Focus on: [MaoJun fanfic] "Something Certain."
First of all, if this post looks too long when you click the LJ cut, please PLEASE at least read the last paragraph (and no, I don't just mean the tiny sentence there, haha) under the cut. Moving along… Under the LJ cuts, you will find the "making of" this story, as well as all the gratitude I owe everyone. ^_^ I wrote the LJ cut post on February 11th or 12th... sometime in the middle of the voting process for the 2009 Valentines Maotsujun fanfic challenge. So with that in mind, I didn't properly congratulate the winner of the challenge under the cut, so I'll do it here:
Congratulations to the winner of the 2009 Maotsujun Valentine Fic Challenge: junbait
She wrote an amazing fic and totally deserves the reward. ^_^ *hugs*
So many sources… there was a point where I had at least twelve internet browsers up to make sure the time line was okay. (Which I’m still not entirely sure works, honestly. lol)
I was fairly upset when I found how Jun was very sick during September 29, 2007. It kind of ruined my time line, but at the same time saved it. I changed dates accordingly to make it work. *heh heh* If you guys don’t know what I’m talking about, please check fybabe’s blog, it’s really depressing to have read about him so sad and sick during that JunStyle.
Speaking of JunStyle…. I listened to JunStyle for the first time fully through (I know, shoot me) while writing this fanfic. I don’t know how many of you know this but my favorite Arashi member is Nino, so I don’t keep too many tabs on Jun really. Only if it’s pertaining to Mao-chan. ^-^() Oh, and if I’m watching Arashi stuffs in general I find myself looking for Jun because his reactions are always the best. Gah, I love this band altogether, never mind.
Ahem. Okay, so sources to list. Thank you fybabe, kikinini, Taiji Project, Oukyumi @ vox, D-Addicts forum, Tenjo Style, unleashthegeek, Popcornfor2 (specifically the Oguri Shun thread in the J Stars section), Youtube (for giving me a place to listen to great songs), and Google. I don’t think I’ve ever typed the word “translation” so many times in one week.
Again, I found myself deleting portions and editing lots of these “mini-fanfics” down. Some of the stories have longer versions, like the random bar scene. Haha, I put so much effort in making the very last scene the best one though. I hope it stood out as most memorable, although my personal favorite has to be Mao-chan’s friends teasing her during lunch.
So I did so much reading, and typing, and scrolling and overall researching that my brain goes in and out of focus, like… I feel like I was kinda floating and then my body sort of tipped and I was like: “WHOA, Hello Earth.” Yeah. It was then that I knew I should take a break… but I really, really wanted to finish…
As promised, here’s the songs I listened to in order from the most to least played (and Youtube links to go with them) There were points where I just listened to “Niji” on loop for an hour. I also listened to “Falling Slowly” so many times. I’m surprised I didn’t get tired of them. I recommend both highly.
Niji - Ninomiya Kazunari
Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova & The Frames
Tashika na Koto - Oda Kazumasa
Kokoro - Oda Kazumasa
Kitto Daijoubu - Arashi
and then for the last scene, I listened to “Untiss” by Bloodhound Gang and “Requiem for a Dream” Paul Oakenfold remix. Different songs for different moods. ^.~
I did not write this fanfic in one sitting. I know some people could do that and they still come out fantastic… but as some of you might know, sometimes it takes me a short amount of time to crank a fanfic out, but others (such as “My best friend,” and “I don’t not love you!”) take weeks to complete. This story, “Something Certain,” in particular was a weird experience for me because what should have been done with a time length almost as long as it took me to write “My best friend,” (a little over a month or so?) had to be condensed into one week... mostly because I didn’t feel the “right” feelings when thinking about what plot I should submit until like, six or so days before the original deadline. I really wanted to submit something funny and comedic, but when I started to set this other plot I had in mind into written form I just didn’t feel the “swell” of oncoming ideas, feelings and thoughts that usually came when I wrote a fanfic. I still have the plot in mind, so maybe later I’ll start writing it again (after I finish up chapter 3 of “I don’t not love you!”).
Anyway, I don’t know how I got the idea for “Something Certain.” I’d like to give some elaborate story but… I don’t have one. >.< All I know was that I was looking up Jun’s favorite love song because I wanted to hear it and then I remembered that Mao-chan and Jun shared the same love song and I thought that was really sweet. Then I set off to find the translations (thanks to Taiji Project again).
I have to send a special thank you in Zohariel’s (westhabsfan ) direction too. She once called “My best friend” pretty westernized, and so this time I wanted to emphasize the “Japanese innocence,” as opposed to the public displays of (blatant) affection that westernized cultures generally have no problem with. So, as tempting as it was to write Mao-chan giving into Jun’s wishes and kissing him on the lips, I felt it best to make her seem “shy” about it. I also wanted to focus on the development of feelings instead of the usual “Oh, they already like each other and here’s the cute stuff that happens to them,” atmosphere that I usually set my stories in. So… there are many types of love in this story.
The beginning scene of this story I referenced Shun’s “All Night Nippon” with Jun as guest and they call Mao-chan at 1am. Jun’s “love” in this scene of the story is very very subtle. I don’t think anyone even paid much attention to it until the portion of Oda Kazumasa’s song comes in (“As I looked up at the sky, I thought, what can I do for you now?”). This love for Mao is more for friendship, and the strong need to develop a bond with another person. Mao-chan had it too for Jun, which is why she didn’t turn him away when he called to her. She wanted to talk to him all this time, but never did because she was afraid of him “rejecting” her like when they first met in the TBS building and she was next to a vending machine trying to be friendly. Of course, Jun doesn’t remember this, so he’s completely confused all this time. *smiles*
Another type of love comes in the third scene where Mao-chan is feeling depressed because a friend is hospitalized. This is where Jun gets his first glimpse of her personal life and he finds out what a truly rare breed she is. Mao-chan is seriously concerned for her friend and Jun begins to have a different impression of Mao-chan altogether here. I wouldn’t call this love one of attraction just yet though. I believe Jun-kun here feels a change in their relationship altogether, even though Mao-chan isn’t aware of it. Jun is really into being fair (from what I observed anyway), so in the story even though I didn’t type it down, I had the mentality that Jun wanted to be there for Mao-chan because she had no one to be there for her in turn when she needed comfort.
The next scene was a personal favorite of mine to write. I always liked the idea of Mao-chan texting Jun, and I was so happy to finally write it. They’re still very much friends in this scene, but they hold special places in each other’s hearts. They respect each other, trust each other, and best of all… Mao-chan misses Jun here. You can’t really tell, but she does. I’m referencing Mao’s response in an interview on a show (don’t remember the name, I want to say Hanamaru Café?) where Mao-chan says she’s very cool about love, and the guy she likes wouldn’t be able to tell. I don’t think they like each other *just* yet, but they do feel something different about each other that sets each of them apart from the usual “friends.” I put this scene in a semi-weird place, because the part of Oda Kazumasa’s song that follows is, “I'd rather trust than doubt, even if the wounds in my heart never go away
Let's go looking for the things we've lost, I'm sure we'll find them someday.” I imagined Mao-chan feeling this way. She wants to go back and salvage their friendship because they haven’t seen each other in so long and she still considered Jun a really good friend.
The next two scenes are where you find out Mao-chan and Jun-kun really do like each other, but both are so “shy” that they dance around it (literally for Mao-chan, haha!). I’d even go out on a limb and call it love. Not in love just yet, but they feel strongly for the other.
The scene where they’re about to promote Hana Yori Dango in “All Night Nippon” is fairly interesting too. In real life, we got Shun’s side of the story where he see F3 and Mao-chan all looking “gorgeous” and Shun is amazed because for a change they’re all in their normal clothes. I took that same story and just set it to the perspective of the people outside. *smiles* Mao-chan and Jun-kun here are boyfriend and girlfriend now, teeeheeee.
Then there’s Valentines Day.
I really liked how I ended this story.
I remember thinking upon how exactly I’d end this songfic because I wasn’t sure how to make the last scene cute enough for the audience to squeal over since it’d be Mao-chan doing all the work. I mean, it’s pretty easy for girls to squeal over Jun-kun doing something cute for Mao-chan, but not very often do we squeal over Mao-chan doing something sweet to Jun. I knew that I wanted Mao-chan to give Jun a puppy. That was the only thing in the writing process that never changed. In the end, I decided the way to do this is to make it as simple and natural as possible between the two of them. I mean, Jun and Mao-chan are so cute together without trying anyway, right? I hope everyone enjoyed the last part.
When I finished writing this story and read it for the first time I felt a mixture of feelings, and not all were positive. The more I read this fic the more complicated the feelings got. I don’t think I read any of my other fics (besides “My best friend”) as much as I did this one. I wasn’t sure about my standing with it (if I liked it or not so much). There was a point right after I submitted it for the Valentine Challenge where I reread the fic one more time and decided that even though I gave it my best I didn’t feel satisfied and happy with it. But now, half-way through the fanfiction contest and with everyone submitting their votes… I feel happy with “Something Certain.” Even though I know it didn’t *completely* adhere to the theme, and even if that makes me lose the chance at such a beautiful magazine reward, I’m happy I had the opportunity to participate alongside such great talents. ebisu_midnights is so blessed to have such writers under its wing.
I wrote “Something Certain” strictly for the fans as opposed to “My best friend” which I wrote for me. I tried my best at making this as absolutely realistic as possible to Inoue Mao and Matsumoto Jun and did much more research for this story than any fic previous. There’s little details in the fic too that I doubt people even noticed, like… how in the beginning Jun called Mao-chan “Inoue-san” or “Inoue Mao-san,” eventually transitioned to “Calimero” and then at the end he just calls her “Mao.” Or how the further the story progressed the more you read the words “laugh,” “smile,” “chuckle,” and “giggle.” I just thought it would be pretty sweet to see not only their feelings get stronger, but their trust and appreciation for each other too. At the end, all Mao-chan is, is pretty much a ball of pure bliss and contentment. There are more little things, but maybe you’ve already found them. *smiles* Anyway… I hope you all liked this fanfiction. It’s a tribute and dedication to all MaoJun fans out there. Thanks to everyone’s hard work, translations, analysis, information, and undying spirit for our favorite loveteam. And most of all…
Thank you for letting me into your world. ^_^
~yoshi09
Congratulations to the winner of the 2009 Maotsujun Valentine Fic Challenge: junbait
She wrote an amazing fic and totally deserves the reward. ^_^ *hugs*
So many sources… there was a point where I had at least twelve internet browsers up to make sure the time line was okay. (Which I’m still not entirely sure works, honestly. lol)
I was fairly upset when I found how Jun was very sick during September 29, 2007. It kind of ruined my time line, but at the same time saved it. I changed dates accordingly to make it work. *heh heh* If you guys don’t know what I’m talking about, please check fybabe’s blog, it’s really depressing to have read about him so sad and sick during that JunStyle.
Speaking of JunStyle…. I listened to JunStyle for the first time fully through (I know, shoot me) while writing this fanfic. I don’t know how many of you know this but my favorite Arashi member is Nino, so I don’t keep too many tabs on Jun really. Only if it’s pertaining to Mao-chan. ^-^() Oh, and if I’m watching Arashi stuffs in general I find myself looking for Jun because his reactions are always the best. Gah, I love this band altogether, never mind.
Ahem. Okay, so sources to list. Thank you fybabe, kikinini, Taiji Project, Oukyumi @ vox, D-Addicts forum, Tenjo Style, unleashthegeek, Popcornfor2 (specifically the Oguri Shun thread in the J Stars section), Youtube (for giving me a place to listen to great songs), and Google. I don’t think I’ve ever typed the word “translation” so many times in one week.
Again, I found myself deleting portions and editing lots of these “mini-fanfics” down. Some of the stories have longer versions, like the random bar scene. Haha, I put so much effort in making the very last scene the best one though. I hope it stood out as most memorable, although my personal favorite has to be Mao-chan’s friends teasing her during lunch.
So I did so much reading, and typing, and scrolling and overall researching that my brain goes in and out of focus, like… I feel like I was kinda floating and then my body sort of tipped and I was like: “WHOA, Hello Earth.” Yeah. It was then that I knew I should take a break… but I really, really wanted to finish…
As promised, here’s the songs I listened to in order from the most to least played (and Youtube links to go with them) There were points where I just listened to “Niji” on loop for an hour. I also listened to “Falling Slowly” so many times. I’m surprised I didn’t get tired of them. I recommend both highly.
Niji - Ninomiya Kazunari
Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova & The Frames
Tashika na Koto - Oda Kazumasa
Kokoro - Oda Kazumasa
Kitto Daijoubu - Arashi
and then for the last scene, I listened to “Untiss” by Bloodhound Gang and “Requiem for a Dream” Paul Oakenfold remix. Different songs for different moods. ^.~
I did not write this fanfic in one sitting. I know some people could do that and they still come out fantastic… but as some of you might know, sometimes it takes me a short amount of time to crank a fanfic out, but others (such as “My best friend,” and “I don’t not love you!”) take weeks to complete. This story, “Something Certain,” in particular was a weird experience for me because what should have been done with a time length almost as long as it took me to write “My best friend,” (a little over a month or so?) had to be condensed into one week... mostly because I didn’t feel the “right” feelings when thinking about what plot I should submit until like, six or so days before the original deadline. I really wanted to submit something funny and comedic, but when I started to set this other plot I had in mind into written form I just didn’t feel the “swell” of oncoming ideas, feelings and thoughts that usually came when I wrote a fanfic. I still have the plot in mind, so maybe later I’ll start writing it again (after I finish up chapter 3 of “I don’t not love you!”).
Anyway, I don’t know how I got the idea for “Something Certain.” I’d like to give some elaborate story but… I don’t have one. >.< All I know was that I was looking up Jun’s favorite love song because I wanted to hear it and then I remembered that Mao-chan and Jun shared the same love song and I thought that was really sweet. Then I set off to find the translations (thanks to Taiji Project again).
I have to send a special thank you in Zohariel’s (westhabsfan ) direction too. She once called “My best friend” pretty westernized, and so this time I wanted to emphasize the “Japanese innocence,” as opposed to the public displays of (blatant) affection that westernized cultures generally have no problem with. So, as tempting as it was to write Mao-chan giving into Jun’s wishes and kissing him on the lips, I felt it best to make her seem “shy” about it. I also wanted to focus on the development of feelings instead of the usual “Oh, they already like each other and here’s the cute stuff that happens to them,” atmosphere that I usually set my stories in. So… there are many types of love in this story.
The beginning scene of this story I referenced Shun’s “All Night Nippon” with Jun as guest and they call Mao-chan at 1am. Jun’s “love” in this scene of the story is very very subtle. I don’t think anyone even paid much attention to it until the portion of Oda Kazumasa’s song comes in (“As I looked up at the sky, I thought, what can I do for you now?”). This love for Mao is more for friendship, and the strong need to develop a bond with another person. Mao-chan had it too for Jun, which is why she didn’t turn him away when he called to her. She wanted to talk to him all this time, but never did because she was afraid of him “rejecting” her like when they first met in the TBS building and she was next to a vending machine trying to be friendly. Of course, Jun doesn’t remember this, so he’s completely confused all this time. *smiles*
Another type of love comes in the third scene where Mao-chan is feeling depressed because a friend is hospitalized. This is where Jun gets his first glimpse of her personal life and he finds out what a truly rare breed she is. Mao-chan is seriously concerned for her friend and Jun begins to have a different impression of Mao-chan altogether here. I wouldn’t call this love one of attraction just yet though. I believe Jun-kun here feels a change in their relationship altogether, even though Mao-chan isn’t aware of it. Jun is really into being fair (from what I observed anyway), so in the story even though I didn’t type it down, I had the mentality that Jun wanted to be there for Mao-chan because she had no one to be there for her in turn when she needed comfort.
The next scene was a personal favorite of mine to write. I always liked the idea of Mao-chan texting Jun, and I was so happy to finally write it. They’re still very much friends in this scene, but they hold special places in each other’s hearts. They respect each other, trust each other, and best of all… Mao-chan misses Jun here. You can’t really tell, but she does. I’m referencing Mao’s response in an interview on a show (don’t remember the name, I want to say Hanamaru Café?) where Mao-chan says she’s very cool about love, and the guy she likes wouldn’t be able to tell. I don’t think they like each other *just* yet, but they do feel something different about each other that sets each of them apart from the usual “friends.” I put this scene in a semi-weird place, because the part of Oda Kazumasa’s song that follows is, “I'd rather trust than doubt, even if the wounds in my heart never go away
Let's go looking for the things we've lost, I'm sure we'll find them someday.” I imagined Mao-chan feeling this way. She wants to go back and salvage their friendship because they haven’t seen each other in so long and she still considered Jun a really good friend.
The next two scenes are where you find out Mao-chan and Jun-kun really do like each other, but both are so “shy” that they dance around it (literally for Mao-chan, haha!). I’d even go out on a limb and call it love. Not in love just yet, but they feel strongly for the other.
The scene where they’re about to promote Hana Yori Dango in “All Night Nippon” is fairly interesting too. In real life, we got Shun’s side of the story where he see F3 and Mao-chan all looking “gorgeous” and Shun is amazed because for a change they’re all in their normal clothes. I took that same story and just set it to the perspective of the people outside. *smiles* Mao-chan and Jun-kun here are boyfriend and girlfriend now, teeeheeee.
Then there’s Valentines Day.
I really liked how I ended this story.
I remember thinking upon how exactly I’d end this songfic because I wasn’t sure how to make the last scene cute enough for the audience to squeal over since it’d be Mao-chan doing all the work. I mean, it’s pretty easy for girls to squeal over Jun-kun doing something cute for Mao-chan, but not very often do we squeal over Mao-chan doing something sweet to Jun. I knew that I wanted Mao-chan to give Jun a puppy. That was the only thing in the writing process that never changed. In the end, I decided the way to do this is to make it as simple and natural as possible between the two of them. I mean, Jun and Mao-chan are so cute together without trying anyway, right? I hope everyone enjoyed the last part.
When I finished writing this story and read it for the first time I felt a mixture of feelings, and not all were positive. The more I read this fic the more complicated the feelings got. I don’t think I read any of my other fics (besides “My best friend”) as much as I did this one. I wasn’t sure about my standing with it (if I liked it or not so much). There was a point right after I submitted it for the Valentine Challenge where I reread the fic one more time and decided that even though I gave it my best I didn’t feel satisfied and happy with it. But now, half-way through the fanfiction contest and with everyone submitting their votes… I feel happy with “Something Certain.” Even though I know it didn’t *completely* adhere to the theme, and even if that makes me lose the chance at such a beautiful magazine reward, I’m happy I had the opportunity to participate alongside such great talents. ebisu_midnights is so blessed to have such writers under its wing.
I wrote “Something Certain” strictly for the fans as opposed to “My best friend” which I wrote for me. I tried my best at making this as absolutely realistic as possible to Inoue Mao and Matsumoto Jun and did much more research for this story than any fic previous. There’s little details in the fic too that I doubt people even noticed, like… how in the beginning Jun called Mao-chan “Inoue-san” or “Inoue Mao-san,” eventually transitioned to “Calimero” and then at the end he just calls her “Mao.” Or how the further the story progressed the more you read the words “laugh,” “smile,” “chuckle,” and “giggle.” I just thought it would be pretty sweet to see not only their feelings get stronger, but their trust and appreciation for each other too. At the end, all Mao-chan is, is pretty much a ball of pure bliss and contentment. There are more little things, but maybe you’ve already found them. *smiles* Anyway… I hope you all liked this fanfiction. It’s a tribute and dedication to all MaoJun fans out there. Thanks to everyone’s hard work, translations, analysis, information, and undying spirit for our favorite loveteam. And most of all…
Thank you for letting me into your world. ^_^
~yoshi09