#aoyama street

[choujinx]

CAT STREET (2004-2007) by kamio yoko

[ymmtknt]

[westboycats]

#aoyama #street https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpm4_6nvzFz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dira333]

One day after the other - Shoji Mezo x Reader

Not me needing a sick day to get back into writing. As usual I find myself writing for someone I didn't plan on writing for.

Tagging: @fuzztacular and @ur-local-simp because they love Shoji

The bed dips under his weight and a pair of warm, muscular feet press against yours.

“You need to get up in a minute,” Mezo mumbles just seconds before his arms envelop you and pull you into his chest. He’s warm, safe, and smells like the apple-and-cinnamon shower gel Aoyama convinced you to buy on your last shopping trip.

“Don’t wanna,” you argue, words slurred from sleep. 

He doesn’t argue against it, instead nuzzles his face into your hair. You can feel his heartbeat against your back, slow and steady, slow and steady.

Your alarm goes off, but you're quick to snooze it, to shuffle even closer into Mezo’s hug.

It takes you three tries to get out of bed and by the time you rush out of the door - not after demanding one last kiss for the road - you’ve got nothing in your stomach but the mouthful of toothpaste you swallowed on accident when you checked the time.

You buy a pack of fruit juices at the vending machine down the street, send a cheeky snap to Mezo - he’s always on your back about having more fruit and veggies in your diet - and rush the last few steps to the train station, arriving out of breath as always.

-

It’s only when you get out of the train that you feel the first cramp.

For a moment you curse the fact that you don’t have any pads with you until you realize that you had your period just last week. 

Probably the cold orange juice on an empty stomach you tell yourself, pour yourself a cup of tea instead of the coffee you’re desperately craving.

But two hours later you’re drenched in cold sweat and the smell of freshly brewed coffee has you running to the bathroom.

-

“Oh dear,” Yasuda-san from Accounting blinks back at from when you emerge, pale and shaky. She must have heard every awful sound you just made.

“Sorry about that,” you tell her. 

“Do you want to go home?” She asks and you nod. Yeah, you want to go home. 

But there’s nothing she can do about it, so you smile at her, rinse your mouth, and stalk out of there, down the hallway and back to your desk. 

If you keep breathing slowly it might go away.

But thirty minutes later you feel yet another cramp and the document in front of you has lost all sense. 

You get up, grab your bag, and walk down the hallway to your supervisor.

You can’t remember the last time you needed to take a sick day, not since Mezo took over cooking. 

Was it that one time you fell down the stairs - because you were in a rush to meet him at the door- and broke your toe? Or that one time you insisted on dancing with him in the rain and promptly got the flu?

“Oh dear,” Cold dark eyes blink back at you, “I already heard. I know pregnancies are difficult, but-”

“I’m not pregnant!” You argue, but she clicks her tongue impatiently.

“I know you don’t have to tell me yet, but we can be honest here.”

“I’m not pregnant. I have a stomach bug, most likely. I’d like to go home.”

“Very well,” she pointedly taps her fingernails against the mountain of paperwork on her desk. “But you know the company’s rules. I need written proof of sickness from your doctor.”

“That will be no problem. I’ve already made an appointment,” you lie.

-

Lunchtime is over by the time you wobble out of the train.

There was a nice lady at the doctor who let you skip ahead when you emptied your stomach in the trashcan next to her, but the multiple train rides have left an impact on you.

You open the door of your apartment and slip inside, fighting back another wave of nausea as you take the time to put your shoes and jacket away properly - if you’re not doing it, Mezo will just do it himself later and he’s had more than enough work this week already. 

He’s still in bed like you expected him to, muscle shirt riding up to expose a soft stomach you want to cuddle against like a cat.

You slip into the spot he’s left for you. His right eye opens.

“Got a sick-day,” you tell him, unable to keep the miserable out of your voice. You know you’re whining, but you’ve had an awful day. Well, except for the morning, waking up next to him was great.

“Wanna talk about it?” He asks, voice gravely from sleep. 

You shake your head. 

Mezo nods and pulls you close, presses a kiss against the top of your head. 

“Sleep then,” his arms are warm and safe around you, “Everything will be better when you wake up.”

So you do.

-

The bed dips under his weight. 

You blink, surprised to find yourself sleeping on your stomach, alone.

“I made dinner,” Mezo tells you from your side and you turn to see him sitting on the edge, a tray filled with dishes in his arms. 

“You didn’t have to,” you tell him as he slips under the blanket with you, presses his legs against yours.

“I know. I wanted to. I made congee and chicken noodle soup and tea. Your mom’s recipe.”

“You’re the best!” You tell him, press a kiss on his cheek.

“You make me want to be.”

It’s over dinner that you fill him in. He shakes his head at your supervisor's antics, one of his warm hands rubbing soft circles onto your upset belly. 

In turn, he tells you about work. The new sidekicks at the agency or the kids that are going to be interning next week.

Much too early he has to slip out of bed again, prepare for another night of patrols and paperwork.

“About your stomach bug,” Mezo’s half-dressed, chuckling at the way you ogle his body, “Could it be that you’re pregnant?”

“I just had my period last week.”

“Yeah, but I’ve heard that it happens sometimes, you know? Didn’t one of your secretaries think she wasn’t pregnant because she got the period and it was something else?”

You stop. He’s right. As always.

“Yeah, but… that’s her. This is me.”

He nods calmly but you can tell he’s not done with the topic.

“Do you want me to be pregnant?” You ask.

“I wouldn’t mind either way,” he says simply, but you can tell there’s more to the topic he’s letting on.

“I’ll buy a pregnancy test tomorrow, okay?” You promise. Something like relief washes over his face.

“I could get it for you,” he offers but you shake your head.

“No way. The media is only waiting for a headline like that. Tentacole seen purchasing pregnancy test. Hero-offspring on the way… Wait, what are Baby Octopus called?”

He laughs, picks you up from bed like you weigh nothing to him, and kisses you. 

There’s much in that kiss that he’s not saying.

Insecurity, doubt, trust, love.

You’re smiling when he pulls back, still holding you close. Your hands are cradling his face, thumbs tracing scars that will never completely fade.

“One day after the other,” you promise.

“One day after the other,” he repeats. 

Today hasn’t been the best day. Today hasn’t been the worst day either.

But with him by your side even okay days turn magical somehow. 

You don’t doubt that also applies to the rest of your life.

My Kofi if you want to tip me

[starsfic]

Loop... whatever the hell number it is

Toshinori was ready to die.

He honestly had been, for a while now. Maybe he was dead and this was hell.

Once again, he was ten months from Yuei's entrance exam, having just deflated in front of a middle scholar in the middle of the street as he held the Sludge Villain in a soda bottle. Once again, his ears rang from the screams, and his nose ached from the smell of blood.

Once again, all he could sum up was "wrong person."

He wasn't sure what he was doing wrong. It had to be him.

Toshinori kept picking people- bright people, determined people, kids ready to be heroes- and they kept dying, sometimes multiple times. Whether from school mishaps that One for All caused, from his own slipups, or from being brutally murdered by All for One. No matter how hard he tried to stop the latter, he always rose back up.

By now, he had a list of people. The Absolutely Not category included Bakugou Katsuki (he fought back a mental shiver because there had been a civilian death instead of Bakugou), Aoyama Yūga (not through any fault of his), Mineta Minoru, and Shinsō Hitoshi. The Only if Desperate category included Mirio (entirely because of Nighteye), Todoroki Shōto (Endeavor), and Monoma Neito. The Great Choice But Didn't Work catergory included Uraraka Ochako, Iida Tenya, and Asui Tsuyu. There were other categories, but he had to remind himself every now and then.

He wasn't sure what he was doing wrong. He had given One for All to every student, all except-

"-you okay?" He blinked back to realize that the cold he was feeling was the water bottle pressed against his palm, the middle schooler holding it up. By now, Toshinori knew this boy's name. It was engraved in his heart.

"Midoriya-" Izuku. Friend. Ally. Living shield. Loyal. Smart.

Your greatest failure.

Midoriya Izuku was a constant in the time loops. He was the one who greeted Toshinori every loop. He was always on the side of good, whether as a hero or a vigilante or a villain or even just as a civilian, even though his father was constantly revealed to be All for One. He was deadly loyal to his friends and was willing to break, to die, for them.

Last loop, that had been Tomura. Tenko. His master's grandson.

The memory made him sick, watching as All for One crushed Izuku's throat, his own son's throat, in Tenko's body, only for Tenko to gain back control and scream, cradling Izuku's body tight.

Toshinori had screamed too.

Whatever role he played, Izuku was always there and Toshinori found himself attached. It was easy, because Izuku was kind and had a good heart and-

Oh. Oh, he was an idiot.

It was like the universe was tired of this sick game and turned his head, forcing him to look at the boy who had been beaten down but wanted to save everyone.

"Don't tell me it was that fucking obvious," he said, watching as Izuku's, his perfect successor, jaw dropped further.

He thought he heard First laugh in the back of his mind.

[delawaredetroit]

So a system that tracks where all on duty heroes are located and can make requests to have heroes appear in specific locations - That seems like a big vulnerability.

If All for One wasn't an ancient street orphan without any formal education, he probably would have taken down hero society a long time ago. Somehow All for One never bothered to hire a hacker when even a youtube prankster like Gentle Criminal managed to have one able to get through UA's security. Beyond that, All for One had underlings with hero licenses and who probably had access to the network - Number Six and Aoyama at least and likely more. It's mind numbing that no villain was ever shown using this centralized system to their advantage.

[incorrect-shoujisquad]

class 1-a as reasons my brother has called my dad (yes i know shinsou isnt in 1-a but i ignore it)

bakugou - slammed the dishwasher door too hard (yknow like an idiot) and got it stuck

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

ojirou - threw a ball. there's a hole in the wall now

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

aoyama - spilled a coffee in the car and some of it got into the aircon

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

hagakure - broke a hairbrush

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

satou - set a pan on fire

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

kaminari - chicken.

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

shinsou - the water in his house was acting fucky and it turned brown for some reason

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

midoriya - got bit by a dog because he tried to pet it

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

sero - made food for someone and left for three days. the food was still there when he returned. he was pissed

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

mina - dropped a clear glass plate and was too scared to walk in the kitchen

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

jirou - got distracted and the sink overflowed

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

iida - had the intrusive thought to use a knife instead of a dart. this did not end necessarily well

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

yaoyorozu - the book she was reading was so sad she had to share her sorrow with someone else

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

kirishima - broke the fucking microwave

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

tokoyami - swore on everything he saw a ghost in his window (he hadn't slept correctly in a week)

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

uraraka - broke her favourite potted plant while trying to move it outside

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

todoroki - forgot the password to his laptop

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

kouda - saw a box of cats on the street and sobbed

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

tsuyu - refused to enter the house because there was a roach on the door

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

shouji - woke up not knowing what day it was and swore it was wednesday, despite his phone saying it was thursday

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

masterlist <3

[codenamesazanka]

It's so striking cuz like. we have UA celebrating in their large pretty campus that's administered by extremely influential, well-connected, world-famous Nedzu who's also a billionaire, and these kids are speaking of a bright future where there is humor because they believe it in—

(and there's Aoyama too, who was Villain/Villain-associated, and now has to leave UA, but it's his choice, and he's still going to be a Hero, he can start over)

—and ten pages later, seemingly another world away but it's in the same country, is someone in visible pain and misery, walking out of a crumbling building into a ruined street, barefoot and utterly alone. Does this person have a bright future they believe in?

And like, obviously this person can... if the Heroes are there to find them and help. If the Heroes can show up and bless them with a helping hand. And I know that's a good thing, but it just feels so cruel, that they can only receive their bright future if a Hero is there. Specifically, a student from this elite national school.

That's saving, yes, I guess, but also not really. That's fucked up.

The students acknowledge this too - there's chaos out there, and now it's their job to help rebuild and main public order. But it's like they're separate from all that. They go out to help. They travel to go prevent the deterioration. They speak of aftermaths and 'confusion' via textbooks. Again, I know that's not quite the intention, probably, and they're just kids and learning and they're doing their best, and they shouldn't be starving in the streets either or living through deterioration, and some of them know first-hand the sufferings too, before, but it feels like they aren't part of the chaos. They're there to contain the chaos. They're above the chaos, and they descend down to help.

Heroes and Villains have always had this insane disparity, whether it's the League being a bunch of middle school dropouts and runaways, or AFO being a trash river rat orphan baby while All Might came from a lovingly warm home, even if he later loses it.

The Heroes are good guys, the Heroes are good people, they're kind and they truly want to help. And they will help, if they know. But knowing doesn't feel like it's good enough.

Anyway. I hope this person gets saved. I wished they didn't need saving in the first place.

[choujinx]

CAT STREET (2004-2007) by kamio yoko

[ymmtknt]

[marimeeko]

I wanted to find that preview image of Katsuki framed in red with a furious expression to support my thesis but I can't find that rn. (The one regarding Aoyama and how he "wants a few good blasts at him to be even for everything that happened to him because of the LOV targeting them" )

Thesis: assuming a Quirkless Izuku ending, and a BKDK Agency ending, imagine if someone ever disrespected Izuku for being Quirkless, or called him washed up after winning the war.

Vague statements like "I hear their agency hires the most Quirkless population of any agency! How strange!" are one thing, but when it's personal about Izuku...

Something like, "Why is he in such a prominent Hero position with no Quirk? Couldn't Dynamight do more with a Hero Partner who still has a Quirk?", or "it's such a pity he has no Quirks, he was so amazing before!" or "I hate to say it about the guy but what if he's holding Dynamight back...?"

And Katsukis head just SNAPPING towards that person, that expression of fury on his face.

"What the FUCK did you just say?"

Katsuki making sure that NO ONE disrespects Izuku for having no Quirk, ever again.

Imagine his reaction to the media trying to get a juicy "where are they now???" story off of them, and the inevitable "Deku is Quirkless" shit show of questions...

Paparazzi stopping them on the street asking if there's any way OFA can come back, and they can see him in the field again "in his former glory", and "what are you doing now that you've been forced to retire from Herowork??"

Katsuki flinging himself between them and a stuttering Izuku, grabbing the mic and yelling "Does he look like he has fucking retired?! His glory is just fine!! Fuck off!"

Izuku being surprised at first, but in a way endeared. Moreover, appreciates how efficient Katsuki is at shutting down the media vultures that still swarm the two of them even years after the battle. It takes a lot of the mental and emotional load off of him when Katsuki comes at them barking instead of him having to compose the best, most polite statement for them that they don't deserve anyway, Katsukis Hard NO is a breath of fresh air.

"I can't believe I used to fucking sound like these morons..." Katsuki would complain in a hushed tone, fully aware that he used to sound a bit worse, in fact. His thumb traces back and forth over Izuku's hand, squeezing just lightly, as if to non-verbally say, "I'm still sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" to him.

And Izuku would just softly laugh and squeeze back, telling him that it was all ok.

[writingpiecesak]

Hiii can you right a bakugo x severely injured reader

we dont get enough of these😓😓 IF YOU DO THANK YOUUU

Hiii , wasn’t sure how much severely injured or if blood was okay butttt yes! Love this idea!! ❤️

also it’s pretty lengthy lol i wasn’t sure when to stop 😅 also I had this song in mind while writing this.

It was supposed to be a simple evacuation mission. Simply guide the residents to safety and rescue any injured civilians then take them to the medical tents for treatment. You were assigned to Ground Group B, go through each alley way of apartments and help civilians out of harm's way. Your partner dashed off to help the others taking on Slade and his minions. You moved quickly and silently, you never knew who could be lurking about.

“It’s okay, you’re safe now, take my hand.” You extended your arm out to a terrified child, hiding behind the dumpsters covered in dirt. The air was filled with dust and rubble from the fallen buildings, the child looked to you, his hand trembling in fear. You waited patiently till his hand was fully in yours, and slowly you guided him out of his hiding spot.

“Alright, don’t let go okay? Stay with me, you’ll be okay.” You reassured him.

Your other hand stayed hovered above your thigh holster, securing a flare gun in case you needed aid to your position. You were holding his hand tightly as you walked through the streets desperately trying to find the route you knew that led to safety.

With the thickness of the dusty air clouding your vision, you decided to use your quirk to help light the way. Your quirk, Rays, is able to make waves of blinding lights enough to illuminate a dark forest and when concentrated enough can blind an enemy for a whole five minutes. But for now, you used only enough as a flashlight would.

“yo sunshine, what are your coordinates?”

His voice startled you for a moment, only a moment until annoyance took over.

“What did I say about calling me that?” You tap your ear piece that has a built-in mic that withstands over 200 meters and works connectively like Bluetooth.

“Tsk, you still respond to it. Where are you?”

You roll your eyes, “I’m here on the ground, trying to help this kid I found to a medic tent. He has some surface wounds.”

You glanced back at the young kid who naively sucked his thumb as a way to help make himself feel safe. You chuckled.

“Where's your partner? I thought there was a buddy system.”

“Oh you mean Aoyama? He took off, said he wanted to help you guys fight Slade. Didn’t really give me a choice, isn’t he there?” You whispered, peering around a corner of a building scoping out for any signs of threat.

“No…he isn’t, wait so you’re alone?”

You smiled softly, “Aww, are you worried about little ol’ me, Katsuki? Don’t worry, I can take care of myself.”

“I never doubted that Sunshine. Just don’t like the idea of you alone out there.”

A soft smile played on your lips, “You don’t like the idea of me period, Suki.” You said sarcastically.

“Tsk, never that Sunshine.”

This fun little banter you had going on with Katsuki actually helped ease your nerves a bit. You both had this secret push and pull game you two played together and it was really the best thing you could cling to at a time like this. You didn’t like the idea of being alone, especially with obscured vision and in the presence of a young civilian. You could light the entire block if you wanted but you didn’t want to give away your position to potential threats.

“Katsuki?” You questioned when static was playing through your ear piece.

“H-He’s –––stay–—move!”

You stopped in your tracks trying to make sense of those broken parts of his voice. Your breathing became more heavy and you quickly tugged the kid closer, lifting him to your arms basically carrying him as his legs instinctively wrapped around your waist.

“Is the bad guy here?” The young boy asked nervously.

“I’m not sure. We have to hide for now.” You started to run down the street in hopes of just finding the evacuation zone by luck.

“He’s gone! Slade left the field, stay where you are, don't move!”

You were listening to his words yet at the same time a figure in the distance was emerging. Your eyes squint trying to make out if this was a friend or foe. You stopped in your place and waited for some kind of signal, the figure was walking closer but something about them seemed injured almost as if they were limping.

Another civilian? You thought, slowly placing the child down slowly on his two feet. You started to approach the person but the young boy tugged on your hand, his eyes pleading you to stay. You crouched down to meet his eye level.

“I have to see if they need my help. They could be hurt.” You patted his head affectionately.

You took a deep breath and turned to the person, who stood there not making a sound nor were they walking towards you anymore. You proceeded with caution, shimmering light emerging from the palms of your hands.

“Are you okay, do you need some help?” You shouted, taking baby steps closer, your gut was fighting your steps telling you to turn back, to run, to hide, to blind this person before they could hurt you.

You should’ve trusted your gut.

Your eyes grew wider as you saw this person raise his arms, aiming for a sonic boom clap, but not at you. Your eyes traveled to where their hands were pointed and horror filled your veins. There was no injured civilian. This was Slade.

His sonic boom clap would send this kid to oblivion, killing him instantly. Your feet quickly took off heading back for the kid who stood there fidgeting with his fingers. Every step from your feet echoed in your head, and for a ration second, you threw your hand back and used Ray to its full extent, waves of blistering white hot light shot out from your hand instantly blinding Slade causing him to throw his aim off.

At the very last second, his hands clapped and his sonic boom trashed to the nearby building. Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls, and the ground trembled beneath their feet. The young kids' eyes were full of panic and tears. You were close, so close. Just enough to grab him but then debris rained down from above, shattering windows and blocking your only pathway to reach for him. With each passing moment, the building groaned under the strain, its supports buckling under the immense pressure. The building began to crumble. Floors pancaked on top of each other as the structure collapsed in on itself.

With the surge of desperation you reached out for the kid and in a blink of an eye, you pulled him out of his stand still panic state, and tossed him to the other side of the street, clearing him from the damage that’s now been done.

The kid cried out as he watched rocks of cement topple over you and bury you inside. Dust and smoke filled the air once again, the boy crawling over trying to remove any pieces of debris. He couldn’t leave you. Not after you saved him.

.

.

.

“Damn what was that!” Denki shouted, pointing towards the town where different groups of rescuers were dispatched. Their eyes watched as smoke rose from the unknown to them, a fallen building. Katsuki had a bad feeling, he turned away, turning his mic back on.

“Sunshine? Come in Sunshine?”

“Who’s Sunshine?” Ashido tuned in, “He means y/n, only he calls her that for whatever reason.” Denki reminded her.

“Shut up assfaces! Sunshine, come in, what was that explosion?”

His only response was static. He chewed his bottom lip and ripped off his ear piece in frustration. He took a glance at his group, fairly enough everyone was doing okay with minor injuries. His head was doing backflips and somersaults trying to think if you were okay.

“Sunsh–Y/n isn’t answering her coms.” He informed Izuku.

“Wait really? Maybe she’s with her group rounding up the civilians and heading to the hospital.”

“That’s shit, she would’ve answered me. I’m going to look for her.” He pushed aside Izuku.

“W-Wait Kachan you can’t go by yourself!”

“Try and stop me.” He sneered before taking off.

He blasted through the air heading towards the faded smoke cloud only to see that Izuku was right on his tail following him. He scoffed but didn’t reject any help.

His mind was racing with possibilities. Maybe you were farther than 200 meters. Maybe Izuku was right, you could be at the hospital right now tending to victims' needs. Or perhaps your ear piece fell out. Anything was better than what his mind was creating.

“Down there!” Izuku pointed.

Katsuki's eyes saw the fallen building and a small kid sitting against the rubble hugging his knees. The two landed right by and immediately went to the crying child. Izuku, handling kids better than Katsuki, took charge.

“Hey little guy, are you alright? What’s wrong, what happened here?” He helped dust him off and wipe away his tears.

“Bad guy..” He sniffled.

Meanwhile, Katsuki was looking around for any information or indication on your whereabouts. Checking the ground for a broken earpiece. He could ask for the story later but right now his only concern was you. There was no one in sight. His heart was falling to the pits of his stomach, his breathing becoming shallow at the narrowing of possibilities.

“A-And then, she sa-saved me.”

“Who kid?” Katsuki quickly pulled the kid towards him, also crouched down to his size. The young boy only lowered his head, tears flowing through as his small hand pointed to the pile of rubble besides them.

Both Izuku and Katsuki's eyes slowly looked over to what he had pointed at. Katsuki’s heart pounded in his chest as he frantically began sifting through the debris, his hands bloodied and trembling with each movement. Every fiber of his being was consumed by the desperate need to find you, his Sunshine. With each passing moment, his fear intensified, driving him to dig deeper, to search harder, refusing to accept the possibility of you being lost to him forever. Every tug on another rock, his eyes were filling, stinging of tears that threatened to fall. His sniffles reminded him what he could possibly lose. No more fun banter. No more Sunshine jokes. No more late night talks. No more pranks pulled. No more secret stargazing. No more teasing of his hair. No more beautiful smiles when you laughed. No more stolen glances. No more shy compliments that make you blush. No more. No more you.

And then, amidst the rubble, he saw you. You laid motionless, battered and broken, your body barely recognizable beneath the broken glass and concrete. Horror washed over him as he knelt beside you, his hands shaking as he gently cradled you in his arms. Tears welled in his eyes as he whispered your name, praying for a sign of life. But you remained still, your breathing shallow and faint. He brushed your hair to the side letting rugged sobs escape his lips.

Izuku immediately discharged his flare gun while talking to his teammates on their coms, informing them on the situation at hand. Katsuki holding you dearly, praying for a miracle, for you to open your eyes and just joke about how much you scared him.

“Please..please Sunshine..please open your eyes.” He begged.

“Katsuki maybe we should–” His eyes darted to the crying child.

“I’m not leaving her!” Katsuki screamed out, his voice hoarse.

Every fiber of his being ached with sorrow as he struggled to comprehend the magnitude of the tragedy that had befallen them. The weight of guilt and helplessness bore down on him, threatening to crush his spirit as he grappled with the realization that he had failed to protect the one person who meant everything to him. Tears blurred his vision as he knelt beside the pile of debris, his heart torn asunder by the devastating loss. In that moment, Katsuki felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness, as if the very essence of his being had been ripped away, leaving nothing but a hollow shell in its wake.

[doctorbunny]

The mission to track down (most of) the locations in Ai Nan Desu Yo!

Firstly, I want to thank @archivalofsins /Gunsli-01, this whole thing started because of us DMing, wondering if we could use the background images in Mahiru's first MV to guess which university she went to, that started this whole adventure. By the end of this saga, the process truly was a collaboration too and i would've given up much sooner (sorry for taking so long to write this up!)

It started here. The caption says Mahiru is sat on the 大学のテラス (University terrace). So we figured this was the best shot to find her uni. Gunsli tried reverse image search but it just kept throwing milgram back at us. So I got an idea:

The magic of photo editing! it worked too and I got this back:

That's right! This isn't a university but a pizza place! Specifically one called 800 ディグリーズ ナポリタン ピッツェリア (800 degrees Neapolitan pizzeria) It is right next to two universities however:

Of these two, I speculate Aoyama Gakuin University is more likely to be Mahiru's as they have a large humanities department and an option to take Chinese language classes (interestingly, it is also a Very Christian university and we know from question 19 of Mahiru's trial 1 interrogation, she believes people go to Heaven when they die. There is also a lot of focus on international students and the campus nearest the pizza resturant has a 'statue of Love' in the Majima Archives building)

Inspired by this fruitful discovery I decided to try my method on other photos:

I jumped all the way over to day 13 because I felt like the sign would aid in my search. Before I bothered with any photo editing I just did some google searches "Tokyo Marun-" I got the autofill result 'Tokyo Marunouchi hotel' after investigating it wasn't the right place but we had a location name "Marunouchi" Trying again I typed "Tokyo Marunouchi Street" Autofill gave me "Marunouchi Street Park": Bingo!

This must be some kind of iconic sign because there were a ton of results for it. The bad news is that the sign was portable and only placed out for special events. So I introduce the next weapon in my arsenal: Google Streetview With a street to work with I walked up and down Morunouchi Naka-doori avenue until I got to a building with similar square pillars to the one behind Mahiru

This place is the MyPlaza, it's got a couple different shops, but importantly there is a function room you can rent out for events just like the wedding reception Mahiru attended here. This one turns out to be further away than some of the other discoveries but it makes sense because Mahiru is travelling to an event, not on a date.

Back to photo editing! This is one of two shrines I'll identify, they become important as they get special icons on google maps, becoming landmarks to search around later.

This is the Meiji Jingu Shrine

I was on a roll so quickly moved to day 14, however, my editing trick wouldn't work here so it would only be later that I uncovered the location of the park

Searching for day 11 was much more fruitful

I was really excited to track this one as Mahiru mentions it being the filming location for her favourite movie. So I thought if we could discover that, then we may unlock more clues about her as a person

I got about this far before realising I could try a different tactic. If this was a well known spot, surely in my broken Japanese I could google it right? So with a little help of my dictionary I spat out "Tokyo red hand railing movie". Somehow this barely worked

The movie? Your Name

At this point I was rolling on the floor laughing because I had been expecting some Japanese cult classic romance movie or a domestically popular but internationally obscure rom com meanwhile Your Name was a massive box office smash hit in many places. One of the few anime movies that even non-anime fans will be aware of.

Despite this, I hadn't actually seen it myself and wasn't really in the mood to watch it (I had more locations to track down, dammit) but fortunately Gunsli came in clutch, having previously seen the movie and also in the mood to rewatch it for clues about Mahiru.

These stairs are actually at a place called Suga Shrine, making this our second landmark. (Fun fact: if you look it up you'll find pictures of movie fans recreating photos of the place)

We were starting to build up an idea of Where Mahiru's world was, the border between Shibuya and Shinjuku ward. There were several parks in the area, so I figured I'd set out to find the day 14 park location by searching through each one. I was worried this would take a while but when I started with the biggest park, Yoyogi, I basically hit jackpot right away. Immediately upon seaching it, google recommended me results for images of the park at night. It turns out that Yoyogi had a large area used for concerts (that also may have been used for movie nights). By chance, I found this image from the park at night

which looks awfully similar to the lamp/benches seen in the background of day 14... According to Gunsli, the nearby yoyogi station is featured in an important scene in Your Name, so that's another thing pointing towards them being in this park. It's not solid evidence but we'll come back to this later.

At this point I'm both hyped up and bored, so to amuse myself and just to see if I can, I decide to search for the place Mahiru's boyfriend is working at in day 8

At first I had written it off as pointless to even try searching, but Gunsli noticed that in the top left corner you can see a hint of the store's sign. It is the same colours as a Seven Eleven (a chain that exists both in the US and Japan) This greatly narrowed down my search, as it ruled out the many Family Marts and Lawsons in the area (I cannot stress how many convenience stores there are in Tokyo) Unfortunately, there were still many 7/11s to search through and thus leads to the several hours I spent on google maps, individually going to each 7/11 in Shibuya and trying to look for those bike racks, floor tiles and old security camera. It was demoralising. But when hope was nearly lost and I almost gave up (there was a heat wave outside so my brain was melting during this). Gunsli reminded me of something very important. On day 8 we get two images, the above of Mahiru waiting outside the 7/11, and one of her sat on a park bench. If we were right about the day 14 park being Yoyogi, then surely our 7/11 would be in walking distance? The search began again. The third 7/11 I found near the park was it.

In one fell swoop I had confirmed both day 8 and 14. In celebration I made a tumblr post

Now, at this point I'm running out of images to search for because a lot of the locations in Ainan are indoors, meaning they could be taken from a studio or even one of the milgram crew's homes (which isn't actually uncommon) and thus, not a relavent location. I did half heartedly attempt to look for the day 9 bar, but as you can imagine, without any external landmarks it was even more of a goose chase than the 7/11...

The last location I decided to look for was all the way back in day 5

This edit was pretty tough to make so i was very annoyed when it didn't work. By this time it was late at night, but Gunsli had a hunch that this would be a well known running route, so started looking for those. By the time I'd woken up, she got it down to a route called the Imperial Palace Running Route, which is very popular (especially with tourists, it is recommended to give it a go if you're in the area)

I found it on streetview by following road signs seen in a video of someone running the route Gunsli found (the part in Mahiru's video appears at about 1:35)

It's an area called Takebashi and here is a screenshot both of what we saw in ainan, as well as what Mahiru would've seen in the direction she ran (the route loops back on itself)

Ok I'm tired it's 1 am, finally here's a really rough map of everywhere in relation to each other

An interesting thread throughout is that many of these places are sort of tourist-y, suggesting Mahiru's boyfriend may not be from Tokyo either. The university (assuming I'm guessing the right place) taking in lots of international students and Mahiru's boyfriend working at a 7/11 (which Japanese people can do but is also Stereotypically the part time job of choice for people from outside Japan while studying) could perhaps even hint to him not being Japanese, but it's all speculation right now

I hope you enjoyed this long rambly mess, I'm so sorry it took me so long to write it all up....

[neiptune]

all over me

(gojo x female reader)

wc: 2k

warnings: angst, you won't find any comfort here my friends

There's only one place Satoru usually stops by in Shibuya and although he's prayed he would so many times, he certainly doesn't expect to find you in it

Sweat runs down Satoru’s back as he takes one hand out of his pocket to push up dark sunglasses, annoyance taking shape in the creases between his furrowed brows. He should’ve went for the cashmere jumper instead of the wool sweater but then again, he can’t quite remember the last time he had made a good decision. Not that he would ever allow anyone to know.

People are buzzing around Shibuya as usual and he has to offer more than one gentle smile to strangers profusely apologizing for bumping into him on their way to god knows what, god knows where. As he finally makes it out of Takeshita street the mob decreases in density at last, giving him the chance to take a deep breath: sometimes the drainage smell can rise to the surface and make the simple experience of taking a walk excruciating, but today Shibuya smells just right. Smoke coming from yakitori restaurants mixes interestengly well with the strong smell of fermented soybeans scattered in colorful stands and the sweet, fruity scent coming from the magnolia trees blossoming among shops and sidewalks.

Satoru comes to a halt right in front of it, old habits die hard after all. As usual, the Aoyama flower market teahouse comes with a consistent queue outside its pretty building. It’s a Tuesday afternoon and under normal circumstances he’d have to wait around 50 minutes to get inside but he’s, well, him, and he’s known for two things: dashing charm and generous tips. Sunglasses are graciously pushed over his forehead, lazy half-smile a blinding crescent moon as the lady in charge of the queue, name list in her hand, bows and motions him towards the entrance right away. There was a time when you would’ve rolled your eyes, with a sarcastic huff and a barely muttered you are shameless. When he was with you, Satoru had only been allowed to work his magic once: every other time, you had always forced him to respect the queue. Sure enough, each time, he complied. And that was the magic you worked.

He’s not bothered by the smell anymore, way too sweet for his taste. But every blossom, branch and flower still has your laugh embedded in it, so it’s alright, really. He wonders if this is still your favorite place to hide away in, where you’d catch up with your friends on rainy days, sit all alone with a book whenever you needed a break from reality, snap selfies of you two nestled between hues of an impossible amount of pretty flowers. Red, pink, green, orange, white, their scent lingering on you for him to savor it for hours on end, the way you’d jokingly push him away when he’d try to nuzzle his face in the crook of your neck for the millionth time. Satoru gets a kick out of the way ill stitched wounds tear apart and resume their bleeding whenever he steps foot in this place, pain crashing over him in waves, the emptiness of his chest taking the shape of your absence all over again through a carving so painful not even the strongest sorcerer feels powerful enough to bear. But it’s only right. He doesn’t deserve smooth edges and being the strongest unfortunately means he survives the process every single time.

“Toru?” a timid whisper, one he’d recognize everywhere regardless of having been left without that voice for over two years now.

And sure enough you’re there, actually there, sitting at your own glass table with plants sprouting from underneath it, a giant plate of your usual order in front of you, mocking him, because apparently nothing has changed besides your absence in his life. He’s hated french toast ever since.

Satoru approaches your table, patiently ignoring the way his stomach has flipped at the familiarity of your voice paired with the nickname.

“Hey” he hasn’t seen you in so long, and this is all he can come up with. But it must mean something, finding you here at last after endless wanderings and cups of tea he doesn’t even like and flower parfaits and rose jellies. It must mean something, the fact that you invite him to sit, smile every bit as warm as he remembered.

“How have you been?” you ask right after he places his order, a hot mojito even in the middle of the afternoon, because he can’t hold his liquor and definitely can’t do this while sober.

“Good, busy. You know how it is” he grins with a slight shrug of the shoulders.

“I know how it is” your lips curl in a soft smile as you drag a forkful of french toast through syrup.

“You look great, by the way. Shorter hair suits you”

The way you shift nervously in your seat as you let out a uh, thanks signals your discomfort so he leans back ever so slightly, gives you space, hopes to be smart enough to reassess a lead he doesn’t actually have. With each sputter, his heart seems to be articulating all the words he’s been aching to say out loud for the past two years. I miss you. Come back. I’ll do better. Please. Please. Please.

And you know him well enough to sense that, whatever it is, it’s coming. So you brace yourself the best you can, with a deep breath and tense muscles, ankles crossed underneath the table pressing painfully to each other, toes curled in your sneakers.

“Let’s get dinner tonight” his slender fingers are closed tightly around the glass, in sharp contrast with the casualness of his pitch. The deep sigh you let out is a flag red enough but, frankly, he refuses to go down without a fight. What should he fear at this point? Humiliation? He’s been without you long enough to figure there’s nothing worse. He’ll handle humiliation.

“Satoru” the name rolls off your tongue as a warning but you can’t ignore the way your heart squeezes a little at the sound of it. You haven’t said that name out loud in forever and it still tastes every bit as sweet and dangerous as it did back then.

“What?” he challenges, impatient “it’s just dinner”

“I have to be home for dinner”

“Why?”

He’s not a dumb man, he knows what you’re about to say. Regardless, he needs to hear it before the glass shatters in his very hand.

“Don’t do this” you let out a shaky breath as you put your fork down, suddenly unable to stomach a single other bite.

“There’s someone” Satoru does his best not to make it sound like an accusation because it really isn’t. It couldn’t be, he wouldn’t dare.

Your gaze meets his and it’s hard to remind yourself that you’re a different person now that you’ve been away from his magnetic field long enough. Leaving came with the terrifying, inevitable need to learn how to be, who to be, on your own. You had been with him for so long it had been excruciating to find out, during those first months, you couldn’t remember how to be whole without the stupid amount of his cologne stinking up the small bathroom of your studio apartment, his chin resting on your shoulder, his fingers gently massaging shampoo in your scalp, his good mornings. His his his. Everything was a reminder of how much you had given and the unbearable, sweet time each piece was taking to travel back to you and try to fit in its original spot.

But they did, in the end. Most of them, anyway. Little by little, each part crawled back and you had to patiently pick them up and find a place to gently push them in. They didn’t fit with each other as well as they did in the beginning, he had made a miserable, imperfect puzzle out of you: one with pieces fitting with the wrong ones well enough not to make the subtle cracks noticeable to everyone else. You’d been left with a version of yourself you had to get to know from the start and the process had been so painful, so exhausting, you’d sworn you’d never risk any of that ever again.

Still, it doesn’t mean you don’t miss it. What you had was a kind of love that, to this day, you deem unrepeatable. Being with Satoru felt like knowing exactly where you were meant to be in the world: it was powerful and overwhelming, all consuming, a feeling strong enough to match the strongest there was. The beauty of it was that it was a balanced exchange coming from both sides, constantly created between you two in equal measure.

You’ve made peace with the thought that it won’t be possible to feel that way with someone that isn’t him, no even now that you’re in love and fairly happy, not even now that you’re free. Satoru is still there, all over you. But as much as you’re certain he’d still move heaven and hell and every other world or dimension available to make you happy, to keep you safe, it’s too late. It will always be too late.

“Yes” your reply is as dry as your throat.

Satoru remains silent, eyes focused on the glass of ice water in front of you, condensation dripping down onto the tabletop and forming a small puddle underneath it. The place is so fancy and yet cold drinks don’t come with coasters, it’s ridiculous.

“Does it compare?” the question comes out light, void of anger or bitterness. He wonders if you’ll still be fooled, even after so much time apart. Because no matter the way his whole being ached and burned and radiated with the disarming love he had for you, there was always a small, almost imperceptible part of Gojo Satoru he had always kept to himself. The same one that ruined everything, in the end.

“It doesn’t” you speak truthfully “but I’m happy”

He hums, pensive.

“I sure wonder what that feels like”

You shut your eyes for a second. It didn’t end with smoke and gunpowder, explosive fights, cheating or lying: you were too in love with each other to let any of that get in the way. It ended simply because he never thought it could end.

“It feels right” you push the knife a little deeper, not enough to tear him apart entirely but surely enough to make him feel it. And oh, does he feel it.

“Right”, Satoru repeats the word mockingly “I guess that means he’s the one. Better marry him fast”

The derision in his tone is just too much for you to bear. He’s still so good at pushing all your buttons until you snap, until you’re angry enough to forget the childish desire to safeguard his feelings. Why would he deserve such grace after everything he’d put you through?

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, Satoru. He’s already asked and I already said yes”

For a moment, he thinks there must be a curse concealed somewhere around the crowded teashop, somewhere between leaves and branches and colorful flowers. Because why else would everything be still alive, breathing, moving? How are people chatting mindlessly around him, how is the sudden, light rain still falling outside? Why isn’t everything motionless or at least slowly crumbling in on itself?

The strongest always needs a fragment to hold onto, something only his that can be worn like armor. Memories nag mercilessly at the back of his mind: the day he’d met you, a few seconds of playful banter enough to make him grin and drop a nonchalant well, this is going way too smoothly to not let it be a date. How he’d always make sure to get up at dawn whenever you spent the night wrapped in silk sheets, rushing to make breakfast and brew coffee because he simply couldn’t risk you collecting your clothes and vanishing from his apartment while he was asleep. The way you’d convinced him to try out a skincare routine, giggling as you carefully massaged clay masks and serums and your favorite moisturizer into his skin. All the times you’d waited for him to come home, movies watched on his couch, late night hushed conversations about the future, how you’d rolled your eyes with a coy smile at his m’gonna marry you.

He meant every word, could’ve sworn he would’ve stopped breathing if left without your lips on his for too long. He meant it, Satoru just thought he had all the time in the world. Because you were his and he was yours, what on earth could’ve changed that?

So he’d stopped notifying you when missions would take too long, leaving you waiting for his return for days, sometimes weeks, not a call nor a reply to your texts. He became increasingly annoyed at the idea of having to hang out with your friends, because he was tired and just didn’t feel like leaving the house and maybe you should’ve stayed too: you hadn’t spent some time alone in a while after all. He’d started throwing around words and phrases you both hated: overreacting, attention-seeking, blowing this out of proportion, don’t ya think you’re being too sensitive?

He forgot birthdays, anniversaries, claimed he couldn’t refuse to go on that mission right on Christmas day, your gift left to collect dust, unopened on his bed. And when you started drifting away, he didn’t notice. Not until your suitcase was packed and your warmth was taken away from his suddenly too large, dull, dark apartment.

So right now he needs it, that fragment. Hadn’t you called him heartless, once? It’s best you keep believing that. You may even be right: there’s not enough left of his heart anyway. He sure hopes you’ll be treated right this time, he wants to wish for your happiness and he does. But the desire for whatever joy expects you to never surpass the one you felt when you were with him is stronger. He will always hold onto that selfishness because it will be all he’s left with while you’re out in the world without him, forever.

“You never even replied when I asked” his smile is bitter, incredulous.

“You never meant it”

Fragment or not, that’s a lie he wouldn’t dare speak out loud. He could never agree with what you just said because, in his life, Satoru never meant anything as much as he did when he rambled endlessly about making you his wife, perfect wedding venue, guest list and witnesses already on his mind. Ring sitting in his secret drawer, still there, to this day.

He gets up and your gaze softens as you watch him put his sunglasses on again, some cash tucked under his empty glass. Of course you still care for him, you always will. And it’s not like it doesn’t hurt, the way this encounter went.

“I hope you find it, too” you mutter with a strange taste in your mouth, one not even all the tea in the world could wash away.

“I will” he flashes you a smile “try to stick around with this one, hm?” doesn’t even give you the time to let the petty words sink in as he gives the two-finger salute and turns around to exit the shop. Eye for an eye.

Whilst wandering through a wet and still overwhelmingly bustling Shibuya, Gojo Satoru chuckles to himself until a broken, boisterous laugh crawls all the way up from his throat. Pedestrians turn their heads in his direction but that only makes him laugh harder. Because how could they get the irony? He’s only had two people in his life that he’s called best friends at some point, only two people he’s loved with every fiber of his being, and he has lost both.

That’s probably the one curse he’ll never be able to exorcise.

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

Let's talk about the insane idea promoted by the hero society that self-sacrificing and sadness is better than hurting others and feeling rage. Or in other words, how dying for other and repressing your feelings even if they destroy you is better than becoming violent and letting your rage affect the course of the daily basis.

For the hero society, submissive individuals were better. Depressed as in being unable to act was better. Passive behavior was better. It's easier to feel pity and hold some mourning for the victims before moving on as if nothing happened.

Take Deku. If he had died by suicide only a few would care. He was an unimportant quirkless kid with no real potential to be a hero. Or if he had died saving Bakugo he would have become a martyr, a quirkless kid who got to be a hero for a day before tragically dying. The end.

That is why Aizawa is mad with All Might when he sees Deku. He could have died in the UA entrance test, it was impressive but what about Deku's life. That's also what Recovery Girl told All Might in the UA Sport Festival. That's what Deku needed to learn when he started using kicks instead of punches. Self-sacrificing shouldn't be idolized by the hero society. Ultimately, it is murder in the hands of the authorities who enforce such idea.

Take the League of Villains.

Ugly victims don't get help.

⠀

Ask Tenko. Walking alone on a busy street, with blood on his hands and eyes totally lost. No one helped him. He was not a cute kid crying like Eri, he was monstrous like. His accident was not one caused by a victim. It was the abuse of his father and tje unfortunate awakening of his quirk that ended with him murdering his entire family.

If he had stayed sitting silently, unable to weep or talk or cry, he would have died and no one would have known. Society would be happy because there's no Shigaraki Tomura, right?

Touya died on a forest fire and life moved on. His dad became even more abusive and reached the number one spot on the hero charts. Like the past never happened.

Toga's neglected childhood pushed her to the point she exploded and drank the blood of someone, but because she was already a monster like looking child, she wad regarded as a danger and his parents erased her presence from their house. If she had died on the streets or gotten captured, people would just think "good, one less psycho, we can keep going with our days".

Visually, it's easier to sympathize with a crying victim full of sadness and wounds. Some animal instinct of who knows. I don't. BUT it's way harder to sympathize with someone who shows their hurt by being very disruptive, loud, angry, violent. Especially if they can't cry, singe people equals crying to regret or pain. If someone is unable to cry, there must be something wrong with them.

⠀

The League of Villains goal in the narrative at the beginning of bnha is less Stain-like (there are a few bad apples in the basket we need to purge and everything will be good again) and more of Shigaraki's own ideology: society is rotten to the bone, even the greatest of heroes is corrupted and the cycle of violence is being used by the hero society as an excuse to control the public.

Funny. It was not a lie. With Lady Nagant's story and even with Hawk's we were witnesses of how the hero society was indeed rotten. And we saw a few paragraphs above why All Might was part of the corruption, if with good intentions, but still an important part of it.

There are two main responses to trauma in bnha. The hero society prefers the one that doesn't make them look bad.

⠀

So, what's the kick?

What happened with the League of Villains would have happened eventually with any other group of individuals. It was a natural reaction to a failed system, one AFO took advantage of in order to further his plans.

There was the Meta Liberation Army, where many or his members were pro-heroes btw. There was the situation with Overhaul and the whole issue with the quirk repressing drug. You had Aoyama, the hospital full of kids Touya woke up to, etc.

In order for a change to happen, a reactive factor was needed. Individuals who were not afraid to threat the commodities of the population, their peace of mind, people willing to ne disturbing and people able to shake the hero society foundations. It's not coincidence that those individuals were the same victims who, after being passive for so long, decided peace was not an option.

Am I justifying the actions of the League and blaming everything on the heroes ? No, I'm not.

Killing is killing. Murder is murder. We're not going machiavelli on here and saying they had no other choice (both heroes and villains).

What I'm saying is that both sides were equally right and wrong. Many heroes and villains got used by bigger players in the game. Ultimately the fight started being between the institutions of power around the world and AFO. In Japan, it was the Hero Commission.

Like in any other war, many heroes and villains killed each other thinking it was the right thing to do in order to help society reach higher ground, get better, heal, be safe, whatever. Brainwashed for sure, loyal to a cause that's not loyal to them.

⠀

The kick is in balance.

You can't take the blame of other actions and punish yourself for it. You can't make others responsible of your own actions either. You shouldn't be putting your life above others and you shouldn't be putting their lives below you.

Learning to separate the responsibilities, to notice the shades in which anger and sadness mix, to be able to say "we all matter equally" and know it means a victim can be an abuser too and deserves help as much as they should be hold accountable for. These are the struggles of bnha.

Good communication to avoid mindless violence.

There's where Deku and Tomura meet, in the middle of those lines. There's where Shoto and Dabi meet, where Toga and Ochako meet.

The Messiahs vs The Judas, assigned a role to play by society, either die or be killed tragically. The moment they can shed of those roles and see each other as human beings, that's the moment things will start changing for good.

[mirai-e-jump]

Beautiful Catalog Vol.1 ft. Kamen Rider Ryuki Cast Members Suga, Matsuda, Hagino and Ryohei Interviews & Photoshoot (pages and translations below)

Publication: December 16, 2002

Takamasa Suga (Ryuki) Interview

"We're enchanted by his soft and gentle smile~❤️❤️❤️. Maybe it's because he plays the role of a handsome man (?), but the image of Shinji Kido, played by Takamasa Suga-san in "Kamen Rider Ryuki" makes us feel relaxed when we see Suga-san~❤️❤️❤️. Shinji seems like an honest and hardworking guy, but we wonder, what does he and Suga-san have in common?"

Suga: For one thing, when I think like this, I really get into him, which I guess is all that there is? There are many things I can learn from him. Hmmm~, the same goes for his honesty, and also for his strength.

"Suga-san is also very laid back, yet he seems to have a strong core ❤️. You originally took lessons at a training school to become an actor, right?"

Suga: I've always loved and admired movies. When I was 18, I saw Iwai Shunji-san's movie "Swallowtail" in theaters, and when it was over, I was really shaken up. For awhile, I was in agony over what this feeling was. As time went on, it became clear to me that I wanted to express myself on that screen, and so I entered a training school to study acting. But, it wasn't interesting at all (laughs). I spent about a year wondering if this was the kind of expression I wanted to express. One day, I was sent to a movie set as an extra. I quit the training school because I realized that important things can only be learned on site.

"And? And? What happened after that????"

Suga: I had some free time, so I was given the opportunity to perform on stage. It was right around the time that I was introduced to my current agency, so that's how I ended up here (laughs).

"What was it like auditioning for Ryuki?"

Suga: I just wanted a job. I felt like I was grasping at straws. I was approached by my agency and accepted, but at first, Kamen Rider didn't really sound appealing (laughs).

"Eh~?! When you were a child, weren't there any heroes you admired?"

Suga: I only watched baseball, so I don't remember watching shows like that. I was a (Yomiuri) Giants fan, and it was around the time that (Masumi) Kuwata made his debut, so I think I remember saying, "Kuwata is the future!" (laughs)

"We wonder, what was Suga-san like as a child~?"

Suga: I was mischievous. My family owned a sushi restaurant, and I was always running around the store (laughs). There were many shops in the neighborhood. There was a grocery store next door, a soba noodle shop across the street, and a Chinese restaurant next door, as well as others. It gave off a downtown kind of atmosphere, you know?

"If you were to start a family, what kind of father would you want to be???"

Suga: In my family, both of my parents worked at the restaurant, so we rarely went anywhere as a family. That's why I hope I can create an environment where we can be together.

"Would you participate in the housework?"

Suga: I'll leave the housework to them!

"Would you cook?"

Suga: I don't do it.

"Cleaning?"

Suga: Not at all (laughs).

"Laundry?"

Suga: Well, when the time comes (laughs).

"I see. If it were Suga-san, I'd do anything for him ❤️. However, Suga-san is very fashionable and has a serious image, doesn't he? The outfits for this gravure photo shoot were also Suga-san's personal clothes, and even during talk shows, he wore a turban and a red western hat as his personality shines through⭐. Where do you find these Western styled clothes?

Suga: I'll wonder around Daikanyama, Harajuku, and Aoyama, and think things like, "Ah, I found something!" I don't decide what I'm going to buy today, I just go out on a whim and buy what I think looks nice. I'm not particular about brands either.

"Do you have any fashion references?"

Suga: There's nothing in particular. However, I do read fashion magazines. There's also alot of women's magazines, such as "Figaro," "Vogue," and "High Fashion"……I like women's fashion. The shapes and styles are beautiful.

"I see. The secret of Suga-san's cuteness may be because of the fact that he's honestly attracted to what suits his sense of style. His face is as beautiful as any girl's ❤️. I like girls who wear this kind of fashion when I walk with them! I wonder if he has any particular fashion preferences?"

Suga: That's not really true. I tend to dress up in various styles. But, I like girls who dress up and take care of their appearance. I think that's definitely more attractive as a woman.

"Well, who's your favorite actress?"

Suga: It's Kuroki Hitomi-san! My family loved Takarazuka Revue, and I thought she was beautiful from her Takarazuka days. I still admire her. She's both elegant and attractive, isn't she?

"I see, so older women are okay ❤️. I'm sure there are many mother fans whose maternal instincts are tickled by Suga-san, do you have any message for them?"

Suga: Please take care of your children! There's no exceptions (laughs). I think that Ryuki depicts a world that's truly profound even for adults, so please be sure to look at the content carefully.

"The show is coming to an end and the Riders are fighting a brutal battle. If it were Suga-san, what reasons would you have for fighting?"

Suga: Hmm, when I listen to the other Rider's reasons for fighting, I nod in agreement. It's a reason that only that person has. I think that's the theme of Ryuki as well. It's not about what's right and what's wrong, but since there's many different Riders, I think I've also asked questions like, "What is justice?"

"For example, would you fight for your family?"

Suga: I think so, if it were for family……I think I'd fight for someone I care about and want to care for.

"We know you're extremely busy right now, but what do you plan on doing after Ryuki is over?"

Suga: I'd like to try designing clothes. Also, I'm thinking of going to learn Japanese dance. After that, I'd like to get a license for a large motorcycle. There are so many things I want to do…..

"Finally, some words for the fans!"

Suga: I always do things at my own pace like this, so please continue to support me!

"Of course~ I hope you'll keep being Suga-san, and continue to move forward without losing that current freshness!"

Satoshi Matsuda (Knight) Interview

"A sharp gaze, and a tight body reminiscent of a wild beast. Satoshi Matsuda-san has a cool, wild, and mysterious feel to him, just like the image of Akiyama Ren (Knight) who he plays in "Kamen Rider Ryuki." However, he keeps quiet (laughs). When the hair and makeup artist said to him while setting his hair, "You have more than one whirlpool, don't you?" he responded with, "The official record is five." He also has an outstanding talent for winning the hearts of those around him! And when he smiles, it's so cute, your eyes will become dizzy~💙💙💙. There seems to be quite a gap between Matsuda-kun and Ren's character, but the actor himself feels no discomfort at all. He's an actor 💙. But still, it's tough having so much work, isn't it?"

Matsuda: I think one Kamen Rider is tougher on a schedule than having multiple jobs (laughs). Filming for the final scene of the movie version took a full 24 hours, starting at 6 a.m. and ending at 6 a.m. the next morning. After that, we were taken to a hotel, slept for 20 minutes, and then started filming for the TV version at 7 a.m. Filming would continue until 5 p.m. It really made me think that I was going to die (laughs).

"Normally, Matsuda-san is said to be the mood maker on set, and yet he was in such low spirits?"

Matsuda: No, I was in really high spirits. I was just going with the flow. I would fall asleep while in a standing position and wake up to the sound of "Test!" (laughs).

"Such a hard year is finally coming to an end, and we wonder what the end of Ryuki will be like~"

Matsuda: We don't even know if Ren will survive or die. But, even if the name of the show was "Kamen Rider Knight," I want to make sure that the story comes to an end, and I want to do my best to finish the story as Akiyama Ren.

"Despite his tough schedule, he made his debut as a singer with the maxi single "DISTANCE" on December 4!"

Matsuda: I was originally scouted as a singer. After 3 years, I was able to release a song with confidence. And, I think I did a great job~. We recorded 3 songs in 3 days, but we had to shoot Ryuki in the mornings, and the second day's shooting in particular was the scene where Knight screams in agony (laughs). There are no singers like that. Everyone was telling me to take care of my throat and use a humidifier instead of a heater (laughs). On top of all that, I couldn't even eat. I was told that if I put solid food down my throat, it would make my voice noisy, so I wasn't allowed to eat within 2 hours of it. I got through it with things like jelly drinks.

"Oh no~, you poor thing~!"

Matsuda: There's a bonus video on the CD that includes an interview with Manager Kawaguchi right after we finished recording the 3 songs. I was so careless with my manager that I was already dizzy. Since I was dealing with my manager, I let my guard down, so I was alittle unsteady~. I don't think you'll ever see such a burnt out look anywhere else, so it's quite a privilege (laughs).

"You released your personal DVD & Video "Colors" at the same time as the CD~. It also includes footage from the recording process. If you want to see Matsuda-san's true face, then there's his column "Matsuda Lab," which is currently being published on his website. It's a collection of hilarious and interesting writings, which set him apart from the plain diaries that are found on other talent's websites."

Matsuda: It's just for fun (laughs). When people who only know me as Akiyama Ren saw Matsuda Lab for the first time, they were shocked, and I still get emails saying, "I was surprised."

"It's certainly a surprising true face, and it's completely exposed. Apparently, he now types it on his computer, but before that, he'd write it on manuscript paper and have it retyped."

Matsuda: I would get very angry if I got even one punctuation mark wrong, so the person typing was very nervous (laughs).

"You pay attention to every detail 💙. If you join the fan club, you'll be able to see more in depth (?) columns and special videos. I'm curious. We heard that you used to always respond to fan letters and e-mails, but the support of your fans is a source of energy, right?"

Matsuda: Energy's also a big part of it, so I'd like to know what you are looking for from Satoshi Matsuda. There's another "me" who's controlling "Satoshi Matsuda," and he wants to know your opinions (laugh). These days, I don't have much time to reply, but I do read all the letters and e-mails.

"I think there are alot of fans who are older than you, but how old would your lover be?"

Matsuda: It doesn't matter if they're 30 or 35 years old. My grandmother is eight or nine years older than my grandfather, and because of that, every couple in my family has an older female member. I'm not particular about it either.

"Well then~💙. So, have you ever thought about what kind of family you want to have?"

Matsuda: I don't really feel like it. But, there are moments where I'd like to get married. I like seeing happy families at events. And yet, I can't imagine myself as a father. I wonder what it'd be like to become a second generation, when I myself haven't mastered anything yet.

"I think you're abit like Ren in that he's stoic 💙. When you were a child, who was the hero that you idolized?"

Matsuda: Hmmm, there was no one there. I was just a kid who fished outside all the time.

"Your hobby is still fishing, right~?"

Matsuda: To be honest, I want to hide a fishing rod with me on set. If they found out, they'll probably say, "Are you serious?!," but it's frustrating when filming finishes first thing in the morning and there's a good fishing spot right over there. But, my rod is long and stands out. It's a 50,000* yen rod with a reel that costs 40,000-50,000 yen, so it feels like a professional grade weapon for catching fish (laughs). (*over $300)

"He specializes in black bass, with his largest official record being 52cm (20.5in)! Ama~zing! When I asked him to give a final message for the fans, he thought for a moment before answering with……"

Matsuda: Some people seem to think that singing is a side job, but I'm doing my best in singing as well. I can't say which is most important, acting or singing. I hope that people will watch and listen to my performances and judge them for themselves.

"Never cutting corners! So cool~💙💙💙. What else would you like to do in the future?"

Matsuda: I'd like to try radio. With the same spirit as Matsuda Lab.

"We're sure it'll be fun! We'll warmly welcome your efforts that make use of your unique character, and of course, your looks 💙."

Takashi Hagino (Ouja) Interview

"His eyes, with their intense shine, are truly those of Ouja! Once you've caught a glimpse of him with those eyes, you'll be captivated~💜💜💜. Takashi Hagino-san starred as Akira Suzumura in the cult classic show "Choukou Senshi Changerion," and also appeared in "Kamen Rider Ryuki," which was produced by the same Producer, as Takeshi Asakura. His blonde hair matches the mood of his role, and with a leopard print shirt, and slim black pants……it's too intense, isn't it scary?"

Hagino: It's really scary. Nah, I'm kidding, I don't actually know (laughs). I don't mind if people think I'm scary.

"He has the sex appeal of a man, but also has the innocent smile of a boy~💜💜💜. That's how he attacks when his prey is distracted~ (laughs). We wonder if Asakura, a brutal murderer and escaped prisoner, has anything in common with Hagino-san."

Hagino: I think there's some. When you've been doing it for a long time, you become influenced by the role you play. When I'm tired, I'm like, "I'm irritated!" (laughs).

"There it is! Asakura's famous line (?), "I'm irritated!" How does it feel to play such an intense role?"

Hagino: Regardless, it's alot of fun. It's not a role I get to play very often, so I want to enjoy it even more until the end. I don't want to relax in my private life right now, rather, I want to finish the story in the same way that I've been doing it so far. I want to keep the tension, and perform with a sense of urgency. In the meantime, I try to watch the news and live a normal life.

"I guess you could say you've broke new ground as an actor, huh~?"

Hagino: As a job, I was enthusiastic and thought, "Let's do this!" But it was my first time playing such a role, and I didn't have any hesitations about how I was going to do such an amazing role, but strangely enough, I was able to play it quite naturally from the first day. So I'm not sure I can call it breaking new grounds.

"That's true, your performance suggests that you've had plenty of experience. Given your career, we wonder, are you like the older brother on set?"

Hagino: Until now, I've often worked on set with senior actors, and there weren't many people younger than me. That's why it was interesting to see where I stood on set this time around. Suga-kun and Matsuda-kun are really good kids, and I've become inspired by the younger people. I've learned alot from their youthful energy and the way they use it. In my role, I often interact with Ryohei-kun, who's the same age as me, so we have alot of fun together.

"As a fan, it's very moving to see Hagino-san, who used to play the role of Akira Suzumura with all his heart, grow like a snake, shedding its skin, and happily playing the role of Takeshi Asakura. What has the reaction from viewers been like?"

Hagino: There was an episode called "The Girl and Ouja," and since then, I've been getting an incredible amount of fan letters. Until then, I had received letters from people who said they liked, "scary things" and "bad guys" in a cult like way, but when they said, "I saw a different side of him, even though he is a bad guy," the number of letters increased rapidly.

"So, what kind of hero did Hagino-san himself admire during his childhood?"

Hagino: There was no one in particular, but I think I had a desire to become a hero. When I was a child, I genuinely thought that helping the weak was heroic, and I admired it. Doing things like helping girls even if they're elementary school students. In my role now however, I bully girls (laughs).

"Even so, for some reason, Hagino-san always plays "unusual" heroes, right? He's so handsome, that maybe he plays untraditional heros without any complaints?!"

Hagino: I think the roles I've been given to play are wonderful. Both Akira Suzumura and Takeshi Asakura are honest with themselves. I'm not saying that heroes need to be honest, but I think that it's very important. There's something in me that's attracted to that part.

"We wonder what kind of child Hagino-san was~?"

Hagino: I was naughty. But, I studied for entrance exams and went to cram school (laughs). I liked being called "boy." There are pictures of me studying until midnight, and of going to school with dark circles under my eyes. I'd get so excited when it came to studying, that I'd suddenly realize it was 2 a.m. (laughs). I was like, hey, I'm pretty amazing. I liked doing those kinds of things (laughs).

"Kya~! That's just like Hagino-san 💜. What kind of father do you think you'd be if you had children?"

Hagino: I can only imagine, but I think I'd really love it. After work, I'd feel like going home right away.

"Would you let your own child watch Ryuki?"

Hagino: That's……They can watch it, because it's their own father (laughs). If they complain, I'll just slap them. I'm just kidding about that last part (laughs).

"By the way, you also tried your hand at singing for the first time with the CD, "Kamen Rider Ryuki Song Collection", right?"

Hagino: It was alot of fun! I was able to experience recording for the first time in my life, so I was very satisfied with it (laughs). The voice training and the production process were also interesting. Also, I was really nervous. The engineers and everyone else were professionals, so I knew I had to do it right. But, I'm not a professional singer, so I had no choice but to do the best I could, but when I actually tried it, it was alot of fun.

"Does this mean, you'll debut as a full fledged singer?!"

Hagino: It's not like I said to myself, "I want to be a singer!," but it was an experience that I'd like to do again if I get the chance.

"As expected, you'll continue to focus mostly on acting in the future, right?"

Hagino: That's right. I want to play various roles in various situations. I want to play roles that I've never played before, and I want to play roles that I have played before.

"I see. If the current Hagino-san were to play Akira Suzumura, I'm sure we'd see a new side to him. Now then, some final words to the fans!"

Hagino: As long as you enjoy it, that's the most important thing. I'll do my best, so I hope everyone enjoys watching.

"We had a great time during the interview with him, with his skillful storytelling and sexy beams bursting 💜. We hope he'll continue to entertain us more and more as an actor and singer (?)~💜💜💜.

Ryohei (Zolda) Interview

"Kya~! He's sooo~ tall~! Furthermore, his handsome and chiseled face is so cool that it makes us dizzy~. That's because Ryohei-san, who plays the role of Shuichi Kitaoka, a talented lawyer known as Zolda in "Kamen Rider Ryuki," is an active fashion model with a career spanning about 7 years~💚."

Ryohei: In the modeling world, there are people taller than me, but in the entertainment world, I'd say there's only Abe Hiroshi-san (laughs). I don't mind it anymore, but I used to have a complex about it.

"He has long, slender legs, which we think is one of his charming points. Although he has experience from appearing in commercials, this is his first real acting job!"

Ryohei: I've always liked Kamen Rider and other heroic show, and when I was a child, I would wrap myself up in the curtains around my house and say, "Henshin!" That's why I was genuinely happy. You'd never think that you can become a hero, or that you yourself can transform, right?! When I got the role, I was just so happy, that I couldn't stop cackling.

"When he's silent, he looks just like Kitaoka, cool and mature, but when he speaks, he gives off a playful, boyish look that's very cute~💚💚💚. But, you couldn't "cackle" once filming started, could you?"

Ryohei: I think that acting is the same whether it's a regular drama or a tokusatsu production, the creators are always on site, and they're always trying to produce high quality work, so you can't go to a production site just to have fun. There was such a sense of urgency on set, that I felt my back tense up.

"Your schedule was tough, wasn't it~?."

Ryohei: There were times when I didn't perform, so it wasn't that tough. It was a relief for me since I had no experience in acting, but still, I was always nervous whenever I entered the set (laugh). If I go in every day, I can stay in the mode of my role for a long time, but after a 2 week gap, I'm back to my normal self. It was quite difficult to get back into the role. I also tried to imagine how Kitaoka would spend his time off screen.

"What are some similarities and differences between Ryohei-san and the lawyer Kitaoka?"

Ryohei: The movements and gestures are as close to mine as possible. I don't usually talk like him though (laughs). When I first received the script, I thought he was a lawyer, had money, and was a slick guy who could do anything. I hadn't heard that he was suffering from a disease, so I wanted to make him come off as arrogant, obnoxious and unpleasant.

"I see. Kitaoka, a confident man who carries the shadow of his illness, is attractive, but Ryohei-san, who is friendly and talks about many things, is also wonderful~💚. Did you ever feel confused on set?"

Ryohei: To be honest, I never ever knew what to ask. I saw various cast members coming in later and asking the Director questions about things they didn't understand, and that's when I realized that it was okay to ask questions. Since then, whenever I have a question or an opinion like, "Isn't it better to do something like this?," I'll say it as much as I can.

"The setting is that, "Riders are fighting each other!" There are alot of different actors in the show, which is interesting as a viewer, but isn't it also exciting when on set?"

Ryohei: Even though they're younger than me, there are some people who are my seniors when it comes to acting. There's so many different styles and personalities, and it's both instructive and stimulating. I realized again how interesting acting is, and I also realized how difficult it is. It's so deep that when you look up, there's no end to it. I always try not to make mistakes the next time, but when filming finishes, I find myself regretting something again, and the cycle repeats itself. But, I wonder if it'd be bad if that stopped.

"I wonder, what's the difference between modeling work and acting? When I looked at the gravure photoshoot earlier, I saw that your poses and facial expressions were so perfect, and I felt that this is what you'd expect from model!💚💚💚"

Ryohei: It's been a long time since I've done a gravure shoot, so it felt really good. Modeling is all about having fun in the moment. Once I enter the studio, I look at the atmosphere, the photographer's personality, and the clothes they're wearing, and I instantly think about how I want to act. It's an instantaneous decision. As an actor, you spend alot more time developing your character, so it's a great feeling of fulfillment after you're done. There's differences between the two, kind of like short distance running and long distance running, but the sense of accomplishment is the same and both are enjoyable.

"When it comes to future activities, we wonder, what are you thinking about~?"

Ryohei: Regarding roles, I'd like to play a variety of roles without refusing any that are presented to me. It could be a murderer or a comedian. I think that my current popularity was gained as a result of the popularity of tokusatsu, and not because of my ability. From now on, I want to work on closing the gap that has opened between my popularity and my ability. I don't want to let down my fans, so I want to do various things to improve my skills, and I want to acquire as many things as possible as an actor. In that sense, I'm very "hungry."

"Kya~! (starts clapping) Now that I think about it, Ryohei-san also has experience as a salaryman. Now that he's had alot of experience, his words carry alot of weight to them, anyway, tell us about the type of woman you like and your views on marriage~!!!"

Ryohei: I don't have a specific type, but my type is the person I'll fall in love with (laughs). Marriage is about your partner, so I hope to meet someone who has similar values to mine.

"We're curious, in Ryuki, what's going on with the relationship between lawyer Kitaoka and his male secretary Goro-chan?"

Ryohei: It's a mystery, isn't it? (laughs). Since we don't see much of Kitaoka's private living space, we can only imagine how they live together. Personally, I think that maybe Goro-chan is a live in worker, and that they each have separate rooms and are living a normal life.

"With some mysteries remaining (laughs), Ryuki is finally coming to an end, huh?"

Ryohei: I don't know how things will turn out myself, but please look forward to more drama towards the conclusion, as well as the future of Shuichi Kitaoka and the Kitaoka Law Office!

"We're really looking forward to what Ryohei-san will do after he plays Kitaoka~💚💚💚."