wanted to do and you encouraged him to do what he felt was right at any given moment.

Currently Yeosang was alone in his room, it was the second week of his torture here in the castle and he had finally convinced everyone to let him be alone in his room. There was no way he could escape from it, out of the window was out of the question and he had no hidden door to run out of so he was currently stuck here.

At least he wasn't stuck in any of Lord Kims lectures.

The amulet was shining a dim light in his hand, its warmth pulsed like a beating heart. His thumb gently caressed it as he thought of you, were you okay? Were you also missing him? Was this just as torterous for you as it was for him?

All these questions swam around in his head as he stared at the amulet. He had taken to analyze it over the past few days, the way it shone golden reminded him of your eyes. The way it shone a gentle golden hue, like the sun rays as the gentle dawn or like the gold on his crown. Today he noticed something new he had not noticed before.

The red surrounding the gold looked like scales. Yeosang brought it up closer to inspect with his gentle eyes.

"It looks like dragon scales." He mumbles to himself before closing his eyes and imagining the dragon you had conjured for him on the first day you two had met.

Perhaps that dragon had gifted you this amulet?

Suddenly the amulet flickered lightly, its warmth going out for a second and Yeosang could feel the panic settling in immediately.

That couldn't be good.

You told him it was connected to you so you'd know he was okay. What if this meant you weren't okay? He could feel his heart start racing, he needed to find you, needed to make sure you were okay.

Yeosang stood up abruptly from where he had been sitting, he was already marching towards the door when it opened, Lord Park stood there with a smile. It wasn't a kind smile and Yeosang felt slightly unnerved seeing the elderly man smile at him.

"Lord Park. To what do I have the honor of having you barge into my room?" He asked as he slowly but surely hid his hand holding the amulet behind his back.

"The king has requested your presence in the throne room. He has some things to discuss with you."

"Fine. Lead the way."

Yeosang was not going to let himself get intimidated by his father's men anymore. A few months ago he would have cowered and done anything to be in his father's good books but now? Now he wouldn't cower, he wouldn't do anything to please him especially not now when he's terrified something bad has happened to you due to the amulet flickering like it did earlier.

The walk to the throne room is silent. The castle is eerily silent and he feels slightly on edge. Whatever is about to happen isn't good and Yeosang was ready to face whatever it might be head on.

The huge doors to the throne room opens as Lord Park walks ahead of him. Yeosang can see his father further ahead, sitting on his chair with a posture that screams obey me. His eyes are stone cold and they glisten with a cold fury the young prince had not seen in many years.

"Yeosang. How nice of you to finally stay in the castle for two full weeks." His father starts sitting straighter up before he ultimately decides to stand up.

"Father." He nods and tries to be respectful as his father slowly steps down from the platform which the throne resides on.

Yeosang feels like a prey animal as his father slowly but surely stalks his way towards Yeosang. But he stands tall, he plants his feet firmly on the ground and straightens out his back. He won't let his father scare him today.

"I have heard some very distasteful rumors about you lately and I hope you can clear some of them up for me." His father starts as he begins circling him slowly, taking in every single little detail about Yeosang as he does.

"Is it true you are hanging out with that magician?" His father spits out the last word as if it were poison whilst glaring at his son.

"I have met them a few times, yes, nothing more nor less than that. I just wanted to know who was living so close to us. That is not a crime is it?" He counters calmly and the man circling him smiles but it doesn't reach his eyes.

"Only a few times huh? So you have not been there every single day for a month now? Do not lie to me boy."

"I have been there a few times."

"Do you have feelings for them."

"I do not." Yeosang decides to deny his feelings, because he knows there will be horrible consequences if he does.

"You're not lying to me now are you?" His father is behind his back now and Yeosang shakes his head and says no he's not.

Then suddenly the amulet is ripped from his hand and Yeosang has never swirled around quicker in his life to try and grab it from his father's hand.

"I told you not to lie."

"Give it back to me. That is not yours to keep." He growls out and his eyes are trained on his father's hand which is holding his amulet.

"You have feelings for that thing in the forest don't you."

"They have a name." He seethes out and his father laughs.

"I do not care. Clearly this magician has caused you to forget your place and how were are supposed to look at the world."

"I have not forgotten my place father. Now give me the amulet back."

"Admit it son. You love them." His father observes the amulet for a while before tossing it behind him and Yeosang can feel his heart drop.

He's so afraid it will break, luckily it doesn't but he can see the golden hue flicker again.

"I do not love them." It pains him to say it but he has to protect you in any way he can from what his father might do.

"Oh good then." The tone is gleeful and that sense of dread returns to his body. "Then you won't care that I am to march there and behead them and rid our country of their vile presence now?"

Yeosangs eyes widen at that and he can hear himself shout a loud NO before he sprints forward, he manages to grab the amulet before he's out of the throne room, sprinting as fast as he can to the stables.

His body feels like lead, his legs don't carry him as fast as he wishes they would and his heart is beating so quickly he swears it will jump out of his ribcage. The world around him feels like it's moving in slow-motion as he hears his fathers laughter echo in the throne room and a vague threat of how he can run to you but he can't save you from your impending death from his fathers sword. He can hear the knights getting ready, putting on their armor and sharpening their swords. He can hear his father's slow and meticulous steps behind him and it encourages him to run faster.

He all but throws himself up on his horse, he doesn't even care to throw on the saddle this time. He had the quick thinking of putting on his sword at his hip.

He'd defend you to his last dying breath if it had to come down to that he had decided.

There are several times he almost falls off his horse because he's riding without his saddle but he manages to stay on, his grip on his horses mane is steady and allows him to stay up.

The greenery is flying by and soon your hut comes in his line of vision and he flies off his horse whilst calling your name.

"Y/N!!" He's so scared of what will happen, his father is going to kill you. The one he loves. He cannot let that happen.

He slams up the door and that's when he sees you. You're laying on the floor as if you had fainted earlier. Smoke seems to be coming out from your body and he rushes forward, gripping your weak form gently from the floor.

"Y/n?? Talk to me! Oh please be okay please don't leave me you have to be okay." He rambles as he listens for your heart beat.

It's there, slow and steady.

"Yeosang?" You question weakly.

What was he doing here you wondered? The three weeks were not up yet? There was still one week left until he was supposed to be back.

"What are you?" You question weekly and he gently shushes you as he cradles you to his chest.

"M-my father is coming here. He's going to kill you. I won't allow it, I swear to you I will protect you until my last dying breath." He tells you before taking a deep breath. "I love you and I can't imagine a world without you. I know this might seem sudden and we haven't known each other for so long but my heart is not telling any lies. You're important to me and I care about you so I will do what I think is right and protect you. They surely must be here soon."

"Y-you love me?" You rasp out, your golden eyes glowing gently as you take in his face, his cheeks are flushed and his eyes are tender despite the fear in them.

"Yes. I do. With my whole heart."

It makes your heart squeeze tightly and you squeeze his hand.

"I love you too." You mumble out.

That's when he hears it. The sound of horses cantering and the voice of his father and the knights coming closer.

"You're weak right now. Stay in here. I'll go out and meet them." He gently kisses your forehead before lifting you up and placing you on your bed. "Don't worry. Everything will be alright."

As he stands up and turns to walk to the door you want to protest and tell him to stay with you. But nothing comes out but a low rumble from your chest as more smoke escapes your body.

Your eyes glow golden once again as you take in your Yeosang stepping out of your door to protect you against his own kin.

Yeosang takes a deep breath, steadying himself as the knights and his father stops their horses to get off. He slowly but surely unsheathes his sword and he stands in front of your hut, feet planted firmly on the ground as he holds the sword with both hands in front of him.

"I won't let any of you take another step closer."

"Yeosang you really disappoint me son. I thought you were smarter than this, falling for someone wielding magic. Have I not taught you better?" His father spits out angrily.

"You have tried to teach me the path of hate but I refuse to walk that road any longer. I will not be a king like you, there is nothing wrong with magic and you are just afraid of what you cannot control." Yeosang retorts and the knights look unsure of what to do.

Clearly they had not been expecting the crown prince to be standing between them and the person they are looking to behead.

"You clearly will not listen to reason son."

"S-sir. What shall we do? The prince is clear in his intention of not moving at all." One of the knights questions and his father glares at him.

"Kill him."

"W-what?!"

"You heard me. He's a traitor to his country. Death is what he has chosen since he sides with the thing residing in there!" His father roars but none of the knights move.

None of them seem to know what to do in this moment.

They swore an oath to listen to the king and to always protect the royal family so being told to kill one of them goes against their oath. None really knew what to do and Yeosang could see it frustrating his father, what he had not expected was for him to unsheathed his own sword and running towards him with a furious roar.

He was lucky to have quick reflexes and that he had raised his sword up to block his father's blow. It is when their sword clashes and they dance around each other that Yeosang wishes he had paid more attention to the lessons about sword fighting. It was clear his father had the advantage of being older and having a good deal more experience than himself.

"I should have gotten rid of you when you were a mere child so fascinated with everything magical, everything wrong with this world." His father spits out as he manages to slash Yeosangs arm causing him to scream in agony, his hand flying up to hold the wound while his other hand still clutches his sword.

"I won't give up. You'll have to kill me then." He seethes out and his father takes a step back, readying himself to kill his only son.

Yeosang doesn't close his eyes. He stares the man he is supposed to call his father right in the eyes as the sword is raised high to take his head off.

And that's when everyone hears it, a deafening roar right from behind them. The horses all flee in panic and the knights take several steps back all screaming the same thing.

DRAGON!!!

Yeosang turns his head slightly so he can see the magnificent creature. It's bright red, golden eyes glowing furiously and just like the one you had shown this dragon has a long snout and horns coming out from the back of its head, making it look like it's wearing a crown. The enormous dragon is on top of your hut and he can make out that part of its tail is slithering out from your window.

The beast growls angrily before it jumps of the roof and lands behind him, it's chest is close to him as it’s front legs is slightly in front of him. The dragon lowers its head and growls angrily, he can feel its chest heating up and starting to glow golden, showing it's readying an attack.

Yeosang notes that his father looks terrified.

He had probably never expected to come face to face with a dragon ever in his life and this dragon, his dragon, was both beautiful and ferocious. Yeosang holds up his sword so the tip of it is pointed towards his father.

"Give up. I do not want any bloodshed but If you refuse to yield I will have no choice but to put an end to you. Our people are suffering under your rule, all you care about is power and riches. Y/n has helped care for our people, heal them and make sure they don't perish. I will not stand for what you are doing any longer and if it means I have to take the throne from you then so be it." He says steadily and the dragon behind him growls as if agreeing with him.

"So you will have me killed?"

"You have killed thousands of people without a single care in the world. I will not be the one to decide your fate, my friend here will." He motions to the creature behind him. "Dragons are fair and just and whatever the outcome is I will support it."

"Please." Is all his father can say before the dragons chest start glowing again and this time scorching hot fire is fired off into the sky.

His father is spared for now.

Yeosang decides then and there that a he will allow his people to help in the trial of his father and his men.

A new era will begin. One where you and him can be together. Where no one will threaten the two of you ever again and where Yeosang is allowed to make his own decisions on how to live his life.

And he chooses to live with you which he can't wait to be able to tell you once all of this is over.

[sweetbottletops]

I've been sick for a few days now. So let's just hallucinate together Koga's journey to enlightenment.

Ch. 117

I'm still here on this page.

Koga doesn't share her feelings that often or with this many words. When she needs Aya to understand her she uses the language that originally brought them together. Not just music, but the experience of music. Which is everything to her. Their love language.

If Koga is Aya's 24 hour radio Aya now is Koga's favorite song.

Koga has been trying to figure out Aya from the start. A lot of her early POV moments are her misreading her at various stages.

Aya was presented as one of those songs that can be misunderstood on first listen. Koga did a surface read early on and got distracted by her flashy pop appearance, but she was still attracted by those vulnerable moments that would peak out between the lines.

Mixtapes are one of the most revealing things you can share with someone. Even back when Koga had no intention of stepping out from behind the curtain she set things up so she could see Aya respond to her. She wanted to see the feelings she had caused with her music.

When she reaches out directly sometimes she has read Aya right.

A lot of it is her own baggage making it hard to truly hear Aya properly. Koga is reading the lyrics wrong again. They can't mean what she wants them to mean after all.

A lot of Koga's big emotional realizations happen when Aya is just out there existing in the musical moment. Showing her own emotions freely at times when Koga is starting to drift into a dark place. Like Aya has a way of translating those big feelings for her.

Because of her muse she can put her feelings into music and not have to worry about the misreadings of others. She's got herself an audience of one in mind.

She has had one glaring blindspot in her musical history. She's had love modeled in such a way (Joe + Kanna...perhaps her parents) that she has trouble believing in it at all.

It's at the core of her self doubts and difficulty reading Aya who has loved her for a long time.

Even playing through shaking hands her own song, Koga is not comfortable and immediately floods the zone with noise.

When she finally starts listening to Aya her favorite song's lyrics closer and realizes it includes unexpected depth, double meanings, and (gay) longing all along -

When Koga pictures Aya at prom she has landed pretty accurately on how Aya really looks waiting for her there.

She knows there's been a second meaning to all of those surface moments she runs back through her head and she decides she knows the hidden meaning to those lyrics and has the conviction to jump out of the car and run.

She's been composing their album in these manic moments of inspiration where she's isolated and alone with Aya finding ways to let herself in.

This time she tossed aside her potential music career to bet on the song "she should be the one to understand the most". The answer behind all of those emotions she couldn't understand from Aya. It's like working through a years long creative block and suddenly it's all clear to you. They were writing a love song all along

And for no particular reason...

[mirai-e-jump]

Boonboomger/Gotchard Film Pamphlet ft. Main Cast & Staff Interviews (translations below, long post)

Publication: July 26, 2024

Iuchi Haruhi (Taiya Hando)

For this film, the guests are HIKAKIN-san and Irei Himena-san. I'm together with HIKAKIN-san during the opening scene. I started watching Youtube when I was in my second year of elementary school, and have been watching him ever since, so I was really tense at first. Because HIKAKIN-san was playing himself, I was as nervous as I was during filming of the first episode, and it was hard for me to interact with HIKAKIN-san as Taiya Hando, not as Iuchi Haruhi……

In between filming, I had a chance to talk with him for alittle bit and told him, "I'm glad to meet you," to which he replied, "Same here, I'm also glad. Thank you!," and I was extremely moved.

Irei-san has a long career in acting, and I was particularly impressed by the delicate expression she showed when she was listening to the other's lines. Even when it wasn't my turn to appear, I was always studying Irei-san's performance. Initially, Princess Nicola's in a state where she can't clearly decide on what she wants to do, but then there's a scene where Taiya asks her, "Where do you want to deliver yourself?" This is a scene that shows a glimpse of Taiya's kindness and conviction, so I tackled it carefully. Before the performance, both Irei-san and I were quiet and concentrated the entire time, and I'm glad that we were able to perform this scene. Eventually, when Princess Nicola's prepared to make a decision, I felt that it overlapped with Mira in the first episode……I was really happy to see that Taiya's way of thinking was conveyed to Princess Nicola through Mira.

Also, a memorable scene during filming was when Taiya protects Princess Nicola. Since filming continued after this scene, I had to act as if I was properly protecting Princess Nicola, while also moving around to make sure her wig and hair accessories didn't fall off. In many ways, this one scene caused me some mental strain (laughs).

The climax of the film is the first six person simultaneous Boonboom Change, which includes Sakito Homura. Since it's a movie, I believe that one of its features is that there are many shots that show all six members. While filming, I had the feeling of, "I definitely want to see this on the big screen in theaters!"

Sakito's Miyazawa Yu-kun has alot of experience in stage plays, so I've learned alot from him, including vocalization, and I'm often inspired by him on set. Oh yeah, speaking of Yu-kun, when we shot the ending dance for this film at Fuji Speedway, only one part was filmed for him. He looked like he was ready to dance to the entire song, and seemed disappointed when he asked, "I'm already done?" (laughs).

The list of highlights are endless, from the Used Kurumaju that appear in the beginning of the film, to the wonderful guests, the location filming at the grand Fuji Speedway, the massive action, and the ending dance. It's a very lively "festival" film, so please make sure you have fun! _

Hayama Yuki (Ishiro Meita)

Chasshiro's highlight in the film is the part where he rewrites the program of the "Large Planet Destroying Missile" in order to disable it. Chasshiro's supposed to be super impressive, but lately, his crazy side tends to be what we focus on (laughs). Of course, that's what makes him interesting to play, but I believe that this film will reaffirm Chasshiro's superiority. Nevertheless, only in Boonboomger can such scenes be played out in an interesting way, like when Shirabe-san and Boonboom were fooling around, Chasshiro suddenly intervenes and says, "Give me a hand here!" (laughs). I took my performance extremely seriously, but I have no doubt that the audience will find these scenes interesting to watch. And at the climax, after disabling the missile, Chasshiro's the last of the six to arrive. This part is cool (laughs), so don't overlook it.

The first half of the battle between the Boonboomgers and the army of Used Kurumaju I was able to watch on site. It was almost a full lineup of all the enemies we've taken down so far. I had the impression that in the TV series, they struggled against every enemy, but in the film, they were able to defeat them one after another. I felt that the Boonboomgers had become stronger. Personally, I was happy to see Reizoko Grumer from episode 14 again, as it mainly focused on me and Mira (laughs).

I've been watching Youtube since I was in elementary school, so I was excited when I found HIKAKIN-san's name on the script's cast column. HIKAKIN-san is a very gentle person. However, during the actual performance, he suddenly started improvising, and I thought that this was to be expected of a professional entertainer. And, of course, when we first heard his live performance of "Boonboom Hello Boonboomger!," we all looked at each other. We were like, "It's the real deal!" (laughs). We were very excited. In the scene where we're watching HIKAKIN-san's video recording, Mira asks for his opinion with, "It's amazing, isn't it Chasshiro?," but he responds as if he's not interested. He was happy on the inside, and Mira surely saw right through him (laughs). Miu-chan does her best to play off me, so it's very easy for me to work with her.

I call Sakito Homura's Miyazawa Yu-kun, "Zawa-kun." Zawa-kun and I had been filming together in the TV series for about a month before we started filming the movie. So, I think the "six Boonboomger members" are beautifully captured in this film. Still, since Boonboom and Byundi also call themselves Boonboomgers, there are essentially eight Boonboomger members (laughs).

As this was my first movie, I was alittle nervous in the beginning, but looking back after filming finished, I enjoyed playing Chasshiro. I hope everyone enjoys themselves to the fullest from start to finish! _

Suzuki Miu (Mira Shifuto)

When I first heard from the staff that, "Mira is the main character in this film," I was shocked. When I actually read the script, I realized that everyone plays a leading role, but that Mira was given a very important role. In the first episode, Mira's determined to "take control of her own wheel," and now she tells this to Princess Nicola. I was happy to see Mira's growth, but at the same time, I felt alot of pressure to perform the role properly when we started filming.

I'm from the same agency as Himena-chan, who plays Princess Nicola. I've been in the industry for 12 years, while she has 14 years. I've known her name for a long time, but this was the first time we performed together. My impression of her was that she's dignified and mature. However, the more we talked, the more I could see how cute she was for her age. One day, when she had to choose between two types of bentos, she became seriously distraught. She was like, "Although I'd like to eat this one, the croquettes in the other one are hard to turn down……" I said, "Well then, how about if I take one with the croquettes in it and then give them to you?" She then said very innocently, "Eh, are you okay with that?" The smile on her face at the time was just too cute. It made me so excited that I almost died (laughs).

Still, when it came time to perform, I got alot of inspiration from Himena-chan, who has a longer career. Her reactions were too great, like she was doing them naturally. Her lines had alot of emotion. I was particularly careful not to make Mira's words sound like she was giving a lecture. I didn't want to "tell" Princess Nicola to listen to her story, rather, I wanted to create the image of Mira talking about her past on her own, and having it naturally resonate with Princess Nicola. What would the best way to express this be? I played the role while exploring the tone of my voice and the "pauses" in my performance. There were also scenes with the four of us, including Miyazawa Yu-kun's Sakito Homura and Byundi. When Mira asks for help, Sakito looks at her and Princess Nicola and says, "…Let's do this." At that time, Yu-kun's performance and Sakito's facial expressions were impressive.

I was also happy to be able to actively play as a "driver" in the film. I hadn't had an opportunity to ride in a car in the TV series for such a long time, so I thought, "At last, it's here!" However, I myself don't usually drive a car, so the staff gave me advice on things like how to use the gear stick and how to handle the wheel in a stylish way during the shoot. I think the footage gives a sense of a dynamic race, so please make sure you pay attention to it.

This production has the usual "cranked up" aspects, but as a human drama, it's a film worth watching. If those who watch it get the feeling of, "I also want to take another step forward," then that would make me very happy. _

Saito Ryu (Jou Akuse)

In this film, I was allowed to do flying kicks and backflips on a trampoline. I'd been appealing to Action Director Watanabe Jun-san for a long time with, "I want to do action," and now it's finally been realized. It was my first time stepping on a trampoline, so two days before the shoot, I was given some time to practice flying kicks and backflips so that I could do them before the real thing. Even though I found some parts to be difficult when I actually tried them, I'm happy that I did it. My muscles still hurt though (laughs).

What's more, I also experienced what's known as the "water fall" for the first time. I was surprised at first, but this is one of the best parts of playing a hero, and I thought, "Finally, it's here!" It seems that the staff wanted to give Jou's character a variety of challenges, so for my part, I'm grateful. The water was still cold when we were filming, but it was fun to do.

BoonBlack impresses me every time with the powerful action of Suit Actor Ito Shigeki-san. In the film, there's a scene where he fights one on one with Circuit Grumer, and he does a backspin kick, and his leg goes up very high. In fact, during filming of the movie, Shige-san taught me BoonBlack's role call pose. I'd like to perform in front of the fans someday.

My hobby is beatboxing, and it all began with watching HIKAKIN-san on Youtube. That's why I was very excited to be able to perform with him in this film. In the film, Jou says, "Amazing as usual!" to Genba, who "procured" HIKAKIN-san, but I think that might've been alittle bit of my true feelings coming out (laughs). In the scene where HIKAKIN-san was asked to leave because of the incident, only the two of us acted it out. Jou forces him out of the gate, and I felt really bad……

Director Nakazawa told us to "get excited" in the last scene, so we all got excited (laughs). Mira and Jou take the lead, and then Chasshiro and Genba join them, circling around Princess Nicola. I have no doubt that you'll feel our fun atmosphere. The ending dance was filmed at Fuji Speedway. The place is alot bigger than I had imagined when I stood on the actual course. After filming, we all watched the cars drive around the course, which was also cranked up. It was a very valuable experience.

As for the TV series, Zawa-nii has joined as BoonViolet, and the scenes and story are becoming alot more exciting. Please continue to support us from now on! _

Soma Satoru (Genba Bureki)

The scene where we confront the army of Used Kurumaju was the first thing we filmed for the movie. Simply put, it was spectacular. Given that there were that many Kurumajus lined up in a row, I couldn't help but suddenly exclaim, "Whoa!" Among them, I was personally happy to be reunited with Koinobori Grumer, who I fought in episode 10. Even in such a situation, Genba still shows a relaxed attitude, saying, "It's a revival festival, isn't it?" And even after the Change into BoonOrange, he always has a relaxed vibe to him. That was thanks to Ono Yukimasa-kun, his Suit Actor. There's also something sexy about how he handles his weapon. Since the movie will be shown on the big screen, I think you'll be able to see the differences in the actions of the six Boonboomers, the characteristics of each Suit Actor, the high level of their skills, and so on.

I was surprised at the development of the Boonboom Cars being controlled by Circuit Grumer. However, it's there that Genba shows his cleverness and creates an opportunity to turn the tables. There's a part where he holds up a pit board, but this one was surprisingly large and quite difficult (laughs). Also, since the Boonboom Cars would be added in later, I wasn't sure at the time of filming how the footage would turn out. After talking with Director Nakazawa and listening to his vision for the production, I tried to play the role while letting my imagination run wild. Director Nakazawa's direction was meticulous, and he would give me precise advice on Genba's facial expressions in each cut, such as, "It's like this now, but what will it be next time?"

As for memories of filming, I still really enjoyed being able to go to Fuji Speedway. Standing on a course isn't something you get to do very often, so it was a luxurious experience. After filming, we were able to observe a race, and every time a car passed in front of us at incredible speed, we all got excited and shouted, "Wow!"

Before filming for the movie began, we all used to talk about, "What kind of guests will be coming?" Sometimes, we'd also try to get the staff to spill (laughs). Then, to our surprise, it turned out to be HIKAKIN-san, and I was totally blown away (laughs). Furthermore, the setting of the film is that I, the "procurer," have procured him. I'm not sure what kind of negotiations he did, but……in any case, I think Genba's amazing (laughs).

Irei Himena-san, who plays Princess Nicola, was very lovely and was a healing presence to all the cast and staff members involved in the film. In the film, there's a scene where Genba sensed Princess Nicola's reluctance to discuss her situation, so he has to tell everyone. Genba's the type of person who acts by "anticipating" various things, so I performed this scene while thinking it was typical of Genba. I'd be happy if you pay attention to that. _

Miyazawa Yu (Sakito Homura)

It made me happy that Sakito Homura and BoonViolet could appear in the film (laughs). Originally, I wasn't informed on whether Sakito would be in the film or not, since I've only been in the TV series since June. When I received and read the script, the first thing I felt was the connection with the first episode and Mira's growth. Since I had watched the first episode as a viewer, I thought that Mira was trying to tell Princess Nicola what Taiya had told her back then. I think the real thrill of the Super Sentai series is that the character development is depicted over the long span of a year, and I thought that was exactly the theme of this year's film.

In this story, Sakito helps Mira and Princess Nicola. Since he works separately from the other five, his appearance is limited compared to them, but I feel that Sakito and Byundi were also able to commit themselves to the drama in a good way. For the scene with Mira, it had a more comedic "flavor" on set than what I had imagined in the script. It was also typical of "Boonboomger." On the other hand, I thought it depicted not only Mira's growth, but also the growth, or rather change, of Sakito, who gets up and says, "Let's do this" after hearing her story. And, there's also a moment of mutual understanding between himself and Byundi in the process of reaching that decision. I'm always conscious of expressing such scenes carefully and precisely.

In the scene where the six of them come together, Sakito's given the cool role of appearing while shooting at Circuit Grumer. It's not just that he's cool though. Sakito may appear to be full of himself on the surface, but I believe he's quite compassionate and loves people. I hope that you'll be able to feel the passionate feelings he has for his friends in this scene.

The weather wasn't very good when we were filming at Fuji Speedway, but when it came time to film the dance, the previously cloudy skies suddenly cleared up. No, it was because we're Boonboomger (laughs). The ending dance features myself trying to dance with the other five for the first time, as well as HIKAKIN-san, Princess Nicola, Boonboom, Byundi, and Shirabe-san, so please pay attention to it.

Thinking back on it again (after filming of the movie ended), when I was selected to appear in Boonboomger's TV show, I still didn't feel like a "hero" yet. When I did my first dub recording for BoonViolet, my feelings changed dramatically. Suit Actor Tsutamune Masato-san's actions were wonderful, and they helped me get my act together. And, of course, Byundi is indispensable for Sakito. With the character Byundi being created by Suit Actor Takada Masashi-san and Voice Actor Hanae Natsuki-san, I hope to express Sakito's relationship with him in an interesting way. _

Hashiyasume Atsuko (Saibu Shirabe)

I didn't know I was going to be in this film until I was given the script. Compared to everyone else in Boonboomger, I have a smaller role in each episode, so I just assumed that they had already finished filming (laughs). When I read the script, I found that Boon-chan (Bundorio) and I are quite close in some parts. When she's praised for her "good points" and becomes ecstatic, Director Nakazawa didn't give me any specific instructions, but I tried to come up with a pose on my own. After a cut was made and I received the OK, the Director copied my pose, so I'm glad I took a risk (laughs).

In the scene where I'm swayed by the vibrations, Boon-chan holds me as I'm about to fall, but at the moment I'm about to fall, I kept shaking my head back. Since my face wouldn't show up, we had to reshoot it multiple times. After that, Shirabe-san faints, but when she wakes up, she's leaning against Boon-chan. It made my heart race alittle (laughs).

Shirabe-san may come across as intimidating at first, but she also has a surprisingly cute side. In the film, ISA proposes a plan of "handing over Princess Nicola to the Hashiriyans," but Shirabe-san takes a stand against that plan. I struggled with how much emotion I should show here. I still didn't feel right as we went into filming the real thing, and Director Nakazawa seemed to feel the same way, as he asked me, "Want to do another take?" In the end, I feel that I was able to do a performance that I was satisfied with.

During filming, there were times when small children would peek over the fence at the site. Because of that, the cast members who had finished filming or who had time to spare took turns visiting them. Everyone was happy, and we had fun too. I thought maybe they wouldn't recognize me, but I was so thrilled when some of the children said, "It's Shirabe-san!"

The final part of the film really shows how close everyone is, and I thought it was a happy ending typical of Boonboomger. Shirabe-san was also in the swing of things, saying things like, "Boon-sama, you're wonderful!" I guess she must've felt a weight lifted off her shoulders after the incident was resolved (laughs). I was also happy that the three of us, Iuchi Haruhi, Boon-chan and I, were able to appear together in the final scene before the ending. I thought it'd be alright to look at the camera at that time, but then I thought it'd be more like Shirabe-san if it ended with her looking at Boon-chan. I discussed this with Fujita Yohei-san, who plays Boon-chan, and we tried to match it up.

It was also my first experience filming the ending dance. Although, I watch the broadcast every week, and I also checked the footage and tried dancing myself, so when I received the video to practice the choreography, I was able to dance to some extent (laughs). For filming, it was decided in detail who would dance each part, but no matter which part was mentioned, I was able to immediately respond with, "That's this one, right?" Please make sure to pay attention to us as we dance with overflowing smiles on our faces (laughs). _

Irei Himena (Nicola Keydoor)

So far, I've had little experience with productions aimed towards younger children. Given this, I was very happy to be able to perform in the Super Sentai series that my younger brother used to watch. Nicola's a kid who's unable to express herself properly, but through her encounter with the Boonboomgers, she's able to grow. I wanted to perform that process properly.

Wigs were prepared at costume fitting, and while it was available in pink and two other colors, among other things, I decided on pink based on the image I had of the role. The costume, which is reminiscent of a space suit, was also very cute. There was some talk along the lines of, "Will the heat be okay during filming?," but once filming actually began, it was neither too hot or too cold, and was very comfortable. That seems to be abit rare on site of productions like these (laughs). I feel that the role of Nicola Keydoor became more solidified in my mind through the costume fitting than the script reading stage.

I come from the same agency as Mira's Miu-chan, who I had many scenes together with in the film. This film was our first time working together, but it was fun that we shared alot of common ground, such as the fact that we had taken lessons from the same teacher when we were little (laughs). She also told me about the vibes on the set and the filming process, which was unique to tokusatsu productions. Miu-chan also had an action scene with Circuit Grumer, to which I thought, "Amazing!" Throughout filming, she watched out for me like a big sister.

Taiya's Iuchi Haruhi-kun was very calm. During the film, Nicola's at a loss when Taiya asks her, "Where do you want to deliver yourself?" That was a very important scene, and I could feel how serious Iuchi-kun was, so I naturally became more focused. After that, in the scene where Nicola makes up her mind, I acted it out after creating the flow in my mind leading up to her decision. In any case, everyone in the regular cast was always working hard. I was very impressed by that. Director Miyazawa's the type of person to ease your nerves, and he also explained to me in precise words the goals of his direction. Because of that, I was able to take on the daily filming without any fear.

One of the most memorable moments was riding in the Boonboom Super Car. We filmed the scene of my conversation with Miu-chan in the car, but the actual driving scenes were done by a professional driver. The location was also surrounded by nature, with scenery just as great, and the speed was fast and felt exhilarating, so I fully enjoyed the fun drive (laughs).

Performing in this film sort of reminded me of how I felt as a child. At the end, it seems that Nicola was given a Boonboom Changer (laughs), so if I get a chance someday, I'd like to Boonboom Change too! _

Director Nakazawa Shojiro

"This is the seventh Super Sentai series where Director Nakazawa was in charge of the first episode. What are your current impressions of Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger?"

Nakazawa: The characters on the hero side are each professionals with a rather mature image. In contrast, the bad guy's side is always developing some kind of ridiculous strategy every time……It's not that this is unusual to see in the Super Sentai series, as this kind of contrast has been around for a long time. However, from the point of view of a creator, there's no sense of "taking the high road" or "returning to basics." I'm not taking the approach that, "This is what Super Sentai's all about," rather, I'm working to create heroes in Boonboomger that are appropriate for this generation. The productions of the last few years have had strong personalities, and people may think that we've "gone back to the old days" if we do role calls every time, but we don't intend on trying to "go back" (laughs), we're trying to present new hero figures for the children of today's generation.

"The film has alot of content to take in, but one of the guest characters is a "space princess." Looking back on past Super Sentai series films, it would seem that this too is considered another "standard"……"

Nakazawa: There've been so many princesses, that I wonder how many there have been so far (laughs). Still, what I wanted to depict in this film was Mira's growth since the first episode. When princesses appear, they mostly interact with Red (laughs), but not this time. Mira, who was taught by Taiya the importance of "taking control of your own wheel" in the first episode, now conveys the same message to Princess Nicola, who's come from space. I wanted to create a character who's lost, who doesn't know where she belongs or what she should be doing, and as a result, she became a princess character, but she didn't have to be a princess. Such a character is changed through her encounter with the Boonboomgers. These days, I think there are many people in the world who are struggling with similar problems, so I hope that this film will give such people a supportive push. That in itself is one of the themes of Boonboomger, and as a movie, I wanted the story to appear as "Boonboomger" as possible

"When talking about "individuality," the film being shot on location at Fuji Speedway, the appearance of the peculiar Kurumaju known as Circuit Grumer, and the Boonboom Cars becoming the enemy, we thought that those ideas were interesting."

Nakazawa: Filming on location at Fuji Speedway was done around the time it had a tight schedule of races, so while we caused them an inconvenience, we managed to make it happen. To those who worked hard for us, I'd like to state my gratitude. We had a limited number of days, so we "targeted" that and went on location. Things were so tight, that if we didn't finish filming in 5 minutes, we wouldn't be able to wrap up in time (laughs). As for Circuit Grumer, since it's for a movie, we had the discussion of large scale Kurumaju, and so we thought, "If this is the case, why don't we make it a circuit monster?" It was unanimously agreed that it was "good," but I think it was such a grand idea, that we ended up restricting ourselves later (laughs). I think the conception for the Boonboom Cars to be the enemy initially came simply from the desire to see footage of the Boonboom Cars lined up at Fuji Speedway. Of course, with this being Boonboomger, I also wanted to do some car action, so I decided to have a setting where the Boonboom Cars are controlled by the enemy. The key point was how to intertwine footage of real cars and the CG Boonboom Cars. I hope you look forward to it.

"We were surprised by HIKAKIN-san's guest performance."

Nakazawa: While we received consent for him to perform in the film, we had a hard time deciding what kind of role we'd have him play. We thought about having him drive the Boonboom Cars in some way or another, but since he's not an actor in the first place, it was decided that him making an appearance as himself would be a better use of his talents than playing someone else. I was also grateful for his participation in the ending dance.

"Demon Thunder's voice is by Kishi Yuji-san, who was RedRacer in Gekisou Sentai Carranger (1996)."

Nakazawa: Kishi-san's been contacting me since the beginning of Boonboomger and asking me, "Call me in (for this series)" (laughs). However, I was trying to find the right role and right timing to call in Kishi-san. Then, since I also wanted Demon Thunder to have a profound feel in the film, I thought, "Let's ask for him here." It was as expected of him. He was a perfect fit.

"Seki Tomokazu-san is Circuit Grumer. He constantly says, "Vuuun! Vuuun!" (laughs)."

Nakazawa: Seki-san in particular was allowed to do whatever he wanted (laughs). On the other hand, due to the nature of his role, Kishi-san was often asked to hold back. However, there is one part where he messes around, so please try to find it (laughs).

"We heard that the voice of the "Large Planet Destroying Missile" was selected through auditions from among the main cast members."

Nakazawa: That's right. Originally, we had talks about whether the missile would speak, but then Scriptwriter Tomioka-san wrote in its dialog (laughs). We did an audition like event for the project through the TTFC. Watch the film to find out who was chosen.

"At the end, it seems that Princess Nicola's taken a Boonboom Changer back to her planet?"

Nakazawa: That was also Tomioka-san's idea. In Boonboomgers case, if Taiya makes a new one, it'll resolve that problem. Princess Nicola will surely be able to Change. However, we don't know whose Changer she ultimately took back. She may have gotten Mira's Changer and can Change into BoonPink, or maybe it'll be some other color (laughs).

"The army of Used Kurumaju also appear, but each and every Kurumaju is unique."

Nakazawa: The Voice Actors for both the Kurumaju and the Sanseaters have an amazing flow. That's how Seki-san was in this film, without fail, he always expands on the script. Of course, the script by Tomioka-san and his team, which were used as the basis, are also interesting, so everyone seemed to have enjoyed their performance.

"BoonViolet and Byun Diesel have also joined the series."

Nakazawa: In the film, Director Hayama, who shot the episode where Sakito Homura made his entrance, worked with me as Chief Assistant Director, and he helped me with the direction of Sakito and Byundi. Miyazawa-kun is very skilled at acting, and I hope that the original five members will become motivated by him. I'm sure that Sakito will stir things up in the film, and I'm looking forward to seeing the chemistry that's likely to occur on set with Miyazawa-kun's inclusion. Also, with the entrance of Byundi, I wondered if stuff like the relationship between Byundi and Boonboom will expand. From now on, the various rapid developments will continue, and I think it'll become harder to pass on. Without fail, please continue to support Boonboomger!

Motojima Junsei (Ichinose Houtaro)

-Towards the Future of Possibilities-

"Finally, the Summer film is here. How did you feel about the project?"

Motojima: The first thing I was conscious of was working together with DAIGO-san. He had already participated in the TV series as the voice of Kamen Rider Gotchard Daybreak, and when I heard that he'd not only be voicing, but also appearing in the film, I was thrilled to be able to work together with him. The first scene we filmed for this movie was the last scene. Houtaro's anxious about Future Houtaro parting ways on his own to defeat the Dark King, but he feels at ease after reading the picture book that Kudo showed him. I'd be happy if the audience could sense what happened to Future Houtaro, not from the dialogue, but from the expressions on Houtaro and Kudo's faces.

"The two major themes of this year's film are "the present" and "the future." Furthermore, the "future" is "another future" created by Houtaro's defeat in a past battle, and Houtaro's going to meet his future self there."

Motojima: The process of heading towards the future was very exciting. The scene where alchemy creates the Gigantliner was particularly impressive, and it features Kudo, Spanner, Sabimaru Senpai, Renge-neesan, Kyoka-san, Minato Sensei, and even Fuga-san. It's a scene that was truly created by "everyone's power," so I have a strong emotional attachment to it. I was also thrilled to perform the part where everyone shows their rings while standing in a circle, and after filming, we all took pictures of the rings together (laughs).

"However, the "other future" was already in a desperate situation."

Motojima: Kudo and the rest of his friends at the Alchemy Academy are no longer alive in that future. When I read the script, I was incredibly shocked. Furthermore, in the scene where Kudo loses her life, it's not Houtaro played by DAIGO-san, but me. During that shoot, Reiyo-chan was really crying as she played the role……Kudo always calls Houtaro "Ichinose," but only in that scene does she call him "Houtaro." I thought alot about what sort of feelings Kudo had put into that scene, and even I couldn't hold back my tears. We filmed that scene on the last day on location in Shimane, and we filmed it until the very last minute when we were getting ready to return to Tokyo.

-Two Houtaros, their motto is: Gotcha!-

"How was it filming on location in Shimane?"

Motojima: By being exposed to a new environment, I was able to approach the shoot with a fresh outlook. On the first day, we had time for sightseeing and went to the famous Izumo Grand Shrine. The soba we had for lunch was very tasty. The team participating in the "present" couldn't come to this location, so I bought matching necklaces for everyone at the shrine as souvenirs to take back.

"Please tell us about performing together with DAIGO-san."

Motojima: On set, we were together all the time. Whenever something happened, we would say "Gotcha!" to each other (laughs). When the first OK was given, DAIGO-san was the first to say "Gotcha!," and I responded with, "Gotcha!" That kind of exchange was very satisfying. This was also on location in Shimane, but I'll never forget the simultaneous transformation. The two of us discussed and coordinated the timing together. Through this process, I feel as if we've come together as one. Also, in the second half of the film, there's a solo transformation by DAIGO-san, and he did it by watching footage of me performing it, and then copying it perfectly. I feel somewhat grateful…….

-Bonds with our Friends-

"There's a scene where Houtaro and Rinne agitate Future Houtaro. We feel that this was one of the most important points in the film."

Motojima: That location is set up as the future Alchemy Academy. We actually used the same set, but in any case, the atmosphere is completely different. We're based there, and everyone's fighting, so among other things, weapons are placed there, and it's got a gory feel to it……However, that part also helped me to create the mood. As the weight of the past 20 years are weighing on his shoulders, Future Houtaro relentlessly says to him, "What do you know?!" Just imagining that, it makes me want to cry……But, as Houtaro, I can't afford to falter. Without hesitating, it's Houtaro who's able to say, "Let's fight together." I can only imagine the weight of those 20 years, but I don't understand it. No matter what kind of hell he's lived through, as Houtaro, I think he didn't want to give up on him, because it's the same "me" in front of him. I put those feelings into the dialogue in my own way.

"What about "Miracle Gotchard," the new form in the film?"

Motojima: It has a different feel from Rainbow Gotchard, which is all shiny, but I like the shimmer and the slightly extreme feel. Personally, I got the impression that this style is unlike anything that's been seen so far in Reiwa Rider. Furthermore, it's exciting that it'll evolve at the same time as Shining Daybreak. I was very enthusiastic about the recording session. As Platina Gotchard, I was conscious of creating a handsome, or rather, cool look, but this time, I mixed in some nuances of Steamhopper. I had the image of Houtaro, who's incredibly strong, but who also fights while having fun.

"Throughout the film, what message does Motojima-san wish to convey?"

Motojima: If you can feel the bonds he has with his friends, I'd be especially happy. In this film, for some reason, Kajiki also goes to the future with them (laughs), and in the future, he works with Clotho and Atropos. I think that such an unusual combination is one of the highlights of the film. In the future, Minato Sensei, Spanner and Lachesis are completely on the enemy side. Kumaki-san's performance as Alzard was intense. Fujibayashi-kun also told me that he put all his heart into playing Hellcrate. By having the usual enemies become allies, and allies become enemies, I believe that you'll feel the importance of "friends" even more. We're nearing the end of filming for the TV series, and we're taking it day by day, scene by scene, carefully savoring each shot we film. From now on, without fail, please continue to support Kamen Rider Gotchard! _

Matsumoto Reiyo (Kudo Rinne)

-Facing Rinne-

"In the "other future," it was shocking to find that the setting was that Rinne was already……."

Matsumoto: Rinne's final moments were very painful just from the script reading stage. Still, that's what I had to face. I think I was able to face it, but right before we started filming the scene, I couldn't stop crying. It was a scene where both Motojima-san and I were extremely focused. I think I was able to convey my feelings as Kudo Rinne during their final conversation before her passing.

"However, it seems that those words have been tormenting Future Houtaro for a long time."

Matsumoto: That's right. I was conscious of that, but during the actual shoot, my first priority was how directly I could express Rinne's emotions. I believe that because her feelings were conveyed to Houtaro, her words will remain in his heart forever. In that scene, Motojima-san was also completely immersed as "Houtaro," so it was easy for me to work with him. I once again admired Rinne's courage and ability to take action. Although it's the role I'm playing, I'd like to tell Rinne, "You did well."

-Future Houtaro-

"The role of the Future Houtaro was played by DAIGO-san."

Matsumoto: He was just as I'd imagined he'd be from hearing him in the TV series. He's very friendly and helps make his surroundings more exciting. During the filming period, it seems that he was also checking our SNS accounts closely, and when I posted about a local specialty called "akumaki," he asked me the next day, "What kind of food is it?" He said, "I'd like to try some." I was somewhat embarrassed, but I was glad to see such consideration.

"Unlike DAIGO-san's usual image, his role was quite serious."

Matsumoto: He shows a particularly relentless attitude toward Rinne. The weight of what he's carrying, the passionate heart in his chest…….I felt that DAIGO-san performed the role of "Future Houtaro" in a very deep way. It was easy for me to get into the role because there was a gap between when we were and weren't filming. During a test run, when Future Houtaro says, "What do you know?!" and grabs Houtaro by the chest, I cried even though I knew I shouldn't have. The Houtaro she knew wasn't someone who would raise his voice like that……As myself, I really felt that I couldn't control my emotions. Still, when I thought about it as Rinne, I thought she'd want to remind him of the old Houtaro. That's why the line, "I'll never give up or stand still," was said like it was bundled with kindness.

"What are your memories of filming on location in Shimane?"

Matsumoto: I got to ride on the back seat of Golddash during the scene where we're heading to the enemy's base! This was really fun! We also filmed along the coast of Shimane, and the scenery was beautiful. We also had a drone to take footage from above, so we had quite a long ride. I felt like I was on alittle tour (laughs). While I thought I was just acting, it seemed that my excitement came out on my face, and Director Tasaki said, "You were smiling so much!" It was a wide shot, and you can't see my expression, so it was okay……but now that I'm saying it here, you may see it (laughs).

"In the battle with Alzard, Rinne's "passion" could be felt."

Matsumoto: Kumaki-san played the role in a completely different manner from his usual performance as Minato Sensei, and it really moved me emotionally. Rinne must've felt that she and Minato Sensei had overcome many ordeals together, and that she couldn't forgive Alzard's words that trampled on that. What's more, Alzard tried to hurt Ichika-chan and her father. The line "I'm going to take you down!" was said in a rage. This time, there were many important lines spoken after the transformation into Kamen Rider Majade, so I hope that they'll reach everyone. In the final battle against the Dark King, there's a scene where Miracle Gotchard, Shining Daybreak, and Majade took turns saying their lines, and I think we were able to show our strong will to "unite together to defeat the Dark King." I was very particular to live up to the wonderful performance by Shimozono Ayumi-san, Majade's Suit Actor.

-Rinne's growth-

"What are your thoughts after looking back on filming?"

Matsumoto: The film deals with a heavy theme, but I believe I was able to give it my all. The atmosphere on set was great, and I was always able to relax. I even talked with Motojima-kun, who also said, "I'm glad it ended peacefully," (laughs).

"It really conveys the vibes that everyone's working together."

Matsumoto: Now that I think about it, we began filming with the final scene (laughs). I remember thinking about the scenes we were going to shoot, including the encounter with Future Houtaro, because it was the last of many experiences that we had yet to film. I was also happy to be able to film while in a yukata. It's hard to imagine this from Rinne in the very beginning, she was strict and stubborn, wasn't she? (laughs). I thought, "Oh, I see Rinne-chan has started wearing yukatas too."

"Please give a message to the fans."

Matsumoto: During filming of this movie, I always set the goal of, "Cherishing each and every scene while performing." The feelings she had during her final moments, the tolerance Rinne shows to Future Houtaro, and her anger at Alzard……..I also tried my best to play out the feelings of Rinne, who's been watching over Houtaro for a long time, even though she's no longer in his presence. If I was able to express even alittle bit of Rinne's growth, I'd be happy _

Fujibayashi Yasunari (Kurogane Spanner)

-Spanner & Kaguya-

In this film, I also play the role of Hellcrate on the enemy side. It was interesting that Spanner was the foundation of the role, not that he was completely different. I was also conscious of the contrast when transforming, for example, Spanner raises his right hand, while Hellcrate raises his left hand.

Unlike Houtaro and Rinne, Spanner himself doesn't go to the future. He and Kaguya are depicted as abit of a pair. Kaguya's the type that can be pushy, but Spanner's rather reserved. Maybe that's why they got along so well. The relationship between the two of them came about naturally in their own way. At the end of episode 35 of the TV series, Spanner says, "That should quiet things down for awhile," and for a moment, he glances at Kaguya with a smile. This was based on the development of the film. I think I was able to communicate well with Nagata Seiichiro-kun, who plays Kaguya. Coordinating the timing of the double transformation was also done by both of us. I wouldn't say those two are "best friends" (laughs), but it feels like they know each other's personalities very well, wouldn't you say? I hope you'll pay attention to our performance.

-Spanner & Hellcrate-

Director Tasaki told me, "I want you to play a classic villain," in regards to Hellcrate. I wanted to add something of my own, and after consulting with the Director, we decided to add abit of a narcissistic vibe. For example, when I first take off my mask, I was particular about the movements of my fingertips to express a narcissistic look. After that, we just pursued "the exact opposite of Spanner." Spanner learns to play chess from Kyoka-san to help keep his cool, but Hellcrate is the exact opposite. I also immediately imagined a scene where he loses his temper and yells while his face is scarred. The scar is something he feels inferior about, so I also included a gesture to try and hide it. The makeup artist was very particular about the scar itself, and went to the trouble of redoing the initial scar, saying that they weren't satisfied with it. I did my best to respond to their desires. As for the dialogue, I still like the part where I call out, "Kurogane Spanner!" It's not often that you get a chance to call out the name of the role you're playing.

Angel Malgam, transformed by Hellcrate, fights Kamen Rider Valvarad, so I had to do it in two separate recording sessions. What's more, there were also times in which Hellcrate was in a state of being masked, so it practically felt like I did three roles. This was quite a challenge…….I suggested Valvarad's catchphrase "Checkmate!" to Director Tasaki, and he made a place for me to include it. For Spanner, this line is essential. And then, the scream Angel Malgam makes when being defeated was also my doing (laughs). I wanted to express the unsightliness at the end of one's life as much as I could.

-Spanner & Gavv-

As Spanner, or rather, as Kamen Rider Valvarad, I was the only one who got to interact with Kamen Rider Gavv. In last year's Winter film, I also worked together with Kamen Rider Buffa, so the purple Riders seem to be connected (laughs). I was happy to be able to work with Director Sugihara again during the dub recording of Gavv's part. I've been calling myself a "Sugihara fan" ever since he filmed my first appearance as Kamen Rider Valvarad (episode 20 & 21). Oh, and during the Summer festival scene at the end, Spanner is seen eating gummies (laughs). Please make sure you pay attention to that. _

Nagata Seiichiro (Ho-Oh Kaguya Quartz)

-Beyond the Aurora-

Kaguya's first appearance was in an online spinoff, so at that point, I didn't think he'd be in the film (laughs). Later, when I appeared in the TV series, there was a scene where within the Aurora Curtain, I witnessed Kamen Rider Gotchard Daybreak. I wondered, "How is this going to link to the future?," and it turned out to be foreshadowing for the film.

I myself had a cheerful impression of Kamen Rider Gotchard's show. Of course, there are some heavy parts like Spanner's past, but I thought that things like the school story was overall fun. That's why I was excited by the "Future World" setting being depicted in this film. I couldn't believe that all of Houtaro's friends were gone……Still, I felt that it was definitely an exciting setting for a film. It's really hot to turn the tables on the worst situation. I couldn't wait to start filming

-Double Henshin with Spanner!-

In this film, Kaguya has alot of scenes with Spanner. He says, "You can also give me a hand," and I felt that their relationship had gotten closer throughout the TV series. They also do a double henshin, so please be sure to pay attention to it. Kamen Rider Legend has a simple transformation pose, but Valvarad has many movements. Therefore, for Kaguya's part, I tried to kiss my hand more slowly, and I also got the idea from Fujibayashi-kun to make up for the time difference by shaking my body alittle at the beginning (laughs).

Being on location in Shimane was also an unforgettable memory……I didn't have an appearance there though (laughs). However, I really wanted to visit, so I attended by paying out of my own pocket. The performance that was especially inspiring was the scene where Rinne faces her final moments. I could feel the sincerity in Motojima-kun and Reiyo-chan's approach. Fujibayashi-kun too, he played the role of Hellcrate in a lively manner. His performance was so passionate, that his voice echoed through the huge dome. Due to how the story develops, some other cast members were unable to come to this location, so they went to the Izumo Grand Shrine to buy matching necklaces as souvenirs to bring back. Shimane was a wonderful place. I'd definitely like to go back.

-Encountering Decade-

This film depicts not only the showy side, but also the sensitive side of Kaguya. This can be felt in the scenes with Kadoya Tsukasa. I performed with Inoue Masahiro-san before and was acquainted with him, but I've admired him since back in the day. There's certainly some parts that overlap with Kaguya's feelings for Tsukasa. I was impressed by the way Tsukasa recognized Kaguya's growth. That "chin grab" was improvised by Inoue-san. On set, the female staff members cheered (laughs).

That scene was carried by Inoue-san, but I was happy that Kaguya was finally able to call himself a Kamen Rider. Kaguya is originally an inhabitant of a different world from that of Houtaro and his friends, so he leaves everyone at the end of the film. I'm alittle sad about it, but I hope that I, as well as Kaguya, will have a chance to meet Houtaro and his friends again. The message of the film is that "the future can be changed." I think that Kaguya was also able to change through his encounter with Tsukasa. I'd be happy if people who see this film feel cheerful. _

Kabe Amon (Kajiki Ryo)

-To the Future World-

I didn't expect for Kajiki to go to the future with Houtaro and Rinne. Kajiki isn't often involved in the main story, but this time, he sneaks aboard the Gigantliner (laughs). The train scene to the Future World was made possible with the cooperation of Saitama Prefecture's Chichibu Railway, and along with Motojima-san and Reiyo-chan, the three of us were very excited to film it. Following that, the "Future World's Station" is at the site of the Former Taisha Station in Izumo City, located in Shimane Prefecture. This is the second time we've shot on location in a rural area, following Kyoto (episodes 9-10) for the TV series. The devastated world was ultimately created by 3D compositing, so while we were filming on site, we left it to our imaginations, wondering, "What kind of sight is unfolding out here?" I think one of the highlights is the numerous visuals that are different from usual. During our stay, we all visited the Izumo Grand Shrine and did sightseeing together, which was also a fun memory.

-Regarding the Guests-

There were scenes where I performed with DAIGO-san and Kojima Yoshio-san. DAIGO-san's character, "Future Houtaro," is still Houtaro from Kajiki's point of view, but there's still something mysterious about him. On set, when I was wondering how to communicate with DAIGO-san, he started talking to me. He's a very friendly person. Also, my waiting room at the studio this time was on the same floor as DAIGO-san's. When I left my room, I heard a singing voice and thought, "Huh?," and to my surprise, it was coming from DAIGO-san's room. I think I was probably the only one who heard it, so it was a precious experience (laughs). I also had fun filming with Kojima-san. When I arrived on set, he came out wearing those swim trunks (laughs). Of course, I knew that he was going to appear in the film, but the script described Kojima-san's Tajima as a "serious doctor," so to see him make his entrance looking like that……I was surprised.

Also, in the Future World, Clotho and Atropos are on our side. Kajiki's rarely involved in battle scenes, and even when he occasionally meets those on the enemy side, it's only to give a quick greeting, so it was abit strange to be in an environment like this, where we're always together. I remember talking to Clotho's Miyahara Kanon-san and saying, "It's weird for the two of you being together with us, isn't it?"

-Go for it, Riders!-

Normally, Kajiki gets "caught up in the middle of things," but in this film, he's present during important scenes. I also have the line, "As their best friend, it's my duty to help out Houtaro and Kudo." In the second half, I was also given the role of cheering on the Riders. In the script, we were all going to cheer, "Go for it, Kamen Riders!," but when I went to the set, it was changed to Kojima-san's, "Gan gan gan gan ganbare! Go for it, Riders!" (laughs). It seems that Director Tasaki and Kojima-san had a meeting beforehand and decided on that. I only learned about it on set, so I was also surprised. It was also alot of fun to cheer on the Kamen Riders with the children.

Over the past year, Motojima-kun's become a splendid "leader" who pulls everyone along. Reiyo-chan's acting was also wonderful……During the cheering scene, I felt those feelings rising up in me, and I did my best to shout them out with all of my voice. To all of you, I'd be happy if you could come and support us together in the film! _

Kamakari Kenta (Glion)

-How I should act to look scary-

Kamen Riders are figures children look up to. Therefore, I act as Glion with my first priority being to make him look scary so that children will think, "I hate him" or "I don't like him." Even with the way I look, I needed to plan on whether I'd stare coldly or look wide eyed, and after much research, including asking my own daughter, "Which eyes look scarier?," I decided to use the latter as the basis for my performance. I think the scarier Glion looks like that, the more the heroes will stand out.

For this film, when I heard that Glion was going to appear, my first reaction was, "Yes!" He made his "exit" during episode 27 of the TV series, so…..Whenever I heard rumors about the film, I always thought, "That sounds nice," but I never expected to actually appear (laughs). What's more, I was put into a good position again. I'm grateful for that.

-Glion's Secret?!-

I started filming for the movie with the beginning future scene. I haven't had much experience filming with a green screen before, but it was a big studio with alot of staff, so I was very excited about the large scale of the shoot, thinking, "We're filming in such an environment!" And, I was also able to work with our guest DAIGO-san from the first day. As Glion, I'm able to face off against DAIGO-san's "Future Houtaro." DAIGO-san's a very appealing actor as well. DAIGO-san was just as soft spoken as he was on TV.

In this film, I like the scene where I appear in front of the two Houtaros the most. I was excited about this part even from reading the script. On the actual set, I think it was even more impressive because of the added direction of "coming down the stairs." However, the stairs at the location were rather steep, and it was abit difficult to come down them in Glion's boots. Of course, I was concentrating on the performance, but I was alittle concerned while coming down, wondering, "Are my feet gonna get caught?" (laughs). I also felt that my "loud laugh" was increasing my "synchronization rate" with Glion, so in addition to that, when I tried to make facial expressions while feeling the vibes on set, that kind of laughter just came out naturally.

-Henshin! Kamen Rider Dorado!-

What made me most happy was my "transformation" into Kamen Rider Dorado. When I work on a film, I tend to value the atmosphere on set, and often won't make up much of my performance beforehand. That's why I tried not to think too much about the transformation until the day it was supposed to happen. Then, Action Director Fukuzawa Hirofumi-san came to me with the wonderful plan of, "Transform while avoiding the enemies attacks." I immediately went along with that plan (laughs). Also, I wondered how happy Glion would be when he got the card, since he said, "I'll become complete!" I tried to think about it and performed in my own way.

I also did the dub recording for Kamen Rider Dorado, which I tried to act out as if my emotions were exposed. I think that you'll feel a different side of Glion. When I was first shown the footage, I tried to voice it with an honest reaction and realized, "Ah, I can sound like this……" However, when we first tried the scene where Dorado torments Rinne, Director Tasaki told me, "It's way too scary, please try to hold back alittle more." Well, I understood that, but I wanted to completely go off (laughs).

This film is the story of Houtaro and his friend's efforts to change the worst future. The message is that no matter how hard it gets, it's important to have the courage and strength to take a step forward. As Glion, I played the "bad guy" role. If you have a child who says they prefer Glion or Kamen Rider Dorado more……I'll dye them gold! _

DAIGO (Future Houtaro)

-The Future of Kamen Rider-

"We were also shocked by your surprise "voice appearance" in the TV series, but this time, at long last, you're playing the role of Future Houtaro."

DAIGO: At my age, I never would've imagined that I'd become a Kamen Rider. What are the odds that this would happen, you know? I was happy when I heard about it, and responded with, "By all means, please let me do it."

"In the TV series, the true identity of Gotchard Daybreak was hinted at, but how did you feel when you finally read the script for the film?"

DAIGO: Since I had been following the developments of the TV show, first off, I was very shocked. I couldn't believe that Houtaro's defeat had actually led to the loss of his friends lives, including Rinne, Spanner, Sabimaru Senpai, Renge-neesan, and Minato Sensei. In addition, Houtaro continues to live, and even though he never gives up and continues to fight, he's incredibly burnt out. He's an almost completely different version of the Houtaro everyone knows. Speaking honestly, when I was wondering if I'd be able to play this role…..I was conflicted. However, in this film, Houtaro and Rinne, who come from 20 years in the past, remind Future Houtaro of what he's forgotten. I felt hope there, and as it's a film packed with charm, I decided to try my best to perform. I thought I could convey something that's valuable in life to all the children.

-On set with younger people-

"How were things on the actual film site?"

DAIGO: For me, Junsei-kun is the "Houtaro" I've always seen on TV. That impression didn't change when I came onto the set. Whether the cameras were rolling or not, "Houtaro" was always there. He's so much like Houtaro, that I think I'd be okay for him to change his name to "Ichinose Houtaro" (laughs). So, on the other hand, even though it's 20 years later, I wondered if I could play the role of Houtaro, who's actually 46 years old, but since the setting is that he's, "Burnt out from fighting so much," it was perfect (laughs). And then there's Rinne's Matsumoto Reiyo-chan. Rinne is also Future Houtaro's "hope." I thought she was no longer in this world anymore, and that he'd never see her again. She comes from the past and appears in front of him. That's why his feelings of "I don't want to lose her again" are so strong. Contrary to this, young Rinne's resolve is strong and firm. That's why eventually, Rinne's words will also move Future Houtaro's heart. Reiyo-chan herself is a very reliable and lovely person, and there are parts of her that overlap with Rinne. Even so…….they're both almost 30 years younger than me. They truly felt like the "new generation of young people." When you get to be my age, it's hard to only look straight ahead into the future, but I was under the impression that they were really moving forward with their eyes set on the future. I was able to gain lots of energy by spending time together with them.

-A "bond" with Director Tasaki Ryuta-

"There was also a transformation scene."

DAIGO: Ever since I did the dub recording for Gotchard Daybreak in the TV series, I thought, "I want to see myself transform." Speaking of transformation, it's been a dream of mine since I was a child. I wish I could tell this to my younger self (laughs). The Action Director came up with the transformation pose, and in the first transformation, the pose included my "One hand wish pose!" For a moment I thought, "Is that gonna be okay?" (laughs), but I was very happy to see it being incorporated in a natural way. I hope all the children will imitate it. Following the TV series, Gotchard Daybreak is being played by Asai Kosuke-san. Asai-san's movements and performance are truly amazing. I wanted to do the performance after transforming myself, but as expected, that wasn't possible, so I put alot of energy into the recording. Just watching the footage was hot, and as a result, I hurt my throat quite abit (laughs). After it was over, I sucked on a bunch of throat lozenges.

"Speaking of Directors, this film was by Director Tasaki Ryuta……"

DAIGO: That's right (laughs). 20 years ago, he was filming "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon," and my wife (Kitagawa Keiko) is very grateful for his help at the time. I never thought I'd be working together with him this time like this……it feels like fate. Having visited Toei's film studio this time, it was alot of fun talking about it with my wife at home (laughs). I always received precise directions from Director Tasaki on set, and he was very helpful in creating the character of "Future Houtaro." And then, I was also impressed by the way he directed the younger actors. By asking, "What were the feelings you felt in that moment?," and getting that person to think, he encourages them to grow. More than anything else, I was also inspired by his "human strength" that was used to powerfully lead the set.

"What are your thoughts looking back on filming?"

DAIGO: It's "SMG." That's "Super Miracle Gotcha." This personal experience was a series of precious "Gotchas" for me. I have a good feeling that I was able "Gotcha" with everyone I starred with and the staff, and personally, I was excited when I'd "Gotcha" in each and every scene. All that remains is to "Gotcha" with the fans. Let's share "SMG" this Summer without fail! _

Kojima Yoshio (Tajima Tetsuo)

-Memories of the Kamen Rider Series-

When I was a student, I vaguely remember that Kamen Rider Black (1987) was airing, and that everyone would play pretend henshin. My love for chameleons may have been influenced by the chameleon monster who appeared in Black's movie.

-Accepting the invitation to perform-

I was incredibly happy. When I started doing live performances for children, I used hero shows as one of my "templates," so I was overwhelmed with emotion. For this film, the character I was asked to play was as similar to me as possible, so it was easy to perform. However, Tajima Tetsuo's set up was that he was also a "brilliant alchemist," so that's where I tried to gather up all the intelligence I had inside me.

-The "That doesn't matter!" scene-

At the time of filming, I actually fractured the base of my right foot's pinky toe and it was still healing. However, I went ahead and did it with the mindset of "That doesn't matter!" Looking back, I thought that was a good thing to say (laughs).

-The "Gan gan gan gan ganbare!" scene-

With jokes, they can come back to life at the right time and place. This joke was created for use in a solo show 15 years ago, but I haven't used it much since then. I finally had the feeling of, "My turn has come." During filming, the "heat" on set rose dramatically. The response I got was satisfactory.

-Memories of Filming-

Since I was almost entirely in swim trunks, I was able to be completely open with everyone. I'm definitely "Piya" friends with all of them now. I didn't want the wrap up to come.

-If you had the chance to perform again?-

Next time, I'd like to play a role in which I was originally on the side of justice, but due to a certain event, I become evil. Through this role, I'd like to convey to children that "there's a fine line between good and evil."

-A Message to the Children-

To all the "Piyas" who came and watched! Thank you! Please "gan gan ganbare" with all your might at the theater! Even if you're worried about what people around you will think, remember, "That doesn't matter!" _

Tarumizu Ayane (Sakaki Ichika)

-Rising above Adversity-

For Ichika, the role I play, she's a very strong girl who loves her father, and who also has the ability to take action. Still, it's not simply about her strength, but the fact that she rose from adversity, and that gave me a sense of her unique strength. I also almost gave up on acting, so in bringing Ichika to life, I really empathized with her feelings. I was offered an audition to perform. I played the role of, "Someone who lashes out in anger towards the enemy who attacked her father." and the emotions naturally flowed out. It was the first time I had a response, or rather a feeling, that was different from the auditions that I attended before. That day just happened to be my actual father's birthday, so maybe it had something to do with that.

The first scene I performed on set was the one where I confront Alzard. Her father's been kidnapped, and Alzard speaks to her in a cruel way, and I was given acting guidance by Director Tasaki, who told me, "Raise the emotional levels like how the water levels in a dam rises." It seems that she didn't take Alzard's words at face value, and was instead trying to manage her emotions and make it work. Still, with that one word, I feel that I was able to erase Tarumizu Ayane and express my feelings as Ichika.

The real challenge was the action. I thought I'd be alright with the machine gun shooting scene since I like online shooters (laughs), but when I actually tried it, it was totally different. Also, there's some action scenes with Alzard, and Ichika's the one who gets beat up, but I learned kickboxing together with my father, so I think that helped. Furthermore, I couldn't believe that I had entered such a world when I saved Majade from fighting with Alzard. I was also given the opportunity to observe the filming of the Riders in action, and was overwhelmed by the speed, sharpness, and power of their movements.

-With my whole Heart and Soul-

In the scene where Ichika tells Rinne-san and the others of her determination of having them take her with them to Glion's stronghold, I received guidance from the Director that there "wasn't enough fuel." When I burned all the "fuel" in my performance, such as the weight of the mouth harp being handed to her, her hesitant state of mind right up to the last minute, and her anxiety about whether or not she'd be taken…….I felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Throughout filming, I became good friends with the lead actor, Motojima Junsei-san, and the heroine, Matsumoto Reiyo-san. Junsei-san was a hero on set as well. Once, during a lunch break, I spilled alittle of my bento on my costume. I was thinking, "What should I do……?," when Junsei-san followed up with me and said, "Ichika's costume is originally designed to be dirty, so I'm sure it'll be alright!" Not only that, he came with me when I went to apologize to the costume designer. I thought he was a really kind person. And now, for Reiyo-san……she's just a beautiful person! She's cute! She's pretty! I love her. I'll never forget the time when we were shooting the scene where I get drenched in the cold underground location, and she put a pocket warmer around my neck. I was also happy to find that we had many of the same tastes in terms of favorite games and music. She's like a big sister.

In my own way, I put my whole heart and soul into playing the role of Sakaki Ichika, who's trying her best to live in the future's devastated world. Please make sure you pay attention to the emotions that overflow when Ichika confronts Alzard, as well as the action scenes. After the battle's over, I'm sure that Ichika will be able to spend a happy life with her father! _

Inoue Masahiro (Kadoya Tsukasa)

-Expanding like the Universe-

For some reason, with the creation of Kamen Rider Legend, a sort of successor to Kamen Rider Decade, my fans were worried about me. They were like, "Inoue Masahiro must have some mixed feelings about this" (laughs). It's not like that at all, as I was actually rather happy about it. To begin with, I think it was the Decade project that led to the creation of Legend. I know Kaguya's Nagata-kun very well, and even though Decade and Legend, and Tsukasa and Kaguya all have similar abilities, everything else about them is completely different. What's more, it makes me happy that the world of Kamen Rider has expanded even further.

In this film, Tsukasa refers to Kaguya as "boy," and says, "You're still no match for me," but the amazing thing about Tsukasa is that that alone gives it a "story" feel. Although it's not depicted in detail, the story regarding Tsukasa and Kaguya alone could be made into a whole movie if it were. In the case of other past Riders, if they were to do a new film on the "XXth Anniversary," they'd first have to think, "I wonder what's going on now?," but in Decade's case, every time a new Kamen Rider is born, in a sense, the world of Decade expands on its own. Although the context is as grand as the universe itself, for this film as well, I only performed in it for a moment. As long as the Kamen Rider series continues, it might expand, but it'll never close.

……However, I only recently realized this (laughs). Producer Shirakura-san is amazing, as he came up with this structure 15 years ago. My comprehension is finally catching up to me 15 years later (laughs).

-Passion of the New Generation-

Similarly, I recently found out about Toei's amazing production capabilities. I painfully realized this when I tried to plan and produce a tokusatsu hero film on my own. It's already at a frightening level that they keep putting new works on the air at this quality, week after week, and for decades on end (laughs). When I went to this film's set, I noticed the rise of the new generation of staff. The Producers and on site staff have changed quite abit too. Still, the warmth with which I was greeted was unchanged. Within them were Director Tasaki and Cameraman Kurata-san, both of whom looked out for me 15 years ago. I was grateful for the opportunity to go back to basics every now and then. I could sense the passion of the young staff members to create something interesting going forward.

This time, I don't even transform into Decade (laughs), I only appear as Tsukasa and speak to Kaguya, but it makes me happy that having Tsukasa appear can be done without having him transform. It's a short scene, but it's one that allows you to imagine the relationship between Tsukasa and Kaguya, so please make sure to pay attention to it.

I also realized that I'm in my mid 30s, and I've begun to think more seriously than ever about how to live my life. These days, I believe that if you're in a public position and are superficial, people will immediately see right through you. From now on too, I'd be grateful if you'd continue to watch over me. When the time comes and you need me again, I'll always come through. _

Scriptwriter Hasegawa Keiichi

-Future Houtaro's "sense of loss"-

I saw the preview just now, and it had an incredibly "voluminous" feeling. There were parts of the script that were further developed on the set, and the results exceeded the imagination of what I wrote. I once again strongly felt that this film is about "combined strength." Houtaro's Motojima Junsei-kun and Rinne's Matsumoto Reiyo-san have grown remarkably compared to when we first started filming. Even when confronting Future Houtaro, played by DAIGO-san, they had a presence that was unrivaled. I felt their strength and resilience more than in the TV series, which really made me happy to watch. It was decided early on that the film would feature Gotchard Daybreak and Future Houtaro, so when writing the script, I started by imagining what Houtaro would be doing in the Future World.

For 20 years, Houtaro's endured loneliness and isolation, living in a devastated world while carrying his sins on his back. He has a great "sense of loss." Even though he's injured, he keeps fighting, almost as if he's torturing himself. The idea for the eye patch came from Director Tasaki. I wrote the scene where Houtaro loses Rinne with the assumption that Motojima-kun, not DAIGO-san, would play the role, since the scene takes place not far off from the present, but it was pointed out to me that this would make it difficult to distinguish between him and present Houtaro. The eye patch is a way to differentiate between the two, but it also instantly conveys that Houtaro's lost more "friends" than just Rinne and the others. It's a heavy setup, but that idea helped. While Future Houtaro's burdened with a sense of loss, Houtaro and Rinne, who have come to the future from the present time, confront Future Houtaro with their honest feelings, even though they face a hellish reality. And eventually, the three of them join forces to confront Glion.

-Both Gotchard's evolving at the same time-

I'm sure that everyone's looking forward to seeing the new film exclusive form in action, but as a Scriptwriter, I wanted to make sure that it made perfect sense. I'm very satisfied with the way we were able to depict both Gotchard's simultaneously evolving in this film, and that we were able to put the Chemies feelings into it as well. It was also difficult to create the climax. Simply fighting a giant enemy isn't enough. So I thought about it, and that's where the development of using the Gigantliner came in. One of the themes of this film is the "departure of young people." Just to clarify this, Producer Minato wanted to use an actual steam locomotive for filming, so we also tried to involve the Gigantliner in the last battle. I also made sure to express the importance of "supportive energy." In Gotchard, it's an element that's been built up from the TV series. In the film, Kojima Yoshio-san's impact was added (laughs), and I think it's the best "support" that says, "We can win this!" My goal was to make "a film that'll make you cry."

Even though I'm the one that wrote it, I cried almost five times during the preview (laughs), but I already can't wait to see what everyone who comes to the theater will think of the film. _

Action Director Fukuzawa Hirofumi

-Action to match the Drama-

As an Action Director, what's always important to me is to create action scenes that don't interfere with the story. I don't like when the flow of a story is broken as it progresses, and is like, "Yep, here's some action." Since action's part of the production, I think the emotions of the characters should be properly included within it. For example, I'm particular about each person's position. In this film, the three of them fight together, that being present Gotchard and Majade who go to the Future World, and Gotchard Daybreak. In such a case, who should be the first to come to the front in this scene? In fact, how will that change the timing? I think it's very important to think about that. To put it another way, instead of positioning the characters according to the action I want them to perform, the flow of the action is first created based on the context of their relationship and where they stand. Here, present Gotchard is the main character, so Daybreak's moving to support him…..among other things.

Even in everyday life, when taking a group photo for example, each person's personality comes out, right? There are some parts that are similar to that. I was always conscious of this when I was in charge of the Super Sentai series. However, in this case, what's difficult was that there are two Gotchards, one from the present and the other from the future. They're both the same person, but are different in age and experience. Still, I also wanted them to feel like they're the same person in some places. This kind of pattern isn't common, so this was one of the areas where I struggled. I also owe alot to Eitoku (Gotchard) and Asai-kun's (Daybreak) ability to play each of these roles. Also, Rinne and Majade are quite important in this film. When both Gotchards and Majade are standing side by side, I also thought alot about Majade, like where she should be and what she should do. On the other hand, Majade's solo fight against Alzard, an enemy with the same face as Minato Sensei, is also a major highlight. By doing it this way, Majade is now also seen as the main character for the entire film. Trying to find a sense of balance in this area was a constant struggle while filming.

-Realistic Battles-

The story of Glion's transformation into Kamen Rider Dorado involves Glion holding a flask, from which a card is produced, which he then uses to transform into a Kamen Rider……that's how the flow goes, but during that time, Gotchard Daybreak charges at Glion. I think this was in the script. I didn't want to stop the flow, so instead of showing the entire sequence of Glion's transformation, I included some action in the middle of it where Glion dodges Daybreak's attack. Since this is a film is aimed at children, I suppose there's a way to "lie" about it, and just show only Glion's transformation, but thinking about it realistically, the question arises as to whether Daybreak is just waiting on him. I'm always thinking about "whether it can be established or not." Of course, it's also important to make the transformation look cool and impressive, so I try to make it as compatible as possible. In the opening, we had Spanner suspended by a wire and made him hang and jump, but I really wanted to do more things like this. Action isn't just about fighting. It's cool to do it smoothly, not in an exaggerated or superficial way. If the height is too high, the realism will be lost, so if we can find a good place or location, we can do things like this.

In this kind of production, the most difficult part are fight scenes between non professionals, so I often have a stand in for one of them in order to keep the rhythm, but it was reassuring to have Clotho's Kanon. Of course, she's physically strong in her own right, but her ability to pull everyone along during one on one battles were very important. It makes a big difference if just one of them can perform action. This time, since Clotho's on the good guy's side, I was also aware of how she should fight. I hope you'll also pay attention to that. _

Director Tasaki Ryuta

"Please tell us what your goals were when taking charge of Kamen Rider Gotchard's film."

Tasaki: I received a variety of opinions and requests from all sides, and I had to select the best ones and give them shape as I went along, but first off, when I thought about the appeal of the main character Houtaro, and the Kamen Rider called Gotchard, there were many opinions that, "He's a hero you want to cheer for." I thought this was an asset of the show, and with that being the case, I decided to incorporate an element of "cheering." However, if we were going to go with that, I didn't want it to be some half baked, unexplainable production. I thought about how to do it in a way that would appropriately bring the film to its climax. And then, Producer Minato-san was particular about steam locomotives. Gotchard's standard form is "Steam" hopper, and we thought we could handle steam locomotives being on the big screen of this film. Regarding this as well, we felt that it would be a waste to have only a scene of the Gigantliner going to the future, so we decided to have the CG Gigantliner play an active role in the last battle as well.

"As for the filming structure, the fact that it was shot on location in Shimane is a major point."

Tasaki: One of the staff members in the production department is from Shimane, so he took charge in negotiating with the government and the film commission, and he was able to make things happen. The station where the Gigantliner arrives in the Future World is the Former Taisha Station, which used to be the nearest station to the Izumo Grand Shrine. Today, there's a private railway station nearby, and the "JR Taisha Line" itself, which used to end at the Former Taisha Station, has been closed for more than 30 years now, but it was great to be able to film the steam locomotive there. It didn't move, but we could get in and out of it without difficulty, and we also went to a place known as "Tatara Yamauchi." In the past, this area used to partake in iron manufacturing. Here, old tall buildings and tenements still remain, and they served as the exterior of the hideout for Houtaro and the others in the Future World. The take of both Houtaros transforming side by side was also done at this location. There was also bike riding in Shimane. The exterior of Glion's stronghold is the Izumo Dome. There was lots of scenery among other things that could only be filmed by going to Izumo, and it made this production more profound. The scenes of the steam locomotive moving was filmed with the cooperation of Chichibu Railway. We prepared 5-6 cameras and captured it from all different angles.

-The Impact of "Another History"-

"It was exciting to hear that, "Present Houtaro and Future Houtaro meet and fight together," but in reality, Future Houtaro's setting was that the past 20 years for him were extreme."

Tasaki: Since history has split off from Houtaro's defeat by Glion, there was a necessity to depict a clear distinction between the two. Also, we needed to depict a tragic element in the process of turning the tables on a hopeless situation. I believe that many of the visuals will shock those who are Gotchard fans. On the other hand, there are some redeeming features which create a sense of hope, such as Atropos and Clotho becoming allies, and a reliable friend named Tajima, played by Kojima Yoshio-san.

"Houtaro's eye patch, Rinne's final moments, and the three "Dark Death Masks"……Of these, Alzard, who has the same face as Minato, left the strongest impact."

Tasaki: Regarding Minato, he was on Glion's side for a long time in the TV show, and with that impression still remaining, if we did things normally, people would think, "Again, huh?" Besides, Kumaki-san's performance was important, as Alzard's insanity and cruelty draws out the rage of Rinne and the guest character Ichika. Actually, to that extent, I believe that Kumaki-san's efforts had created some positive effects.

"This was the first time for DAIGO-san, who plays Future Houtaro, to make a visible appearance. How did you feel?"

Tasaki: I could tell that he takes his work as an actor seriously. He would also read the book (script) in depth. I'm glad we cast him.

"When we think of DAIGO-san and Director Tasaki, we just can't help but think……"

Tasaki: I understand (laughs). It's because of "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon," right? Kamakari Kenta-san also appears as Glion in this. 20 years ago, I worked on "Kamen Rider Faiz" and "Sailor Moon" at the same time, and Kamakari-san's wife is Haga Yuria-san, who played the heroine in Faiz, and DAIGO-san's wife is Kitagawa Keiko-san, who played Sailor Mars. I thought it was a strange connection because in this film, there's a scene where Future Houtaro and Glion fight. Kamakari-san……Kenken-san's Glion is also wonderful. Not only is he cool, but he comes up with an interesting performance every time. It's also fun to film him.

"Speaking of those connected to Director Tasaki, Kadoya Tsukasa also makes an appearance."

Tasaki: While Decade is a special Rider who can commit to being in any Rider's world, I think it was inevitable since Kadoya's originally an eternal traveler, but now that Kaguya and Kamen Rider Legend, a kind of successor, has appeared, I think he may have finally found a place where he belongs. Kaguya's also a type of character that's never been seen in the Kamen Rider series so far, and Nagata-kun's got great style, so I think it'll be interesting if we can connect him to future productions. Oh yeah, speaking of Nagata-kun, he came to observe the Shimane location shoot at his own expense. He also helped the staff out with their work.

"We'd also like to ask about Kojima Yoshio-san."

Tasaki: As I stated in the beginning, I wanted the climax of the film to be the scene where everyone cheers for Gotchard and the others. To highlight this point, I approached Kojima-san with an offer, and he was very clever. He immediately understood what we were trying to aim for. We didn't do a costume fitting, mainly due to him wearing his "usual swim trunks" (laughs), but the main cheering scene was discussed remotely in advance. We asked Kojima-san to use his sense of language and rhythm to come up with phrases that would make children want to cheer along with him in the movie theater. Then, I was told that there was a joke he thought of from a long time ago that would fit this scene, and so, "Gan gan gan gan ganbare!" came about. He also did a demonstration on the spot, which I recorded and showed to the children who were going to perform it by saying, "I need you to do this," and they all immediately started imitating it. In Kojima-san's mind, I assume that he's developed a keen "sense of smell" for what kinds of things are popular with children. I'm sure he's had countless experiences doing this, so I'm glad we asked him to help us. I'm now looking forward to seeing the reactions of the children who will watch the film.

-A Glittering Moment-

"It's a film with many elements, but present Houtaro and Rinne are firmly at the center."

Tasaki: There's no doubt that both of them put alot of effort into this film. Before the film, the TV episodes I worked on were episodes 26 and 27, and 36 and 37, which were also stories about pushing Houtaro into a corner, but the film has a greater emphasis on Rinne than Houtaro. I thought the scene where she shows her anger at Alzard was especially good, both in her facial expressions and voice. Also, Tarumizu Ayane-chan's Ichika was great in that scene. In one cut, I felt that take 1 lacked alittle bit of her passion, so I stopped for a moment and explained again about Ichika's feelings at that time. Then, in take 2, her expression changed dramatically. Camera B's Sato-san was surprised when he saw her. He was like, "It's amazing how kids at that age can change so much in an instant." That makes us happy, but it also scares us. If we had compromised and said, "This is good enough," we wouldn't have been able to capture that expression. We would've let a great opportunity slip by. That's why it's important to believe and hang on. It wasn't just the actors, we were also constantly being tested. One difference between stage plays and film productions is that stage plays can be good or bad depending on the performance date, which isn't good, but in the case of film, young actors in particular may show a surprising brilliance only once in the production. For us however, we're very happy to be able to capture that moment.

Rinne's final moments were actually shot about an hour before our plane back to Tokyo from Izumo. The staff was naturally in a hurry (laughs), but both Motojima Junsei and Matsumoto Reiyo were so incredibly focused on their roles, that they didn't think about anything else. That is the wonderful thing about youth, don't you think? I felt it was a very effective scene.

[akutasoda]

hello! may i request a dazai x fem! reader angst fic based on the song renegade by big red machine ft. taylor swift. this is currently one of my fav songs and as i listened, the lyrics somewhat reminded of dazai. particularly, dazai who was in a toxic relationship with reader, whereby reader feels burdened and emotionally drained because he has been consistently pushing her away when she wants to help him with his issues. over time, the 2 only become increasingly distant, eventually causing reader to break up with him, and only then does he realise how precious reader is to him because the thought of not having her by his side would only torment him in the long run. thus, he finally lets down the walls and facade he has always put up, showing his true self to reader who ultimately decides to stay with him.

also, i was the one who requested the ranpo x reserved! reader and i loved it so much! i've noticed that you like writing angst, so i hope you would like writing this too! i hope good days are ahead of you :)

do you know you're demolishing me?

synopsis - after shutting you out he realises he would be lost without you

includes - dazai

warnings - fem!reder(she/her pronouns), angst, slight comfort at the end, dazai's kind of scummy, wc - 933

a/n: im so glad you enjoyed! i do kind of like angst a but too much haha, i hope good days are ahead for you too! :)

sometimes when you're in love its hard to tell when to let it go. this could be for multiple reasons ranging from simply loving them too much or not knowing if they are willing to work through it with you. when you had first set about in your relationship with dazai you were close enough to tell that his normal attitude was just a facade. and a small part of you wished that he would eventually open up to you so you could help, you didn't want to push into the issue fearing that it may be extremely sensitive.

so you would simply hope that dazai had the reasoning to one day open up to you. but it had proved to be slightly more difficult than you imagined. sure you knew going into it that there would be some issues along the way but you were willing to get through them and make your bond stronger however it seemed it was one sided.

dazai brushed off every inconvenience hoping for it to go away and only acknowledge the highs of the relationship and not the lows. truth was he didn't know how to deal with them and he didn't want to let you down so he just tried to ignore them figuring that it would all work out, he would never come to tell you this. rightfully it bothered you, you were so determined to help him but he was constantly pushing you away and you didn't know how much longer you could do this.

dazai could see how his self-destructive behaviour was affecting you. he knew you were trying to help him genuinely from the bottom of your heart but he, for some reason, always made the decision to push you away. and it seemed to be hurting him more than he realised. eventually you started feeling burdened with not only your problems but dazai's aswell. and you realised it truly had become a one-sided relationship.

it started leaking over it your actual life not just in the relationship. you started becoming emotionally drained and your friends and coworkers started realising and asked constantly if everything was okay which you just brushed off with a strained smile. eventually the small gestures that contained any actual sign of a loving relationship faded and you began barely talking to him.

he noticed you had stopped talking to him and yet again brushed it off. you probably were having a bad day. but this new found loneliness of not seeing you as often and barely speaking to you felt weird. he constantly glanced at his phone hoping to see your name pop up in his notifications or he would write a message to you just to erase it and stare off into the distance. was it really his facade that pushed you away? or did he just let his problems damage you?

eventually he received the dreaded message. the happiness from seeing a message from you dissipated into fear as it read 'i think it would be better if we broke up'. he had done it again. another person he so deeply cared about left him. tears fell easily that night.

you however started perking up abit. you started feeling less burdened with your problems and more emotionally aware. the sting of the break lingered but you just thought it would go away. but you soon had realised it was loneliness. no it was just the last of your feelings getting out, you would get over him soon.

dazai wasn't fairing to well however. it was ironic really, now that you were gone he realised just how much you meant to him. he missed you dearly but his stupid facade had given you nothing but pain and pushed you away more than his words could. now that you weren't around he was simply lost. everything he would see that he would want to do with you or give to you drove in the fact that you weren't there.

his fellow agency members noticed his more distant attitude. very few actually knew of his (ex)girlfriend, so only they figured that the reason was to do with you. but the empty feeling within him that used to be occupied by you now felt like it was consuming him and he couldn't think of anything else but trying to get back with you.

he had alot to make up for, that he knew but he figured if anything he could start with was a long overdue heartfelt apology. he had managed to convince you to meet at your favourite café, you wouldn't tell him but you missed him slightly. it was fairly quite but he he only wanted to get out all his apologies. how he felt lost without you and not having you by his side made him feel terrible.

he had made a promise that day. one that he would rather die than break. that he would try his hardest to be honest with his feelings with you and not run away from conflicts with you if you gave him another chance to make things right. that he would be the boyfriend you deserved.

after a small moment of thinking you had decided to give him a second chance. but you made it very clear that if he reverted back to his old ways a third chance was not available. and eventually not long after he had let his facade slip around you and you helped him through all his hard times in the best way you knew how. how did he get so lucky?

[slayerdurge]

Tag Game: Top 10 Albums

I love tag games, but I'm always hesitant to start my own. (Which doesn't really make sense, 'cause, I mean, they gotta start somewhere, right? 😂) So I decided to start one!

Anyway, I've seen a ton of these going around about music, and I was thinking, we've all got our favorite songs, but it's a rare and beautiful thing to find an entire album where you can vibe with every (or almost every) track. With that in mind...

Rules: List your top 10 favorite albums, and (if you want) include a brief description for why each one made it onto the list. Then, tag 10 (or however many you want, really) others to do the same.

Tagging: @merge-conflict, @fereldanwench, @halliserres, @milkywayes, @illusivesoul, @ghostoffuturespast, @luvwich, @kirschewine, @mirandaputsherbestbuttforward, and @andrewknightley.

My 10 Ten Albums

#1 Coral Fang (2003) - The Distillers

Reasons: Every few years, I rediscover this album and remember that it's my favorite album of all time. Brody Dalle's voice is harsh, deep, raspy, melodious, and emotional. The instrumentals are high octane and immersive. This album is a beating heart to me. It's feral.

#2 Fantastic Planet (1996) - Failure

Reasons: Failure's my favorite band of all time. My favorite album from them is Fantastic Planet. It's industrial, grunge, and shoegaze all in one package. With a sci-fi theme to boot, and a otherworldly soundscape. This band is extremely underrated. They really should be up there with the other greats of the 90s.

#3 Bleed Out (2022) - The Mountain Goats

Reasons: I think this is the newest album on my list, which is kinda funny. John Darnielle is my favorite songwriter of all time. His lyrics are deeply wonderful and quirky and disturbing. It's hard to pick a favorite album by The Mountain Goats, but the dark, violent, and insightful film noir theme of this one really does it for me.

#4 Light Me Up (2010) - The Pretty Reckless

Reasons: I haven't listened to this one in a bit, but it's mostly just because I've heard it about a billion times since I was 15. It's an iconic part of my teenage years. Taylor Momsen is literally my favorite vocalist of all time. Her voice never fails to impress me.

#5 With Teeth (2005) - Nine Inch Nails

Reason: It was hard to pick my preferred NIN album because I've never heard a song by them that didn't instantly rewire my brain and become my new favorite song. Actually, it was a toss up between this and Year Zero. If you asked me a different day, I might pick Year Zero. But I think this one has more songs that are top NIN songs for me. It's nearly a toss up though.

#6 Live it Out (2005) - Metric

Reasons: This is one of Metric's older albums, back when they had a more garage rock sound, although they still went pretty heavy on the electronic elements and they had the same dystopian sci-fi themes they do today. I prefer it to their newer stuff mostly just because of the heavier sound.

#7 Live (Secrets of the Lost Satellite Tour, Spring 2007) - Ken Andrews

Reasons: Ken Andrews is the lead singer of Failure, my favorite band. This does have some of the same songs that are on Fantastic Planet, but it also has some of Ken's solo work. It's a very atmospheric and dreamy album, and the fact that it's live and you can hear the crowd sometimes and the way he talks to them adds to that.

#8 So You've Ruined Your Life (2003) - Get Set Go

Reasons: This is Get Set Go's first album, and it's always been my favorite, even though I love Mike's newer stuff too. He's not as pop punk as he used to be, which is why I prefer it, but his outrageous and obscene lyrics are exactly what they used to be. This is the same guy who wrote a song about wanting to have sex with dinosaurs. A very explicit song about wanting to have sex with dinosaurs. He's ridiculous.

#9 Brand New Eyes (2009) - Paramore

Reasons: Some people would probably say I'm a fake Paramore fan, because I don't really care for any of their new stuff. It's not bad or anything, it just doesn't appeal to me on the same level that their first three albums do. I do love Riot! for its extreme energy and emotional highs of anger and joy, but Brand New Eyes is better for me thematically. I love the lyrics about growth and change and independence.

#10 xx (2009) - the xx

Reasons: I don't think I've ever heard duets better than what Romy and Oliver can do. The way the lyrics overlap, the way they finish each other's words. They do things with the concept of a duet that other groups just don't. The soundscape is very lowkey and chill and almost kinda highbrow in a weird way. Like, I feel like this is the kind of music that professional musicians list as their favorite music, if that makes sense.

[suaveotter]

Tag 9 people you’d like to get to know more

Tagged by @wiwinia sorry it took me a bit to answer

Last song I listened to: Cabinet Man by Lemon Demon is what I was listening to on Spotify a minute ago so I'll use that. Weird song about the rise and fall of arcades using the story of someone that turned themselves into an arcade game kinda like the urban legendary Polybius that was reported to drive players insane.

Show I'm watching: I've decided to watch Star Trek Discovery basically just after hearing it was cancelled cause now there's a definite final episode it doesn't seem intimidating to watch all of. I'd seen the first season when it came out but nothing after that.

I'm going to count podcasts cause I've been listening to unprepared casters which is a really good d&d actual play podcast. I'm just starting arc 6 which is going to be a survival campaign in the mountains and I don't think I'm going to be prepared for the characters dying

Book I'm reading: I'm about halfway through The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson and I've been liking it so far. It's an interesting view of an empire and colonialism and revolution. It's a lot really.

Also reading The New Canadian Poets (1970-1965) edited by Dennis Lee. And uh there's been some fucking bangers in it. Like I'm no expert in poetry or anything but I've liked them and will look for more work from some of the included writers.

I'm going to include another podcast here cause it's more like a serial audiobook but I'm listening to RE:Dracula. I read the book long enough that I only remember the big plot parts and not the details. I've been really enjoying the voice actors delivery in the show and tumblr following along all together and analyzing everything. 10/10 would recommend.

Currently Obsessed With: Barbie Movie. I might have answered something different before but I saw it last night and I am rotating it in my mind now. Like I'm trying so hard not to be insufferable about this to everyone I know.

Tagging: @unkahnventional @asterouslydisasterous @saltkingsworld @dangerousdan-dan @noneofyourfuckingbusinesses @bohemiandaydreams

[losingdcgs]

🎵 axel & marcela !

send 🎵 for a short playlist of 3-5 songs my muse loves and why they love them

Axel

1. Lovesong - The Cure For one thing, it's just a great love song by his favorite band off, possibly, his favorite album. For another, this song is a wedding present from Robert Smith to his wife and honestly, that's the kind of energy Axel has when he's serious about someone (which isn't often). Like "let me make you a playlist and then possibly write some songs about you 😍" 2. Cry Little Sister - Gerard McMann The Lost Boys is easily one of Axel's favorite movies of all times (from being one of the first horror movies he saw at a young age, definitely being his bi awaking, and having influences on his fashion) and falls under the category of comfort movie for him, so of course he loves the theme song for the movie. 3. In The Room Where You Sleep - Dead Man's Bones Axel is a huge lover of all things spooky, so this song is right up his alley. But also! He's insanely impressed by and admires the work that went into the entire album this song is from because what do you mean you tried to record every song in three takes or less and played all the instruments, including the ones you had never touched before?? 4. The Perfect Girl - Mareux Listen, The Cure may be his favorite band, but he thinks this cover is better than the original. Sorry, not sorry! He just prefers the darker vibes of the cover. Plus this cover was probably what put Mareux on his radar and he has since vibed with a lot of his music. 5. Mess U Up - DustBowlChampion Honestly just a banger Axel found through following various rabbit holes while trying to look for new music to listen to in a rare moment where he decided to just be chill with his free time and not go out and cause problems.

Marcela

1. Silver Springs - Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac is a band her parents would listen to/have playing a lot in their house while she was growing up, so their music in general is important to her. And she is definitely someone who saw a video of the iconic live performance of this song in 1997 and has been obsessed ever since because oh my god. 2. The Frost - Mitski In her opinion, sometimes you just have to have that one song you listen to on a loop in the dark at 2am while reviewing some of your worst decisions and you get bonus points if you find a song where the lyrics really remind you of that! And let me tell you, you're my best friend // now I've no one to tell // how I lost my best friend really does that for her!! 3. Hammer - Hana Vu For better or worse, Marcela is someone who falls in love with songs that feel like a punch to her gut with how relatable they are. Part of it is like "ouch I see too much of myself in this song" but the other part is like "oh, I'm not alone in this experience or these feelings", which is sort of comforting. (And unfortunately this is a song that hits hard for her). 4. Warm Body - Molly Payton When Molly Payton this song "is about looking for comfort in people when you're lonely", Marcela said "I feel that in my soul, let me add it to my playlist right away!" 5. Mercury - Steve Lacy She previously had a fling with someone who was a big fan of Steve Lacy and she has a habit of letting other people's interests bleed into hers. A lot of what she likes ends up being a mix of things she's decided she likes on her own and things someone who was in her life at one point likes.

[bisluthq]

https://www.tumblr.com/bisluthq/757777034966712320/my-swiftie-fandom-comes-in-like-a-waves-i-got?source=share

16-year-old anon from earlier, and yeah, same! If you'll allow me to rant for a minute (though I may have already done so in the past) here is MY experience as a Taylor Swift fan over the years:

First remember being aware of who she is around Red/1989. I think the first song I heard was IKYWT and it was on the radio. From that point I would find any Taylor-related content on YouTube. This included music videos, interviews, parodies, the occasional bit of gossip (the only tidbit I remember pre-rep was Calvin at the Massage place that gave happy endings😭), and of course, speed-up versions of her songs because this was pre her adding her catalogue BACK to streaming, not that I WAS streaming at age 7, but yk.

I had a vague knowledge of some of her boyfriends. I knew Harry (duh) and Calvin (also kind of duh) and Joe Jonas. I knew of the Jonas Brothers (mainly cause of the purity ring jokes, which if we're being fr is their main legacy) and I also knew he did Cake By The Ocean which was EVERYWHERE circa 2016. I don't think I knew he'd dated Taylor, though. I think I also only found out about Hiddles and that whole circus around Rep.

Around 2015ish i saw a 1989 CD at Target and asked my mum to buy it. I then got a Red CD soon after. Cut to 2016/2017, Taylor's music isn't being played on the radio, and my 9(?) year old self is sad and confused. I knew nothing of the #taylorswiftisoverparty. I just knew they weren't playing her music anymore. Cut to 2017 - i, alongside the rest of the world, sat and watched the LWYMMD music video. I also remember watching the lyric video and being scared by the snake😭

After this, I tried very hard to listen to rep in full, but had no idea where to find it. One night, I was a scrolling on YT and found Delicate (or Dress), and then came across Better Than Revenge. My 9/10 year old self was SCANDALISED and VERY confused, as I had never seen the Speak Now album cover in. my. life. and thought she had already put out an album. Anyway, sometime between the release of Rep & Lover, I stopped seeking stuff out. When the Lover singles came out I hated ALL of them. From memory, ME! felt like a personal violation (I was BIG into PAN!C at the time, and hated that the song was so ass - though, in retrospect, the stuff of theirs (later work. Very little early stuff) that I listened to was objectively worse), Lover (song) was boring, and You Need To Calm Down made me viscerally angry due to me starting to realise I was not straight and desperately trying to believe I was wrong. I did not seek out Lover the way I had done Rep and was, at this point, a genuine anti.

Then folklore came out and people RAVED about it, so I decided to check it out. I liked it, but didn't click with it in the way other people had. It did inspire me to check out her back catalogue + rep/Lover. By the time evermore dropped I was IN IT, and I became even more in it upon hearing evermore. I got very involved in fandom culture (also got very into Glee... you can imagine what the combination inspired in 13 year old me), until around 2022, when I began being frustrated with Taylor’s jets and perfomatitive activism. I once again went anti (I also got very into Stranger Things around this time, specifically Max... played by Sadie Sink... Taylor Swift is the only constant in this world). Then, she reeled me back in with the Midnights marketing campaign. Once again, I was there the second it dropped (as I have been for all of her releases since evermore). WCS broke my brain (as right where you left me had the year prior) and I had no choice but to go FULL swiftie. And since then I've maintained it pretty solidly.

That's about it. If you've read through to here, thank you🙏 hopefully you found it interesting/somewhat entertaining.

that’s fair! It’s okay to like stuff more at certain stages and super fucking normal of you xx

I will also say that some of the stuff I say on here is probably not super age appropriate for my younger anons lol but at the same time I do try to be cognizant of y’all and idk it’s real life so I also try not to encourage people to do stupid shit. *I* have done stupid shit but that doesn’t mean you guys should. I do sometimes worry I glamorize like unhealthy behaviors and I hope y’all have the sense not to do a lot of the shit that I’ve done 💀

[pebblesinmybrain]

If I message you again will I come across like I'm crazy and obsessive ?? WILL YOU EVER MESSAGE ME AGAIN OR WERE MY FRIENDS RIGHT? YOURE JUST PLAYING WITH ME, LEADING ME ALONG, LOVE BOMBING ME BC YOURE A MAN AND ALL MEN DO I PLAY WITH PEOPLES FEELINGS because I thought you were different, you seemed different. You seemed like a nice guy, a guy who had had a hard time in relationships and knew what it felt like to feel hurt by someone he liked? And maybe it's true but you're also a manipulative guy who plays with the feelings of other people to feel control, to feel content and wanted but with the power to destroy as you have been before. Is this all a game? Are you fighting with me as revenge for the hurt caused by someone else? Was it because I was gentle? Was it because I liked you back and this time I wasn't afraid to say it, to let you know? Or am I the delusional one? Are you just busy with life? With work, with uni, with your family? I hope you had the time of your life, I've certainly put mine on hold for you. I don't sleep much anymore because you always texted me after midnight, would ask me earlier if I'd be around at that time to talk, it was all on your schedule.. yet I am still here. Waiting.. and what does that say about me?? Am I a fool?? Am j the joker?? The girl who was tricked, who was played and lost?? It's my fault for believing someone could make me feel something, it was my fault for remembering every time you smiled at just me. It was my fault for playing along, for learning nearly all the rules, it was my fault for encouraging you. It's my fault for actually falling for you when I tried not to. But that's the point of the game, isn't it? You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. I entered this competition with little hope, entered tge second lap thinking I was in first place, and as the finish line approaches I can see you've disappeared from the race. It's me, alone on this track, no audience, a disappointed judge, I've won a participation award, I was the only one who showed up and I still lost. And it's funny how I write this in the text box as if I'm going to press send and you'll ignore this assortment of letters, as I listen to the play list you made me of all the songs you love which I've already heard. And I praises you for your taste which I thought included me, but I was just another name in your contact list, another conversation to have when you decided you were bored. But I should've known this is who you'd be, my friends told me so, the internet told me so, the songs told me so, and even in some discrete way you also told me so, I even told myself so. But I am nothing if not an optimist, and so I kept going until you got what you want, whatever it was. The satisfaction of making me like you?? Knowing I'd come crawling back trying to get you to keep talking to me? Giving me the attention you know I craved? I was too honest, I knew I shouldn't have told you half as much as I did, you were just so encouraging, so kind. And here I am, the fool. A fool for you, and I fear I will be for some time, I don't seem to forget easily. So enjoy your seat in my mind and my heart for the next however long it lasts.

[twopoppies]

Ooo is it origin story day?! Fun! I don't know that mine is that interesting to be honest, but I'll share anyway. Fair warning, I've always been a rambler lol! Like a lot of people here, I wasn't really into 1D when they were at the height of their popularity. I don't necessarily think it was a me "trying to be cool" thing, so much as a me tuned out from the world thing. I had a pretty severe anxiety disorder as a teen and ended up attending a therapeutic residential high school. I didn't listen to much music at all tbh, so even a lot of their bigger hits passed me by. There was a girl in my dorm that was OBSESSED with them, particularly Zayn, and it sort of became her personal quirk in our friend group. In the clique-y way that teenage girls can sometimes be, it didn't really occur to me that we could have the same "quirk" so I never looked into their music. But by 2015, I was in what I call recovery and actually enjoying life again. I heard "Drag Me Down" on Good Morning America and fell in love with it! It was the song of the summer for me, and I think I really resonated with the idea of nothing being able to pull back down again. I was totally ready to fall down the boyband rabbit hall five years too late! Of course, I quickly learned they were about to go on hiatus and all I could do was laugh. Because *of course* I would fall in love with a band right before they broke up lmao! I never really bought the 18 months thing. But I decided I was perfectly happy to spend the end of my summer retroactively falling in love with One Direction anyway. I listened to all their albums in reverse and was genuinely gutted I didn't discover Midnight Memories when it was new because I would have loved it! In another life, I could have been at the Jones Beach concert where Harry wore the flower crown 😩 Ah well! I devoured all of their interviews on YouTube too, which is where I first saw a comment "My Narry heart!" and I was like 'WTF does that mean?'. Presumably, I must have learned *something* about Narry but I obviously wasn't sold and I remember none of it. Fell hard for Larry though. Watched all the FIMQ videos and read a bunch of fanfiction. I still really wasn't convinced that it was real and an anti's proof video had me feeling guilty for a hot second. Thankfully, I was an adult and not a young teen, so I wasn't actually convinced that any of my individual actions were hurting the multimillionaire pop stars. But I can see how young fans thought they had to protect them from 'harassment'. It's so gross how that was manipulated back in the day. Anyway, I think what really sold me on it being true was that video where they were laughing about Zayn's yin yang tattoo. I watched it just to see the interview, not knowing there was anything Larry about it. I kept playing back the part of H and L laughing bc I was I trying to figure out what the hell they were saying. I don't think I got the joke at the time, but I remember noticing how Harry starting grinning like a fool before he even understood it, just cause Lou was laughing. How they both leaned forward to watch each other laugh. How they were just in their own little world with even their fellow bandmates confused at the level of inside joke they were sharing. And this was at a time when popular narrative told me they hated each other. It wasn't some slowed down interaction purposely set to music or an elaborate fan theory about their clothing or locations. It was just them being themselves in an interview, and I thought "That's not normal platonic behavior. No way!". After that, I always believed. I may have wavered a bit in the beginning at how serious it was and how much we could really know about their lives behind closed doors, but now I'm 100% certain that they love each other and always have. And I've had the best time at their solo tours! I got to meet up with other Larries including Amy, which was amazing. This fandom has given me so much. It helped me accept that I am a lesbian even though I've struggled with a lot of internalized heteronormativity. And Louis' music

in particular meant the world to me after my mom died. I'm so glad I watched that GMA special, even if it did feature the interview from babygate hell lol!

This is really lovely, sweetheart. I think we find special things at the right time, you know?

And yes to that yin/yang joke moment. Goddddd.

[liibrii]

In honour of today being National Culture Day in my country and exactly a year since I've seen my favourite band perform live, I've decided to take a minute and talk about Dream Theater. And by talk I mean mostly nerd out about my favourite songs and why I love them so much.

in case you haven’t heard of Dream Theater before, they’re an american progressive metal band, who’s been around since 1985. idk what else to say except even if you don’t like metal/rock give a listen to Beneath the surface.

tw: some pretty heavy topics such as death, murder, mental illness, alcoholism,... 

so to start, I love the versatility of their songs and yet they still have that distinct Dream Theater sound. my favourite part of their music are the lyrics. a lot of them are inspired by their own personal experience, which often makes them just the more heart breaking. and for others, I don't know what creator juice these guys are on but I'd like some. they’re the kind of lyrics you want to read while listening to the music just to really get the meaning, and you spend days thinking about them. or maybe that’s just me. :D 

also Petrucci's guitar skills are outta this world, which sadly often overshadows others who are also incredible musicians. I have a soft spot the singer LaBrie cause 1. his voice and singing are magnificent, and 2. he damaged his voice pretty badly but perservered even when critics weren’t very nice to his singing and I respect that.

I'll start with my favourite album (and the one I heard live) - Metropolis Pt. 2: scenes from a Memory. it's a concept album, which if you don't know is an album that has a single central narrative (can be lyrics, musical theme,...). in this case it tells a story of Nicholas, a man who keeps having dreams about a girl named Victoria, and how through hypnotic therapy he discovered he was her in the previous life. Victoria was murdered and her death never solved, so we follow him as he discovers the truth behind her death. I won't spoil it, in case you're curious but don't wanna read the lyrics you can find a synopsis here. I'll just say the story of this album is better than majority of movies.

If you put a gun to my head and made me choose my favourite song on this album it would be the very last one: Finally Free. it's charged with so much emotion, the way LaBrie sings the lyrics; you can tell which part belongs to which character, it's just soooo good! The way each repeats the lines This feeling / Inside me / I finally found my love (life) / I've finally broke free - and I'd go on but I'd get into spoiler territory. so. let's move on with the closing melody (it's not much of a melody, more like static) that becomes the opening of the first song on their next album Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.

Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence is another concept album. this album. man, how do I even begin to explain it? I can't, you gotta listen to it. have you ever imagined an entire album telling stories of people living with things like alcoholism, post-partum depression, autism, schizophrenia? it may sound intimidating and I won't lie, some songs touch you so deeply it's hard to listen to them (looking at you Goodnight kiss).

and now that my fave albums are outta the way let's talk about my favourite songs in no particular order! (just a note, pretty much everything I’ll say about the lyrics is my personal interpretation)

Beneath the Surface (album: A dramatic turn of Events) - the one that makes me cry like a baby. the one I tefuse to shut up about. the story of two people who are in love, neither aware the other feels the same,  both too scared to make a move till it’s to late and their feelings fade. just, listen to it, please. it’s also the least ‘metal’ of their songs, if that’s not the kind of music you’re fond of.

Spirit carries on (album: Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a memory): I can’t say much about it without spoiling the story of the album, so let’s say it was experience of a lifetime singing this song on the concert, off key and out of tune, with your bestfriends beside you, all of you crying. 10/10 experience.

Through her eyes (album: Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a memory) - same as Spirit carries on :D

Finally free (album: Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a memory) - the emotion!! I want to sing this song at the top of my lungs while it makes tears pour down my face. it’s such a good final song to this absolutely brilliant album.

Pull me Under (album: Images and Words) - when that LaBrie voice hits... if you’ve ever heard this song you know what I mean, and if you are yet too, you’ll know which part I mean. you’ll hear it, trust me. (it’s at 2:54)

Vacant (album: Train of thought): ah look, another song that makes me cry. LaBrie wrote this after his daughter fell into coma for 3 hours when she was 7, and let me tell you, you can feel the fear. easily one of their most heart breaking songs. but she’s okay now, don’t worry. :)

Stream of Consciousness (album: Train of Thought) - an instrumental song with guys just flexing their skills. 

Wither (album: Black Clouds & Silver Linings) - the story behind this song is Petrucci had trouble coming up with new lyrics so this mad-lad pulled a UNO reverse card and wrote a song on having trouble creating. and as a writer who often hits writer’s block I relate to that. 

Count of Tuscany (album: Black Clouds & Silver Linings) - the story of this song could easily be a movie. you meet a young count on your travels and he takes you to his home where his slightly eccentric brother lives, and before you know you’re terrified for your life. I have yet to hear a song that captures the fear of dying as well as this one. 20 minutes of pure bliss and singing at the top of your lungs. 

Out of Reach (album: Distance over Time) - you know that feeling of falling for someone who’s out of reach? yeah, that. 

Fall into the light (album: Distance over Time) - the line Too much love is not enough for us makes me question what is really important in life and I love it when songs make me think. it’s such a simple line and yet so powerful. (spare some of the creator juice?)

Ministry of Lost Souls (album: Systematic Chaos) - you thought we were done with songs that make me cry? ha, think again! this is the song that sold me on Dream Theater. the lyrics have 2 different interpretations, both of which are heart breaking and thus I won’t talk about them. :) 

Prophets of War (album: Systematic Chaos) - I’m not saying it’s about the possible ulterior motives of the Iraq war buuuut... oh no, wait that’s exactly what the song is about. 

Endless sacrifice (album: Train of Thought) - just a song about how relationships take work and compromising, especially when one is a musician and often on tours. Petrucci wrote this song for his wife. get you a man who recognises how much you’ve sacrificed to make the relationship work. 

Build me up, break me down (album: A dramatic turn of events) - I have no other reason for liking this song other than it is an absolute banger.

Panic Attack (album: Octavarium) - this song includes my favourite singing from LaBrie. goosebumps every time. and also the suffocating feeling of pure panic, the paralysis you feel are so well reflected in the music it’s unreal. 

Octavarium (album: Octavarium) - this song has my fave line: It's wonderful to know that I could be / Something more than what I dreamed. and it also takes the award of “Lyrics whose meaning I’ve been trying to figure out for years and still have no clue“. and the orchestral parts of this song... I hope to get a chance to hear it live one day.

I was debating putting some of my favourite lyrics here but I think this post is already long enough. :)

in conclusion, I love Dream Theater and I hope they keep making music!! ♡

[kirua9]

So guys, Ive gone through 9 circles of hell to make this. Voila

Wait I can explain

Category "Total flex" – whenever I hear a song from this tier, I can only dance or sing, that's legendary

Category " I love it" – obviously, just like it without explanation, tho it's not as cool as total flex

Category "Decent" – well, there are good songs, but I don't feel special about them. I've included Dystopia and Carla×Shin duet song cause they are the best out of all Kino songs and all Carla×Shin songs, also Kino's VA sounded as if he was trying his best. 😔 But I hate his vibrato lol.

Category "I'd listen to the instrumental only."– IMO the instrumental is SICK there, and vocals... meh. Especially Campanella and Kyuuai Labirinth , they are cool

Category "Weak" – bland songs. Well, LaitovsShu song is okay, but I remeber only "against the blood" and that's all, it is not enough for decent category

Category " ew. " – just something sounds awful. I hate Arcadia with all my heart, tho Ayato's songs are always on the level. This melody and " hello bloody morning" grows the aggression in me. Mayim ☆ Mayim also sounds disgusting, the tempo is kinda dull; and Carla×Shin's songs are meh by the definition.

Category "I laughed" – LITERALLY when this started playing I started laughing. It sounds stupid I'm sorry.

And I genuinely haven't found ShuuvsReijj song. I doubt it's existence

---------------

Something about their voices in particular.

As you can see, Kimura Ryohei's (Kou's VA) voice is my main preference when it comes to music, idk thats perfect. Midorikawa Hikaru (Ayato's VA) is also sounds cool while singing, but his voice sounds tense, sometimes I think it's hard for him to sing. His tune is metallic, very "shiny". Takashi Kondou (Subaru's VA) sounds pretty like Ayato's VA, but his voice too rough and that's why he sounds even more tense 💀. In Itoshiki Pain he felt pain singing high notes I guess, BUT he is still plays the character.

And that's a huge problem to remain the character you play while singing 🗿

Tatsuhisa Suzuki(Yuma's VA) sounds perfect while singing, when I listen to him, I certainly can say it's Yuma, because of the speaking manner (? Or the charisma in general). He's been doing a great job, honeslty, true professional 👏. Yuki Kaji (Kanato's VA) also sounds very Kanato with his singing voice, and he is a God, literally, he's abilities are insane.

Hirakawa Daisuke (Laito's VA) has so damn attractive voice, but when he signs, it seems like music always covers him a little🗿. I mean, his voice isn't as powerful as I wanted it to sound, but, we have what we have.

We go on. Kosuke Toriumi (Shu's VA) and Kishio Daisuke (Azusa' s VA) are nothing like their character's. When Shu's singing, I keep in mind that the person who sings is SMILING while doing it. And the voice becomes a little bit high pitched. Though his voice is still nice and "soft". Kishio Daisuke has A BEAUTIFUL voice, but he's more like "calm Kanato" than his character, eh....

I mean, tf Rejet decided (or VAs themselves did ) that Kishio Daisuke (who has a slow talking characted) will sing, although Takahiro Sakurai (Ruki's VA) will not 🤡🤡🤡. I really miss the opportunity for Ruki's singing some painfully beautiful ballads.......

Katsuyuki Konishi (Reiji's Va) has the richest tone amongst all of the VAs, and, just like Kosuke Toriumi he sounds more energetic in songs, though with Reiji this trick sounds perfect, he has +100 to passion like that, and Shu... Shu is supposed to be depressed, yes?))) Toriumi sounds too happy for him )))

The Tsukinamis.... No problems with Showtaro Morikubo (Shin's VA ), he is like the character which was given to him, but Toshiyuki Morikawa (Carla's Va).... He has nothing in common with Carla, Carla sounds like an old medieval Japanese mobster, but when he sings, he's almost like his lil bro. Seriously, I've literally lost in the forest with only 2 trees while listen to their duet...

Tomoaki Maeno (Kino's VA) is good while he tries to be edgy, though his vibrato kills me (too small interval between each oscillation.) But he sounds pretty in general, I like it.

Me 🤝 people, who made the tierlist and didn't lost their mind.

IM ALIVE

Take this… a Diabolik Lovers Songs tier list

Made by me.

;)

Mine (everything in spanish lol)

[dankcranks]

100% serious. It'll help me get out of my own head, too. I've had a kinda blehhh day

same here friendo

putting this under a cut cause it’ll be long

☝ - How tall are you? - fun story for years i thought i was 5′7 cause that was the height the last time i was measured at my doctor’s office in my late teens, but they measured me “just to see” the last time i was there, and i’m 5′8???? the last few years of my life has been a lie

✔ - Sexual Orientation - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ still trying to figure this out tbh. def pansexual, probably panromantic but also possibly on the grey spectrum??? i value platonic relationships over romantic ones, but do still have the ability to have romantic attractions towards others (although it’s rare) and idk what that means

🚬 - Do you Smoke? i used to a lot a lotttt but nowadays it’s only when i’m with friends that smoke and can bum one off of them (cause i’m incapable of making good choices when it comes to my health)

🍷 - Do you Drink? - yes, but rarely and generally only socially 

♒ - Do you Take Drugs? - prescription yes. but similarly to smoking, i used to smoke a lot a lotttt of weed but now only do when i’m hanging with the person in my life that smokes regularly

😳 - Age you get mistaken for? - honestly idek. late teens? people are always suspeeshy of me when they id me and see my birth year, and i feel like i look like a teenage boyo which isn’t helped by my shit skin

💉 - Have Tattoos? - ocarina of time style ganondorf and skull kid (with the mask you give him on) on my left upper arm, the chorus of hilf mir fliegen by tokio hotel on my back, and schwester on my foot (for my sister)

✏️ - Want any tattoos? - oh hell yes i have like a backlog of tattoos i want

✂️ - Got any Piercings? - snakebites, industrial, rook, lobes x3

✌ - Want any piercings? - occasionally i think about a nose ring, but nah, i’m happy with the ones i have

👌 - Best friend? - i live with one of them, and the other lives on the other side of canada :’)

♥ - Do you like anyone? - lmao nah

🎤 - Top 5 favorite bands? - KSJHDSAK kay i’m putting these in no particular order, cause it’s hard enough limiting it just to five, let alone determine a favourite. also this is subject to change at any given moment. twenty one pilots, weezer, alexisonfire, linkin park(💔), one direction anD HAHAHAHA I’M COUNTING THEIR SOLO CAREERS AS PART OF THIS FIGHT ME

🎶 - Top 5 favorite songs? - this is even fucking worse than trying to limit my top five bands alfhdalfhlsjdkf i’m gonna go with the top five songs that i currently keep listening to on repeat (again, no particular order)top - addict with a pensleeping at last - saturnniall horan - seeing blind ft maren morristop - a car, a torch, a deathpale waves - television romance

😒 - Biggest pet peeve? - forgetting about plans (i literally do nothing with my life so like, when i make plans with someone, i'm really really looking forward to it)

📝 - Story from your childhood. - so when we got our family cat, i really wanted to call her cookie. but my mom decided on sophie, and i was highkey offended because i wanted a cute non human name like cookie??? but it’s hilarious now, because i only name animals by human names

💬 - I wish… - i wish i could afford to have more cats in my life

‼️ - Something you’ll change? - ...the amount of cats in my life

💦 - What makes you horny? - i literally had to finish these questions and come back to this lmao. physically, arms and nice hair i guess. otherwise, jfc idk, i’ma go real lame and say personality. idk how the fuck i get turned on okay, it just happens sometimes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

🌟 - A wish you’ll wish for? - m o r e  c a t s  i n  m y  l i f e

🔥 - Something spicy you like? - fuckIN INDIAN FOOD (i’m eating some curry i made right now lmao) shoutout to other east asian spicy foods

👃 You hate the smell of …. - idk fertilizer

👊 - Something you hate? - myself lmao #relatable am i rite

🚶 - Are you single? - yup

💬 - Can we text? - i have no idea who you are

💌 - Fan mail me? - again, i have no idea who you are

💍 - Marry me? - i literalLY DON’T KNOW WHO THIS IS 

💘 - Be my tumblr crush? - ^^^^^^^^^^^^

💭 - Favorite foods? - indian foods, bagels, cereal, ramen, sushi

☀ - Story about your day. - my cat tomi is having one of those days where he decides he’s going to be a gigantic piece of shit. he keeps coming over to me and yelliNG, reaching up to my desk and trying to knock things off. he keeps trying to get in fights with the other cat too. currently, i can hear him getting up to shit in the living room

💘 - Top 5 celebrity crushes? kay so there aren’t enough “celebrities” of sorts that i have that traditional celeb crush on that set my loins ablaze SO here have a list of celebrities that my ass will stan until the day i die because of their raw talent and for the way they treat those around them: tyler joseph, harry styles, uhhhh, josh dun, louis tomlinson, niall horan

🎥 - Top 5 favorite movies? ah fuck. spirited away, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, and i’d be doing my child self a disservice if i didn’t include the nightmare before christmas, ace ventura when nature calls, and fantasia (the three movies that truly shaped me as a person)

📺 - Top 5 favorite TV shows? - i’m about to expose my nerd ass lmao. in no particular order - avatar the last airbender, dragonball z, card captor sakura, battlestar galactica (the 2004 remake also this just reminded me it’s been a while since my last rewatch *heavy breathing*), and, uh, idk, mr bean?

✏ - Random fact about yourself. - am very musically inclined. percussion instruments is my home (piano included in this, cause it’s a percussion instrument thanks)

✈️ - Where are you from? - canada, north of toronto

🚀 - Where do you wanna visit? - germany and more of canada

😍 - Do you have a crush? - lmao no

😷 - Something you hate eating? - fuck kay i’m actually a really picky eater and because i’ve been working around it for years i always forget what foods i hate. uhh. turnips?

🙈 - What makes you shy? - people, but that’s directly related to my social anxiety ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

💃 - Can you dance? - i mean, i CAN, but is it any good? no

💏 - Do you love anyone? - YEEE i love my friends and family (animals count as family)

👟 - Favorite shoe(s) to wear? - i finally got real converse and i  l o v e  t h e m

🌴 - A island you would visit? - when it comes to like, traditional island type things, that’s like, warm places, and i’m not particularly a fan of warm places. like beachy vacation places? nah fam. so like, the kinds of islands i’d want to visit would be countries like japan or ireland

🌎 - A country you would visit? - g e r m a n y

🌀 - Favorite type of weather? - fall, when the leaves aren’t green anymore and some have fallen, and it’s a little windy, and it’s the kind of temperature where you go out in the morning with a jacket, but in the afternoon don’t really need the jacket

🔮 - Do you believe in luck? - kinda?

📱 - What kinda phone do you have? - i literally just bought my roomie’s old lg g4 off him

📅 - Favorite time of the year? - fuckin october because fall and SPOOP SEASON

📚 - Career goal you want? - ...lmao. one that lets me afford to adopt mature cat babes to love and care for

🍴 - Favorite food(s) to eat? i immediately wanna say indian, but i feel like it’s biased cause i’m eating it right now

🍭 - Favorite Candy? - probs sour patch kids

🍇 - Favorite fruits? - bananas? apples? kiwi?????

🚘 - Dream car(s)? - a functioning car that is one solid colour

🚔 - Have you ever been arrested? - nah but i’ve been in cahoots with the law for dumb shit

🚑 - Have you ever driven in an ambulance before? - this question is phrased weird and it’s making my brain fucky. but i’ve been taken somewhere in an ambulance before, yes

🎫 - Do you have a license? - yee i have my full driving license as well as my boating license (lol)

🚼 - Do you have or want kids? - nO only animal frens

🔞 - Are you under 18? - nah

🐶 - Do you own a pet? - ngl i don’t like the phrasing of “owning a pet” buT i do live with animal babes that are under my care :3

😔 - Something that makes you sad? - thinkin about all the animal babes at animal shelters that don’t get adopted cause they’re not babies or they’re a little broken D8

😡 - What pisses you off? - boy howdy that’s a loaded question. lets go with a nice blanket response of “the state of the world”

😏 - What turns you on? - go back to the horny one

😈 - Are you a freak? - this is a very subjective question. to normies? yeah. in the sheets? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

💪 - Do you work out? - like bimonthly when i decide i’m gonna look after myself better lol  

[thefreshfinds]

Pen Soul: Jodie Jo’

There’s a story to be told and in Pen Soul Jodie Jo succeeds at doing so.

As quoted in the description on Soundcloud, "Jodie Jo' uses this double entendre to show that his soul is in his pen, or per-say, his writing. Everything comes from within, if looked at from a spiritual point of view, most would consider it God sent." He tells many stories from another's perspective in this 16 track LP, reeling out subconscious thoughts and pinned up emotion.

“The backstory of Pen Soul is just the experiences I've encountered in my day to day life.” says Jodie “The tracks on this project deal with a lot of internal issues that cause negative impact on relationships such as, holding grudges, miscommunication, judging, blaming, ignorance, and lack of leadership, but also it brings in the solutions to these issues that can be heard in various tracks, such as forgiveness, apologies, understanding, knowing self, vibrating higher, and finding purpose. So Pen Soul really derives from my soul, the things that I've struggled with, and how I overcame things, but I wrote the songs in a way where it's not telling my personal business, I paint scenarios of other people's lives and situations which can be related to, while giving a message that can't be heard unless dissected.“

Truly Pen Soul speaks on the problematics of our society, of Black America. It uses a range of beats that incorporate a jazz, nostalgic feel while taking you back to your roots.

Pen Soul starts off with Enter the Course (Intro) which gives us a sneak peek of what to expect next. Building up, the track starts off with a gun shot and then a British accented lady begins to speak as if she is giving a friend a word of advice. Afterwards, there is a bit of everything in the audio snippets from "Black Household" or "Church Sunday, Stripper Monday" to police sirens (to even some news documentations.) which adds a sweet touch to a transition.

The second track, Hard Heart (Part 1) drones into your ear sockets with a dash of ethereally, low drum kicks, saxophones, soft yet angelic singing and mellow back phrasing. He feeds the mind with a spoonful of knowledge about dealing with obstacles that life throws at you. Going even further, Jodie says that you shouldn’t let these same obstacles (like battle wounds) or past situations harden your heart. Life can flash before your eyes, so it’s best to just love with all you’ve got. Towards the end he speaks for the hurt by saying “How can I love someone who wants to do me wrong?” As a result, we begin to think of ways to get over those hurdles within ourselves and even though it can seem difficult, Jodie’s symphony makes it easier.

Black Household puts you at ease with its nostalgic yet soulful aura. In an instant the listener is able to understand what it’s like for those who live either with a single black household from the perspective of the mother and the kid. It really reflects on the deep emotion a mother must sacrifice in order to make ends meet but at the same time, she shouldn’t treat him the way she does because of stress and he seems to agree. Overall this track shows a strained yet loving relationship between a son and his mother.

Some shake it for the glory. Some for the gold. But in this women’s case, she does it for both. In the fourth track Church Sunday, Stripper Monday Jodie Jo’ is the narrator and he tells a brutally honest story about a woman who thinks she is rebuking her sins on the weekdays by going to church. His words are centered by an elevated production that has some passionate melodies, enticing saxophones and finger snapping snares. All in all the song gives off the feeling that it’s meant to: wise words and gospel thrown in with a pulsating tempo.

With the ongoing daunted tone from the piano chords, fast paced drums, cymbals, passionate saxophone and clickers to follow, Mama Drama (The Tale of The Good Baby Daddy) bangs in as the fifth track and tells a story about a mother who keeps a loving man away from his kids (which can be surprising to some because it is usually the other way around.) The production and words that Jodie choose to use are hard hitting. These two elements also wring out the right emotion from your heart, making it easy to feel the fathers pain.

Announced as the sixth track Feminine Myocardium to me, is a man's proclamation of love towards a woman who just doesn't show him ordinary love. The track is followed by reverse tape effects, minor saxophone blares and guitar chords, making the listen more sentimental and in turn, easy to recall past experiences with an old flame.

The seventh track Yeah Yeah, Sure Sure is about the mindset one is in during an argument but shows that love always outweighs the flaws seen in one another. Jodie's floetry in this piece can be characterized to Andre 3000’s due to the structure of syllables and grammatical phrasing that he decides to use. The production has the same reverse tape effect and blaring saxophone as the last but it also includes some warm, splashy piano chords and muffled drums.

"And they fight, and they fuss", thats what Jodie Jo paraphrases in the chorus of the eighth track called Ignorant Love. As it starts off with some deep twilight effects, the track raises the tempo with some light tamborine play, 808's and the same blaring saxophone. The message in the song is told by Jodie Jo who uses duality in his delivery and flows. To sum it up, the character in the story just wants all the fighting to end. It's taking a toll on the relationship that the lovers have.

As Ignorant Love fades out, the ninth track Aniyah's Melody is able to fabricate a cut of funk and soul. Backed up with melodious singing, spacey syntheziers and saxophones, Jodie Jo is able to spar out remorseful notations as the character to the woman that he loves.

The eleventh track Asthma & Pneumonia to me, sounds like The Way by Jill Scott except it's a little bit more slowed down and Jodie replaces the words "Is it the way.." with "Mama I can't breathe.." and adds "I got asthma & pneumonia" in as back chorus. As Jodie goes down the storyline about his asthma attack, Jodi tells us that we shouldn't take this life to granted. The lively saxophone and drums help from beginning to end, taking the track to a close and leaving some space for Puff, Pass to start.

The hardest to make for Jodie, Puff Pass wafts in as the twelvth track of the LP. As quoted by Jodie "It was one of the first tracks I started, but ended up being the last one I finished. Whenever I approached this track, my mind went blank. I didn't want to approach the song in a boring way, nor be too cliche with the topic about smoking.” Jodie’s smooth words are followed by some lighter flicks, spacious droning and low hitting drums. As a result the song transports the listener on a stimulating trip.

In the midst of Puff, Pass fading out, the thirteenth track Vibrate Rendition zooms in the perspective of another who has a sincere apology to those that he has been a “burden to”. Frankly, the character doesn’t want to cause pain anymore.. he just wants to make things right. The powerful words that Jodie uses are followed by some deep soul and sultry jazz to stress the endearment he feels. Jodi even takes us back to the Speakerboxx/TheLove Below days as he chants the excerpt from the song Vibrate in the middle to end!

A continuation of Hard Heart Pt 1, the fourteenth track called Hard Heart Pt 2 speaks from the perspective of others who let their anger or grudges get the best of them. This track is relatable to everyone because we’ve all had those people who have crossed us, but Jodie assures us that we just need to let it all go in order to live a prosperous life. Getting the point more across, the drums and piano also add a “rise and fall” effect to the storyline!

Second to last, the fifteenth Death & Fear takes an nostalgic approach. The drums and piano give the song a warm feeling and gives Jodie some free room to speak on all of the things he plans to accomplish.

Last but not least, Dreamville Audition II is just a scenario of how his audition could go once he meets Mr. Jermaine! I won’t give out too much detail but, I will say that this track bangs! It really captures Jodie’s versatility, solid bar structure multi floetry and powerful cadence.

To conclude, Pen Soul is one of many projects that really reflect the hard work that Jodie puts into his craft (you can even see where his inspirations root from: J.Cole & Andre 3000.) Jodie is here to make the world listen and be aware of what’s going on around them. Every time Jodie Jo raps, it is always different and he is constantly showing growth. All in all the lyrics and soulfulness hold weight on your mind but after you listen to the full collective.. expect to feel uplifted.

After all, Jodie Jo is the teacher and we are just the students.

LINK: https://soundcloud.com/jodieraps2/sets/pen-soul

By Natalee Gilbert

* Additional information about Pen Soul & more:

1. What are the steps that you took to create Pen Soul?

Jodie: The steps I took to make this album happen was first and foremost to pray before I worked on anything. From beats to lyrics, to brainstorming, to looking for inspiration. God plays a big part in my creativity and creations. After that, comes preparation, I make about 3 beats in a day and just get in the booth and freestyle over the beat. Usually I find a hook melody first before writing verses, if that sounds like album potential, I write a song to that beat and see what I get. Usually 2 or 3 days later it sounds wack to me and so, that's how tracks get denied. So pretty much I followed that process until I composed 16 tracks, that I felt were fitting for my intentions for the album.

2. In your opinion, what is the best album that was made in history?

Jodie: In my opinion, the best album made in history would have to be Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder, that being after Pen Soul of course.

3. What’s the difference between Pen Soul & Big Ups to Tha Homies?

Jodie: The difference between Pen Soul and Big Ups 2 Tha' Big Homie first and foremost would be the replay value, Pen Soul I believe has more songs that can be put on repeat while "BU2TBH" has songs that you'll play once and then come back later and be like "Oh yeah, this was my song". Next would be the soulful touch, Pen Soul is considered my only classic in my personal accumulation of projects. Pen Soul is diverse in the production, it has saxophones adding to it's spice, and it all together is greatly put together and much more thought out than BU2TBH.

4. Upcoming Songs:

Jodie: Keep a look out for around Christmas time, that's all I'm gonna say there.

5. What advice would you give to your younger self?

Jodie: If I could give my younger self advice I would tell me to talk to God, take life as it comes, truly develop a belief that anything is possible, don't stress about society's idea of success, count your blessings, and tell your parents, siblings, and loved ones about your love & appreciation for them more often.

6. Who do you admire in Underground Hip-Hop?

Jodie: I truly admire my homeboy Jodie Jo', because he's so consistent and true to himself and those around him. I think he has potential to be a legend amongst legends.

7. Advice to artists working on a project:

Jodie: It's okay to hate your work for a period of time. Get true feedback from people who aren't just pumping you up. Get inspired, try to talk about something nobody is talking about, or at least in a way that nobody else has. Be creative with your voice. Don't create songs based on other people's taste, create your taste and you'll attract people who have your taste. Get an ear for your voice, and your sound. Speak with clarity.

8. Words to the supporters:

Jodie: Y'all are real as ever, God has his hand upon out unit, I am appreciative of everyone that reaches out, everyone who shares, everyone who goes the extra mile. And I will never take the love given to me for granted. We are headed to the top y'all, Dreamville finna come sign ya boy! I'ma make y'all proud