iverin
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zekkouchou
[J-Gen/STAY Project] J-Gen--JE
Title: J-Gen
Fandom: Johnny's Entertainment
Characters: Shibutani Subaru, Takizawa Hideaki, Akanishi Jin, Yamashita Tomohisa, and the rest of You&J (plus guest mentions)
Rating: PG for language
Warnings: Silliness.
Summary: The newest project by JE may be one of the ultimate Valentine's Day gifts a fan could get. Here's your exclusive behind the scenes look at the CD of a lifetime!
Notes: THIS IS ENTIRELY FICTION, despite my amazing tagline. Set in an imaginary near future.
Written for the 24-hour Valentine's Day Fic Challenge. Massive thanks and love to everyone I met in chat. <3
Other writers for this challenge:
acchikocchi | agirlcalledkil | anamuan | devetir | honooko | imwahyou | iverin | jackoweskla | jadedfrenzy | jain | jnessap | ky_rin | mousapelli | pearljemz | peroxidepest17 | procreational | shatteredinu | soucieux | thawrecka | tinyangl | tokyostory
When spring sun thaws Osaka
And the flowers bloom near Ginkakuji
I remember the warmth of your hand
That stolen kiss at Ueno lingers
Even as the petals fall
My memories will always be sakura-colored
Subaru was, at the very least, skeptical. "It's a little too... much for this time of year, right?"
Yasu shrugged and handed the lyrics back to his friend. "You have a better part than I do, but it's really pretty. It's sweet!" Subaru frowned and leaned away from Yasu.
Yoko brandished his own sheet eyes wide with disbelief. "At least you guys don't have to recite some silly poem at the end."
"It's all Subaru," Hina added, putting his sheet back into his music portfolio. "Kind of interesting for a new single."
"They've had us all singing lately," Maru chimed in, nudging Subaru. "Full lines, the verses and everything... You're the diva this time!"
Subaru looked at Ohkura for a final response.
...Ohkura yawned.
***
Jin held the strawberry lollipop between his front teeth and looked as blasé as ever. The rest of KAT-TUN was more vocal about the new single they were going to record.
Kame passed his lyric sheet to Koki. "It's pretty, at least. Sakura and all that..."
"Yeah, but it looks like it's not done yet," Koki said, scanning the page. His mouth quirked and he pointed to a set of lines. "There's a rap, sort of. Why'd they write it for me?"
Ueda stopped plucking at his guitar just long enough to hand Koki a pencil. "I wonder what the tempo is."
"It's a pretty flowery song, isn't it?" Junno ducked as Koki's borrowed pencil came flying at his head.
Jin glanced up at his bandmates, twirling the lollipop blithely. "I've got lead melody in it."
"...Seriously?"
The door opened, and the five of them looked up to see Nakamaru enter. "I just talked to the manager," he said. "Here's the demo tape."
***
Ryo couldn't figure out why he got TWO e-mails about this new project, but he learned quickly that he was the first to know what was really going on. The flood of noise coming from his phone roughly ten minutes afterward made all his fellow NEWS members stare.
"Uh," Ryo began, quickly skimming all of the messages.
"You're popular today," YamaPi teased, clicking off the demo tape.
"No, guys, look." Ryo cleared his voice and faced the group.
"Congratulations! It's a new project for everyone. We're calling it J-Generation, or J-Gen. All of the groups from Tackey & Tsubasa 'til now. J-friends for the new generation. See you all in the studio."
Five people blinked back at Ryo, stunned.
Koyama tried not to sound completely excited. "...Really?" His question was immediately answered by the buzzing of everyone's phones receiving the same alert. "Wow..."
"It'll be fun, I think," Massu added, glancing up from the sheet he and Tegoshi were sharing and annotating.
"When the frost ends and the flowers star--"
Shige poked Tegoshi in the side of the head, silencing him. "Is that necessary?"
Ryo pulled up the next mail. "Uchi and Kusano are singing backing vocals."
Five people clambered to look at Ryo's e-mail, blocking his view completely. "SERIOUSLY?"
"And Toma," YamaPi added, pointing.
"HEY. Geniuses. I can't see my own damn phone."
***
Takki was the first one to arrive at the studio. He was alone: Tsubasa was scheduled to record with the second harmony parts a few hours later. It was better to get there early, Takki thought, to give himself time to get adjusted to the sounds and to run through things with the demo tape again.
"Good morning," he called, peeking into the sound booth. He didn't expect to see a man with disheveled brown hair standing on the other side of the small room.
"Good--" YamaPi turned around and smiled, flash a peace sign. "Morni~~~ng."
Takki walked over to one of the microphones and pulled his annotated lyrics out of his bag. "You're in the main melody, then!"
"Lead of the harmony," YamaPi answered, "but they brought me in for balance."
"Who else is in the--"
"Good morning," Jin muttered, rubbing his head sleepily as he shuffled in.
"AH!" YamaPi pointed at Jin. Jin pointed back with as little effort as humanly possible. "What?"
Takki stifled a laugh. "So you two are going to be cutting up in here all morning, huh?"
"He started it," Jin said, leaning heavily on a music stand and burying his face in his arms.
"The staff isn't even here yet, unless they're hiding in another room," YamaPi said, circling around the booth to prod Jin. "For the first time in the history of Johnny's, we're all early."
"There's still one more," Takki noted.
The door of the booth flew open. "GOOD MORNING. I'm not late!"
Jin stuck his tongue out at Subaru, unimpressed by his frantic entrance. "You did that for effect. You failed."
Subaru exaggerated an angry stomp and grabbed the door handle. "Fine. I'll do it again."
YamaPi and Takki watched in amusement and disbelief as Subaru exited, paused, and re-entered.
"Good morning," Subaru repeated in a low, polite tone, bowing his head slightly.
"Much better." Jin flashed him a thumbs-up.
"But I'm awake," Subaru nearly yelled, walking over to the open microphone.
"I'm asleep," Jin countered, face back between his elbows, even as YamaPi muttered that he "looked pretty awake with his eyes open like that..."
"Good morning." A new voice echoed in the booth, and all four men turned to look at the window where the staff had assembled. "If you gentlemen could warm up your voices, we'll get started in five."
Subaru and Takki took it quite seriously, going through sets of scales and familiar passages from their repertoire. Jin and YamaPi thought the best idea was to mutilate each other's solo songs.
("Daite, daite~ Woo~" "Go club--" "OI, why'd you pick that one?" "Because it sucks." "All of your songs suck anyway.")
Takki forced his gaze away from the circus duo and glanced over at Subaru. Subaru's eyes were tightly closed, his voice sailing up and down with subtle vocal turns that he'd smoothed out over the years. Quietly, Takki started his own counterpoint to Subaru's notes.
YamaPi poked Jin again and pointed to the other men in the booth. "Sounds good, doesn't it? You're outclassed."
Jin waved to the staff and pointed emphatically to the mics.
As Takki's voice blended with Subaru's, the staff began recording their improvised words and harmonies. Jin shoved YamaPi in front of a microphone and took the other one, layering his own higher vocalizations over the two mid-range voices; YamaPi followed with a low, lazy syncopated countermelody.
"My soul feels empty when you're gone," Subaru crooned. "I long for the days when I rested my head on your amazing chest."
The others abruptly stopped singing, covering their mouths and turning away from Subaru, except for Jin.
Jin sang, with all the energy and emotion he could muster: "Oh, Yamashita, hold me close, I miss you, Pi, I--"
Takki and YamaPi managed to hit the opposite sides of Jin's head at precisely the same moment, and the entire group burst into laughter.
A voice came over the small speaker. "Alright, let's get started."
The melody began playing through their headphones, soft and romantic with a hint of playfulness. Subaru and Takki traded lines, confident and passionate on the verses, notes perfectly pitched; Jin picked up the jauntier chorus with YamaPi carrying a half-improvised harmony underneath.
I'll be there with you, hand-in-hand
Arm-in-arm, toward the sunset
That's the season that reminds me of you
That's where our love will always live
They broke the quartet occasionally to re-record solo lines, but everyone--especially the four singers--agreed that it sounded better when they did it together.
Jin held the last note as Subaru finished up his final improvisation. Takki held his breath and YamaPi smiled faintly, removing his headphones as the music ended.
"Great work, guys," the voice from the studio said, prompting a chorus of thanks and otsukare from the four singers.
"We may have to call you back in today for some segments with your groups, so stay available, please."
"Oi," YamaPi said after a pause. "Let's go eat or something."
YamaPi, Jin, and Subaru exchanged looks of understanding before nodding at each other and turning to Takki.
"Sempai~," Subaru said sweetly.
************************
"Hana*akari" by J-Gen was released on February 14th, a Valentine's Day gift to Japan, they said. Fans of every band snatched it up. It sold over 500,000 copies in the first week. The bonus off-take tracks (including the warm-up session) sent Johnny's enthusiasts into a frenzy.
A month later, on White Day, the new temporary Johnny's unit STAY released their first mini-album.
And, in the summer, Shibutani Subaru, Takizawa Hideaki, Akanishi Jin, and Yamashita Tomohisa embarked on the first ever Johnny's world tour.
NOTE: There is no good brief trans for the song title. It's sort of an abstract concept. "The brilliance of the cherry blossoms which illuminate the evening". In kana: 花明かり
**Special thanks to swtjemz for crackily offering the name "STAY". I used it. I love it. You're the best.**
Fandom: Johnny's Entertainment
Characters: Shibutani Subaru, Takizawa Hideaki, Akanishi Jin, Yamashita Tomohisa, and the rest of You&J (plus guest mentions)
Rating: PG for language
Warnings: Silliness.
Summary: The newest project by JE may be one of the ultimate Valentine's Day gifts a fan could get. Here's your exclusive behind the scenes look at the CD of a lifetime!
Notes: THIS IS ENTIRELY FICTION, despite my amazing tagline. Set in an imaginary near future.
Written for the 24-hour Valentine's Day Fic Challenge. Massive thanks and love to everyone I met in chat. <3
Other writers for this challenge:
acchikocchi | agirlcalledkil | anamuan | devetir | honooko | imwahyou | iverin | jackoweskla | jadedfrenzy | jain | jnessap | ky_rin | mousapelli | pearljemz | peroxidepest17 | procreational | shatteredinu | soucieux | thawrecka | tinyangl | tokyostory
When spring sun thaws Osaka
And the flowers bloom near Ginkakuji
I remember the warmth of your hand
That stolen kiss at Ueno lingers
Even as the petals fall
My memories will always be sakura-colored
Subaru was, at the very least, skeptical. "It's a little too... much for this time of year, right?"
Yasu shrugged and handed the lyrics back to his friend. "You have a better part than I do, but it's really pretty. It's sweet!" Subaru frowned and leaned away from Yasu.
Yoko brandished his own sheet eyes wide with disbelief. "At least you guys don't have to recite some silly poem at the end."
"It's all Subaru," Hina added, putting his sheet back into his music portfolio. "Kind of interesting for a new single."
"They've had us all singing lately," Maru chimed in, nudging Subaru. "Full lines, the verses and everything... You're the diva this time!"
Subaru looked at Ohkura for a final response.
...Ohkura yawned.
***
Jin held the strawberry lollipop between his front teeth and looked as blasé as ever. The rest of KAT-TUN was more vocal about the new single they were going to record.
Kame passed his lyric sheet to Koki. "It's pretty, at least. Sakura and all that..."
"Yeah, but it looks like it's not done yet," Koki said, scanning the page. His mouth quirked and he pointed to a set of lines. "There's a rap, sort of. Why'd they write it for me?"
Ueda stopped plucking at his guitar just long enough to hand Koki a pencil. "I wonder what the tempo is."
"It's a pretty flowery song, isn't it?" Junno ducked as Koki's borrowed pencil came flying at his head.
Jin glanced up at his bandmates, twirling the lollipop blithely. "I've got lead melody in it."
"...Seriously?"
The door opened, and the five of them looked up to see Nakamaru enter. "I just talked to the manager," he said. "Here's the demo tape."
***
Ryo couldn't figure out why he got TWO e-mails about this new project, but he learned quickly that he was the first to know what was really going on. The flood of noise coming from his phone roughly ten minutes afterward made all his fellow NEWS members stare.
"Uh," Ryo began, quickly skimming all of the messages.
"You're popular today," YamaPi teased, clicking off the demo tape.
"No, guys, look." Ryo cleared his voice and faced the group.
"Congratulations! It's a new project for everyone. We're calling it J-Generation, or J-Gen. All of the groups from Tackey & Tsubasa 'til now. J-friends for the new generation. See you all in the studio."
Five people blinked back at Ryo, stunned.
Koyama tried not to sound completely excited. "...Really?" His question was immediately answered by the buzzing of everyone's phones receiving the same alert. "Wow..."
"It'll be fun, I think," Massu added, glancing up from the sheet he and Tegoshi were sharing and annotating.
"When the frost ends and the flowers star--"
Shige poked Tegoshi in the side of the head, silencing him. "Is that necessary?"
Ryo pulled up the next mail. "Uchi and Kusano are singing backing vocals."
Five people clambered to look at Ryo's e-mail, blocking his view completely. "SERIOUSLY?"
"And Toma," YamaPi added, pointing.
"HEY. Geniuses. I can't see my own damn phone."
***
Takki was the first one to arrive at the studio. He was alone: Tsubasa was scheduled to record with the second harmony parts a few hours later. It was better to get there early, Takki thought, to give himself time to get adjusted to the sounds and to run through things with the demo tape again.
"Good morning," he called, peeking into the sound booth. He didn't expect to see a man with disheveled brown hair standing on the other side of the small room.
"Good--" YamaPi turned around and smiled, flash a peace sign. "Morni~~~ng."
Takki walked over to one of the microphones and pulled his annotated lyrics out of his bag. "You're in the main melody, then!"
"Lead of the harmony," YamaPi answered, "but they brought me in for balance."
"Who else is in the--"
"Good morning," Jin muttered, rubbing his head sleepily as he shuffled in.
"AH!" YamaPi pointed at Jin. Jin pointed back with as little effort as humanly possible. "What?"
Takki stifled a laugh. "So you two are going to be cutting up in here all morning, huh?"
"He started it," Jin said, leaning heavily on a music stand and burying his face in his arms.
"The staff isn't even here yet, unless they're hiding in another room," YamaPi said, circling around the booth to prod Jin. "For the first time in the history of Johnny's, we're all early."
"There's still one more," Takki noted.
The door of the booth flew open. "GOOD MORNING. I'm not late!"
Jin stuck his tongue out at Subaru, unimpressed by his frantic entrance. "You did that for effect. You failed."
Subaru exaggerated an angry stomp and grabbed the door handle. "Fine. I'll do it again."
YamaPi and Takki watched in amusement and disbelief as Subaru exited, paused, and re-entered.
"Good morning," Subaru repeated in a low, polite tone, bowing his head slightly.
"Much better." Jin flashed him a thumbs-up.
"But I'm awake," Subaru nearly yelled, walking over to the open microphone.
"I'm asleep," Jin countered, face back between his elbows, even as YamaPi muttered that he "looked pretty awake with his eyes open like that..."
"Good morning." A new voice echoed in the booth, and all four men turned to look at the window where the staff had assembled. "If you gentlemen could warm up your voices, we'll get started in five."
Subaru and Takki took it quite seriously, going through sets of scales and familiar passages from their repertoire. Jin and YamaPi thought the best idea was to mutilate each other's solo songs.
("Daite, daite~ Woo~" "Go club--" "OI, why'd you pick that one?" "Because it sucks." "All of your songs suck anyway.")
Takki forced his gaze away from the circus duo and glanced over at Subaru. Subaru's eyes were tightly closed, his voice sailing up and down with subtle vocal turns that he'd smoothed out over the years. Quietly, Takki started his own counterpoint to Subaru's notes.
YamaPi poked Jin again and pointed to the other men in the booth. "Sounds good, doesn't it? You're outclassed."
Jin waved to the staff and pointed emphatically to the mics.
As Takki's voice blended with Subaru's, the staff began recording their improvised words and harmonies. Jin shoved YamaPi in front of a microphone and took the other one, layering his own higher vocalizations over the two mid-range voices; YamaPi followed with a low, lazy syncopated countermelody.
"My soul feels empty when you're gone," Subaru crooned. "I long for the days when I rested my head on your amazing chest."
The others abruptly stopped singing, covering their mouths and turning away from Subaru, except for Jin.
Jin sang, with all the energy and emotion he could muster: "Oh, Yamashita, hold me close, I miss you, Pi, I--"
Takki and YamaPi managed to hit the opposite sides of Jin's head at precisely the same moment, and the entire group burst into laughter.
A voice came over the small speaker. "Alright, let's get started."
The melody began playing through their headphones, soft and romantic with a hint of playfulness. Subaru and Takki traded lines, confident and passionate on the verses, notes perfectly pitched; Jin picked up the jauntier chorus with YamaPi carrying a half-improvised harmony underneath.
I'll be there with you, hand-in-hand
Arm-in-arm, toward the sunset
That's the season that reminds me of you
That's where our love will always live
They broke the quartet occasionally to re-record solo lines, but everyone--especially the four singers--agreed that it sounded better when they did it together.
Jin held the last note as Subaru finished up his final improvisation. Takki held his breath and YamaPi smiled faintly, removing his headphones as the music ended.
"Great work, guys," the voice from the studio said, prompting a chorus of thanks and otsukare from the four singers.
"We may have to call you back in today for some segments with your groups, so stay available, please."
"Oi," YamaPi said after a pause. "Let's go eat or something."
YamaPi, Jin, and Subaru exchanged looks of understanding before nodding at each other and turning to Takki.
"Sempai~," Subaru said sweetly.
************************
"Hana*akari" by J-Gen was released on February 14th, a Valentine's Day gift to Japan, they said. Fans of every band snatched it up. It sold over 500,000 copies in the first week. The bonus off-take tracks (including the warm-up session) sent Johnny's enthusiasts into a frenzy.
A month later, on White Day, the new temporary Johnny's unit STAY released their first mini-album.
And, in the summer, Shibutani Subaru, Takizawa Hideaki, Akanishi Jin, and Yamashita Tomohisa embarked on the first ever Johnny's world tour.
NOTE: There is no good brief trans for the song title. It's sort of an abstract concept. "The brilliance of the cherry blossoms which illuminate the evening". In kana: 花明かり
**Special thanks to swtjemz for crackily offering the name "STAY". I used it. I love it. You're the best.**