#then why yes it is do you perhaps want to pash about it

[iheartdeadboys]

New white boy of the month for your consideration

[cibeewastaken]

hello this is just a very self indulgent Drarry+Romione fic about Draco and Ron kissing bc I literally hasn’t stop thinking about Draco --innocent crush--> Ron after reading The Bolthole. I don’t know how to tag this.

Thank you, as always for @pineau-noir for the wonderful beta work. On Ao3

--

“Just so we’re clear,” Ron started, “how serious are you?”

Draco was busy pouring himself another daiquiri (his latest obsession) “I’m never serious.”

“So you’re just taking the piss,” Ron said, and he wasn’t sure if the lump that dropped from the base of his throat was due to relief or disappointment. “About your crush on me.”

“Hm?” Draco said. “That? Oh, I’m serious about that.”

Ron took a big gulp of his beer. “You can’t be.”

“I am certain I am.”

“You’re Harry’s boyfriend.”

“Yes, I haven’t forgotten.”

“And does he know you’re—I mean, if you really do have a—er, if you aren’t just messing with me—”

“He knows I’m serious,” Draco said. The daiquiri had stained his lips pink (pinker, Ron’s mind added).

Harry’s laughter came from the kitchen where he was doing the washing up with Hermione.

“Granger knows I’m serious as well,” Draco added, and smirked when Ron flushed. “God, aren’t you lovely when you blush,” he said.

That made Ron blushed harder. “No, she doesn’t. She wouldn’t like it.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “She isn’t threatened by me,” he said. “Why would she care?”

“And Harry?”

“Likewise.”

“He doesn’t think of me as a threat, even though his boyfriend continues to flirt with his best friend?”

“Perhaps I phrased it wrong.” Draco threw back his drink. He sat the glass down and leaned back, peering at Ron from under his lashes, the way he often did. The way that always threw Ron off balance. “Both Granger and Harry are secure in the knowledge that we love them. It’s as simple as that.”

Ron said nothing. He didn’t know what to say.

“I can only speak for myself, of course,” Draco continued. “But I could have a pash on a million people, and I wouldn’t love anyone but Harry.”

He poured himself another daiquiri, grinning, obviously enjoying the look on Ron’s face.

“It’s as simple as that,” he repeated.

Harry came back to the living room with Hermione, and he only needed one look at Ron’s face to know something was up. “What did you do to him?” he sighed.

“Nothing!” Draco said. “I just told him he was lovely, and I would kiss him if he lets me, that I like his strong arms, etcetera, etcetera. You’ve heard it all.”

Ron let out a squeak. He could feel himself sitting ramrod straight.

Hermione gave Draco an amused look. Harry laughed.

“I — I wouldn’t do that to—” Ron said, but he obviously didn’t know if he should direct it to Hermione or Harry.

“It’s fine. You know I don’t mind his crush on you,” she said.

“Do you now?” Ron replied weakly. Hermione patted him on the thigh. She traded a look with Harry, and Ron noticed it immediately.

“What?” Ron said. “What was that?”

“I think you should try,” Hermione said. “If you want to, of course.”

“What?”

“Letting Draco kiss you,” Harry said. He was looking at Draco, whose confident smirk had melted away as he blinked dazedly at Harry. Ron watched the way Draco’s lips dropped open.

“Huh?” Ron said.

Hermione kissed her husband on the cheek. “I think it would be good for you.” She stood up. “All right, boys, I should head home. I have a case to prep for tomorrow.”

“Wait, what?” Ron said again. Hermione leaned down to hug him.

“Let me know how it goes tonight,” she whispered, and with a pop, she was gone.

Ron looked to Harry and Draco. “I don’t know what’s happening.”

Harry’s thumb was rubbing on the back of Draco’s hand.

“I want to kiss you,” Draco said to Ron. “If you’ll let me.”

“You don’t look like you want to,” Ron said.

Draco bristled, as though insulted that his declaration wasn’t being taken seriously. “Of course I want to!”

Harry squeezed Draco’s hand, and with that, Draco stood and plopped himself right next to Ron. He wasn’t giving Ron flirtatious little glances like he was wont to do. Draco’s eyes would meet Ron’s and immediately move away, and it wasn’t until Ron noticed the tightly clenched hands did he realize that Draco was nervous.

That changed everything. And the next second, Ron was kissing Draco Malfoy.

Draco let out a shaky breath, but he was kissing back eagerly. He grabbed Ron’s biceps (a subject of many of Draco’s infatuated speeches to Ron), and despite all the big talk of giving Ron the very best of snogs, he seemed unable to do anything besides be thoroughly kissed.

Ron said, with a small laugh in the brief moment where their lips parted, drinking in Draco’s daiquiri soaked gasps, “Never took you as a passive kisser.”

Draco didn’t look angry at that. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” he said, and as always, it was the praise that threw Ron off. In that momentary lapse, Draco was on him, a hand cupping his jaw, the other gripping his hair, fully kissing him. Ron’s arms wrapped around Draco after flailing for a bit. He heard Harry’s laughter. Draco’s tongue was insistent and wicked and tasted like raspberry. He was sure if Draco had more daiquiris in his system he would have climbed into Ron’s lap by now. Ron gripped the back of Draco’s neck so he could press his mouth against Draco harder, and Draco let out a moan so bone-meltingly sweet Ron’s body went slack for a second and was very eagerly gathered up in Draco’s arms.

Draco broke the kiss and started to drop light kisses all over Ron. Ron laughed, squirming when Draco landed on a particularly sensitive spot. The sofa behind Ron dipped and suddenly there was another pair of lip pressing kisses on his face, neck, and shoulders. “Stop!” Ron laughed. “You’re killing me!”

Harry chuckled. His arm was around both Ron and Draco. Draco grinned down at Ron. There was a lovely flush high on his cheek, and he looked happy.

“Oh, I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” Draco said fondly.

“I just wanted to make you laugh,” Harry said.

“Wankers, the both of you,” Ron said, breathlessly. His stomach hurt from laughing and he stood up to stretch it out, causing Harry and Draco to fall into each other on the sofa, laughing.

“You’re made for each other,” Ron said, throwing pillows at them. Harry shielded Draco from the ruthless attack of lumpy objects as Draco yelped at the offense. Looking at them, with the taste of Draco still warm on his lips, he never wanted to see Hermione as much as he did now. He thought he was starting to understand what Draco meant.

Ron threw the last pillow at them and ignored Draco’s loud protest about cleaning up. Harry rolled his eyes and said As if you’ll be the one to clean up and Draco replied Supervising you is a full-time job—! And it was obvious Ron was free to go.

“Think of me!” Draco said as Ron stepped into the fireplace, and the last thing Ron saw before the fire took him away was Draco and Harry in each other’s arms, smiling like nothing else existed.

[atlinmerrick]

Should you write porn?

By Jamie Ashbird

The answer seems pretty simple really. Yes—if you want to. If you don’t want to, then don’t. Okay, good. We’re done here.

Just kidding, it’s time to ramble.

First off, two things:

I currently sit in the wibbly-wobbly very complicated spectrum of non sex-repulsed, mentally arousable ace-hood.

I’m not a person who feels particularly comfortable writing sex scenes.

The link here seems like a no brainer but you’d be wrong.

To address point 1, sure, asexuality doesn’t always lend itself to having wide experience with all things sex. (Also, despite writing m/m relationships, I do not have a penis so that’s not in my experience bucket what with all the throbbing and exploding and whatnot.) But, I am a naturally-curious person, I do get aroused, and I have an imagination.

To address point 2, the discomfort doesn’t come from the acts themselves (I am not sex-repulsed) rather from writerly anxiety, which itself comes from a lack of experience and confidence.

I have asked myself, should I be writing porn if it fills me with feelings of inadequacy?

Well let’s shut that specific question down by generalising it. Should I write beautiful lyrical prose? Should I write with heartfelt sincerity? Should I, perhaps one day, write something with a plot? Attempting to write all of these things makes me feel inadequate to the task because I don’t feel confident in my abilities to do these things well.

So then should I do it? Should I write sincere, lyrical prose? Should I plot something one of these days? Should I write porn?

The answer is yes, I bloody well should—if I want to.

The only way to gain confidence is to practice, to improve and—this is the crucial part—don’t compare yourself to others.

That habit of comparing seems amplified in fandom. Maybe that’s because fandom writing is less a solitary affair and more a dynamic occupation. It’s fast and organic. Dirty, mutable, and boundless. Perhaps most pertinent, everyone is writing their versions of the same things. You see ten different versions of your favourite trope in a day—depending on your fandom. You see thousands of fics with the same characters. It’s hard not to compare and judge yourself. Hard but not impossible, so don’t do it. You’ve been told.

Do I compare my dodgy as hell scribblings of hands to Albrecht Dürer’s hand studies? No. I know that this was his occupation, he drew and painted every day. I do not, but maybe with practice I could be okay. Why look at writing any different? It’s another art form that requires practice.

And when it comes to that confidence and experience in writing what I don’t know? That comes with practice, too. And research. I look to Google and the vast resources of the internet. I look to the writers I admire. I look to my friends and try my stickiest filthiest ideas out on them, see who blushes first (me, I blush thinking them up).

Do I have to write sex into my stories? No, of course not. There are more things in life and love than sex. You can have sensuality and romance without sex. You can have intimacy and a pashing session behind the bike sheds without sex… I seem to have strayed. Anyway, I don’t have to write sex into my stories.

The characters however might have other ideas. They back you into a corner while one of them backs the other toward the bedroom until he feels the mattress against his legs. They fall together (somehow this does not result in a head butt), their limbs entwined (but where is that one’s arm? why is that one’s leg bent that way?) and their lips crash together (ouch)…

Read more about sex + fan fic…

[samingtonwilson]

Return - Part 6 - Jim Kirk

 Part 5

Summary: series following the events of loot– takes place during events of star trek beyond. in this chapter, you realize popularity isn’t all it’s chalked up to be.

Warnings: language, some self-loathing, violence (but it’s canon)

A/N: shit is continuing to go down. i need to rework the last couple of parts i wrote-- it’s getting kinda frustrating.

Your heart had stopped more times than you could count over the course of the preceding few hours— when the first housefly-like ship collided with the Enterprise, when the leader of the invading party held you against a wall with his hand clutching your throat and recognition clouding his features, when Jim declared he would go into the bowel of the ship and separate the saucer. Each occurrence was another blow to your chest.

By the time three invading crew members blasted the bridge door down and shot two officers to their demise, you thought the beating in your chest had given out completely.

One crossed the bridge to stand before you with a large gun pointed at your chest, his shiny black eyes narrowed with the intensity of his smile. The dark lips curled over sharp beige teeth, the reflective pale blue skin with peaks and valleys astounding enough to force your gaze away— it normally would have been enough to rouse the beating in your chest.

But you stood before him and accepted it. You thought it might be your penance for causing so much trouble, for being the reason so many members of the Enterprise crew were now hurt or dead.

“Thief,” he quipped in a voice that was wet, so caked in whatever lined his throat.

You stared the creature straight in the eye, seeing Sulu rise from the captain’s chair in your peripheral vision. You wanted to tell Sulu to find a pod and leave— there was nothing he could do, there wasn’t anything he should do. The creature was right.

Before the creature could pull the trigger, three loud blasts sounded and all three invaders hit the ground. Your gaze followed the one lying at your feet, your hands beginning to shake at your sides as you stared at him.

“Captain!”

You tore your focus from the invader’s lifeless body and met Jim’s worried gaze with wide eyes. You nodded at him once.

He took quick steps towards you, pausing as he took in the unscathed, pearlescent skinned Kalara behind you— the reason you were sent to the Enterprise, a woman you believed assisted in orchestrating this whole fiasco. He then nodded back at you.

He moved to Sulu’s side. “How many of the crew are still aboard the saucer?”

“None,” Sulu replied, his eyes on the screen before him. “But, if I’m reading this correctly, the intruders are taking them,” his voice was grim and it resonated in the pit of your stomach.

It seemed Chekov was next in line to deliver bad news. “Captain, we are caught in the planet’s gravity. We cannot pull away.”

The three men, two in command gold and one in his black undershirt, stared at the view screen with slumped shoulders and exhausted spines. You focused on Jim’s back, intermittently looking down at the command gold wrapped around your broken, aching wrist.

“Get to your Kelvin pods,” he said, his volume low but still loud enough to be heard over the ship’s rumbling.

Sulu and Chekov voiced their compliance and stepped away. They clamoured about the bridge, helping the remaining bridge crew members into their respective pods before strapping themselves into their own.

Chekov nodded at you as he led the woman beside you to a pod. “You should get to your pod as well.”

You hummed, still staring at Jim. “I will.”

When Chekov’s pod was pushed out of the ship, you took calculated steps towards an empty one. “Jim, we need to go.”

He spun around. “Why are you still here? Get into a pod.”

“You need to get in one, too.”

“I will, just— You need to go,” he said, his hand finding the small of your back and ushering you into a pod. “See you down there?”

You smiled at him— it was difficult, but you knew he needed it. “Can’t imagine why you wouldn’t.”

Your eyes were shut throughout the launching of the pod, the ascending of the pod, and the descending of the pod. There was something about watching the Enterprise burn and shatter into thousands of pieces that seemed too painful, too emotionally taxing.

Your landing was in no way smooth. Your wrist connected with the pod’s walls on more than one occasion and you let yourself scream. You screamed at the pain running up your arm, down your spine, and you screamed at the pain resonating in your chest.

The part of you that blamed yourself, the part of you that couldn’t stand the idea of you finding a moment of peace, kept that pain in your chest no matter how many times you punched the glass door of the pod with your uninjured hand, no matter how many times your voice broke in the middle of a scream.

Pulling out the navy blue jacket of the survival suit stored in one of the pod’s many pockets, you slipped your arms through the sleeves and zipped it up as far as it would go, hooking a phaser to the belt of your uniform dress so it was hidden.

You caught yourself about to ruffle your hair to salvage some volume and snorted, shaking your head as you exited the pod.

It took you a few tentative steps before you could walk at a normal pace, the crunch of leaves, rocks, and dirt under your boots strangely comforting.

An arm found your waist and you would have screamed had the voice beside you not been so reassuring and accented in that unique way that always made you smile. “All okay?”

You nodded and set your arm over Chekov’s shoulders, walking side by side to where you saw Jim all dressed in the complete survival suit. “All okay, Pash. You?”

“Been better.”

You would have laughed had you not heard Jim’s voice shake the leaves on the tree behind him. He approached Kalara. “You knew,” he accused. “You knew we’d be attacked.”

Eyes wide, she replied, “You don’t understand.”

Jim held his phaser out, pointed at her as the whirring signaled its coming to life.

“Captain!” Chekov called once you were only a few steps away. You both took your arms from the other. “Captain Kirk!”

The woman shrunk a bit, cowering back. “Yes, I lied.”

You scoffed quietly to yourself.

“Our ship was attacked.”

Jim, still staring at her with his phaser cocked, said, “Chekov, check the comms for survivors.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.”

“Who is he?” Jim asked her, his jaw clenching.

“His name is Krall. He took my crew, like he took yours,” she replied, her eyes shifting from you to Jim.

“How did he know so much about the Enterprise?”

She frowned. Her features looked almost desperate. “All I know is that if I did this,” she visibly swallowed, “he would set them free.”

“Chekov, are you picking anything up on those scanners?” his eyes were still on her, his phaser still held up.

“Nothing, sir,” was Chekov’s grim reply. “What if they—”

“No,” you said. “He was taking them— for some purpose, for some reason we don’t know yet.”

“We have to find that saucer,” Jim stated. “Even minimal scanning systems will have more range than a tricorder.”

Chekov nodded. “Aye, Captain. It’s possible.”

“Captain,” she began again. “I was just protecting my crew.”

From the bits of her voice you’d heard throughout the day, you could tell it was higher pitched now— it even shook a little. Of course, you didn’t want to believe that definitively as the universal translator didn’t allow for clear enough sound of what was underneath.

Jim lowered his phaser and you almost raised yours, letting your uninjured hand form a fist by your side instead.

You remained silent throughout your trek to the remains of the Enterprise, keeping your steps in sync with Chekov’s rather than with Jim’s. Something about walking beside him, talking to him when you felt so vulnerable, bothered you— you needed to keep your distance.

The only time you spoke was to tell Chekov you were certain she would try something, perhaps contacting someone— you told him he should try to trace it when she did.

Jim, however, spoke throughout the walk. He told the woman the artifact was safe, that he thought Krall’s crew attacked for it— he told her anything and everything he could think of to fill the silence, even if it was the most obvious thing that had already been established.

By the time you reached the burnt saucer, your legs ached and your throat burned— the sky was even several shades darker.

You swallowed over the soreness in your throat and continued to climb onto the ship.

As you walked through the mangled corridors, several feet behind Jim, you tried not to focus on the state of the ship.

“Captain,” the computerized voice said, “the artifact was on the ship the whole time?”  

Jim crouched down and fussed with some of the deck plating. He caught your eye as he did so and gave you the shortest, most pointed nod you almost totally missed.

Immediately, you slipped your hand under your jacket and toyed with the edges of your phaser.

“I couldn’t afford to get caught with it,” he told her, his voice almost overshadowed by the clanging of the fallen, broken plates. “So I hid it in here.”

In a split second, her knee lifted and forcefully hit Jim’s nose so he tumbled off to the side, his loud grunt ringing in your ears as you removed your phaser and held it up.

Jim caught your eye again and shook his head slightly when she picked up his strewn phaser and held it at him. You stood your ground silently, making sure your presence was unknown.

“Tell Krall I have the Abronath.” She knelt, shifting on her knees as she looked at Jim and fiddled with the same deck plating he was. “Do you believe every sad story you hear?”

Jim’s eyes met yours then and there was a hint of amusement in his irises. “Usually only when it concerns that artifact.”

She pulled a compartment open, looking up at Jim when a whirring sounded in front of her and behind her.

You nodded at Chekov, silently letting him take this one.

“Put the phaser down,” he commanded in a slow voice. You liked watching your little Pavel stand in an assertive position. “Please.”

You shrugged to yourself with a frown of consideration— the assertiveness still counted for something, no matter how momentary.

“You get it, Pash?” you asked, placing your phaser back.

He nodded. “Aye. I’ve traced the location of her call.”

He motioned for you to approach his side and hid his smile miserably when you passed the woman, smiling at her sweetly. “Told you the artifact’s a fucking pain— completely not worth it.”

When you stood beside Jim and Chekov, Jim narrowed his eyes at Krall’s ally. “What does Krall want with this thing?”

“To save you,” she answered, a gross smile pulling at her lips, “from yourselves.”

You snorted. “Fuck if that’s not the corniest thing I’ve heard all day.”

You spotted some movement behind her and nudged Chekov. You both lifted your phasers immediately and shot at the member of Krall’s crew that emerged.

Jim took your unbroken hand in his and pulled you alongside him as he ran, ducking and using his phaser to shoot green bolts at the lot of them. When the pair of you slipped and continued down the hall due to the steepness of the angle, he groaned. “Thought you were the security officer.”

You smiled as you slid along the floor through an archway. “I would need my healthy hand back in order to do anything.”

He laughed lowly, shaking his head as you both jumped to your feet and ran down the connecting hall with Chekov’s audible breathing serving as confirmation of his presence.

The three of you struggled as you slipped and slid all over the ship, your combined grunts and sighs were the only sounds you could hear as you ran.

Jim led you through a small archway and helped you onto the platform upon which he stood, then assisting Chekov. “You both alright?”

You gave a half-hearted “eh” at the same time Chekov chirped an “aye, Captain.”

When Chekov pointed out that the three of you were trapped, Jim crossed the small room and leant against the agape doorway. As he peered over his shoulder, a large green glow zipped towards him and illuminated his features as he breathed heavily. “Can you get this thing started?”

You tilted your head and Chekov asked, outraged, “Are you intimating that we should engage the thrusters?”

“Have you lost your mind, Ji— Captain?”

He looked between the two of you, then back through the doorway. “I am open to other suggestions.”

You pulled Jim back so he stood far from the door and clicked your tongue as you removed your phaser. “Like you said, I’m the security officer. I’ll handle the shooting, you do the sciency shit with the wizkid.”

Before you could see the smile that pulled at his lips, you stood where he was previously situated and glanced over your shoulder. When you noticed one of the crew members checking his gun, you shot twice— each shot had an impact and you held back a shout of victory.

You only heard the end of the conversation Jim and Chekov were engaged in, catching Chekov’s still-outraged voice say, “If you miss the combustion compressor, —”

“I’m not gonna miss, come on!” Jim protested.

“Do you even now what the combustion compressor looks like?”

“Yeah, it’s a square, right?”

“No, sir, it’s round!”

“That’s what I said!”

You turned to see Jim holding a phaser over the railing. “If you miss, can we share the blame for this whole thing? Like, in the history books since we’ll both be dead? Split the shame?”

Jim snorted. “Who’s gonna tell the book authors?”

You twisted to face the crew members still struggling to find refuge from your shots. “Hey! Do you think you could tell Krall to contact Starfleet and say that Captain Kirk and I are both at fault for all of this? You know, in the event of our untimely deaths?”

When Kalara fired a shot in your direction, you spun around to face Jim and Chekov. “I’m taking that as a no.”

Jim finally took the shot, seemingly nailing it perfectly as white-hot fire bursted out and jolted the ship. He wanted to appreciate his achievement, but as flames rose to lick the railing he stood against, Jim grabbed your hand once more and shouted, “Run!”

As the three of you raced down the corridors, you arrived at a dead-end and yelled for Jim and Chekov to jump over the gap. “I’ll handle her, you guys go ahead.”

As she entered the hallway, you smiled. “Sweetheart, I really don’t like you.”

She scowled and took a shot, narrowly missing you as you took steps backwards. “Thief.”

“The one planet I’m popular on,” you shook your head. “And I have a name, you know, and other, more redeeming qualities.”

She tried to shoot again but no beams left the gun, a sigh of discontent leaving her lips as she looked down at it.

“You know, Starfleet’s gonna want the translator back. They’re not cheap,” you continued, gasping when your right foot stepped back into nothing. You caught yourself on the wall beside you. “You wanna give it to me now? It’ll be easier.”

When she began marching toward you, you spun around to face the gap and backed up to give yourself space. With a soft sigh, you got a running start and jumped over, once again barely missing the beam she shot your way. “You can just say you want to keep it.”

As the ship roared to life and began to lift off the ground, you sped up in your sprint to the bridge. You could hear her grunt as she jumped over the gap and sighed to yourself as you entered your target room.

“What took you so long?” Jim asked, glancing over his shoulder when you placed one of your hands on your knees as you struggled to catch your breath.

You swallowed and stood up straight. “She wouldn’t give me the translator. Commodore Paris won’t be pleased.”

Jim nodded, smiling to himself as he looked around. When he glanced at the phaser in his hand and the glass view screen before him, he shrugged and shot at it. “Can your wrist handle a little sliding?”

Chekov caught on and dove through the glass side-first, sliding down the saucer.

“You want me to ask it?” you yelled incredulously, staring at the gaping hole in fear.

Jim took the three steps towards you and led you to the glass. “When I say jump, you jump out, okay? It’ll hurt like a bitch, but you need to do this. Focus on me, okay?”

Slowly, you nodded, proceeding by following his instructions with urgency as you heard the shots from Krall’s henchwoman ring through the bridge.

A radiating pain ran up your arm, but you focused on Jim and on the wind brushing your hair out of your eyes. When he offered you the smallest, most reassuring smile you’d ever seen, you smiled back.

You turned onto your side for a second, letting go of Jim and sliding onto your stomach as you retrieved your phaser. As he looked at you confusedly, you raised an eyebrow. “I’m the security officer.”

You shot out several times, trying not to focus on the excruciating pain that rendered your injured arm useless. You turned back around in time to jump from the saucer, holding your arm in the air as you landed against a patch of bark that knocked the wind out of you.

“Move!” Jim shouted and the three of you rose to your feet, racing out of the saucer’s vicinity.

As you had landed farther and were therefore given a head-start, you had to turn around to make sure the two men were still behind you after you heard and felt the warmth of a large explosion. When you spotted them lying on the ground, you smiled. “D’you think you two could hold off on sleeping until we find somewhere more suitable?”

Jim groaned as he pushed himself into a seated position, smiling at Chekov as he did the same. “That was…”

“Amazing,” Chekov finished, grinning as if he’d just won the lottery.

“You two are ridiculous. That was—” you shook your head, clicking your tongue. “That was probably the worst thing I’ve experienced in the last five years and I was in prison for two of them.”

Jim was the first to chuckle, shaking silently at first but loudly laughing the moment you joined him. Chekov jumped in as well, rolling his eyes when you had to wrap your arm over your aching abdomen.

PART 7

tagged (lemme know if you want to be added or removed):  @outside-the-government @daughterofthebrowncoats @multifandom-slytherin @buckyy3s @cinema212 @caaptain @dani-fae  @wonders-of-the-enterprise @imaginesofdreams @the-witching-hours12-3 @kaitymccoy123 @anyakinamidala @vevsee@afluffykiwi @curiositywillbethedeathofme @arielsimaginess @captain-what-is-going-on@micheladakenzo @avengers-earths-mightiest-heroes @eufeme @buriedinfandomsandfeels@ididntmeantobutiaccidentally @avoidthoseeyes @emmkolenn @heartofdixie14 @thnk-you-fr-th-venom @captainveromendes 

[ancientbooshartifacts]

The Listener

Author: Gothimp

Year: 2008

Rating: R

Pairing: Noel/Random Girl, Noelian

Noel. He can tell from the unmistakable click of Cuban heels on lino. “Great! There’s nobody here. Quick. In here.” A girl giggles. The cubicle door bangs closed and the lock clicks. Oh great - he has a girl with him, thinks Julian. Julian had been making an effort to enjoy the club. Not really his sort of thing, but he had to be there. He had slipped away from the crowd while Noel was distracted by a pretty girl – the same one? – and sought refuge in the gents. He is now sitting on the toilet lid in one of the cubicles, head down, heels of his hands pressing into his eye sockets, enjoying a moment of peace and quiet in cool surroundings. Slurpy, kissy-noises. Not the first time Noel has ended up in the bogs with a girl. Or a boy. Or both. Julian doesn’t understand why anybody would want to get up to anything in here. The floor is wet and the place smells of urinal cakes. “Hmm,” says Noel. “Mph,” says Girl. And, of course, there’s the constant traffic of drunken clubbers. Not exactly private – anyone can see how many pairs of feet there are by glancing under the cubicle door Heavy breathing. Girly giggling from both. And the cubicle walls have no soundproof properties whatsoever. In fact, every little noise echoes around the tiled room. Right now, it sounds like they’re snogging for Britain. Julian is reminded of Noel’s lips. He knows what they feel like – they have done “the pash” plenty of times for the show, and for the benefit of their friends and fans in pubs and clubs all over the country. “Oh, Noel.” Rustle of fabric against flesh. No wonder she’s enjoying herself. Noel is an expert with that little mouth of his. Embarrassed as he is to admit it, Julian’s cock invariably begins to swell whenever Noel wraps his arms around him and presses their mouths together. Much as it’s swelling now, actually. If Noel has noticed, he’s never mentioned it. He probably takes it for granted – he is “sexiest male”, after all. “Heh heh. Like that, do you?” “Mmmm.” Julian tries not to think about what Noel might be doing with the girl right now. It doesn’t seem… appropriate for him to be thinking about his friend that way. But he is fascinated; curious to find out what it is that Noel does to make women throw themselves at his Chelsea-booted feet. Julian settles back against the cistern, taking care to be very quiet, not wanting to betray his presence. “Can’t let the other one feel left out.” Sound of suckling. Ahh – so that’s what he’s doing. In spite of Julian’s better judgement, his mind paints a picture of Noel’s hands on bare flesh, lips brushing against erect nipples. Julian’s flesh. Julian’s nipples. More slurping. “Ohhh. Mmmm.” Julian’s erection is now rather prominent and is demanding attention. He tentatively eases a hand to the front of his trousers. “Shhh! Someone might hear.” “Sorry… just… hmmm.” Panting. He rubs, very gently, afraid the friction of his rough palm against cotton will make a sound. Julian is suddenly very keen to avoid disturbing Noel, and to see how this ends. More rustling. “Ooh!” “Thought you’d like that.” “Yeah. I think you’ve done that before.” Rounding third base, the cheeky vixen. Julian imagines Noel’s delicate fingers exploring his nooks and crannies; cupping his balls in a soft palm; walking his fingertips along his length. Julian continues to rub, keeping it slow, gentle, concentrating on keeping his breathing steady and – most importantly – silent. Little kissy noises. Lots of them. Girl moans. Both are breathing deeply. Julian brings his spare hand up to his chest and strokes his nipples through his shirt. His cock jerks at each touch, straining against his trousers and palm, and Julian quickly falls into a rhythm of alternate tweaking with one hand and kneading with the other. “Oi! Hands off! I’m not finished with you yet.” Julian pulls his hands away at Noel’s exclamation, then chides himself for his foolishness. Julian is harder than he had believed was possible under these circumstances. He is aching and his trousers feel very much tighter than when he bought them. Girl giggles. Heavy breathing. Julian considers whether he can relieve then pressure around his groin without advertising his presence to the couple in the adjacent cubicle. Perhaps, but probably not a good idea. That’s his best friend in there. Julian thinks of Julia and the boys and feels a twang of guilt. Yet more rustling. “Uh-uh. Not that.” Shuffling feet. Moaning and slurps. Then again, he’s not technically cheating. What is the World coming to if a grown man can’t have a wank without getting his girlfriend’s permission first? A zip is unfastened slowly. “Hello!” “Like what you see? Why don’t you touch it?” Giggling. “Mmmm!” Julian makes a decision. The button on his trousers pops open with a quick movement of finger and thumb. Julian grips the zip-pull and begins to drag it downwards. It is an agonisingly drawn out process, a couple of millimetres at a time, the contents of his boxers straining to be free, not enjoying being made to wait. “More...” “Shh! I thought I heard something.” Noel whimpers pathetically. Julian freezes. Holds his breath. Feels blood draining away from his cock. “Oh, for God’s sake don’t stop.” Kissing. Breathing. It’s okay. Julian eases his hands down past the waistband of his boxers. He resists the urge to gasp as his calloused fingers make contact with taut, silky-smooth skin. Shuffling. Fabric moving against flesh. “Ohh.” Julian’s erection has recovered admirably, and he slips his fingers around the shaft. With a feather-light grip, he begins to stroke. Wet slurps. Appreciative groans. “Hmm.” Julian is incredibly sensitive, and every movement of his hand sends little electric shocks to his stomach. It won’t take much longer, but he has no intension of stopping or slowing down. “What you just did. Do that again.” Little choking noises. “Oh yes. That’s it.” Julian closes his eyes and imagines Noel with his head thrown back, mouth open, sweat beading on his forehead. Brow furrowed as he concentrates on remaining upright. Fighting to stay in control, and knowing that he’s going to fail. “Ahh. Keep going.” The thought of Noel’s face as he fights his futile battle against the inevitable causes Julian to let out a deep, throaty groan. Fortunately, it seems to go unnoticed – his neighbours apparently too pre-occupied with their own activity to pay much attention to what might be going on elsewhere. Julian takes a deep breath, holds it, and presses his lips together, not trusting his vocal cords to behave themselves if he allows himself to breathe. “Ohhh… I can’t…” Right there with you, little man. Julian continues with his ministrations, making little squelching noises with each purposeful tug. “I have to…” Julian pictures Noel, wide-eyed and desperate. Vulnerable. Completely at the mercy of the person working his dick. Julian hopes the girl appreciates the power she has at this moment. “Ahh!… Hahhh!… Ohhhh.” Julian’s mind zooms in on the shape of Noel’s lips as they contort to make the vowel sounds he’s hearing. Julian’s body spills warm relief over his hand. Girl gulps, then giggles. “That was alright, I take it?” “Didn’t suck.” Julian allows his head to fall backwards against the cistern. He is happy, relaxed and grinning. Click of the lock on the cubicle door. “Coast’s clear. Let’s get out of here.” ~ * ~ Years from now, Julian will confess all of this to Noel. “I knew you were there all along, you great Northern lump!” Julian will stare dumbly at Noel. “I always look under the doors to check that no-one’s there. I recognised your stupid brown shoes.” “But… you still...?” “Well, yeah. Why wouldn’t I?” Noel will draw Julian into a wonderfully warm, intense, chaste hug, and life will go on as before.

[hardcore-evil-regal]

Blades of Steel - Chapter 4

Blades of Steel

They Call Me the Cavalry (BadassNinja)

Chapter 4

Summary: A day in the life of Phil...

Notes: It's been ages between updates, I know and I do feel slightly bad about that but I have been on a kinda unofficial hiatus as I'm doing my final year of school so that's been taking up a lot of my time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

You can keep reading this here or on AO3 or ff.net.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter 4

Rubbing a hand over his tired eyes he refrains from banging his head against the desk. It’s only eleven in the morning and already he is ready to pack up and go home, leave this awful job behind him.

“You ok Phil?” Maria his co-worker and friend pops her head around the thin wall separating their cubicles.

“Yep,” he replies, voice muffled by the desk which his head is now resting down upon.

“Annoying client?” She says with sympathy having experienced her own fair share of frustratingly irritating clients.

“Uh huh,” he moves his head on the desk in a vague gesture of a nod.

Sometimes people can be really stupid, a fact that they have to deal with on a daily basis in their job.

“Guess some people shouldn’t worry about insuring their brains?” she jokes trying to make light of the situation.

Usually Phil is so good at dealing with their… more difficult customers. He has a way of handling them that makes it seem so easy, but it looks like the idiots in the population have finally begun to take their toll on the great Phil Coulson.

“Is he hungover or dying?” Victoria Hand, their manager asks, casting a critical glance towards the slumped over Phil.

“Moronic clients,” Maria answers in a voice akin to what one might use to tell a family that their loved one was terminally ill.

Victoria lets out a snort before taking a sip of the coffee in her hand, “well try to see to it that the damage isn’t irreparable,” she smirks before walking off in the direction of her office.

“At least the boss cares about your well being,” Maria pokes Phil in the back as he stays slumped over his desk.

“Ermgh!” He grunts as her finger jabs painfully right between his shoulder blades. “Ah you crazy woman!” He bats her hands away as she continues poking him, straightening up in his chair.

“Ah good, you’re alive,” she smiles earning a glare from him.

“I just wish it was Saturday already,” he whinges as Maria rolls her eyes.

“Why? It’s not like you do anything exciting on your days off,” she teases earning herself another glare.

“Hey, the Smithsonian is awesome alright,” he defends, because of course anything related to Captain America is awesome.

“Right,” she agrees sarcastically, drawing the word out.

“And actually,” he adds with the slightest hint of a goofy grin on his face, “I have a date.”

Maria’s jaw drops open.

“What?! Tell me all the details..”

He laughs at her reaction and shakes his head teasingly, revenge for her poking him in the back.

“Philllll!” She draws his name out whining at him as he grins triumphantly.

Eventually he relents, unable to hold out on his friend for too long.

“Her name’s Melinda and we’ve already been on two dates so far. I met her at the club that Clint works at, The Playground, but I actually first saw her when I went to a figure skating tournament the other week when my date bailed on me again.”

“Oh, so she’s into figure skating?” Maria raises her eyebrows in interest.

“You could say that,” he shrugs with a shy smile, “I mean, she did win the tournament.”

Maria’s eyes widen in surprise as she punches him in the arm for holding that game changing piece of information back from her.

“Wait, so you have somehow managed to date a figure skater?” His friend asks incredulous.

He looks at her a little puzzled, not quite sure what the significance of dating a figure skater is. Regardless, he nods yes to her question.

“Damn,” she smirks at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes, “I bet she’s flexible,” she winks.

“Maria!” He exclaims, playfully pushing his friend so she rolls a short distance away from him on her wheely desk chair. “I am a gentleman.”

“Oh I’m sure,” she agrees in a tone that suggests she thinks otherwise.

Throwing a mock scowl in  her directions he rolls his eyes as his friend laughs finding herself hilarious. Once she finally calms herself down she rolls back over nudging his arm with her shoulder.

“So where did you take her for your dates?”

He smiles just thinking about it.

“For the first one, I took her to this lovely Italian restaurant, very fancy. I picked her up from her place and drove her in Lola, she liked the car,” he has a dorky look on his face which makes Maria roll her eyes affectionately. “For our second date-”

“Wait, you didn’t tell me how the first date ended,” she interrupted sounding like he had committed the most horrendous of crimes.

“What? I just dropped her home afterwards, walked her up to her apartment and stuff,” he shares, bewildered by his friend’s horror.

“And stuff?” Maria asks with a face and tone of voice as if she were trying to weasel the truth out of a misbehaving child. “Really Phil?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged, the slightest colouring of pink spreading across his cheeks, “I did kiss her goodnight if that’s what you’re trying to get at.”

“Chaste peck or solid pash?”

“It was a good kiss,” he shares as she punches him on the arm.

“Phil Coulson you dog! I had no idea you had game,” she laughs, happy for him regardless of how much she might tease him, “so when can I meet her?”

He turns to look at her with eyebrows raised.

“Meet her?” He asks in an incredulous tone, “Maria, it’s not like she and I are getting married. That’s hardly the case, it’s only been a few dates.”

“Well I assume everything’s going well since you’re going to be having three dates in what, two weeks?”

“Don’t jinx it yeah,” he mumbles, actually now considering what might happen if he and Melinda were to continue and perhaps enter a somewhat serious relationship.

“Hey, I’m sure everything will work out for you,” Maria says gently, placing a hand on his shoulder, “she’d be an idiot to pass up on you.”

He smiles weakly at her caring attempt to soothe his sudden worries. He just really wants things to go well with Melinda, he likes her, a lot.

“Oh, look alive,” Maria tells him before scooting back into her cubicle.

Lifting his head he can see his boss Victoria Hand approaching, her figure tall and imposing. So he pushes all thoughts of possible future relationships from his mind and focuses on his work.

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

Shutting down his computer, he releases a tired sigh as he picks up his bag and rises from his chair to head over towards the doors. Everyone else around him is doing the same and he feels a rush of satisfaction run through him at the thought that the next two days are the weekend.

“Hey,” a voice says from behind him as a heavy hand clamps down on his shoulder.

He barely hides his grimace before turning to greet the owner of the hand.

“John,” he replies with a twitch of his lips upwards in a failed attempt at a smile.

“Thank God it's Friday eh?” The other man grins, his hand still gripping Phil’s shoulder almost painfully.

“Yeah,” Phil mumbles rolling his shoulder so John gets the message to let him go.

Releasing his shoulder with a forceful pat on the back, John walks with him to the door.

“You got any plans Phil?”

He shrugs nonchalantly, not really too keen to share many personal details with John Garrett. The man is a big mouth and lacks the understanding of discrete.

“Just gonna enjoy some down time,” he answers.

“Yeah yeah,” John claps him on the back again, “how ‘bout we go down to a bar tonight?”

Phil knows exactly what John means when he says ‘go down to a bar’ and he doesn’t really feel like being his wingman tonight, or any other night.

“Sorry John,” he tells the other man with what he hopes is a slightly regretful smile, “afraid I'm gonna have to pass tonight.”

John looks at his with an expression of genuine shock, as if he can't quite comprehend why any man might not want to go out for drinks with him on a Friday night.

“Alright then,” the main says raising his eyebrows and blowing out a deep breath, “your loss mate.”

Phil nods as if he actually is sorry to be missing out on drinks with his loud mouthed colleague. Sometimes he's too nice for his own good he thinks. Regardless, as they leave the building John claps him on the shoulder once more before separating from him to go and find the nearest bar. Shaking his head, Phil pulls his keys from his pocket as he moves towards his car. The buzzing of his phone in his pocket distracts him for a moment as he pulls it out and looks at the screen to see a text from Melinda.

Looking forward to tomorrow :)

He smiles at the message feeling a slow warmth spread through him as he taps out a reply.

Me too. How was your day?

Waiting for a moment, he feels his heart increase slightly as he sees the three little dots pop up on the screen.

Busy -_- You?

Nodding his head in agreement despite the fact that he is currently standing alone next to his car, he frowns at the realisation. He should actually get into his car he thinks to himself before unlocking the doors and sliding into the driver’s seat.

Boring. Happy to be going home now :)

Once again he waits, watching for those three little dots to appear.

Do you need to go? We can text later if you want.

A small breath of amusement escapes him as he reads her message. It’s sweet and thoughtful he smiles dopily to himself. Catching a glance of himself in the rearview mirror he does a double take when he sees the expression on his face. Wait, does he seriously look like that in front of other people? The discovery leaves him more than a little shocked. It makes him want to slap a hand over his forehead and groan. Has he been subjecting the world to looking at this without his even knowing? This is embarrassing. Taking a deep calming breath, he tries to ignore the stupid thoughts filtering through his head as he taps out a reply.

About to drive home now. I'll text you when I get there ;)

Locking his phone he puts it down before starting up the car and backing out. Luckily for him his workplace is not too far from his home, and within fifteen minutes he has his car parked in his parking spot outside his apartment. Phone in hand, he grabs his things out of his car and heads into the building. He texts Melinda again once he's settled back in his home and resting on the couch with a beer in hand.

They banter back and forth for a while and he finds himself enjoying it, her sense of humour making him laugh whilst he sits alone in his living room.  It's been quite a while since he found a girl that he thought he might have the possibility of a future with, and he thinks that there is a chance for he and Melinda. True, it's still early days and they've only been on two dates, but already he feels comfortable around her. It's like some sort of instant connection between them, and definitely some undeniable attraction. Phil doesn't think he's the only one to be feeling it either, which is really positive for him. Unrequited love is probably one of the worst things that could ever happen to someone in life he reckons. It's painful, awkward and embarrassing, something which he knows firsthand. Melinda however seems just as eager and excited to be seeing him which he takes as a very good sign and just hopes that it will last. After all, according to Maria it is not everyday that a man is able to find himself a figure skater to date.

A knock on the door disturbs him from his thoughts however, and he pads over quietly on bare feet to open it.

“Phillip Coulson?” the person asks uncertainly.

“Yes,” he answers with a slight hint of wariness in his tone, a puzzled frown knitting his brows together.

The man at his door opens up a bag and hands him a pizza.

“I didn’t order this,” Phil states as the man pushes the box into his hands.

“Well it’s all payed for and you’re the guy we were told to deliver it to,” the pizza guy shrugs, “just enjoy the pizza dude.”

He stands there a little dumbly for a moment as he watches the pizza guy walk away before retreating back into his apartment. Opening up the lid of the pizza, supreme with olives, he frowns at the fact that it’s also his favourite pizza. It’s weird, very weird. But then again perhaps he is trying to read too much into this. It could just be an honest mistake or a random case of coincidence. Telling himself he’s being paranoid, he ignores the voice in the back of his mind that tells him that the chances of something like this happening for no reason are incredibly slim. Shrugging the matter off as just a weird case of coincidence, he grabs a plate and a slice of pizza. As the pizza guy said, he should just enjoy the pizza.

x

x

Notes:

Well... that was a bit of an unusual end. Please let me know what you think, comments are greatly appreciated.

[bethygauw]

Enstars: PASH! April 2017

Released in March 2017.

Thank you Nhi for the scans!! She translates Enstars stories on Dreamwidth. Check it out!

Special interview with Saori Kodama and Youhei Matsui, lyricists of Enstars unit song second series. The second half of this post includes more detailed comments on all songs they were in charge of.

They were in charge of: Saori Kodama: 2wink, Ra*bits, Switch, fine Youhei Matsui: Knights, Castle Upon Sand, Trickstar. Previously, he also wrote Enstars opening song.

Credit of lyric translations quoted in this post, references: - 2wink by PatriciaSelina - Love Ra*bits Party!! by Keru - Knights by Mike - Castle Upon Sand on wiki

Q: Both of you took part in the making of many Enstars unit songs as lyricists. What kind of impressions do you have on the game itself?

Matsui: In the beginning, the complexity of the story surprised me. The characters are divided not only by units, but also by year groups and classes. Each character has a lot of different interactions with various characters, which is something I don’t see often. I remember I got nervous thinking if I’ll be able to understand it (laugh).

Kodama: They have clubs too.

Matsui: Depending on the club, the senior-junior interactions also differ.

Kodama: There were a lot of things I couldn’t tell just from reading the main story, so when I read the event stories I got surprised by the relationship between some characters. It was worth reading.

Q: What were your impressions on the units you were in charge of?

Matsui: The units I was in charge of were Knights, Valkyrie, and Trickstar. Knights have a solid philosophy, which is “chivalry”, so they were the easiest to understand. As for Valkyrie… Say, Kodama-san, when writing lyrics, how do you read the original story?

Kodama: In my case, I’d firstly read from the point of view of all characters.

Matsui: I see! For me, I’d intentionally skim through the stories or read them from one character’s point of view, so that I can focus on that particular character who’s singing. But for Valkyrie, I properly and carefully read all the stories. They’re poor guys, I thought. If something goes wrong during my performance, I would firstly go, “Oh, come on…” (laugh) When it comes to how resolute Mika was when he started singing all by himself in that kind of situation…

Kodama: Mika had great resolve and determination, didn’t he? What about Trickstar?

Matsui: Trickstar is a unit that’s the truest to themselves. If I can say this, there’s no way they would’ve won against fine in the first place. But they did, so what’s going on there? I thought about things like that. For example, in sports, you can’t win if there’s a considerable difference between your abilities. But when it comes to idols, you can have a chance to win. When I was thinking about why that is, I thought maybe it was because of “the power of support”. I thought about the kind of people who would make me want to support them, who make me want to push their backs. So the feel I have for Trickstar is that they are important friends whom I’d root for. I could also consider about “who writes the lyrics”. For Trickstar’s songs, it seems that the lyrics would have been written by all of them. And that doesn’t mean that one member writes his own part, but it feels like a member’s part is written by the other members. I can imagine an exchange like, “Hokke, sing this part!” They are able to write others’ parts because they understand each other. I think those four are like that.

Q: What about you, Kodama-san?

Kodama: I’ll start from 2wink. From the stories, I could see that they are twins who are shouldering a heavy burden, so I figured I couldn’t write songs that only sound cute. Ra*bits also seemed easy to understand and there is truly a variety of characters in this group. I had all the intention to read the story from a character’s perspective, but Mitsuru-kun would jump in out of nowhere and go, “I’m gonna dash dash!” (laugh) I think Ra*bits gives off the feeling, “We are working hard even if we have things we worry about. This is a declaration of our determination.” I wrote the lyrics based on a collection of phrases they would want to sing.

Matsui: It’s like they asked you to write it.

Kodama: That’s truly how it felt like. For Switch, the unit wasn’t even announced yet when I got the offer. They weren’t in the main story, so I suppose I got to know them gradually at the same time as everyone else. Then, for fine… Firstly, I didn’t know what to do with Hibiki-san (laugh).

Matsui: I like Hibiki-san the most.

Kodama: Because you guys are silk hat buddies*, right? (laugh) I think it must be hard work to continue being rulers.

[*Note from PASH: The silk hat is Matsui-san’s trademark. TL’s note: yes, there are pictures if you search 松井洋平.]

Matsui: Being perfect is hard, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be a great pressure to them? I had the opportunity to write fine’s song for Enstage, but I thought a perfect unit must have perfect lyrics. But I’m not perfect, so how do I create perfection? It was something I worried about, and at the end I gave the song title “Perfect World”! (laugh) It’s like, I just have to say it myself, don’t I! (laugh)

Kodama: That’s a good way of thinking! (laugh) But if you put it that way, there’s also a genius in Knights. Didn’t that become pressure as well?

Matsui: Indeed, Knights has Leo. I don’t know who writes the lyrics in Knights’ songs, but I bet Knights’ songs are what were born within them.

Q: Is there anything that makes you think, “Now that’s what makes it Enstars”?

Matsui: If I can say this being prepared that it may cause misunderstandings: they’re not pro yet. I think their real work starts after graduation. That amateur feel is very much like Enstars, I thought. That naivety connects to “the feel of wanting to root for them”, and that feeling is the strongest for Trickstar to me. But fine doesn’t have that kind of naivety (laugh).

Kodama: I think I can understand that. I think after I’ve understood the units or characters in my own way, choosing the words that I’m going to give them is important. Even if a character’s way of thinking doesn’t match the meaning behind the lyrics, I would wonder about how the meaning would become. Does this sound difficult? (laugh)

Matsui: No, no! I listened while thinking you’re amazing. That happens, doesn’t it? In Knights for example, there’s this line, “Just being friendly will not hone this bond.” They don’t seem to be the type to say “bond” so thoughtlessly, right? But accordingly, it seems to hold a special meaning, different from what it would mean to other units. So if they’re going to sing these words, I would start asking, how would they say it? Why would they say it?

Kodama: That’s it. For Sora-kun from Switch, he’s using slightly difficult words that he wouldn’t use normally. But I think it’s because it is Sora-kun there’s a meaning behind giving him those words. Careful examination of every character perhaps, as a result, connects to “what makes it Enstars”.

Q: What do you think about the songs you didn’t work on?

Matsui: It’s amazing how fine and Trickstar became “the end” and “the beginning” unintentionally. In the lyrics, to fine’s “Finale”, Trickstar answered with “Raise the curtain!”*

[*Neo Sanctuary’s bridge: Bokura no Finale ni fusawashii maku o orosu / We shall bring down a fitting curtain to our finale; HEART→BEATER!!!!’s beginning: Maku o hirake]

Kodama: Yes! We didn’t even discuss over it.

Matsui: It’s purely coincidental. This is truly the power of the story, I thought.

Kodama: Others like “recollection*”, a word that both of us used, is a vocabulary in Enstars that holds a powerful meaning, so it comes out naturally.

[*Recollection/memories = tsuioku = 追憶, which is in Neo Sanctuary (Kodama) and Castle Upon Sand (Matsui) for example]

Matsui: Yeah, that’s right! That kind of thing really happens, doesn’t it.

Q: Then lastly, please leave a message to PASH! readers.

Matsui: These unit songs may be performed at Dreamfes or listened by other characters. For example, what kind of feeling would Wataru Hibiki have when he listens to Silent Oath? I think you can find many ways to listen to and approach every unit song. For that reason, please listen to all of them! (laugh)

Kodama: As of current, there isn’t a lot of voiced content in the game. But when you listen to the songs, you can see that each unit is singing. I think that’s amazing.

Matsui: It’s the power of the voice actors. Like really, you can see Yumenosaki is just over there. I realized unit songs have a role to make Yumenosaki closer to us. I’m looking forward to its world expanding further from now on too.

More detailed comments on each song

2wink (Kodama)

Heart Prism Symmetry: The theme is the twins having different views. When I read the story of the event Snowflake＊Street Performance of the Falling Stars, there’s a dialogue line, “It’s hard to maintain a self-image in front of a cracked mirror.”*  The way one can treat someone like a mirror and see themselves in them left an impression in me, so I implemented that phrase. In the chorus where they sing together, I intentionally made the persona all mixed up, such as with “my soul” and “Just be yourself”. I think each of them can see the other as both “your soul” and “my soul”, so by mixing up the subject both of them can blend into one. That’s the image I’m trying to depict.

[*Paraphrased; the original article didn’t quote the story dialogue exactly either. Dialogue line is from Star Chart 4, TL by Rain]

2winkle Star Beat☆: The theme is, “when these two stop feeling reserved with each other and combine together, they become the strongest!” When they sing believing they can be free, well, they’re just sparkling all over and no one can hold a candle against them. That’s what I thought, so I added lots and lots of sparkles (laugh). Moreover, Souma Saito-san sang each part perfectly, so it was truly wonderful!

Ra*bits (Kodama)

Hoppin’ Season♪: Shortly after their unit formation, it may have been a fortunate thing as well, but a strength typical of a young man is sprouting within them. That’s the image I have. I would also think about how they may have requested someone to write the lyrics to this song. Perhaps, they brainstormed the phrases themselves and showed it to them, “Right now, we are this kind of people!”  It can make you feel like they surely want to write the lyrics themselves one day. This song is exactly this developing phase of theirs. I also hope you can feel the increasing intensity from “Spring days” to “and now”, and “and now” in the last chorus. I’m sure all of you players know what happened to them in spring. Works that have an original story has strength, where it provides information that we can share just like this. It adds depth to the words.

Love Ra*bits Party!!: The theme is having a slightly grown-up party, so the lyrics are bold, just a little bit. But even if there’s a line, “Escorting you”, when Ra*bits sing it, you can really tell that they must be the ones who are getting nervous instead. I think that’s Ra*bits’ charm. But the last line, “Your heart is unprepared / because we’ll put you in a trance” may give your heart a big thump. I think it works that way because of the way the voice actors express it.

Knights (Matsui)

Silent Oath: For Knights, I was asked to treat their worldview with great care. “With story-telling style, a world of fantasy,” they said. It’s a story of a knight and the person they swore their loyalty to. This song probably has a stronger knight feel rather than idol feel. Knights is a unit that is accommodating with their fanservice, so I think they also show kindness not to destroy the worldview their fans are asking for. I thought of bringing that side of them forward. Also, the title suggests that their “oath” is not something to be put into words. If it’s set in the medieval world, where you can see a forest and a castle… I think the feelings that are concealed within their hearts would spill under the moonlight, rather than the sunlight. So the phrase “Dear Moon Light” was the first thing that came into my mind. I attached the word “Dear” to “Moon Light”. I think the dearest moonlight would affect the knight and the person they swore their loyalty to differently depending on each member. Each member would also hold different feelings regarding the phrase, “Don’t shine your light upon me” which comes up several times. Moreover, the reason why some members don’t sing certain lines… I think it’s something interesting to imagine. The choruses were done comparably quickly. The part “an eternity of purity” is referring to the title “Silent Oath”. It means to swear to an eternity that is clean of impurities.

Q: Leo’s singing “Because I will disappear myself” left an impression.

I put it towards the last chorus because I wanted to give it a meaning, because of the game’s story plot and also to make you wonder who wrote this line. Similar to this, there’s also the line, “This world filled with struggle”. While it stays within the idea of a fairy-tale, it also reminds you of the war era in the academy.

Fight for Judge: Conversely, this song perhaps brings out their true side. It can make you feel their determination in intentionally using the phrase “Fight for Judge”. I think it’s a song that audibly declares what kind of unit they are. “Nobly” is sung by Leo, but it’s not like he’s singing it thinking he’s a noble guy, but perhaps what he refers to as noble is actually his unit. He may seem to be someone who would say, “I’m noble!” (laugh) but maybe the fact that he won’t is what defines Leo. But when he’s with Knights, perhaps something like a resolve was born within him, that there’s no way he can walk away without saying the line.

Q: I was mesmerized by the line sung by Izumi, “Then once you’re prepared to struggle for it, come.”

It’s the part, “Come,” isn’t it? (laugh) If Izumi tells you to “come”… well, you would go, wouldn’t you? (laugh) There are times when I’d fling a word at a character precisely because they don’t look like the type to say it. But the amazing thing about voice actors is they’re able to make you approve of it. They grasp the intention of the song properly. They themselves are Knights, so if they’re asked to sing something, no matter what song, they’ll surely do it in this way. I think it’s something that will not change.

Valkyrie (Matsui)

Castle Upon Sand: First, I thought about the meaning behind Nazuna’s participation. From there, I thought that the theme, “coming apart” was necessary, and I started my work from creating an image in my mind perfectly and then smashing down the emotions. There are no specifics in what scene this song was sung in, and I didn’t give it a limit either. I think it’s okay to interpret the meaning behind the three singing this song in any way you like. But all of you know what happened, right? Maybe it’s when Mika started singing acapella in Marionette, maybe it’s when the three of them sang together in StarFes. After you come up with that, your imagination may start to expand, “What would the meaning of the lyrics become…” I chose the title “Castle Upon Sand” with the meaning of what seems to be perfect at a glance is something that crumbles so easily. But to me, this idiom also applies to “time”. Nazuna’s voice change also depends on “time”, and reconciliation perhaps depends on “time” as well. Also, there’s the line, “The key to the showcase is now covered in rust.” Perhaps “to rust” doesn’t have the nicest connotation, but if you think about the passage of time, antiques look more wonderful the more they rust. It’s a song that packs a variety of elements that can be seen as both good and bad.

Switch (Kodama)

Temptation Magic: Firstly, to inform more about the unit, we have the keywords “magicians” and “entertainment”. These are Switch’s first songs, so they would be introductory songs. On top of that, both songs share the theme, “We will attract your hearts with our magic, and make everyone happy!” Although, I approached both songs from different angles. To be specific, Temptation Magic uses the unit’s motif “lightning” and pierces through everyone. You can see a cool side of theirs that’s slightly more assertive.

Q: In “We’ll etch it in your heart …Switch,”* the part “Switch” is breathy and it had a great impact.

At first, I imagined that part to be a bit more machine-like. I already thought that would’ve been impactful enough, but I was surprised with how it turned out! It surely will be etched in your heart (laugh). It went beyond my imagination. It was truly amazing!

[*End of chorus: Kimi no HEART ni umekomu...Switch]

Knockin’ Fantasy: The picture I had is that in this song, they are showing their more natural selves than they do in Temptation Magic. While you don’t know if they’re expressing their true feelings, while you can feel the song’s insecurity and be entranced by it, they’re going all out with the happy feel to fill up the concert hall with smiles.

fine (Kodama)

Fortissimo of Fluttering Wings: I was given a request to reveal Eichi’s feelings. But I can’t make it into Eichi’s solo—it had to be a song sung as a unit. I started from there. So rather than Eichi’s own feelings, I kept in mind things like the burden that is shouldered by the unit fine that Eichi formed. Maybe, depending on the time period, both this song and the second track Neo Sanctuary would’ve been sung by different members. But I thought about fine’s purpose at a particular time period, and wrote the lyrics.

Neo Sanctuary: For this one, I thought about a way to make the listeners think that it might have been fine consisting of different members. Depending on how you see it, Eichi’s strong determination to open up a new world may be “evil”, but for some reason you can’t look away. Eichi is Yumenosaki’s top idol to those who don’t know him, but those he hurt wouldn’t be able to see him that way. Eichi and fine stand on top of such despair, all alone. That’s the image I have. Midorikawa-san’s “fine -the end-” was recorded more times than I expected…! For this part, I was asked to make it impactful, but I was surprised when I listened to the end product. Also, I thought the meaning of “Hibiki wataru/resounding” would waver if Hibiki himself sings that line, so I had the juniors sing it. In the chorus before the climax, Tori-kun’s “For eternity”* was so cool, and it left an impact. If Tori-kun can hit it off with a line like this, I couldn’t think of anything else but, “He’s really going to be the next emperor!” I could feel that all of the voice actors truly did a good job in making the character theirs.

[*“Towa ni ataeyou” | The whole line: We shall bestow you order (Yuzuru) for eternity (Tori)]

Trickstar (Matsui)

HEART→BEATER!!!!: What I worried about was if it’s going to overlap with the main theme, ONLY YOUR STARS. In the end, I decided that ONLY YOUR STARS expresses the excitement the [boys] have towards themselves, while in HEART→BEATER!!!! the four are going to get the audience excited. Regarding the title, there are two Trickstar members who are part of the basketball club, right? The term used in the sport, “buzzer beater” became an inspiration to the title, which means that “they are going to make your heart beat [loudly]”. You can feel that it’s something that the four would come up with after discussing with each other. You can imagine a good-natured conversation, like, “There’s this thing called ‘buzzer beater’, so what about ‘HEART→BEATER!!!!’? Sounds cool, right?!” “I like that!” Also, I added four exclamation marks, with meaning that these four are going to make a surprise together. For the lyrics, I also chose the words, as best as I could, so that it wouldn’t be surprising if Trickstar members were the ones who wrote the lyrics. There are parts where I wanted to emphasize that this is what they want to convey, rather than considering if it’s easy to sing. In that sense, the lyrics are something less technical than ONLY YOUR STARS. That’s why some lines seem like something I wouldn’t write. Youhei Matsui won’t write, “The spotlight will turn even sweat into light,”* but if it’s Trickstar members they would write it, I thought. It’s like they would put down how they feel as it is into lyrics. The line, “We can’t wait,”** expresses their feelings of wanting to sing on the stage right there, right at that moment. I didn’t have much trouble writing this song, and it felt like I wrote the lyrics after listening to conversations among the four of them.

[*Chorus of second verse: Spotlight ga ase sae hikari ni kaeteku **Beginning: Machikirenai no sa]

Rainbow-Colored Seasons: This song may not have been made by the boys in the present time. When they’ve become a bit more mature, I think they would have this kind of worldview. Perhaps, this is an expression of Trickstar members from one step ahead in the future. Firstly, Subaru’s “The changing seasons”*… it’s not something you would’ve imagined coming from Subaru so out of the blue (laugh). But that’s exactly why, if he’s singing something like this, he wouldn’t be the Subaru from “now”, but it would be Subaru who has slightly matured, has had and digested a lot of experience. Perhaps, it’s a song of Trickstar members who are aiming to stand on an even bigger stage.

[*Beginning: Utsuri kawaru kisetsu no]