luxken27 | Stacy in Bloom | 11: With or Without You

Title: Stacy in Bloom
Fandom: Kids Incorporated
Universe: Canon (Season 5 – 1988)
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Rating: T
Summary: With her sister and best friend halfway around the world, who else is there for Stacy to turn to…but Ryan? When the consequences of their actions become clear, the two must decide if pursuing each other is worth breaking up the band.
Mega-meta resource thread: http://luxken27.livejournal.com/137711.html

Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5873801/11/

I'm finally back on my writing schedule with this fic, which is no small feat considering how much of this weekend turned into a 1985/Season 2 timesink. Suffice to say, I've always loved my ship, but now I have evidence that it was adorable even before it ever took root :D

There are only a few references this time, so let's jump right in...

[+] "You Belong to the City" was a song the band performed in during the season three episode "World Traveler." Unfortunately, it has been removed from YouTube, along with every other unauthorized piece of Glenn Frey's music. That really bummed me out, because that also meant they yanked two parts of the episode that featured it down, along with the song clip video itself :-/

The good news is, it *is* available as a downloaded clip, so if anybody's interested, I could direct you and/or send you the file. It's a really beautiful rendition of the song, complete with the awesometastic saxophone part. The more I watch the series as a whole, the more I'm becoming convinced the 1986 cast was the best, overall. There were a lot of strong performances, both acting and singing...though I would be lying if I didn't admit part of the reason I enjoy this season so much is because my ship really started to take shape :P

[+] I'm still referencing the same episode, 5x8 "The Guitarist." This will be a three-chapter arc 'rewrite' of the episode, as I had to remove Ryan almost completely and redistribute his lines. If you'd like to see the original, and/or are curious as to how I'm mixing it up, look no further:

Watch on YouTube

[+] The title song was performed in this episode, a solo by Ryan. Definitely one of his better performances of the season *swoon*

Watch on YouTube

One thing I really enjoyed about writing this chapter - one that I anticipated having trouble with, actually - was the conversation between Stacy and Renee. I was kinda dreading it, since I haven't worked with Renee very much thus far, but the conversation really flowed quite easily. I could definitely sense Renee's frustration with trying to be a big sister from such a long distance. I'm probably making too much of her 'rivalry' with Ryan, considering I haven't seen the episodes this is supposedly based on in very long time, but I like to think when it comes to Stacy, Renee just goes into protective mode. No guy would be good enough for her, no matter how sterling his credentials :P All in all, I quite like writing big sis!Renee. I'm looking forward to her next appearance in the story.

I can only hope any readers of this story are enjoying it as much as I am enjoying writing it :) I have so much more in store that is going to be so exciting to write, I absolutely can't wait to get there, LOL!!